Holi 2025 is arriving, and what’s a festival of colours without a splash of delicious flavours? Whether you're drenched in gulal or busy grooving to festive beats, one thing’s for sure—treats are a must!

From the crispy, sweet delight of Mawa Gujiya to the refreshing goodness of Thandai, we have got five must-try recipes by Chef Maharaj Bhawar Singh of Khandani Rajdhani to make your Holi celebrations even more vibrant.

Mawa Gujiya

Ingredients:

Maida: 1 cup + 1 tbsp

Ghee: 2 and ½ tbsp

Salt, a pinch

Mava: ¾ cup ( Grated )

Kopra: ½ cup ( Grated )

Powdered sugar: 5 tbsp

Cashew nuts: 2 tbsp ( Chopped )

Chopped Almonds: 2 tbsp

Apple grated: 1

Cinnamon powder: ¼ tsp

Cardamom powder: ⅛ tsp

Oil to deep fry

Step-by-step guide to make Mawa Gujiya:

Combine 1 cup maida, salt, and ghee in a bowl and mix well with your hands.

Add enough cold water to knead a soft dough and rest the dough for half an hour for the stuffing.

Heat a pan and add grated mava to it. Stir it continuously without burning. Cook until golden brown. Switch off the flame. Let it cool and set again.

Add kopra, powdered sugar, dry fruits, grated apple, cardamom powder, and cinnamon powder to mava and mix well.

Make small balls out of dough and roll into small poories.

Now, place the stuffing on one half of the rolled dough. Stick the sides and make a half moon by sticking the edges.

Make all gujiyas and fry them in hot oil at medium-low heat till golden in colour.

Remove them onto absorbent paper and let them cool.

In a pan, make sugar syrup. Once it is in one string consistency, remove it from the flame and allow it to cool.

Once the syrup is cooled, put the gujiya in the syrup and soak for a few minutes. Remove from the syrup and strain it.

Place the gujiya on a plate and garnish the same with chopped almonds and pistachios.

Gulab Kesari Thandai

Ingredients:

Thandai Masala Paste: 1 Tbsp

Boiled Chilled Full Fat Milk: 200 Ml

Sugar Powder: 2 Tbsp

Gulkand: 1 Tbsp

Mixed Chopped Nuts: 01 Tbsp

Rose Syrup: 4 Tbsp

Dry Rose Petals: 1 Tsp

Saffron as required

Thandai masala paste recipe: 

Ingredients:

Peeled Almonds: ½ Cup

Cashew nut: ½ Cup

Black Pepper Corn: 25 to 30 Corns

Elaichi: 25 to 30 pieces

Poppy Seeds ( Khus Khus): 02 Tbsp

Fennel Seeds: 2 Tbsp

Melon Seeds ( Charmagaj) – 2 Tbsp

Saffron: 25 to 30 Strands

Dry Rose Petals: 2 Tbsp

Steps to make:

Soak all the ingredients in water for a minimum of 4 hours.

Strain all the ingredients out of the water.

Grind the ingredients in a wet grinder to a smooth paste.

Store in an airtight container.

Can be stored for 3 days in the refrigerator

Final steps for Gulab Kesari Thandai:

Take chilled milk and add the Thandai Masala Paste, Sugar, Rose Syrup, and Gulkand, and stir well to mix all the ingredients evenly.

Garnish with the chopped nuts and the dry rose petals and serve chilled.

Jamnanagrighughra

Ingredients:

For outer crust: 1 cup all-purpose flour/maida

2 tbsp Oil

Salt as per taste 

For stuffing, half cup dry peas soak overnight

3 boiled potatoes

3 tbsp oil

Some cumin seeds

1 tsp. ginger green chilli paste 

1 tsp red chilli powder 

1 tsp lemon juice 

1 tsp chat masala

1 tsp roasted cumin powder 

Salt to taste 

Steps to make:

For outer crust, in a bowl, take all-purpose flour, add 2 tablespoons of oil and salt, and mix well. Knead the dough by adding water. Leave them aside for 20 minutes.

For stuffing, first drain and wash the soaked peas and boil them.

When peas are done, mash them with a spoon or hand, add boiled potatoes, and mash both ingredients well.

Now heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds when they start to crackle, add ginger-green chilli paste, and sauté for 2–3 minutes. Add red chilli powder, chat masala, roasted cumin powder, and salt to taste.

Now add the boiled peas and potatoes mix.

Add lemon juice and mix all ingredients well. Stuffing is ready.

Now for making ghughra shape, take dough and divide it into equal portions of balls. Now roll these balls.

Put stuffing at the centre, fold it, and close the edges.

Fry these ghughra in hot oil at medium flame Dip half the ghughra in garlic chutney and sev.

Leelva Kachori 

Ingredients:

500 gmTuver

1 tbsp Ginger chili paste

Salt to taste

Pinch of Cumin seeds

Pinch of Asafetida

½ tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp. garam masala

1 tsp Lemon juice

½ tbsp Coriander leaves (chopped)

1 tbsp oil

For Dough

300 g of all-purpose flour (maida)

Salt to taste

1 tbsp Ghee

Water according to requirement

4-5 drops oil

Oil for frying

Method for Dough: 

In a bowl, sieve flour and add salt and ghee to it. Mix and add water to make dough. Dough should not be more soft and hard. Add oil and knead very well. Keep it side.

For Stuffing:

Crush tuver. Then heat oil in a pan over a slow flame. Add cumin seeds in it. When it is spluttering, add asafetida and turmeric powder. Then mix tuver, ginger chili paste and salt. Cover lid and cook till it becomes soft. Remove lid and mix garam masala and lemon juice. Cook for 2-3 minutes and add coriander leaves in it.

For Kachori:

Make medium balls of the dough and roll them out like small puri. Fill stuffing in puri. Cover it like potli and seal all edges properly. Heat oil in a pan at medium flame. Deep fry kachori till golden brown. Serve with green chutney and sweet chutney.

Thandai

Ingredients:

4 1/2 Cups full-fat Fat Milk , Boiled And Cooled

1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar

A Few Saffron (Kesar) Strands

Few Drops Of Rose Water (Gulab Jal )

To be soaked:

1/4 Cup Almonds (Badam)

¼ Cup Cashew

¼ Cup Pista

2 Tbsp. Poppy Seeds (Khus-Khus)

2 Tbsp. Fennel Seeds (Saunf)

2 Tbsp. Watermelon Seeds

1 Tsp Cardamom (Elaichi)

20 Whole Peppercorns (Kalimirch)

3-4 Rose Petals Dry

Steps to make:

Soak the above ingredients for 20 minutes and then grind it into coarse paste

Put milk in a deep bowl, add sugar, mix well using a whisk, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Add the paste, mix well and refrigerate

Slightly roast the saffron strands, and in a small bowl, add a little warm milk and the saffron.

Chill the thandai and add few drops of gulab jal before serving