Gulab jamun, a sweet, spongy dough ball served in spiced honey, goes well with masala spiced tea. (Photo courtesy of Petty Elliot)
Diwali, or Deepavali in old Sanskrit, means the festival of lights. Indians around the world normally celebrate this five-day Hindu festival in October or November, depending on the lunar calendar. This year it falls on Sunday.
Like its name suggests, the festival is a vibrant, fun and glamorous affair lit up with fireworks and, of course, food.
In terms of sweets, there are many to choose from. Malpua is a pancake immersed in sugar syrup; mithai is made with semolina, wheat flour, chickpea flour and full-cream milk, which are sometimes combined with freshly grated coconut or carrots. The mixture gains a wonderful fragrance by adding cardamom, nutmeg and a sprinkling of nuts and raisins. It is then molded by hand into colorful squares.
Kheer is a rice pudding with cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.
For this week’s recipe, in the spirit of the celebration, I have prepared just the right Indian sweet with the delicious classic masala tea, which is perfect for a rainy afternoon. Enjoy!
Gulab jamun
These sticky-sweet, deep-fried dough balls are really for an indulgence. It is very sweet but an authentic Indian sweet. I replaced the spiced sugar syrup with spiced honey for something different. Makes 20 balls.
Ingredients
For the dough balls: 100gr plain flour; 200gr powdered milk; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda; 25gr unsalted butter, melted; 200ml low fat milk; vegetable oil for deep-frying
For the spiced honey: 100ml water; 10 green cardamoms (lightly crushed); 200ml clear honey
Directions:
1. First make the spiced honey. Put the cardamom or saffron into the water and bring to the boil. Then simmer for around 10 minutes or until the water is reduced by half. Add the honey and simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Strain the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Mix well. Add the powdered milk and gradually add the milk and melted butter. Mix the mixture well but don’t stir for too long. Set aside for 30 minutes.
3. Shape the dough into small round balls. You will have around 20 balls.
4. Heat the oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed frying pan. Deep fry the balls until golden brown, then remove from the oil and set aside on kitchen paper to drain the excess oil.
5. When the dough balls are cool, add to the spiced honey and leave to soak for about 1 hour. It’s now ready to serve.
Masala tea
For me, this is the most delicious tea. It is full of flavors. It offers comfort and is invigorating and relaxing all at the same time. Serves 4.
Ingredients
1,200ml water; 375ml full-cream or low-fat milk; 1 teaspoon lightly crushed black peppercorns; 2 cinnamon sticks; 12 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed; 1 teaspoon green fennel seeds; 5cm fresh ginger, peeled and roughly grated; 2 tea bags preferably black tea; sugar to taste (optional)
Directions:
1. Put the water, milk and all the spices into a pan and bring to a boil. Then cook over a low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Once the volume of liquid has reduced slightly, add the tea bags and let brew for one minute, or longer if you prefer strong tea.
3. Strain the tea into a teapot and serve with sugar— or not — along with the gulab jamun.
The post Food for Thought: Sweet Treats and Tea This Diwali, Or for a Rainy Afternoon at Home appeared first on The Jakarta Globe.