As winter wanes and spring blooms across the Indian subcontinent, the air begins to stir with the vibrant anticipation of Holi – The Festival of Colours.
For Tiffin Room’s Chef de Cuisine Kuldeep Negi, 52, the Holi Festival evokes fond memories of playing with coloured powder with family and friends, followed by gathering around the table for a hearty meal filled with laughter and conversation.
“One sweet treat that is always special to me is the gujia, which we traditionally prepare at home during Holi,” Mr Kuldeep said. Gujia is a deep-fried, crescent-shaped sweet dumpling stuffed with dried milk solids, jaggery, and dried fruit and nuts, such as desiccated coconut.
In Mr Kuldeep’s family, the coconut is sautéed before being added to the filling mixture, which is a little different from most gujia recipes, he noted. “That small step adds extra aroma and depth, and it is a flavour that always brings back memories of celebrating the festival together,” he explained.
Determined to recreate an equally memorable Holi experience for Tiffin Room’s guests at Raffles Hotel Singapore, Mr Kuldeep and his team spent about three months in R&D, refining the recipes for this year’s Holi special menu.
Instead of gujia, a similar sweet dumpling called chanderkala is served as the dessert course alongside a colourful boondi halwa. Shaped like a full moon, the chanderkala is deep-fried and dipped in saffron syrup for an added fragrance and decadence.
Its crisp exterior serves as an ideal vessel for the textural filling of coconut and dried fruits inside. In contrast, the boondi halwa is made with chickpeas and has a soft, slightly grainy mouthfeel, topped with delicate boondi pearls that lend a gentle sweetness and light bite.
“Holi is all about colour, celebration and sharing, and these two desserts bring a sense of richness and indulgence that is very fitting for the occasion,” Mr Kuldeep said.
Originally from New Delhi, Mr Kuldeep specialised in North Indian cuisine and worked through kitchens in New Delhi and Hong Kong before relocating to Singapore in 2009 to join Tiffin Room, where he has been curating the Holi Festival menu each year since.
“I have also travelled across different North Indian regions to deepen my understanding of traditional flavours and techniques, which continue to influence how I evolve the dining experience at Tiffin Room today,” Mr Kuldeep added.
The dining experience is also elevated by the artful composition of each dish. The chanderkala rests upon a bed of crushed pistachios and dried flowers, while the boondi halwa is presented as a sculpted, layered disc, crowned with gold leaf for a festive touch.
A small dark chocolate button with the Raffles Hotel Singapore logo (a stylised rendition of the traveller’s palm) completes the colourful mosaic.
Tiffin Room’s chanderkala and boondi halwa will be available as part of The Wondrous Flavours of Holi (vegetarian and non-vegetarian) menu from Feb 23 to March 8 at S$135++ per guest.
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12 Feb 2026 20:44
