Happy Basant Panchami: Savour these 7 amazing dishes to welcome spring

Basant Panchami festivities are centred around welcoming the spring season. Yellow, the colour of spring in the North Indian tradition, symbolises wealth, light, vitality, and optimism. Apart from clothes, kites, and rangoli decorations, even the food is specially prepared to match the colour of the festival. Consequently, there is a lot of use of saffron, turmeric, and yellow lentils in the delicacies prepared on this day. Take a look at some dishes people relish in during Basant Panchami. (image: Reuters)

Zarda Rice:

Also known as kesari bhaat or meethe chawal, this is a sweet rice delicacy. Rice is cooked with sweeteners, usually sugar or jaggery and soaked saffron. Dry fruits, especially yellowish pistachios, are used for garnish. (Image: Shutterstock)

Laddoos: This variety of sweets, moulded in spherical shapes, is popular in Indian cuisine. On the occasion of Basant Panchami, there are two varieties commonly prepared: the besan laddoo and boondi laddoo. Both are made from gram flour, generous amounts of ghee, and loads of sugar. (Image Reuters)

Kesaria Sheera: This sweet is made with semolina and milk and is often prepared in Maharashtrian and Gujarati households. The flavour and texture of the dish are enhanced with a sprinkling of almonds, cashews, cardamoms, and, of course, saffron. A couple of drops of food colouring is common. (Image: Reuters)

Kheer: An ample amount of dry fruits is added to a semi-thick pudding made of milk, rice, and sugar, resulting in the mouthwatering preparation that is kheer. Usually white or off-white in colour, the Basant Panchami variation of this sweet sees one flavourful addition: saffron. (Image: Reuters)

Kesari Rajbhog: This sweet dish is prepared by mixing a variety of cheese (chenna) with thickened milk (khoya), semolina, pistachios, saffron, and a generous helping of sugar and ghee. (Image: Reuters)

Khichdi: This is a savoury dish made using rice and yellow lentils. Ginger, red chilli powder, cumin and mustard seeds, and turmeric are added to the mix. (Image: Shutterstock)

Dhokla: This is one of the trademark dishes of Gujarati cuisine. Making this snack is a long process since the gram flour and yoghurt batter used to prepare it needs to be fermented. The dish can be mildly sweet (as happens in most parts of Gujarat) but is usually savoury. The yellow colour comes from turmeric, while a tempering of green chillies, mustard seeds, and ginger is responsible for the flavour. (Image: Shutterstock)