Diwali Sweets

DOODH PEDA
Ingredients :
1/2 kg khoya. Khoya is made by reducing a large volume of milk to a solid by very slow boiling for many hours; about 3 litres of milk will produce hardly 200-300 gms of khoya.
250 gms ground sugar
250 gms milk
2 drops rose essence or a few strands saffron or kesar
2 tbsp almonds, finely slivered
2 tbsp pistachios, finely slivered
1 tsp green cardamoms or elaichi powder

Preparation :
Mix the khoya and sugar well, and warm it over a medium fire. Add 2 tablespoons of the milk and stir with a heavy ladle smoothening out any lumps. Continue stirring and add more milk, little by little, till all the milk is used up. Lower the heat, if it sticks at the bottom.

Add the rose essence or saffron dissolved in milk, and take off the fire. Mix the flavouring and khoya properly.

In a plate, mix the finely slivered nuts with the cardamom or elaichi powder. Make small balls of the khoya mixture and press on the nuts for decoration. You can also make depressions along the edges with a spoon handle or other stamp moulds for surface designs.

KESAR BHAT
Ingredients :
1 cup rice
1/2cup sugar
1/4 tea spoon kesar
50 gms raisins
50gms cashew nuts
1/2 cup ghee
5 pods cardamom

Preparation :
Wash and cook rice in four cups water. Add ghee and sugar and continue cooking on low flame. Stir continuously. powder cardamom and add to the rice.. Keep cooking till the rice mixture leaves the sides of the vessel. Grind kesar and add to rice. Finally add raisins and chopped cashew nuts and mix well.