Must-have Traditional Foods For An Energetic Holi

By Author: Meera Rawat
Total Articles: 5
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The festival of colors, Holi is just around the corner and we cannot wait to indulge in the celebrations already. Water guns, gulal, colored faces and endless singing and dancing; these are just a few of the things that make Holi one of the most favorite festivals. And like any other Indian festivals, Holi also comes loaded with its signature famous foods that are synonymous with the celebration of colors.
Here’s a list of some traditional delicacies you have to taste this Holi:
Thandai:-
Glorified by Bollywood in its Holi songs, Thandai is an Indian beverage prepared exclusively during Holi. A concoction of milk, saffron, aromatic spices, almonds and cashews, this specialty is a must-have while you drench yourself in various colors. Thandai also has cooling watermelon seeds, along with Kesar, fennel seeds and almond among other spices and flavor-enhancing ingredients. You can also call thandai as the official Holi drink.
Phirni/Firni:-
Scrumptious and aromatic milk and rice-based Indian dessert, phirni is basically a rice pudding garnished with pistachios, ...
... almond, cardamom, and fresh fruits. Traditionally served in clay bowl called shikoras, the phirni also has religious associations. In fact, phirni remains the only dish that has a meaty side to it like Potega, which is the origin of phirni. Don’t forget to add some strands of saffron for divine aroma and taste.
Gujiya:-
How can anyone imagine a Holi bash without some deeply fried gujiya dipped in sugary syrup? Fried dough pockets made of semolina or flour, gujiya is a traditional Holi sweet prepared in millions of household across northern regions. The sweet dumpling is filled with mawa, almonds, dry coconut and cardamom. To give the gujiyas a beautiful and flavorful twist, add gulkand to it.
Dahi Bhalla:-
Don’t you want your guests to drool over the food you serve? Dahi vada or Dahi Bhalla is one among the Holi food that everybody fondly enjoys. This Indian savory is prepared by making vada using uradkidaal served with yogurt, some tangy chaat masala, crushed black pepper, chili powder, green chilies, sonth, and coriander chutney to make it more flavorful.
Chaat:-
Chaat is like a highlight reel in the life of every Indian. There's no chance you can miss on including chaat to your table; from alootikki to paapdi chaat, evergreen golgappas to bhelpuri and sevpuri, these are some of the mandatory elements for celebrating the festival of colours- Holi.
These popular delicacies are prepared with crispy dough wafers served with chickpeas and boiled potatoes, tamarind chutney and yogurt.
Moong Dal Pakoda:-
India and its enthusiasm for Moong dal needs no introduction. These fried fritters prepared using spilt green gram along with green chilies, fenugreek, ginger, and oil is your perfect Holi food partner and is definitely a piece of cake to make. Even though they are deep-fried, these bite-sized pakodas never seem too heavy. You can serve them with heaps of radish, green chutney, coriander leaves, and masala.
Chana Masala with Poori or Kachori:-
Inevitably linked to festivities, the piping hot pooris or lentil filled kachori with a plateful of spicy and tempting chanas is a popular Holi delicacy. The chanas can be carried with a different combination of spices and it also includes potato with a dash of fenugreek. Pooris are made from refined flour and fermented. You can pair this delicacy with spicy pickle and you’re sorted for the day!
These Holi famous foods are bound to make you fall in love with the festival. So if you want to make your Holi super special, you cannot miss on indulging in any of these signature foods.
Here's wishing you all a very happy, safe and delicious Holi 2019!

I am Meera Rawat born in a food-loving family in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Growing up I was surrounded by talk of good food and cooking, So food is always my love. I work at Taste Of City as a food critic.Taste Of City always keeps its leading focus on the uniqueness of taste and endeavors to bring together the most popular Dishes from all corners of the Indian Cities.