Holi, the festival of color. It conjures up so many memories. It happens every year around March and usually lasts three days. The day before holi we make a bonfire from old leaves. Then we gather around it to sing, dance and pray for the Goddess ‘Holika’. The next two days are for prayer, chasing and coloring each other with dry and liquid color. It is a game for all and everyone will play no matter how rich or poor they are. People visit others in the community to exchange sweets and color.
I never saw my mom praying for any particular god. Mythology says that it started with Lord Krishna! The festival signifies the victory of good over evil. Holi marks the coming of spring (rebirth) and the end of winter (death).
We used to wait for these potato fritters and eat it with puffed rice in the morning. Then we would go out and play with the colors. It usually starts with us touching the feet of the elders’. They bless us by putting colors on our forehead. Then the real game would start. My uncles would get a few buckets of water and mix in different colors. Then we’d fill our spray bottles with it and sprinkle color on each other. Many people used to fill up their tanks if they had a large number of guests.
After 2-3 hours, we would all take a shower and eat rice with meat curry. Napping afterward was mandatory. After a few years, due to my academic responsibilities, we limited the holi game to only five minutes. Most years my board exams or finals were schedules for around the same time. We would just exchange blessings with dry color.
This year my husband wanted to drink thandai which is the integral part of holi celebration. It is a cold drink prepared with milk, chopped nuts, sugar and spices and is commonly made in North India and Pakistan. During holi, some people add cannabis leaves and bud (which is known as “bhang”) to the thandai. It makes the drink a bit intoxicating.
Potato Fritters (Aloo Chop)
Yields 10-12
- 1 pound potato(gold and russet, both works here), boiled and peeled
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon + 1 cup vegetable oil (for deep frying)
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 piece (1 1/2 inches) fresh ginger, crushed
- 1 whole dried red chile
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds (alternatively you can use ground cumin)
- 1 1/2 cup chickpea flour
- 1/2 teaspoon red chile powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3/4 cup water
1. Mash the potatoes lightly, keeping some lumps. Add a generous pinch of salt.
2. In a non-stick pan over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Add onions and fry them for 4-5 minutes, or until they turn golden brown.
3. Lower the heat, add garlic and ginger, and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat until ginger and garlic are no longer raw.
4. Add boiled and lightly mashed potato. Mix well.
5. In another small, non-stick pan over medium heat, heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Add 1 red chile and cook for 1-2 minutes until it sizzles. Slightly toast cumin seeds in a skillet and grind them into a fine powder. Add that to the potato mixture.
6. When potato mixture is cool enough to handle, take a small ball of it and shape like flattened balls between your palm and keep it on a plate. {NOTE: They are not as thick as patties}
7. In a wide mouth bowl, add chickpea flour, salt, red chile powder, ground cumin and water to make a batter. Consistency will be as thick as shown in the picture.
8. In a wok over medium-high heat, heat 1 cup of oil. Dip the flattened balls into the chickpea batter and drop them in hot oil. Fry until they turn golden brown. Take it aside with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with a paper towel. It helps to soak oil from the fritters.
Serve hot, with or without puffed rice.
Oh my delicious. Who can resist and say no to these yummy fritters.
And BTW i’m loving your clicks Dolphia
Thank you Jyothi 🙂
Memories….I think I grew up too fast, I wish I can rewind my life. Beautiful thandai motion pictures and love the potato fritters….I want it now !
Thank you simi. Comment from you means a lot to me 🙂
Thank you simi. Comment from you means a lot to me 🙂
Hmm these look delicious, thanks for posting up this recipe, looks quite simple to make.
Simon
The clicks are amazing and lovely how you shared about the festival. Can’t wait to see you share more recipes on your blog.