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We’ve handpicked a curation of recipes from classic to contemporary that promise to make your Rakhi spread unforgettable, blending tradition with a dash of creativity
Raksha Bandhan 2025: The muhurat, or auspicious timing, for tying the Rakhi is from 5:47 AM to 1:24 PM.
Rakshabandhan, the cherished festival celebrating the sacred bond between siblings, is not just about the tying of a rakhi, it’s a celebration woven with emotions, rituals, and indulgent feasting. As sisters prepare their thalis with love and brothers promise lifelong protection, food becomes the soul of the celebration, carrying forward traditions and memories. From time-honoured mithais like gulab jamun and barfi to contemporary fusion treats like paan barfi or rose kalakand cheesecake, Rakhi delicacies are an essential expression of affection. This festival calls for recipes that are both comforting and celebratory, rich in flavour, rooted in heritage, and often touched with a modern twist to suit today’s palate.
Whether you’re reviving heirloom recipes from your grandmother’s diary or exploring creative adaptations by master chefs, Rakshabandhan is the perfect occasion to sweeten the bond with dishes made from the heart. Think laddoos packed with nostalgia, crunchy sweet kachoris, festive chaats, and innovative Indian-style cheesecakes that bring two worlds together. Here, we’ve handpicked a curation of recipes from classic to contemporary that promise to make your Rakhi spread unforgettable, blending tradition with a dash of creativity. After all, nothing brings siblings closer than good food shared with laughter and love.
Choshir Payesh recipe by Executive Chef Tamoghna Chakraborty, DoubleTree by Hilton Whitefield
On Raksha Bandhan, every thread tied and every sweet shared tells a story. At DoubleTree by Hilton, we celebrate this cherished sibling bond with Choshir Payesh, a soulful Bengali dessert made with hand-rolled flour grains (choshi), slow-cooked in reduced milk, and sweetened with fragrant Nolen Gur (date-palm jaggery).
For many, it’s more than just dessert—it’s a memory of sitting with a grandparent, shaping choshi by hand, and celebrating love through small, sacred rituals.
This Raksha Bandhan, surprise your sibling with a dish that speaks of tradition, time, and unconditional love.
Ingredients
For Choshi:
100g all-purpose flour
A pinch of salt
20ml ghee (for greasing)
Warm water (as needed)
For Payesh:
1.5 liters full-fat milk
60ml ghee
200g Nolen Gur (or to taste)
100g choshi
Method
To make Choshi:
Mix flour, salt, and ghee. Gradually add warm water to form a firm dough.
Pinch and roll tiny grain-like pieces (choshi).
Lightly flour and dry—sun-dry or bake at 100°C for 5–10 mins until firm. Store airtight.
To make Payesh:
Boil milk and reduce it to half, stirring often.
Roast choshi in ghee until lightly golden.
Add to milk and simmer until soft and cooked through.
Turn off the heat, stir in Nolen Gur, and let it melt gently.
Serve warm or chilled—with love and sweet memories.
Chef’s Note, “My sister makes this for me every Raksha Bandhan. It’s her way of saying, ‘I remember.’ This dish is our tribute to that timeless connection.”
Fusion Cheesecakes by Chef Amit Sharma, Co-Founder, Poetry by Love & Cheesecake
Gulab Jamun & Boondi Cheesecake
Base:
Crumbled vanilla sponge soaked in light sugar syrup
Press into a ring mould and chill for 15–20 mins
Cheesecake Layer:
Whip cream cheese, fresh cream & condensed milk until smooth
Fold in lightly drained sweet boondi
Pour over base & set in fridge for 6–8 hours
Topping:
Halved or whole gulab jamun
Saffron-cardamom reduction
Garnish: gold leaf, pistachios, dried rose petals
Kandi Peda Cheesecake
Base:
Vanilla sponge soaked in sugar syrup
Press into mould & chill
Cheesecake Layer:
Blend mascarpone, whipped cream & white chocolate
Fold in grated Kandi Peda
Pour over base & set for 6–8 hours
Topping:
Rose petals
Peda crumble or pistachio
Optional rose glaze
Rose Kalakand Cheesecake
Base:
Vanilla sponge soaked in rose sugar syrup
Press & chill for 15–20 mins
Cheesecake Layer:
Mascarpone whipped with cream
Fold in crumbled rose kalakand
Pour & set overnight
Topping:
Crushed pistachios
Edible rose petals
Optional rose glaze
Indian Mithai-Inspired Desserts
Gulkand Paan Barfi By Chef Anshul Dhyani, ITC Grand Central, Mumbai
Ingredients:
Mawa, condensed milk, gulkand, fresh paan leaves, cardamom, optional coconut & green food colour
Method:
Cook mawa & condensed milk, mix in paan, gulkand & flavours, set in greased tray, garnish with silver varq & pistachios. “Tradition meets indulgence in every bite.”
Sweet Kachori By Chef Anshul Dhyani
Filling: Jaggery, khoya (optional), cardamom, chopped nuts
Dough: Flour, ghee, salt, water
Method:
Prepare dough & filling, stuff & seal, deep fry till golden.
Bhutte Ki Tikki By Chef Swapnadeep Mukherjee, The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa
Ingredients: Baby corn, pahari potato, ginger, green chilli, spices, coriander, olive oil
Method:
Mix all ingredients into dough, shape into tikkis, shallow fry, serve with chutney.
Khatte Meethe Aloo By Chef Swapnadeep Mukherjee
Ingredients: Boiled potatoes, desi ghee, cumin, turmeric, fresh anardana, green chilli, ginger, coriander, lemon juice
Method:
Temper spices in ghee, add potatoes, finish with anar & lemon juice.
Sanjeev Kapoor’s Healthy & Festive Sweets
Lauki Ke Laddoo
Ingredients: Grated lauki, ghee, edible gum (gond), mawa, Sugar Free Green Powder, nuts, melon seeds, coconut, cardamom, nutmeg
Method:
Cook lauki with ghee & mawa, add sweetener, mix with crushed gond & dry ingredients, shape into laddoos, garnish with gold varq.
Khoya Kurmura Barfi
Ingredients: Mawa, puffed rice, ghee, Sugar Free Green Powder, cardamom, nutmeg, cashew, pistachio, almond
Method:
Roast kurmura, cook mawa with sweetener, mix all, set in tray, garnish & cut into squares.
Healthy Strawberry Crumble
Ingredients: Strawberries, lemon juice, oats, wheat flour, cinnamon, walnuts, almonds, coconut oil, Sugar Free Green Powder
Method:
Toss strawberries with lemon juice, top with oat-nut crumble mix, bake at 180°C for 35–40 mins. Garnish with halved strawberries.
Swati Chaturvedi, a seasoned media and journalism aficionado with over 10 years of expertise, is not just a storyteller; she’s a weaver of wit and wisdom in the digital landscape. As a key figure in News18 Engl…Read More
Swati Chaturvedi, a seasoned media and journalism aficionado with over 10 years of expertise, is not just a storyteller; she’s a weaver of wit and wisdom in the digital landscape. As a key figure in News18 Engl… Read More
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