With the festive season around the corner, the kitchen is bound to double up as a space that guarantees joy and celebration. It would evolve into a bustling room of activities and memories.

Every festival has countless dishes, both sweet and savoury, that make it more memorable. Here are three desserts to explore in your Veneta Cucine kitchen:

Tapioca Pearls Laddu
Tapioca Pearls or Sago (or sabudana as it is natively called in most parts of India) are extracted from the roots of the cassava plant. Packed with essential calories and carbohydrates, this is the go-to, versatile ingredient during the festive season.

Ingredients for Tapioca Pearls Laddu:
1/2 cup tapioca pearls
1/8 cup sugar
1 cardamom pod
8-10 broken cashew nuts
1/4 cup melted clarified butter

Instructions:
Step 1: Dry roast the tapioca pearls in a vessel until they turn golden and puff up slightly.
Step 2: Cool the roasted tapioca pearls and transfer them into a mixer jar.
Step 3: Powder the tapioca pearls and transfer the powder into a mixing bowl.
Step 4: Powder sugar and cardamom. Transfer into the mixing bowl.
Step 5: Heat the clarified butter in a vessel and add the broken cashew nuts. Fry till golden brown. Transfer into the mixing bowl.
Step 6: Mix all the ingredients in the mixing bowl till it combines well. Keep adding a little clarified butter till the mixture can hold shape.
Step 7: Take a fistful of mixture and hold to form a sphere (laddu). The mixture should hold the shape without falling apart. Transfer the sphere/laddu onto a plate.
Step 8: Repeat step 7 for the mixture in the mixing bowl.
Step 9: Set aside the spheres for some time. Store in a clean, airtight container.
Step 10: Tapioca pearls laddu can satiate your sugar cravings and stay good for a week at room temperature.

Sweet Potato Kheer
Sweet Potatoes belong to the tuber family and are highly nutritious. They are fibrous and rich in vitamins and minerals. Sweet potatoes enhance the functioning of the gut and are great ingredients to make one feel satiated for a long time!

Ingredients for Sweet Potato Kheer:
1-litre milk
250 grams sweet potato
1 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 cup sugar
10-15 strands of saffron (soaked in 2 tbsp milk)

Instructions:
Step 1: Boil the sweet potato till soft. Peel and grate.
Step 2: Heat the milk in a vessel.
Step 3: As the milk begins to boil, add the grated sweet potato.
Step 4: Stir and cook till the quantity of milk is reduced to half. The mixture would appear thick and creamy.
Step 5: Add sugar, cardamom powder, and the saffron strands soaked in milk.
Step 6: Cook for a minute gently combining the ingredients.
Step 7: Sweet potato kheer is ready to be savoured. It can be consumed hot, or it can be served cold by refrigerating before consumption.

Caramelized Fox Nuts
Fox nuts (also called lotus seeds or makhana) are a powerhouse of nutrients. They are known to contain high protein and numerous vitamins, and vital minerals like potassium and sodium. Fox nuts make a great dessert ingredient, especially during the festive season.

Ingredients for caramelized fox nuts:
2 cups fox nuts
2 tbsp clarified butter
1/2 cup jaggery
1 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp water

Instructions:
Step 1: Add the clarified butter into a pan. Gently heat on the stovetop.
Step 2: Add the fox nuts into the pan and roast till they turn crispy. Remove the pan from the stove and keep it aside.
Step 3: In another pan, heat water and add the jaggery. Cook on a low flame, constantly stirring till the jaggery melts.
Step 4: Add the sesame seeds to the jaggery and gently mix.
Step 5: Add the roasted fox nuts to the jaggery and turn off the stove.
Step 6: Gently fold in the mixture, ensuring all the roasted fox nuts are coated with ample jaggery.
Step 7: Allow the mixture to cool down.
Step 8: The delicious caramelized fox nuts are ready for a healthy indulgence!

No matter what you decide to cook this festive season, Veneta Cucine’s kitchens are designed to offer you space and luxury while enabling you to enjoy the whole experience of putting a dish together for yourself and your loved ones. Visit Veneta Cucine’s website to know more!