This Raksha Bandhan, bring out the true flavour of the festival by cooking up some traditional recipes.  Sweeten the occasion by preparing these simple homemade mithais for your brother.

CHOCO COCONUT LADDOOS

Ingredients
2 cups grated chocolate
1 cup condensed milk
8-10 crushed walnuts
2 ½ cups desiccated coconut
8 – 10 coarsely chopped almonds

Method
Melt grated chocolate in a microwave oven on high for one minute.  Stir with a spoon and cook in the microwave on high again for 30 seconds.  Add condensed milk and mix.  Add the crushed walnuts and mix in one and a half cups of desiccated coconut and blend well.  Add coarsely powdered almonds and mix.  Shape into round laddoos.  Roll in the remaining desiccated coconut.

PISTA BURFI

Ingredients
5 ¼ cups coarsely chopped pistachio
2 ¼ cups sugar
4 tbsp liquid glucose
3 tbsp ghee
2-3 sheets silver warq

Method
Grease a tray.  Pour sugar in a thick-bottomed pan with two cups of water.  Cook till it forms a syrup of multi strings.  Add liquid glucose and ghee.  Stir well.  Add chopped pistachio and mix well.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Spread evenly on the greased tray.  Apply silver warq.  When cool, cut into pieces and serve. 

ROSE SANDESH

Ingredients
2 litres cow’s milk
1 cup whey to curdle milk
1 cup sugar substitute sucralose
15-20 blanched pistachios
Few drops rose water.

Method
Pour cow’s milk in a deep pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and whey and keep stirring till the milk curdles.  Strain through a muslin cloth and immediately place the muslin potli on ice to stop the cooking process.  Squeeze to remove the excess moisture.  Remove chenna into a plate and mash with the palm of your hand till smooth.  Add sugar substitute sucralose and continue to mash.  Add rose water.  Divide into equal portions and shape into balls.  Place a blanched pistachio on top and serve.