It’s the season to celebrate and we see no reason why you should not indulge in a bit of sweetness! 
While the markets are full of chocolates, macarons, and other desserts and treats, there is a certain charm in preparing traditional Indian sweets at home. With a little help from these chefs, you too can make these delicious dishes to add that special touch to the festivities.
SAGO VERMICELLI KHEER
Recipe by nutritionist Ruchi Sharma
Serves: 2
Ingredients
70 gm sago
30 gm vermicelli
1 tsp ghee
500 gm milk
50 gm sugar
½ tsp cardamom powder (optional)
Method
- Take ghee in a pan, roast vermicelli in ghee until golden brown. In another pan, first, rinse well and then cook in water until they turn translucent and soft. This will take 5-6 minutes.
- Take milk in a pot, on medium-low flame.
- Add vermicelli to it and keep stirring. Once cooked through, add the sago or sabudana to the milk. Keep stirring.
- When the milk starts to thicken and turns creamy, add sugar to it and keep stirring.
- You can add cardamom powder at this point.
- Garnish with pistachio and saffron strands.
Note: The sago kheer naturally thickens after cooling, so keep in mind the consistency you want in case you want to serve it cold.
BALUSHAHI
Recipe by Chef Anuradha Joshi Medhora of Charoli foods
Serves: 20 pcs.
Ingredients
250 gm all-purpose flour
60 gm ghee
60 gm curd
8-9 tbsp cold water for kneading or as required
1 pinch salt
1 pinch baking soda
For the sugar syrup
200 gm sugar
½ cup water
½ to 1 tsp cardamom powder
10-12 saffron strands
Few drops of lemon juice
Others
Ghee for deep frying
Chopped pistachios or almonds for garnish
Method
1. Take ghee in a bowl. Beat till light and fluffy. Add chilled curd and mix it well with the creamed ghee. Cream till light and smooth.
2. Sieve 2 cups maida in it. Add a pinch of salt, a pinch baking of soda, and ½ teaspoon baking powder.
3. Add directly in the creamed ghee and curd.
4. Mix the flour lightly with the creamed ghee and curd.
5. Sprinkle some cold water in parts and begin to mix it.
6. Mix and combine everything to form a soft dough. Do not knead.
7. Take 200 grams of sugar in a pan or bowl. Add ½ cup water and mix. Place the pan on a low flame. Stir the sugar so that it dissolves.
8. When sugar has dissolved, add teaspoon cardamom powder and 10 to 12 saffron strands. To avoid crystallization add some drops of lemon juice. Simmer till the syrup becomes sticky.
9. Heat ghee in a kadai or pan on a medium flame.
10. Pinch small to medium-sized balls from the dough. Roll them gently. Then make a depression in them. Gently begin to place balushahi in the hot ghee. Begin to fry balushahi on a low flame.
11. When one side firms up and is light golden, turn over. Keep on turning them over at intervals and frying them on a low flame for around 15 minutes. Fry till golden and crisp. Place them on kitchen paper towels. Next, place them in the warm sugar syrup. Serve!
HEALTHY DIWALI LADDOOS
Recipe by Surabhi Sehgal, Food stylist and Recipe developer
Serves: 10-15 pcs.
Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup chickpea flour (besan)
4 tbsp finely chopped almonds
4 tbsp finely chopped walnuts
4 tbsp chopped raisins
2 tbsp finely chopped pistachios
4 tbsp flaxseed powder
2 tbsp powdered chia seeds
3/4 cup ghee
3/4 cup powdered jaggery (or to taste)
1/2 tsp powdered cardamom
1/4 tsp saffron
Method
1. Add chopped almonds, pistachios, and walnuts to a pan. Dry roast for few minutes on low heat and let them cool.
2. To a hot pan, add ghee, whole wheat flour, and chickpea flour and cook it on slow flame. Keep stirring it for 15 -20 minutes.
3. Once the colour of the flour turns light brown, transfer to a large mixing bowl and add jaggery, nuts, raisins, cardamom, flaxseed powder, chia powder and saffron.
4. Once the mixture has cooled a bit, shape them into laddoos. Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container, and enjoy.
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