Special Preparation for the Occasion of Rakhi 2011
Indians celebrate the festival of ‘Raksha Bandhan’ or Rakhi with great vigour and enthusiasm as it is the day dedicated to honour the eternal bond of love between brothers and sisters. The day begins by taking a bath early in the morning, wearing new clothes and offering prayers to the Almighty. Sisters perform arati of their brothers and puts tikka and chawal on their forehead. They tie a Rakhi thread on their brothers wrist while chanting mantras for their happiness and well-being. Besides these, exchanging Rakhi gifts is also an important part of this sacred ritual. With time, the rituals and customs may vary but the true essence of the festival still remains the same.
Once these rituals are completed, it is time for grand feasting and merry-making. If you are planning to surprise your brother on this festival of Rakhi then cook some delicious food for him. Even if you are a novice in this field, he will certainly appreciate the effort you have put in to prepare something delicious for him. Since sweets are the essential part of the festival, here is a simple recipe to prepare Ras Malai:
Ingredients
1. 1 (15 ounce) container whole-milk ricotta cheese
2. 1/4 cup white sugar
3. 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
4. 1 pinch saffron
5. 1 cup white sugar
6 1/2 teaspoon rose water (optional)
7. 2 teaspoons chopped pistachio nuts
8. 1 tablespoon chopped blanched almonds
Preparation
1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Blend the ricotta cheese and 1/4 cup sugar together in a bowl with a hand mixer; divide the mixture between 12 muffin cups.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack. Arrange the cheese balls onto a dessert platter.
4. While the cheese bakes, pour the half and half into a saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat; simmer 10 minutes. Stir 1 cup sugar, the cardamom, rose water, and saffron into the half and half and simmer another 2 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Drizzle the cooled mixture over the cheese balls. 6. Sprinkle the almonds and pistachios over the cheese balls to serve.
But, due to important commitments, if you cannot personally be with your sibling on this festival, you can make their day special by sending Rakhi to India with the assistance of online gifting portal, GiftstoIndia24x7.com.
Since Rakhi threads are an important part of this festival, you will come across a wide variety of the same if you browse through the ‘Rakhis’ category of this site. For your elder brother, you can send Rakhi to India made up of zardosi, silver, gold, diamonds and so on. Each of these rakhis are unique and colorful in their design which will surely be appreciated by your dear brother back home. Along with an attractive Rakhi to India, you can also send some exclusive gifts to your brother. Take your pick from men’s apparels, perfumes, watches and many more. For your married brother, you can also avail Rakhi as well as Lumba Rakhi from our site.
Apart from gifts for brothers, GiftstoIndia24x7.com also offers you a wide collection of Rakhi return gifts which you can send to your dear sister on Rakhi 2011. You can either go for sarees, jewelleries, gift hampers or cosmetics, the options are just endless. But, before you choose any gift for your sibling, it is imperative to keep his/her preference in mind.
If you are wondering when is Rakhi then this year it falls on 13th August. Thus, with the assistance of GiftstoIndia24x7.com, send Rakhi to India along with some exclusive gifts and make your siblings day more colorful.