Pistachio Saffron Muffins

Recipe: Pistachio Saffron Muffins

Pistachio Saffron Muffins are simple to prepare, fragrant, delicious, and free of eggs. They are ideal for any celebration, whether it’s a festival or a special event. I often bake these for Diwali. However, I am redoing the old post for Mother’s Day. Both my mum and mother in law had a sweet tooth. Whenever possible, I would bake pistachio saffron muffins for them.

Memories

I made Pistachio Saffron Muffins for the first time during the Gujarati New Year celebration on November 6, 2013. And the muffins disappeared pretty fast.

New Year In Different Parts Of India

Not all communities in India celebrate New Year at the same time. For starters I think the Gujarati community is the only one that celebrates New Year or Bestu Varsh a day after Diwali.

New Year celebrated on the first day of Hindu Chaitra Month

Ugadi – Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana

Gudi Padwa – Maharashtra, Goa, Konkan areas

Cheti Chand – Sindhi Community

Navreh – Kashmir and Jammu

Around 14-15th April

Vaisakhi – Punjab

Bhog Bihu – Assam and other North Eastern States

Nabo Barsh – Bengal

Vishu – Kerala

Puthandu – Tamil Nadu

Maha Vishuba Sankranti- Orissa

Celebrating Bestu Varas: A Cherished Tradition

On this special day, we rise early to visit temples, gather with relatives and friends, and receive blessings from our elders. As a child, Bestu Varas filled me with excitement, as it was a day when we could indulge in nuts and sweets to our heart’s content. Back then, treats like almonds, pistachios, and cashews were reserved for special occasions.

It was also on Bestu Varas that our grandfather, Bapuji, would generously double our savings. Whatever we managed to save throughout the year, he would match. At that time, receiving a shilling felt like receiving silver, while 20 shillings felt like gold! With a saving of nearly Ksh 200, we would end up with Ksh 400. I often used that money to buy Abba and Bee Gees records or  story books.

Sharing This Pistachio Saffron Muffin Recipe With Sunday Funday

Am back to sharing recipes with this group after a long time. Since the year began, got busy with a trip to India, opening ceremony of ISKCON, Navi Mumbai, cataract surgeries for both hubby and me, getting repair work done in our Bangalore apartment, health check ups, etc. Now I am back in Canada and getting back to some sort of routine.

Theme This Sunday

Wendy suggestion for this weekend is “Let’s celebrate Moms. Share a recipe that celebrates an important woman in your life”. Undoubtedly my mum and mother in law have had a tremendous influence in my life. I dearly miss them both.

 My Mum 

My mum was really good at making traditional Gujarati recipes and pickles. In contrast, my mother in law was always willing to try out new cuisines, both had to be vegetarian. Mum was a practical no nonsense kind of person while mother in law was always willing to shower love and hugs at the drop of a hat. What she didn’t get growing – mother’s love, she showered it on all, be it family or friends. Both resilient in spite of the poor lives they led when they were young, hard working and knew how t hold families together. Distance separated my mum and me, she in London and me in Mombasa and yet she would know when I was upset or unhappiness. Back then there were no mobiles and phone calls were expensive. But I would for sure get a call from her when I most needed her. 

Check Out Mother’s Day Recipes By Members Of Sunday Funday