Diwali 2020 is here. Hindus across the country are celebrating the festival of lights today, and will celebrate Govardhan Puja tomorrow on 15th November and Bhai Dooj on 16th November. The significant festival is celebrated with traditional diyas, candles, lights and lots of sweet meats. You may agree, we all have been guilty of bingeing on sweets. However, considering the amount of sugar added to the desserts can be harmful in the long run, especially for people with diabetes. Fret not! There maybe a solution for this. According to Dr. Partap Chauhan, Director, Jiva Ayurveda, "During Diwali, one food from which it is difficult to stay away from are sweets, and if we follow Ayurveda, we should avoid consuming them in order to encourage tissue development. As per the Ayurvedic order of tastes, one should start their meal with something sweet, moving on to something sour and salty in the middle, followed by pungent, bitter and astringent food. The sweet helps to balance vayu that is the wind in the stomach; while the sour and salty taste in the middle of the meal helps to stimulate the digestive fire. The pungent, bitter, and astringent taste at the end of the meal helps to subdue the Kapha dosha (earth). Overdoing anything is not good and one should strike a balance between what we eat."
Keeping in mind that one should balance each taste, Dr. Chauhan brings us some healthy recipes that may make your Diwali special and extremely healthy; not to forget, definitely delicious!
Diwali 2020
Diwali 2020: Here Are 5 Ayurvedic Recipes You Can Enjoy And Make Your Diwali Healthy:
1. Chandrashoor Ladoo Recipe | How To Make Chandrashoor Ladoo:
Chandrashoor is a popular salad that has seeds and can be used to make delicious ladoos. Chandrashoor ladoos are full of nutrients. They help in reducing blood pressure and cholesterol. Moreover, they are very beneficial in keeping the lungs and stomach healthy.
Ingredients
- Chandrashoor seeds - 25 gm
- Coconut Milk/water - 100 gm
- Jaggery - 300 gm
- Grated coconut - 100 gm
- Almonds - 25 gm
- Jaiphal powder - 1tsp
- Ghee - 1 tsp
Method
- Soak Chandrashoor in coconut milk or water for 3-4 days.
- Make a fine powder of almonds & cashew nuts.
- Place a pan on flame and add 1-2 tsp of ghee.
- Once the ghee melts completely, add jaggery to it.
- Keep on low flame until jaggery melts completely.
- Add soaked Chandrashoor and mix it well.
- Add grated coconut into the mixture.
- Mix it nicely and cook until the water gets evaporated. Then add jaiphal powder.
- Finally, add the fine powder of almond and cashew.
- Keep rotating the mixture properly for some time.
- Allow it to cool down before you roll it into round ladoos.
Diwali 2020: Chandrashoor is a popular salad that has seeds and can be used to make delicious ladoos. (Pic: iStock)
2. Ginger Amla Barfi Recipe | How To Make Ginger Amla Barfi:
Low on calories and high on taste, ginger amla barfi is packed with the goodness of vitamin C and minerals. It helps in increasing immunity and improving digestion and is a great choice for an evening snack.
Ingredients
- Gooseberries - 250 gm
- Sugar - 300 gm
- Ghee - 3/4 cup
- Cornflour - 1 tbsp
- All-purpose flour - 1/2 cup
- Cashew nuts - 2 tbsp
- Cinnamon powder - 1 tbsp
- Ginger - 50 gm
Method
- Boil goose berries and remove seeds from it, then grind to make paste.
- Clean the skin of ginger and boil this, then grind to make thick paste.
- In a hot bowl, add sugar and water to make sticky one string consistency syrup.
- Now, add goose berries paste, ginger paste and start mixing with spoon by adding ghee also.
- Once it becomes a thick paste, add all-purpose flour, corn flour, cinnamon powder and mix it thoroughly with a spoon.
- When ghee comes out, switch off the flame and take into another plate by applying ghee to it.
- Cut into pieces and garnish with cashew nuts.
- Now, they are ready to serve.
Diwali 2020: Low on calories and high on taste, ginger amla barfi is packed with the goodness of vitamin C
3. Badam Halwa Recipe | How To Make Badam Halwa:
Delicious almond recipe will help enhance the vitality of the brain, strengthen muscles, stimulate the liver and prolong life.
Ingredients
- Badam - 1/2 cup heaped
- Sugar - 1/2 cup heaped
- Ghee (clarified butter) -1/4 cup
- Condensed milk (optional) - 3 tbsp
- Saffron or yellow food colour - 1 pinch
- Elaichi - 1, powdered
Method
- Soak badam for 3-4 hours. Peel the skin and grind it with 1/4 cup milk or water to a smooth paste.
- In a heavy-bottomed pan, add sugar and half cup water and bring to a boil until sugar dissolves.
- Add the ground paste and mix well to avoid lumps.
- Add condensed milk, saffron soaked in lukewarm milk or food colour and elaichi.
- Keep stirring for four minutes.
- Add a teaspoon of ghee in regular intervals and keep stirring until the halwa leaves the pan.
- Pour the contents in a greased plate and let it cool down.
Diwali 2020: Delicious almond recipe will help enhance vitality of the brain
4. Roasted Sesame Recipe | How To Make Roasted Sesame Recipe:
This one's a tasty way to reap amazing benefits of sesame, as it nourishes your skin, hair, memory, intelligence and digestion.
Ingredients
- Raw sesame seeds 100 gm
- Powdered raw sugar 100 gm
Method
- Take a pan with a heavy base and warm it on the stove.
- Put in sesame seeds and roast on low fire till they become a little brown.
- Be careful not to burn the seeds.
- Take it off the fire and let it cool. Now, grind these seeds into a coarse powder.
- Add powdered raw sugar and mix well.
- Store in an airtight container.
- This is an excellent snack in winters.
Diwali 2020: This one's a tasty way to reap amazing benefits of sesame
5. Rose Coconut Ladoo Recipe | How To Make Roasted Sesame:
Rose coconut ladoo is an instant dessert with rose water and cardamom, so you don't have to spend time in cooking. Got guests at home or need something to make the Diwali gathering special? Gather these ingredients and get to work.
Ingredients
- 1 cup desiccated coconut
- 1/4 tin condensed milk.
- 1.5 tsp edible rose water
- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
- Pinch of red food colour (optional)
- Ghee for greasing palms
- Shredded coconut and rose petals to garnish
Method
- In a bowl, add combine coconut, condensed milk, rose water, cardamom powder and mix all of the ingredients until everything comes together.
- Grease your hands with a little ghee, take small portions out of the mixture and roll it in between your palms to make balls or what we call ladoo.
- Spread some coconut and Rose petals onto a tray.
- Once all the mixture is used up, roll the balls in shredded coconut to coat them.
- Ladoos are ready to serve!
Diwali 2020: Rose coconut ladoo is an instant dessert with rose water and cardamom
Now, you know how to make your Diwali healthy and delicious without having to feel guilty.