Guru Purnima is a festival that honors and expresses gratitude towards the spiritual teachers who impart knowledge and guidance. It is when disciples pay respects to their gurus and seek their blessings. “Guru” means “teacher” and “Purnima” means a full moon day. Here are some delicious desserts to celebrate Guru Purnima at home :
1.Basundi
Basundi is a decadent buttery sweet made by simmering full-fat milk until it reduces to half. Then, sugar, saffron, cardamom, and nuts are added. Slow cooking the milk allows it to caramelize, hence the golden color. Basundi is mostly served chilled and garnished with chopped pistachios.
2.Sooji Halwa
Roast semolina (sooji or rava) in ghee until golden brown. Then, make a syrup with boiling water and sugar. Pour over the semolina to absorb the sweetness. Stir continuously to avoid the sticking of semolina on the sides of the pan. Once blended, turn the heat off. Garnish with nuts and serve warm so that it melts in your mouth when you eat it.
3.Kesari Seviyan
Kesari Seviyan is made using thin vermicelli noodles. Roast the vermicelli in ghee until it turns golden brown, and boil in milk until soft. You could utilize saffron-infused milk for a brighter flavor, but cardamom is also acceptable. Keep on stirring till it absorbs all of the milk and swells up. Finally, toasted cashews and raisins is added for texture.
4.Puran Poli
It is an Indian sweet flatbread. The dough is made with wheat flour, water, and oil. Knead it and make it into small balls. Puran is the sweet filling made by cooking and mashing yellow lentils. It is then blended with jaggery and cardamom. The balls are rolled out and filled with a spoonful of puran. Seal and roll it back into thin discs that are cooked with ghee until brown spots start forming.
5.Shrikhand
Shrikhand is made only using strained yogurt. Ensure you utilize thick yogurt hung in a muslin cloth to drain the excess whey. Mix the yogurt with sugar and some spices. Chill it so that the flavors can infuse. Saffron could be added for both taste and its yellow color. The flavored yogurt is then garnished with chopped nuts and rose petals.
6.Cham Cham
Cham Cham is a popular Bengali sweet loved for its spongy texture. Knead paneer with flour and sugar to form a dough, which is then shaped into cylindrical or oval patties. These patties are cooked in a sugar syrup to soak up the sweetness. Once cooked, it is garnished with chopped nuts. It is a versatile dish and includes many variations.
7.Vermicelli Kheer
It is made from thin noodles called vermicelli. Roast the vermicelli in ghee until it turns golden brown. Take a pot, add milk, sugar, and the roasted vermicelli. Keep stirring till the vermicelli cooks through and the milk turns creamy. You could also flavor the kheer with crushed cardamom seeds. Garnish with roasted nuts and raisins.
8.Panchamrit
Panchamrit is a sacred concoction made in Hindu culture. It is a blend of five ingredients, namely, milk, yogurt, honey, ghee, and sugar. Take equal parts of cow’s milk and yogurt and mix both. Then, add a generous amount of honey and ghee, followed by a spoonful of sugar. Additionally, you can include fresh fruits such as apples, bananas, pineapples, and pomegranates.
9.Sweet Pongal
Sweet Pongal is a South Indian dessert eaten during festivals, especially Pongal, a harvest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu. Roast the moong dal and rice until it emits a nutty aroma. Cook them together in water until soft. In a separate pan, melt jaggery using a little water to form a syrup. Add the syrup to the cooked mixture. Then, add ghee, cardamom powder, toasted cashews, and raisins to this. Cook until the mixture reaches a pudding-like consistency.
10.Coconut Barfi
Coconut barfi is a flaky snack enjoyed by all age groups. Cook grated coconut, sugar, and milk on medium heat until it starts to thicken. This mixture is spread onto a greased tray, flattened, and left to cool. After it cools, you can cut it into shapes such as squares or diamonds. Garnish with sliced nuts and a sprinkle of cardamom powder.
11.Mysore Pak
Mysore Pak is a simple yet decadent sweet. Heat the ghee in a pan and add besan gradually into it. Stir continuously to avoid lumps, and make sure the besan roasts to a golden color. Make a sugar syrup using water and pour it onto the besan mixture. Cook this until it reaches a fudgy consistency. Pour it into a greased tray and spread it out to cool faster. Cut it into long rectangles and serve.
12.Kaju Katli
It is a prevalent choice for all festive celebrations in India. The process involves grinding the cashews into a fine powder, mixing it with sugar syrup, ghee, and stirring it continuously until a smooth dough is formed. This dough is then rolled out and cut into diamonds of medium thickness. A thin layer of edible silver leaf can be added on top for decoration.
13.Sandesh
Sandesh is a creamy Bengali sweet. Knead some freshly grated paneer until it attains a smooth consistency. Combine it with sugar and shape it into any form you want. The most used shapes are flattened circles or small cylinders. You can also decorate with nuts or edible silver foil on top.
14.Badusha
Badusha has a flaky exterior and a melt-in-your-mouth interior. Knead the flour, ghee, and yogurt together to form a pliable dough. Shape this dough into small discs with a small indentation in the center, and deep-fry till golden brown. Then, soak it in a glossy sugar syrup for extra sweetness. Drain the excess syrup and serve.
15.Adhirasam
It is a common South Indian sweet made during festivals like Diwali. The dough comprises rice flour, jaggery, and cardamom seeds. Shape it into flat palm-size circles deep-fried to a golden brown with a crispy exterior and a fall-apart interior. Let it cool before serving.
16.Gulab Jamun
Gulab Jamun is the most famous dessert in India. Knead khoya with a small amount of flour. Shape this mixture into small balls and deep-fry until it turns brown. These fried spongy balls are soaked in a delicious thick sugar syrup flavored with cardamom to absorb all its flavors. Serve the balls along with the syrup and garnish with sliced nuts.
17.Peda
It is a beloved Indian sweet, famed for its rich texture. Cook khoya in a pan until it reaches a golden color and begins to detach from the sides of the pan. Next, add the appropriate ratio of sugar and keep stirring until it entirely blends into the khoya. Once it attains the consistency of a dough, turn the heat off. Shape it into smooth flat balls which is the iconic peda shape. Let it cool, and garnish with chopped nuts before serving.
18.Ladoo
It is a famous Indian sweet made during nearly all festive occasions and celebrations. Roast flour in ghee until it becomes a golden brown, then add powdered sugar and mix. Incorporate chopped nuts and any required flavorings into it. After everything is combined, turn the heat off. When it is still warm, shape this mixture into small balls. Allow it to cool and set before serving.
19.Modak
Modak is a dumpling with a sweet filling inside. Make the dough by mixing rice flour, water, and salt. Make small balls of the dough and flatten it into small circles. In a bowl, combine grated coconut and jaggery well. Place one spoonful of this mixture in the center of each circle, and seal the edges with your fingers to form the traditional modak shape. Ensure not to fill too much as the filling could spill out. Steam the modaks for five to ten minutes and serve them warm.
20.Rabri
Rabri is a decadent dessert made only with milk. Heat some whole milk and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, and stir frequently till it thickens and reduces by about half. Scrape the cream that has formed on the sides of the vessel and mix it back with the milk. After it has thickened really well, add sugar and keep stirring till it dissolves. Finally, flavor it with crushed cardamom seeds, saffron strands, and add chopped nuts like almonds and pistachios.
