Holi,
one of the most fun and colorful (literally) festival in our diverse
Indian culture, is around the corner and celebrations will be scaled down due
to resurgence of COVID-19 in the country, which means lesser gulaal, pichkaaris
and rain dance parties, but the best way to compensate for all the fun that we
are losing here is some mouth-watering yet healthy snacks and sweets. After
all, corona or no corona, food is the highlight of all our celebrations.

Also read: Holika Dahan: Dates, history, significance and more

In
the momentum of coming festivities, and keeping the spirit alive, we have
compiled a list of four healthy Holi recipes to celebrate the festival of colours without
 stepping out of home.

Coconut Gujiya 

This sweet
little monster is an integral part of a Holi meal but the traditional mawa
gujiya not only makes your stomach heavy but add a lot of calories to your
diet. So pump up and give this amazing north Indian delicacy a chance to become
healthy and do it with coconut, the highly nutritious and fibrous nut.

Here
are all the ingredients you need

Maida

Ghee

Shredded
Coconut

Elaichi
(Cardamom)

Water
as required

Powdered
sugar

Dry
fruits as required

Get
all the ingredients and mix the flour and ghee to prepare sticky dough, then
add water and form firmer dough. When done, cover the dough with a towel or
muslin and put aside.

Roast
shredded coconut on a low flame until it in reddish color and emits an aroma,
when done put it aside to get settle. When done add coconut, raisins, cashews,
almonds, cardamom and other nuts to the syrup and mix well.

Flatten
prepared dough into equal-sized circles and hand-roll them into balls put a
spoon of coconut filling in the center of each circle and shape into a
semi-circle. Repeat the process for all the fillings.

Also read: Holi 2021: Date, timing, all you need to know

Chana Kabab

Do you also hate how your taste buds go all sweet after having uncountable gujiyas and thandai? Don’t worry tingy and spicy snack recipe that you would love to try to get over the sweet falvour.

Here is all you need for the authentic chana kabab

Minutely chopped veggies (capsicum, carrot, peas)

Boiled chickpea (chana)

Basic spices (salt, pepper, red chilly)

Mash the boiled chickpea and prepare a thick batter, add finely chopped veggies and spices to it. Keep it aside for some time.

Once settled, shape the mixture into kabab like structures and shallow fry in a frying pan or bake in microwave if you want to avoid oil. Serve it with green chili chatni.

Also read: Five must-have songs in your Holi party playlist

Fruity oat kheer

Kheer
is a sweet pudding-like delicacy that holds a special place in the hearts of
all the Indians and thus, is a part of the festive meals. While traditional
kheer is prepared with milk and rice, this recipe will teach you how to give this dish a healthy touch with oats and fruits.

Ingredients needed

Oats

Fruit cream

Sugar

Dry fruits (optional)

Cardomom powder

Heat the pan, add some ghee and let it heat for some time, then add oats and shallow fry it until it turns red and emits an aroma.

Once done, add milk, water, sugar, cardamom and fruit cream (as per choice). Stir it well until you get a thick kheer-like consistency. Serve with garnished dry fruits or strawberries.

Also read: From ‘Mank’ to ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’: 5 binge-watch recommendations

Cocnut Mango Panna

Holi is incomplete without a sweet and smooth relishing drink, and thandai is too mainstream. How about a much tastier, healthier and refreshing drink that perfectly compliments all these special Holi dishes? Here is the answer– coconut mango panna.

What all do you need?

Mango pulp

Coconut milk

Sugar

Vanilla essence

Cream

Gelatin

Take gelatin in a bowl, add  hot water, mix well and let it dissolve
completely. Once done, heat some fresh cream in a non stick pan and add sugar
along with vanilla essence in it. Bring to boil.

Coming
back to gelatin, add half of it in mango pulp and the remaining in coconut milk
and the same goes for freshly prepared cream.

Now
spread a layer of mango pulp in a glass and refrigerate for around half an hour.
Once set, spread a layer of coconut cream over the mango cream layer and refrigerate
for 1/2 hour and repeat both the layers once it sets. Serve chilled.