Special Cuisines on Holi

Traditional Foods & Step-by-Step Recipes

Holi is not just a festival of colours — it’s also a time of joyful feasting and special festive foods. From sweet delights like Gujiya and Phirni to savoury snacks and chilled drinks like Thandai, these recipes are an essential part of Holi celebrations across India.

1. Gujiya – Sweet Crescent Dumplings

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour (maida) – 2 cups

• Ghee – 4 tbsp (for dough) + for frying

• Khoya (milk solids) – 1 cup

• Powdered sugar – ¾ cup

• Chopped almonds & pistachios – ½ cup

• Raisins – 2 tbsp

• Cardamom powder – ½ tsp

• Water – as needed

Method

1. Mix flour and ghee; add water and knead into firm dough. Rest 20 min.

2. Roast khoya on low heat; cool.

3. Add sugar, nuts, raisins, cardamom to khoya; mix.

4. Roll small dough discs, fill with mixture, fold and seal edges.

5. Deep-fry on low flame until golden. Cool before serving.

2. Thandai – Festive Cooling Drink

Ingredients

• Milk – 1 litre (chilled)

• Almonds – ¼ cup

• Cashews – 2 tbsp (optional)

• Fennel seeds – 1 tsp

• Poppy seeds – 1 tsp

• Melon seeds – 1 tbsp

• Sugar – ½ cup

• Cardamom powder – ½ tsp

• Saffron strands – pinch

• Rose petals (optional) – few

Method

1. Soak nuts, seeds and spices in warm water for 2–3 hours.

2. Grind to a smooth paste; add to chilled milk with sugar.

3. Mix well, strain if needed. Chill and serve.

3. Puran Poli – Sweet Stuffed Flatbread

Ingredients

• Chana dal – 1 cup

• Jaggery – 1 cup

• Cardamom powder – ½ tsp

• Wheat flour – 2 cups

• Ghee – for cooking

Method

1. Cook chana dal until soft; drain water.

2. Mash, cook with jaggery and cardamom until thick. Cool.

3. Knead wheat flour with water into dough.

4. Stuff balls with filling, roll gently.

5. Cook on tawa with ghee until golden.

4. Dahi Bhalla – Savoury Festive Snack

Ingredients

• Urad dal – 1 cup (soaked 4–6 hrs)

• Salt – to taste

• Yogurt – 2 cups (whisked)

• Tamarind & mint chutney – to serve

• Chaat masala & cumin powder – to taste

Method

1. Grind soaked dal to smooth batter; add salt.

2. Deep fry small vadas until golden.

3. Soak in water 10–15 min; squeeze excess.

4. Place in bowl, top with yogurt, chutneys, spices.

5. Phirni – Creamy Rice Dessert

Ingredients

• Rice – ¼ cup (washed & soaked)

• Full-cream milk – 1 litre

• Sugar – ½ cup

• Cardamom & saffron – ½ tsp each

• Chopped nuts – 2 tbsp

Method

1. Grind soaked rice coarsely.

2. Boil milk; add rice. Cook until creamy.

3. Add sugar, cardamom, saffron; simmer.

4. Serve chilled, garnished with nuts.

6. Malpua – Sweet Pancake

Ingredients

• Maida – 1 cup

• Milk – 1 cup

• Sugar – ½ cup

• Fennel seeds – ½ tsp

• Cardamom – ¼ tsp

• Ghee – for frying

Method

1. Mix maida, milk, sugar, fennel, cardamom into batter.

2. Heat ghee; pour batter to form small pancakes.

3. Fry until golden, soak briefly in warm sugar syrup (optional).

7. Gulgule – Sweet Bite-Sized Fritters

Ingredients

• Wheat flour – 1 cup

• Jaggery – ½ cup (grated)

• Fennel seeds – ½ tsp

• Water – to form batter

Method

1. Mix flour, jaggery, fennel into batter thick enough to drop.

2. Deep-fry spoonfuls until puffed and golden.

8. Kathal ki Sabzi – Festive Savoury

Ingredients

• Raw jackfruit pieces – 2 cups

• Onion – 1 large (chopped)

• Tomato – 1 (chopped)

• Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tsp

• Spices (turmeric, coriander, cumin) – to taste

• Oil & salt – as needed

Method

1. Sauté onion, ginger-garlic; add spices.

2. Add jackfruit and tomatoes; cook until tender.

3. erve hot with pooris or paratha.

Holi Feast Serving Tips

• Pair Thandai with Gujiya or Gulgule — cooling and sweet contrast.

• Serve Dahi Bhalla as a refreshing midday snack during colour play.

• Phirni or Puran Poli makes a perfect rich dessert to end the feast.

Did You Know?

Many regions add unique local dishes — like Kanji & Vade, Masala Mathri, Lassi, and even Kesari Jalebi — to the festive Holi menu, making it a rich culinary celebration as much as a cultural one.