Kanji Vada
Makes about 1 Kg.
Ingredients.
1 kg Urad Dal.
2 pcs(small) Hing
3 tsp Salt
4 tsp Rai (finely ground)
2 tsp Red Chillies (pounded)
6 jugs Water ( 1 jug = 6 glasses)
Oil for deep frying.
Whole red chillies for garnish.

Method:
Soak urad dal overnight and grind to a fine paste. It should have the consistency of cake batter. Put it in a vessel and whisk it very well so that the mixture is fluffy.
Heat oil well in a deep frying pan. Test if the oil is ready by dropping a little of the mixture into the pan if it fluffs up and floats to the surface the oil is ready.
Take a piece of wet cloth on your left palm. This allows the vadas to slide off into the pan without difficulty. Put some of the mixture onto the cloth and flatten it, shaping it into round one-inch vadas. Slide these off one by one into the oil, and deep fry. They should be fried through and through, and have a golden brown colour.
Take care not to make the vadas too thick.
Keep a tawa on the fire and put the crystals of hing on it. Take a matka or an earthenware pot, and as soon as the hing emits an aroma, turn the matka upside down on the tawa to soak up the smell.
Take it off the fire and fill it with warm water. Mix the rai, salt, red chilli powder and whole red chillies into the water.
The fried vadas are now put into the matka. The top of the matka is covered with a clean muslin cloth and securely tied. The matka is left out in the sun during the day for eight days. It is then ready to be served.

Bhang ke Vade
As a dietary supplement and tasty treat, BHANG is still prepared and served as it has been for MILLENIA throughout the Himalayan foothills. Using a mortar and pestle, the buds and leaves of Cannabis are squashed and ground into a green paste, to which milk, ghee, and spices are added. This BHANG base is made into a nutritious, refreshing drink, Thandai - a very healthy alternative to alcohol. BHANG is also mixed with ghee and sugar to make a tasty green Halvah, and into peppery, chewy little balls called Goalees.

Making time: 45 minutes
Makes: 8 glasses (approx.)
Shelflife: Refrigerated 35-40 hours

Ingredients:
1 1/2 litres water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup milk
1 tbsp. almonds
1 tbsp. kharbooj/tarbooj seeds skinned (commercially available)
(these are skinned dried seeds of watermelon and cantaloupes)
1/2 tbsp. khuskhus (poppy seeds)
1/2 tbsp. saunf (aniseed)
1/2 tsp. cardamom powder or 15 whole pods
1/2 tsp. rose water (optional)
1 tsp. peppercorns whole
1/4 cup dried or fresh rose petals (gulkand variety)

Method:
Soak sugar in 1/2 litre of the water used. Keep aside.
Wash clean all other dry ingredients, except cardamom if using powder. Soak in 2 cups of remaining water. Keep aside. Allow all soaked items to stand for at least 2 hours.
Grind all soaked ingredients to a very fine paste.(not sugar) Use a stone grinder (manual or electric) if possible.
When the paste is very fine, mix remaining water. Place a strong muslin strainer over a large deep vessel or tie a strong muslin cloth over rim of vessel and use to strain. Press through muslin with back of hands, extracting the liquid into vessel. Add remaining water, a little at a time to extract more.
Pour back some of the extract and press, repress. Repeat this process till the residue becomes dry and husklike.
Add milk, sugar and rosewater to the extracted liquid. If using cardamom powder mix it in with the milk. Mix well.
Chill for a hour of two before serving.

more Recipes for Holi >>