Special Janmashtami Recipes To Celebrate The Festival

Ladoo Gopal, Makhan Chor, Krishna, Kanhaya – so many names for Krishanji. Janmashtami is a celebration of the birth of Lord Krishna who was everything from a mischievous little boy who stole white butter (makhan) from his neighbours to the one who protected his village during a crisis. 

Krishanji loved eating and celebrating his birth and Janmashtami is synonymous with food that he enjoyed. We’ve put together 2 simple recipes that you can make at home for your kids while they watch the story of Ladoo Gopal and all his antics when he was growing up or you can get them to listen to the story of the birth of Lord Krishna with your children this Janmashtami.  

In India, we love our festivals and each festival has unique food and customs associated with it. Every week, when I send out the KSP Meal Plans, we factor in all these special days of indulgence and balance it out with healthier meal ideas through the rest of the week. That’s not all I send a grocery list every week so you know what you need to buy and prep ahead along with tried & tested kitchen hacks and so much more. It has simplified the lives of so many subscribers. You know you should be one of them!

KSP wishes everyone a beautiful and Happy Krishan Janmashtami.

Gopalkala

Ingredients

• 1 cup Poha 
• 1/4 cup Curd
• 1 Cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 3 Tbsp Fresh coconut  grated
• 1 inch Ginger, grated
• Salt to taste
• 1 Coriander/Dhania Leaves, a small bunch chopped

Ingredients for seasoning

• 1 Tsp Ghee
• 1/2 Tsp Mustard seeds/ Rai
• 1/2 Tsp Cumin seeds/ Jeera
• 2 Green Chillies, chopped or slit

Method

• Soak the poha in water for about 1-2 minutes. If you are using thick poha then it would take about 5 minutes to soften.
• Once it softens, drain all the water and keep it aside in the strainer
• Once all the water had drained put the poha in a bowl along with the dahi, finely chopped cucumbers, grated coconut, salt to taste. Mix well to combine.  
• To prepare the seasoning for the Gopalkala. Heat ghee in a pan on medium heat; add the mustard seeds and let crackle. 
• Next add cumin seeds, green chillies, ginger pieces and fry for a minute and turn off the heat. 
• Add the tadka to the poha and mix well. Check the salt and adjust it to suit your taste.
• Finally, stir in the chopped coriander leaves and serve.

Coconut Barfi

Ingredients

• 2 ¼ Cup Coconut grated
• 1 ½ Cups Sugar
• 1 Tsp Ghee
• 1/8 Tsp Cardamom Powder (elaichi)
• 4 Tbsp Milk

Method

• Grease a pan/container and keep it ready.
• Heat ghee in a pan and add the grated coconut and sugar to it.
• Pour in the milk and let it cook on medium heat.
• Keep cooking till the mixture gets thick and starts pulling away from the sides of the pan.
• Remove from heat and put into greased pan/container.
• Pack it in well to form a square and allow it to cool a little.
• Cut into barfi squares when they are still warm. 
• Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container.

Kesar Shrikhand

Ingredients

• 1 Kg Thick Curd (Dahi)
• 3/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
• A Few Saffron Strands (Kesar)
• 1 Tbsp Warm Milk
• 2 Tsp Cardamom Powder (Elaichi)

Garnish

• Pistachio Slivers
• Almond Slivers

Method

• Hang the curd in a muslin cloth/in a tiny holed sieve and keep in the fridge for 5-6 hours. All the liquid (whey) will get drained.
• Gently mix the saffron into the warm milk until it dissolves.
• Remove the hung curd from the fridge once the curd is creamy.
• Mix together the hung curd, sugar, saffron milk and cardamom powder in a bowl. Churn it all together using a hand blender.
• Chill in the fridge for 4-5 hours and then serve garnished with slivers of pistachios and almonds.

Note:

The hung curd should be kept over a large bowl so that the whey doesn’t touch the curd when it’s hanging. 

Dhania Panjiri

Ingredients

• ¼ Cup Ghee divided
• 10-12 Cashew Nuts coarsely crushed
• 10-12 Almonds coarsely crushed
• ½ Cup Foxnuts/ Makhana
• 2 Cups Coriander/ Dhania Powder
• ½ Cup Grated Dry Coconut
• ½ Cup Powdered Sugar NOT confectioner’s sugar. See notes

Method

• Heat 1 tablespoon ghee in a pan over medium heat.
• Once the ghee is hot, add cashew nuts and almonds to the pan and fry until they turn light brown. Stir frequently. Remove them to a bowl and keep them aside.
• Add the makhanas to the same pan and roast until they are crisp stirring frequently
• Remove them from the pan and crush lightly using a mortar and pestle. Set aside.
• Add the remaining ghee to the pan.
• Once the ghee melts, add coriander powder to the pan and roast on medium-low heat until it turns brown and fragrant (10-12 minutes). Keep stirring frequently.

Note – If the coriander powder is not roasted well, it will leave a bitter taste in the mouth. So make sure to roast it on medium heat until it is nicely fragrant and browned.

• Add the roasted nuts to the pan and mix well.
• Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool completely.
• Then mix in the dry coconut and powdered sugar to the cooled mixture and mix everything well. Serve.
• Add sugar only when the mixture has cooled well. If the mixture is not cooled properly, the sugar will melt from the heat, and the texture of the panjiri will be weird.

Notes

You can use other nuts like pistachios, walnuts, and pine nuts and different kinds of seeds as well.

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