If you want to avoid the calories and still enjoy the delicious Holi Thandais and desserts, then here are two healthy recipes from famous chef Manish Mehrotra. This almond laden thandai and rum ball is the perfect option to gamble without feeling guilty.
Chocolate Almond Rum Ball
Servings: 4-5
Ingredients: Chocolate sponge egg-free 250 g | Dark chocolate (55% -70%) 100 g | Single cream (20-25% fat) 150 ml | Almonds 100 g | Castor sugar 100 g | Instant coffee powder 10 g | Dark rum 15ml
Method:
• Heat the cream in a pan, boil it and take it off the stove. Add the chocolate and hold aside until it cools slightly, then mix well.
• Roast the almonds in the oven for 8-10 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius. Roughly chop the almonds.
• Heat the castor sugar in a pan and caramelize, add the coarsely chopped almonds and remove the nougat on a parchment paper. Lightly coarsely mash the nougat with a rolling pin.
• In a mixing bowl, crumble the chocolate sponge until the consistency of bread crumbs, add half of the chocolate ganache and the instant coffee powder dissolved in a teaspoon of water and rum and mix with your hands until the mixture is evenly consistent.
• Now add 2/3 of the crushed almond nougat to the mixture and shape into small round balls (35-40 g) and store in the refrigerator.
• After setting, brush the rum balls with the remaining chocolate ganache.
• Garnish with almond nougat and serve
Almond & Holy Basil Thandai
Almond and Holy Basil Thandai
Served: 3 – 4 people (200ml each)
Ingredients: Soaked and peeled almonds 2 tbsp | Soaked melon seeds 2 tbsp | Soaked poppy seeds 1 tbsp | Sliced almonds ½ cup | Sugar ¼ cup | A pinch of saffron strands 4 fresh basil leaves | Milk 2 cups | Green cardamom powder ½ tbsp | Black peppercorns 1/2 tsp | Soaked fennel seeds ¼ cup
Method:
● Make a smooth paste of fennel seeds, poppy seeds, and almonds.
● Bring the strands of milk and saffron to a boil in a heavy pan. Dissolve the sugar in the milk.
● Grind the fresh leaves of the holy basil and the black peppercorns into a paste and add them to the milk.
● Add almond, poppy seed and fennel seed paste together with cardamom powder and almond slivers to the milk and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
