A Holi party menu from Siddhi’s kitchen: chilled thandai, her three Holi sweets, a plate of hot starters, and two coolers for the kids.
Siddhi serves thandai chilled for Holi, and pairs her mawa gujiya, thandai shahi tukda and thandai rice kheer with each other for the festival. The starters are ones she serves as party starters.
Every recipe in this plan is cooked in Siddhi’s own kitchen before it goes live.
The menu at a glance
| Course | Drink | Sweet | Starter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drinks | Thandai Watermelon Cooler Mojito | — | — |
| Holi sweets | — | Mawa Gujiya Thandai Shahi Tukda Thandai Rice Kheer | — |
| Hot starters | — | — | Dahi Ke Kebab Crunchy Paneer Pakora Crispy Potato Balls |
Course by course
Drinks
Drink
Thandai
Serves 3
Homemade thandai masala cooked into milk, chilled and garnished with pistachio and kesar. Siddhi serves it for Holi.
Drink
Watermelon Cooler
Serves 4
Watermelon blended with mint, lemon and black salt, served chilled. Siddhi suggests it for parties.
Holi sweets
Sweet
Mawa Gujiya
Serves 4, makes 25–30 · 1 hr 15–20 min
Mawa gujiya for Holi: a maida and ghee pastry filled with roasted khoya, coconut and nuts, sealed with a fork and fried until light golden.
Sweet
Thandai Shahi Tukda
Serves 3 · 50–55 min
Ghee-fried bread soaked in milk reduced with thandai masala. Siddhi serves it immediately, at Holi.
Sweet
Thandai Rice Kheer
Serves 4 · 55–60 min
Rice kheer finished with homemade thandai masala, which Siddhi serves for Holi.
Hot starters
Starter
Dahi Ke Kebab
Soft hung curd and paneer kebabs, coated in bread crumbs and fried golden. Siddhi serves them straight away as a starter.
Starter
Crunchy Paneer Pakora
Serves 4 · 30 min
Marinated paneer in a spiced besan batter, fried crisp. Serve piping hot with coriander chutney or ketchup.
Starter
Crispy Potato Balls
Serves 4
Golden potato balls with a buttery, peppery centre. Siddhi serves them hot as a party starter.
Plan ahead
Some of this menu can be started before the day, and some has to be cooked at the last minute:
- Thandai masala: Siddhi says you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge. The same masala goes into the shahi tukda and the rice kheer.
- Thandai is cooled to room temperature, then refrigerated and served chilled.
- Mawa gujiya takes about an hour and 15 to 20 minutes and makes 25 to 30, so make it before the party.
- Thandai shahi tukda and the mojito are served immediately, and the starters are served hot, so cook those last.
- Dahi ke kebab needs hung curd. Our guide to making hung curd shows how to strain it the day before.
Shopping list, recipe by recipe
Each list below is the ingredient list from Siddhi’s recipe card, at the serving size the recipe makes. Open a recipe to scale it for your family.
Thandai (serves 3)
- 1/3 cup almonds, slightly peeled (thandai masala)
- 1/3 cup pistachios (thandai masala)
- 1/3 cup cashews (thandai masala)
- 1/4 cup muskmelon seeds (thandai masala)
- 1/4 cup saunf (fennel seeds) (thandai masala)
- 1 tbsp cardamom seeds (thandai masala)
- 1/2 tbsp black pepper (thandai masala)
- 1¼ cups sugar (thandai masala)
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg (thandai masala)
- 1/4 tsp saffron (kesar) (thandai masala)
- 500 ml milk
- Pistachio and saffron strands, to garnish
Watermelon Cooler (serves 4)
- 1 kg watermelon, cut into pieces
- 15 to 20 mint leaves
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp black salt
Mojito (serves 2)
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced, seeds removed
- Mint leaves, plus more to garnish
- 1 tbsp sugar
- A pinch of salt
- Crushed peppermint candy powder
- Lemon juice
- Crushed ice or ice cubes
- Sprite
Mawa Gujiya (serves 4, makes 25–30)
- 1½ cups all purpose flour (maida)
- 250 g mawa (khoya)
- 1/3 cup desiccated coconut
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp pistachios, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp raisins, chopped
- 2 tbsp almonds, chopped
- 1/2 cup clarified butter (ghee)
- A pinch nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cardamom, crushed
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Water, to knead
- Oil, for frying
Thandai Shahi Tukda (serves 3)
- 6 white bread slices
- Clarified butter (ghee), for frying the bread
- 1 litre full fat milk
- 20 g milk powder
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3–4 tbsp thandai masala
- A few chopped dry fruits (almonds and pistachios), to garnish
Thandai Rice Kheer (serves 4)
- 1/3 cup rice, soaked
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup thandai masala
- 2 litres full fat milk
- A few chopped dry fruits, to garnish
Dahi Ke Kebab
- 2 cups hung curd
- 1 cup paneer (cottage cheese), grated
- 1/4 cup capsicum, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
- 2 to 3 green chillies, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
- Mint leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tsp black pepper, coarsely crushed
- 3 to 4 tbsp rice flour (start with 3 tbsp, add more as needed)
- Salt to taste
- Bread crumbs, for coating
- Chaat masala, to sprinkle on the kebabs
- Oil for deep frying, plus a little for greasing your palms
Crunchy Paneer Pakora (serves 4)
- 250 g paneer, sliced into rectangles
- 1 tbsp red chilli powder (for the marinade)
- 1 tbsp chaat masala (for the marinade)
- 1 cup besan (gram flour)
- 1/2 cup rice flour
- 2 tbsp curd
- 1/2 cup coriander, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup mint, finely chopped
- 1 tsp green chillies, finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh garlic paste
- 1/2 tsp fresh ginger paste
- 1 tsp roasted cumin (jeera) powder
- 1/2 tbsp chaat masala (for the batter)
- 1/2 tbsp garam masala
- 1 pinch Eno, unflavoured
- 1 pinch hing (asafoetida)
- Salt to taste
- Water for the batter
- Oil for deep frying
Crispy Potato Balls (serves 4)
- 4 medium potatoes, boiled and cooled
- 3 tbsp butter
- 4 to 5 tbsp rice flour
- 2 tbsp corn flour
- 1 tsp black pepper powder
- 3 to 4 green chillies, crushed
- 1/2 tsp red chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
- Salt to taste
- Bread crumbs, for coating
- Oil for deep frying
FAQs
What should I serve at a Holi party?
This menu follows Siddhi’s Holi recipes: chilled thandai, mawa gujiya, thandai shahi tukda and thandai rice kheer, with hot starters and coolers for the kids.
Can I make thandai masala in advance?
Yes. Siddhi says the thandai masala can be used right away or stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
How many gujiyas does the recipe make?
Siddhi’s mawa gujiya recipe makes 25 to 30 gujiyas.
Is the mojito alcohol-free?
Yes. Siddhi’s mojito is an alcohol-free mint and lime drink.