Healthy treats

This festive season, indulge in healthy alternatives to our traditional sweets.

Pine nut, walnut and couscous gujiya

Ingredients:

• Refined flour 500 gm
• 50 gm couscous
• 150 ml milk
• 150 gm icing sugar
• 120 ml ghee
• 100 ml vanaspati ghee
• 10 gm walnuts
• 10 gm pine nuts
• 150 gm dry coconut

METHOD:

• In a mixing bowl, add refined flour, icing sugar, ghee, Vanaspati ghee, and milk. Mix it well to form a dough and keep aside.
• Take a thick bottom pan, and on a slow flame, add ghee, walnuts and pine nuts. Keep roasting the nuts and add couscous, grated dry coconut and sugar. Keep stirring the mixture and mix well.
• Once done, remove it from the flame and let sit. Taste the mixture and add more sugar if required.
• Take the dough prepared and divide it into little logs. Take one log, form it into small chapati using a little flour and a rolling pin. Now place 1 or 1.5 tbsp of the filling onto the circle, keeping the edges empty.
• Carefully, bring one side onto other and press the edges well, so that the filling doesn't fall out. Make a pleated design on the edges.
• Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees C. Brush the prepared gujiyas with ghee. Place them in a baking tray and bake them for 20-30 minutes at 200 degrees C. Once golden, remove from the oven and serve hot with roasted walnuts and pine nuts.

Quinoa and fig phirni

Ingredients:

• 100 gms soaked quinoa
• 1.5-litre milk
• 150 gms figs
• 4 tsp almonds
• 4 tsp pistachios
• 150 gm palm sugar
• 1 tsp green cardamom
• 1 tsp raisins
• 0.5 gms saffron

METHOD :

• Soak the Quinoa for two hours. Then, wash and drain the excess water. Make a rough, grainy paste by running the ingredients in a grinder.
• Finely chop the almonds and pistachios and keep aside. In a saucepan, add milk and heat it on a medium flame. Add quinoa and figs and allow it to cook on low flame, till the milk is reduced to half and the quinoa is completely cooked.
• Add palm sugar and cook for another 10-15 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the finely chopped nuts and the raisins. Reserve a little for garnishing.
• Once the phirni acquires a brownish hue, add the cardamom powder and remove from fire. Mix well and pour into earthen cups. Garnish with nuts and allow it to cool.

— Recipe by Chef Saurabh Modi,  Ishaara