At Eat Right Basket, we’re passionate about promoting healthy and organic eating. To celebrate the spirit of cooking and creativity, we organized a cooking contest called “Cooking Right with Eat Right Basket” on February 2nd, 2025. The theme of the contest was sweet dishes, and we were overwhelmed with an incredible response from participants across Delhi and NCR.
After careful consideration, our judges shortlisted six outstanding recipes that showcased creativity, innovation, and a passion for healthy cooking. In this blog, we’ll take you through each of these recipes, highlighting the main ingredients and cooking methods used.
Recipe 1: Ragi Laddu
The first recipe that caught our attention was Ragi Laddu, made with ragi flour, jaggery powder, ghee, almonds, cashews, edible gum, pumpkin seeds, melon seeds, and flax seeds. This traditional recipe is a perfect blend of nutrition and taste.
Ingredients: Ragi flour: 250 gms, Jaggery Powder: 150 gms, Ghee: 250 gms, Almonds:50 gms, Cashews- 50 gms, Edible gum: 50 gms Pumpkin Seeds: 50 gms, Melon Seeds: 50 gms, Flax Seeds: 50 gms
Cooking Instructions:
1. In a Kadhaai, take Desi Cow Ghee, once it is heated add ragi Flour.
2. Keep shallow frying it on low flame till the mixture leaves ghee and becomes of flowing consistency.
3. Now add chopped almonds, cashew, shallow fried gond (edible gum).
4. Add roasted flax seeds, pumpkin Seeds, melon seeds and mix this well.
5. Add jaggery powder, mix it well.
6. Turn down the flame but continue stirring it a bit.
7. Once this mix cools down, roll its laddus with gentle hands.
Recipe 2: Hari Matar ka Halwa with Gajar ki Saunth
The next recipe that impressed us was Hari Matar ka Halwa with Gajar ki Saunth. This recipe was made with peas, khoya/fresh malai/condensed milk, ghee, jaggery, dry fruits, elaichi, carrots, and ginger. This innovative recipe combines the freshness of peas with the sweetness of carrots
Ingredients: Peas – 600gm (unpeeled), Khoa – 200gm, Ghee – 200gm, Sugar – 300gm, Cashew – 50gm, Almonds – 50gm, Elaichi – 10gm, Adrak – 20gm, Saunf (Fennel Seeds)- 10gm
Cooking Instructions:
1. Take two table spoon desi cow ghee in a kadhai
2. Sauté peeled green peas in it on low flame till they turned slightly brown and kept aside.
3. In a pan add two teaspoons of Desi Cow Ghee and add crushed saunf (Fennel Seeds), very fine chopped ginger and crushed cardamom, then add jaggery syrup.
4. Let it boil and then simmer till the mixture thickens to a paste.
5. Put the green peas pan again on the stove.
6. Add malai (fresh cream)/ khoa to it. Mix well gently so that no lumps are formed.
7. Add the jaggery paste to this mixture and keep cooking on low flame till it turns dry, dark and cooked.
8. Sprinkle dry fruits.
9. Hari Matar ka halwa is ready to serve.
Recipe 3: Chana Barfi
Chana Barfi was another very interesting entry in the cooking contest. It tasted delicious and its recipe was also very unique. Made with roasted chickpeas (Bhuna Chana), almonds, cashews, white rice poha, dhage wali mishri, and milk. Another speciality of this recipe is that no ghee or oil was used in this recipe.
Ingredients: Roasted chana (Bhuna Chana) 250 gm, Almond 150 gm, Cashew 150 gm, Roasted Poha 100 gm, Dhage wali Mishri 350 gm, Milk for binding (5/6 tbsp or as required)
Cooking Instructions:
1. Dry roast white rice poha till it turns golden brown.
2. Dry grind roasted deskinned roasted chickpea (bhuna chana), cashew, almonds, dhaaga mishri, cardamom, and roasted white rice poha to fine powder.
3. Chop some almonds separately for layering on top.
4. Gently knead the prepared flour with help of milk till it becomes a perfect soft dough.
5. Transfer the dough into a square box, spread even, and leave it for setting.
6. Spread chopped almonds on the top.
7. Cut Burfi of the desired size.
8. Chana Burfi is Ready to serve.
Recipe 4: Gajar Ka Halwa (Vegan)
The contest also saw a vegan sweet dish made without the use of ghee or milk – Gajar Ka Halwa (Vegan), made with carrots, coconut, raisins, cashews, almonds, seeds, and jaggery. This vegan recipe is a perfect dessert option for those who have lactose intolerance or are vegan by choice. Others may also have it as its highly nutritious and tastes different from the regular Gajar ka Halva.
Ingredients: Red Carrot 1.5 kg, Fresh Coconut 1 pc, Raisins: 30 gm, Cashews 150 gms, Almonds 100 gms, Seeds 50 gms each, Jaggery 500 gms
Cooking Instructions:
1. Grate carrots and steam them in a kadhai until soft (approx 15 to 20 mins on low flame).
2. Meanwhile, grind one fresh coconut, jaggery, some cashews (optional), and 4-5 cardamom in a grinder.
3. Add this mixture to grated and steamed carrots.
4. Mix everything well and cook it further for few minutes till the carrots are cooked well
5. Garnish it with seeds and nuts.
Recipe 5: Whole Wheat Choco Banana Cake
No sweet dish contest is complete without the entry of cakes in it. So we had Whole Wheat Choco Banana Cake, made with whole wheat flour, brown sugar, and bananas as the main ingredients. This healthy cake option is perfect for those looking for a guilt-free dessert.
Ingredients: Whole Wheat flour 180 gms, Brown Sugar 130 gm, Banana 250 gms, Butter 90 gms, Vanilla Essence 1/2 tbsp, Milk 50 ml, Pumpkin Seeds 5 gm, Sunflower Seeds 5 gm, Baking Powder ¾ tsp, Baking soda ½ tsp, a pinch of Salt.
Baking Instructions:
1. Mash banana in a bowl and add the brown sugar – make it into a smooth paste.
2. Sieve/whisk together – whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and a pinch of salt.
3. Mix mashed banana and brown sugar paste to the whole wheat flour mix and whisk well.
4. Add butter and vanilla extract in a separate bowl, and flour in batches with help of milk.
5. Mix some seeds in batter.
6. Pour the batter into a greased loaf tin.
7. Sprinkle choco chips and seeds on the top.
8. Bake in a preheated oven at 160 degrees for about 20 minutes.
9. Your cake is ready to be taken out from the baking tray, cut and served.
Recipe 6: Dates and Walnut Cake
Another very healthy recipe that stood out in the contest was Dates and Walnut Cake, made with multigrain flour, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, dates, walnuts, and whole wheat flour. This moist and delicious cake is perfect for special occasions.
Ingredients: Dates 1 cup, Walnut 1 cup, Multigrain Flour One and a half cup, Brown sugar or jaggery powder one cup, Oil half cup, Baking Powder 1 teaspoon, Baking soda 1/4 teaspoon, Cocoa Powder 2 table spoon, Yogurt/ curd 1 cup, Lukewarm Milk half cup, Vanilla Essence 1 tablespoon
Baking Instructions:
Pre preparation: Soak a cup of deseeded dates in half a cup of lukewarm milk for a few hours. Mash this well so that it forms a date mixture. In another bowl, chop a cup of walnuts, keep this also aside.
1. Take half One and a half cup of multigrain flour in a bowl and add baking powder and baking soda to it. Mix this well.
2. Now add a pinch of salt and cocoa powder to this flour mixture and keep this aside.
3. In another bowl take yogurt, add jaggery powder, half cup of oil and the prepared dates mixture.
4. Beat the mixture with the help of a whisker or hand blender until it turns fluffy.
5. Now slowly add whole wheat flour mix to it in batches.
6. Beat the batter gently with soft hands.
7. If the batter seems tight, add a little lukewarm milk to get a perfect cake-like flowing consistency.
8 At last add chopped walnuts and vanilla essence and give it a mix.
9. Transfer thai batter into a greased cake tray.
10. Garnish with some almonds and walnuts.
11. Preheat the oven for 180 degrees and now bake the cake for approx. 40 minutes.
12. Give a check with a toothpick. If the cake is ready then the toothpick should come out clean.
13. Once fully baked, give it a rest for about 30 minutes.
14. Your cake is ready to cut and serve.
It was really a delight to organize this first ever “Cook Right with Eat Right Basket” contest. We were able to uncover unique recipes, traditional and modern, healthy ways of cooking and a great sense of ownership by our participants was a huge success, and we’re thrilled to have received such an overwhelming response from participants.
We hope that cooking enthusiasts will definitely add these new recipes to their list and delight their loved ones with their preparations.
Do share your unique recipe of healthy food – Sweet or Savoury any which way you like and we will consider these in our upcoming “Cook Right with Eat Right Basket” contest. Ideas will be yours, ingredients will be ours.
Stay tuned for more updates from Eat Right Basket!
