Happy Gudi Padwa: Celebrate the New Year with These 3 Traditional Maharashtrian Recipes

Gudi Padwa heralds the beginning of the Maharashtrian New Year. Treat your family to these healthy recipes.

Gudi Padwa is an auspicious day for Maharashtrians as it marks the beginning of the New Year. In many households in Maharashtra, people whip up delicious traditional delicacies to celebrate Gudi Padwa. Here are some recipes by Executive Chef, Gopal Jha, Grand Mercure Bangalore that you can try.

Puranpoli

For the Puran mixture (sweet filling):

200 gm Bengal gram
Powdered Jaggery
200 ml of water for pressure cooking the lentil
2 tsp ghee
1 tsp fennel powder
4 cardamom powder or 4-5 cardamoms crushed finely

For the Poli dough:

200 gm whole wheat flour
Warm water as required for kneading
1 tsp Oil or ghee
¼ tsp turmeric powder
Extra Oil or ghee as required for frying the puran poli

Preparation

Puran recipe

Wash chana dal well and soak in 2 cups of water for 30 minutes.
Using the same water, cook the dal.
Strain the dal and reserve the remaining water. We will use this water to knead the dough.
Heat ghee in a pan, and add fennel powder, cardamom powder to it. Roast for few seconds and then add chana dal to the pan. Mix well.
Add in the powdered jaggery, and mix everything together.
Once cold enough, mash the mixture into a smooth paste.

Dough-making method:

Add turmeric powder and ghee to the flour and mix.
Use the reserved stock from the cooked chana dal and knead the dough..
Cover and let the dough rest for 15-20 minutes

Method

Pinch a medium sized dough ball; roll it on a dusted rolling board.
Place a big spoon of puran mixture in the centre of the rolled dough.
Bring the edges together towards the centre and join, pressing between your palms.
Dust some flour again on the board and roll it again in a medium-sized circle. On a heated tawa spread some ghee and roast the rolled poli on both sides until it’s properly cooked with little brown spots.
Serve them hot or at normal room temperature with extra dollop of ghee on top.

Kesar Shrikhand (Photo Credit: Grand Mercure Bangalore)

Kesar Srikhand

Ingredients
15-20 strands saffron
50 ml cold milk
500 gm yoghurt
100 gm Powdered sugar alternative
1 tsp Cardamom powder
Dry fruit slivers for garnishing

Instructions
Soak saffron in milk for 3-4 hours.
Add yoghurt, powdered sugar, cardamom powder and saffron milk and mix well.
Transfer the srikhand in the serving bowls.
Garnish with slivered dry fruits.
Chill in the refrigerator before serving.

Sabudana Khichadi (Photo Credit: Grand Mercure Bangalore)

Sabudana Khichdi

1 cup sabudana (sago)
1/2 cup peanut (shelled and coarsely pounded), roasted
2 tbsp ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
3-4 dry chilli
5-6 no curry leaf
2 tsp white rock salt
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp green chillies, chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice

Method

1. Wash Sabudana. Soak in the water for about an hour.
2. Drain in a colander, and then spread over a thick cloth for about 1 hour. It is important for the water to drain out very well. Otherwise, when cooked, the sabudana will stick together in lumps.
3. Mix sabudana, peanuts, salt, and chilli powder very well, so that it is coated well with this mixture.
4. Heat the ghee and add cumin, red chilli and curry leaves. When chilies darken a bit, add sabudana mixture and cook through. It takes a couple of minutes.
5. Take it off the heat, add the lemon juice and mix well.
6. Serve after garnishing with the coriander leaves and the green chillies.