VARO (Sindhi Pista Badam Chikki - Diwali Special)

Varo is a very rich and healthy sweet and is eaten a lot in winters. It is chikki made with sliced almonds and pistachios and is flavoured with powdered cardamoms and saffron.
It is customary among Sindhis to send this to married daughters along with the other goodies during Diwali.Varo is specially made also for pregnant women as it is loaded with dry fruits.

Ingredients:
Almonds (unsalted) .... 1/2 cup (chopped)
Pistachios (unsalted).... 1/2 cup chopped
Sugar .......................... 1 cup
Green cardamoms ...... 6-7 ( Crushed - use only seeds)Saffron ...................... a pinch
Wheat flour ................ 1 tsp.
Poppy seeds ............... 1 tsp.
Ghee .......................... 2 tsps.

Method:

1.Heat 1 tsp. ghee in a small pan and fry the wheat flour on a low flame for half a minute.(till the aroma comes) Set aside.

2.In a thick bottomed pan put the sugar and keep stirring on low flame until it melts, avoiding lump formation.(do not make it dark brown
)

3.At this stage add the poppy seeds, crushed cardamom seed and saffron

.

4. Also add the prepared wheat flour,half a tsp. ghee and the nuts and mix very fast.Turn off the gas and keep mixing till it becomes lumpy.(to a rolling consistency)

5. Spread it on a greased surface and roll it with a greased rolling pin.(you have to do the rolling very fast.

6.Cool it and cut into pieces.(to break evenly, mark with the knife lightly after rolling and break after it is cooled)

Check out the recipe video

GURDHANI (Also Known As Chikki)

Gurdhani, also known as Chikki...is made in all the Sindhi homes during Diwali. We distribute it to friends and relatives along with other sweets.

Ingredients:
Sugar : 1 cup

Oil: 1 tsp
Roasted Gram Dal (Putani/Bhugra, the same dal used in chutneys in S.India): 2 cups

Procedure:

1. Heat a pan and add the sugar. Also add 1/2 tsp oil and keep stirring first on high flame, then when it starts to melt, on low flame, until all sugar melts and the lumps disappear. Take care not to over-brown or burn the caramel.

2. As soon as the lumps melt, add the dal and stir quickly until the caramel & dal are well-mixed.

3. Immediately transfer onto clean kitchen platform and beat with the palms to spread the lump.

4. Then use rolling pin to roll out the lump into a large thin (1 cm thickness) circle, at the same time, shaping the chikki into a neat circle by pushing towards inside at the edges. This process has to be done quickly, or the caramel will harden & the lump will not roll out anymore.

This stage requires practise & you can do that by making small quantities.

Once the chikki is rolled out, run a knife through the chikki as you wish, as squares or quarters. Then break it carefully at the knife marks.

Using Puffed Rice:

Ingredients:
Sugar: 1 cup
Puffed Rice: 4 cups
Oil: 2 tsp

Method:
1. Again, like we made as above, heat a pan, add sugar & mix until it melts into caramel like shown below. Do not burn it anymore than this.

2. Then add the puffed rice and mix briskly & quickly then shift it onto the kitchen platform.
3. Using a flat bowl as shown in the pic below, spread the lump as thin as u can quickly, and then resume rolling it out with a rolling pin, until it becomes a circle of 1.5 cm thickness.

4. Make marks with a knife and break the circle at the knife cuts.

Store in a polythene bag.

Note: You can make a chikki from other things such as cashew nuts, dried coconut, pistachios, groundnuts, sesame seeds etc.

SATA BHAAJYOON (Sindhi- 7 Vegetables mix sabzi)

This is a traditional mix sabzi also known as " Chachar-Bachar " made with seven vegetables or more cooked in the onion gravy in all the Sindhi homes on Diwali. It is usually served with phulkas/rotis.

Ingredients:
Onions ........ 3-4 chopped
Carrots......... 1 cut into cubes
Brinjal ......... 1 cut into cubes
Beans .......... 6-7 cut into long pieces
Potatoes ..... 2 cut into big pieces
Green peas ...1/4 cup
Lotus root .... 6-7 pieces (boiled)
Lotus seeds (makhane).... 1/4 cup
Green chillies ......... 2
Ginger-garlic paste...1 tbsp.
Tomato ............. 2 small chopped
Coriander powder.......... 1 tsp.
Cumin powder ............... 1 tsp.
Red chilli powder ........... 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric powder............ 1/4 tsp.
Garam masala ............... 1/2 tsp.
Salt to taste
Oil

Method:
1. In a pan, take 2 tablespoons oil and fry the onions till golden brown.
2. Add the chopped tomatoes, green chillies, ginger-garlic paste and 1 cup water and simmer it to cook.Let it cool and grind it.
3. Now add all the vegetables, salt and the dry spices. Stir fry, add enough water to cook and let it simmer till the vegetables are done.
4. Garnish with coriander leaves.
This is usually served with Phulkas/Rotis.

KURS (Sindhi Sweet- Diwali special)

Here's a recipe from my Grandma's closet. She always made this sweet along with the Gurdani every Diwali. Unlike these days our mothers and grand mothers made every thing at home during festive days. And hard as I try, I can't match her skills in this recipe. It's not as simple as it looks, as the whole trick is about timing and once you know that, (which comes only by experience), you are a master!

Ingredients: Maida (Refined Flour): 500 gms
Dalda (Vanaspati, the hardened one): 500 ml
Sugar: 750gms, made into 1-thread consistency syrup in about 2 cups water
Method: 1. Let the syrup cool completely.
2. Heat the vanaspati and add maida into it. Keep stirring briskly for about 20 minutes on sim (in between, increase flame for a few minutes twice), until the consistency becomes thin, and the aroma changes. The colour will also change from white to brownish-cream. (not brown)


Keep stirring it. It becomes thinner & of flowing consistency.
 

Now you remove it from fire to let it cool.
3. Remove from fire and let it cool until luke-warm.
4. Now, add the sugar syrup through a seive to the cooled maida (off the flame), then stir briskly until you can feel the pressure of the thickening of the maida paste.
(Warning: Your arms are going to hurt here. :)) All the bessst!) 


We add the sugar syrup & mix it.. (off the flame).

We mix it for a long long time until the mixture thickens & we can see it hardening.


5. As soon as you can feel it becoming really thick, as shown in the photo, transfer onto a greased plate, and shake the plate hard on the platform to even it out. (do not use ladle to smoothen it.This is to retain the gloss)
6. Let it set.
Cut into cubes and... have a blast this Diwali!!

Note: This sweet is made in traditional Sindhi homes. Unfortunatey, the trend is dwindling away because of the ready availability of sweets in the market. But the joy of making and sharing home-made sweets with friends and relative during festivals can not be matched with anything.