Christmas cheer: Festive foods are all about tradition and the memories

With Christmas around the corner, it’s time to put the gloves and apron on and make a few good ol’ festive goodies. Festive foods are all about tradition and the memories associated with them. We’ve got the best Xmas recipes for you. Go ahead, make them all and spread the cheer. Ho, ho, ho!

Guava cheese

Ingredients:

• 2 kg guava, diced into two pieces
• 1 kg sugar
• 2-3 drops edible orange colour
• 4 tbsp ghee for greasing

Method:
Add the guava pieces and water in a pressure cooker and cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes or wait for one whistle. Now remove from heat and wait for the cooker to cool. Once the steam is out, take the guavas out and remove the seeds. Strain through a cloth, squeezing and keeping the pulp for the cheese. Make jam by adding sugar to the guava pulp.

Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring to avoid scorching. When the pulp becomes thick add ghee and orange colour. Spread on to a greased plate to set. Cut into squares and store in an airtight jar.

Sweet, sour red cabbage & cranberries:

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 medium red cabbage, quartered, cored and thinly sliced
• 200 ml vegetable stock
• 4 tbsp apple-cider vinegar
• 100 gm brown sugar
• 200 gm fresh or frozen cranberries

Method:
Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onions and fry, stirring occasionally, for about 10 min until they start to caramelize.
Stir in the cloves, then add the cabbage and continue cooking, stirring more frequently, until the cabbage starts to soften.
Pour in the stock, add the vinegar and sugar, then cover and cook for 10 min.
Stir in the cranberries and cook for 10 min more.
Cool and keep in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat before serving.

Rum & Raisin cake:

Ingredients:

• 250 gm maida
• 250 gm butter
• 250 gm sugar, powdered
• 400 gm mixed dry fruits, chopped
• 5 eggs
• 250 gm sugar for caramel
• 1 cup rum/brandy
• ½ tsp nutmeg powder
• ½ tsp baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 15 gm of cake seeds

Method:
Soak the raisins in rum/brandy for about 10-15 days. Caramelize 250 gm sugar and keep aside.
Sieve maida and add rum/bandy soaked raisins, nutmeg powder and dry fruits. Mix well and keep for a day.
Take butter and sugar in a big bowl and mix properly, until smooth and soft. Keep aside. Now in a separate bowl beat the egg white until stiff. Add the yolk and vanilla essence. Beat until the mixture is soft.
Preheat the oven at 300 degree Celsius, as you start mixing the cake. Now add the sieved maida into butter and sugar mixture. Once mixed properly, add the eggs and mix well. Once mixed properly add the caramelized sugar.
Pour the mixture into the greased cake pan. Bake for around 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Rose cookies

Ingredients:

• 500 gm maida
• 250 gm rice flour
• 200 gm sugar
• 3 eggs
• 100 ml coconut milk
• 2 pinches of cardamom powder
• ½ spoon saunf powder
• 2-3 drops of vanilla essence

Method:
Mix all the ingredients in a medium consistent.
Heat oil and leave the rose cookie mould in the oil for a few minutes on high heat. Heat oil separately for deep frying making sure it’s on medium heat.
Dip the hot mould in the flour and place it in the oil for deep fry. Hold the mould in the oil for a few seconds and gently remove the mould when it starts to separate.
Gently separate the cookie from the mould, using a knife for the first few cookies.

Kalkals

Ingredients:

• 500 gm maida
• 30 gm ghee
• 300 gm sugar
• Water for kneading
• Oil for deep frying

Method:
Make the sugar syrup by bringing water and sugar to a boil. Keep the mixture on medium heat until he sugar dissolves completely and the mixture is clear. Keep aside.
Now in a bowl take maida and ghee and mix properly. Add water and knead into soft dough. Keep aside.
Make marble sized balls or as size required. Use the kalkal moulds to give the dough a shell shape. Place a deep frying vessel over high heat. Once oil is hot reduce the heat. Fry few kalkals at a time. Once they are golden brown in colour, remove them and place on absorbent napkins.
Now put the kalkals in a large storage container and pour the sugar syrup in it. Leave the kalkal for some time for it to absorb the syrup properly.