Diwali is a special occasion for every Indian. It allows people to get closer to each other in the name of god and with the excuse of festival. People visit each other’s homes. So it is your responsibility to treat your guests with a good and heart-elating food. Here are some suggestions.
Starters
1.Onion rings
This is one of my favorites because you can’t find anything better than onion to treat you before you start your meal, until it is Retsina. Fried onion rings are a treat for eyes and mouth and are best to make your guests elated on the occasion of Diwali.
INGREDIENTS:-
- Onion: 3 to 4, cut them in thick rings
- Red chilies:1 tsp. grounded
- Cumin:1 tbsp.
- Salt:As per taste
- All spice powder:1/4 tsp.
- Water:As per requirement
- Gram Flour: 1/2 cup
How to Make Onion rings?
Cooking it is as simple as it is tasty; very tasty and very easy to cook. Take a medium sized bowl and put some gram flour, salt, red pepper, cumin, and spice powder in it. Make sure they are in proportion to gram flour as per your taste.
Pour some water in it and beat it well to make a thick batter. You can add more water, if seems necessary but make sure that batter is not very dry.
Heat oil in a wok, deep fry the onion rings dipped in the batter you prepared, until they turn in to golden brown and its aroma is pleasant.
Serve them with ketchup.
2. Potato Salad and Sweet corn
Sweet corn is one of the favorite and easy to cook dish these days. Not only children but it also attracts the grownups. Potatoes and sweet corns are very easy to cook and help you serve any amount of guest who came unalarmed and that too in short notice.
| INGREDIENTS:-Potato | 4 |
| Sweet corn | 1 tin |
| Capsicum | 2 , chopped in cube shape |
| Pineapple | 1 tin |
| Pineapple syrup | 3 tbsp. |
| Black pepper | 1 tsp. |
| Salt | As per taste |
| Chili sauce | 1 tbsp. |
| Mint | 1/2 bunch, chopped |
| Lemon | 3 |
| Brown sugar | 1 tbsp. |
| Vinegar | 2 tbsp. White vinegar |
How to make?
Chop boiled potatoes and make sure they are fine enough in comparison to sweet corn you are using. Finely chop capsicum in such a way that it goes well with sweet corn without creating some awkward situation in mouth; and add some sugar to it. Mix these three ingredients in pineapple syrup and lemon juice. Mix them well such that all the ingredients are soaked in the syrup. Add some vinegar followed by salt, black pepper and chili sauce, as per your taste. Cut pineapple’s medium to large pieces for decoration stuff. Put your salad in a plate and arrange pineapple pieces around it and sprinkle some mint leaves over it.
3. Papdi chaat
Papdi Chaat is one of the most popular dishes around Indian festivals, especially Diwali. It can be prepared by almost all home-made ingredients. To make the Papdi Chaat healthy and nutritious, instead of fried Papdis we can use baked Papdis and also some sprouts or/and pomegranate can be added which will add to its taste as well as nutrition profile.
Ingredients:-
For the Papdi Chat
- 24 crisp Papdis/Puris
- 200 gms cold smoothened yogurt
- 2 large potato, boiled and chopped
- 2 cups boiled chickpeas/garbanzo beans
- 2 onion finely chopped (optional)
- 1 tomato finely chopped (optional)
- 1 cup mint coriander chutney
- 1 cup tamarind dates chutney
- 1-2 tsp red chili powder
- 1-2 tsp cumin powder
- 1-2 tsp chaat masala
- 1-2 tsp black salt/rock salt or common salt
- 1 cup sev
For assembling the Papdi Chaat:
- Arrange the Papdis in a shallow bowl or plate.
- Top it up with chopped boiled potatoes and cooked chickpeas.
- You can add chopped onions and tomatoes to it.
- Sprinkle some Chaat masala and red chili powder on it, if you want or you may do it later.
- Top these with cold yogurt as much as you want.
- Top it up with the green chutney as per your taste.
- And then with the sweet chutney as per your taste.
- Sprinkle some Chaat masala, red chili powder, cumin powder and black salt as per your taste.
- Garnish with coriander leaves.
- Sprinkle sev on top to add to optical pleasure.
- Now you are ready to serve Papdi Chaat
Main Course
1. Stuffed Capsicum
Ingredients:-
Capsicum – 5
Onions(large) – 2(sliced)
Mushroom – 1 tin(chopped fine)
Indian Paneer – 200 gm( cubes)
Garam masala – 1 tsp
Tomato sauce – 2 tbsp
Soya sauce – 1 tbsp
Pepper – 2 – 3 tsp
Salt – As per taste
Oil – 2 – 3 tbsp
How to make?
Diwali is a special occasion and so your dish needs to be of some different trait and in order to make it taste good you need to get all the things done properly. This is how we prepare the filling for stuffed capsicum-
- 1. Slice one capsicum fine.
- 2. Heat a little oil in a pan.
- 3. Add some onions and sauté them, till they appear golden brown.
- 4. Add the sliced capsicum to the pan and sauté it.
- 5. Add the garam masala and pepper as per your taste and sauté the mixture well, until you see that the raw smell of the masala goes.
- 6. Add the tomato sauce and soya sauce to it.
- 7. Add mushrooms, paneer cubes and sauté them well on a slow flame.
- 8. Add salt as per your taste.
- 9. Heat the oven at around 175 degrees.
10. Carefully, slice the tops of the capsicums and remove the seed inside.
11. Stuff them with the filling prepared and replace the tops of the capsicum. Bake them for 15 – 20 mins at around 200 degrees.
12. Your dish is ready to serve with some proper garnishing.
2. Cauliflower Poori
Ingredients:-
| Wheat flour | 2 cups |
| Turmeric powder | 1/4 tsp |
| Chili powder | 1 tsp |
| Cumin powder | 1/4 tsp |
| Garam masala powder | 1/4 tsp |
| Baking powder | 1 tsp |
| Cauliflower ( grated) | 2 cups |
| Coriander leaves | 1/4 cup |
| Coconut | 1/4 cup |
| Onion | 1 |
| Green chili | 2 |
| Lemon | 1 |
| Ghee | 1 tbsp |
| Salt | As per taste |
| Oil | As per taste |
How to Make?
- Mix wheat flour, turmeric powder, cumin powder, Baking powder, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, ghee and salt(as per taste) with water in a bowl and knead to a dough.
- Cut onion and green chili, fine.
- Heat 3 tsp of oil in a pan.
- Fry green chili and onion for a few minutes.
- Add cauliflower. 1/2 tsp chili powder,
- Garam masala powder and salt to pan and cook.
- When cauliflower is cooked, add coconut, coriander leaves, lemon and stir it well then remove pan.
- Heat some oil in a frying pan.
- Place a spoon dipped in cauliflower mix, cover and roll out again.
10. Fry in oil and serve hot.
3. Pineapple Fried Rice
Rice makes an essential for any Indian meal. Consumption of rice during Diwali festival is also assumed to be a good thing to do. India has few of the best breeds of rice in the world and moreover Indians are famous for their love for rice. So it is always a good idea to treat your guests with some tasty fried rice. Down below you will find one amongst hundreds of variations available with rice.
Ingredients:-
- 1/4 cup soya sauce
- 1 tbs sauce
- 1 tbs rice vinegar
- 3 tbs oil
- 4 ounce ground pork
- 3 small Chinese sausages, sliced
- 3 scallions, white parts minced and green parts sliced
- 1 tbs minced fresh ginger
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 hot red chili.
- 4 cups cold-cooked rice
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
- 1/4 cup finely sliced pineapple
How to make?
Whisk the soy sauce in a bowl with vinegar. Heat a wok and add the oil and heat until smoking. Add the pork and Chinese sausages and cook with high temperature, stirring, until the pork gets browned, for about 2 minutes. Add the minced scallion whites, ginger, garlic, and chili, and cook until fragrant. Add the rice and stir-fry until heated through and lightly browned in spots. Stir the hoisin soya sauce and stir-fry until absorbed. Stir in the scallion greens, cilantro, and pineapple. Now the fried rice is ready to serve. Do some garnishing and serve.
Desserts
Mixed Fruit Raita
Ingredients:-
- Curd 2 cups
- Apple 1 small (cubed)
- Grapes 1 cup
- Pineapple 1/2 cup
- Coriander leaves 1 tbsp (fine)
- Cumin 1/2 tsp (roasted)
- Chili powder 1/2tsp
- Black salt 1/4 tsp
- Regular salt 1/4 tsp
How to make?
- In a mixing bowl beat Curd for smoothness.
- Add salt, chili powder, black salt, cumin, and coriander in curd, then put some fruits in it.
- Garnish it with some coriander and serve it cold in bowl.
Salad with Cashew Cream
Ingredients:-
- 1 cup chopped pineapple
- 1 cup peeled and chopped apple
- 1 cup chopped banana
- 1 cup chopped musk melon
- 1 cup chopped sapota
- 1 cup chopped papaya
- 1 cup cashew ( for cashew cream)
- 1 cup vanilla powder
How to make?
Preparation of cashew cream
- Risen the cashews in a bowl
- Pour some water in the bowl and store it in refrigerator.
- Blend the cashew with vanilla and some sugar( as per taste)
- Blend it till it gets smooth and creamy
Preparation of Salad
- Mix all chopped fruits in a large bowl
- Add a layer of cashew cream and place some fruits, repeat it 2-3 times
- Add some other dry fruits to its garnishing as a topping. Serve it cold.
