MITHAI HO!

Preena and Arvinda present new ways of saying Mithai ho! for Diwali in their recipe book New Indian Basics (Appetite, $35)

ROSEWATER NAN KATAI

½ cup salted butter, room temperature

½ cup icing sugar

¼ tsp baking soda

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup fine semolina (suji)

1 tsp *Perfumy Chai Masala

2 tbsp 2% or whole milk

½ tsp rosewater (add up to ¾ tsp for bolder flavour)

Dried cranberries, to garnish

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with the icing sugar. Add the baking soda and combine. Sift in the flour to remove any lumps, then add the semolina. Mix to combine. Sprinkle in the chai masala, then add the milk and rosewater. Knead the ingredients together to make a cookie dough, taking care not to overmix it.

Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 15 minutes so it firms up before rolling the cookies out.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Knead the cookie dough and make equal-sized 1-inch balls, then flatten them out into patties. Add a dried cranberry to the top of each nan katai. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until the bottoms are golden.

Transfer to a wire cake rack and cool for 10 minutes. Serve with a cup of steaming hot masala chai.

* PERFUMY MASALA CHAI

 Whole spices:

2 tbsp green cardamom pods

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp whole cloves

1 tsp whole mace pieces

½ teaspoon black peppercorns

½ teaspoon white peppercorns

4 cinnamon sticks

1 whole nutmeg

Ground spice:

1½ tablespoons ginger powder

Toast the whole spices: Heat a small skillet to medium-high and add all the whole spices. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir the spices until they become slightly golden brown and fragrant. You can also hold the handle of the skillet to gently toss the spices until they become toasted. This may take a couple of minutes, but the real indicator is when the cardamom pods slightly swell

Remove the whole spices from the heat. Once they cool, place them in a medium or large heavy mortar and pestle and grind into a fine powder. Alternatively, grind the spices in a clean coffee grinder on the finest setting

Stir in the ginger powder until the chai masala is uniform.

Store in a stainless-steel container or an airtight jar and keep it in a cool, dark place. For optimal flavour, use within 9 months.

ALMOND COCONUT AND CRANBERRY LADDOOS

1 cup crunchy almond butter

1 cup dried desiccated coconut unsweetened plus extra for coating

½ cup almond flour

½ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup raisins

¼ cup raw sesame seeds

¼ cup honey

1 tbsp *Perfumy Chai Masala

In a medium bowl place all the ingredients. Mix well to combine thoroughly. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for 15 minutes so it becomes firm.

Take a tablespoon of mixture and form it into a ball. Continue with the remaining mixture.

Place ¼ cup coconut in a shallow dish, or use as much as required for coating the ladoos. Coat the ladoos in the coconut, shaking off any excess. Ladoos will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

CHOCOLATE ORANGE CARDAMOM BARFI

¼ cup ghee

½ cup icing sugar

1½ cups whole milk powder

¼ cup half-and-half cream

¼ cup almond flour

½ tsp green cardamom seeds, finely ground

¼ tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tbsp finely slivered pistachios to garnish

Chocolate topping:

3½ oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa), chopped

3½ oz milk chocolate, chopped

1 tbsp salted butter

2 tbsp half-and-half cream

1 tsp orange blossom water

Line an 8-inch diameter 1-inch-deep stainless-steel plate with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large non-stick skillet on medium-low heat, melt the ghee. Stir in the icing sugar to combine.

Sift in the milk powder and mix to combine. Add the cream, almond flour, cardamom and vanilla and stir so all the ingredients become uniform. Remove the barfi from the pan and once it is cool enough to handle, knead it with your hands so all the mixture comes together.

Press the barfi into the prepared plate and smooth it out into an even layer. You can use the bottom of a small stainless-steel bowl or katori or a spatula to compress the mixture firmly into the plate.

For the Chocolate topping: Melt the chocolates using double boiler. Once the chocolate is smooth and melted, stir in the butter. Add the cream and orange blossom water and stir to combine. The chocolate topping should be glossy.

Using a spatula, layer the chocolate topping on top of the barfi and smooth it out evenly. Sprinkle on the pistachios to garnish. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Cut the barfi into 1-inch squares or diamond shapes.