It is that time of the year again when good wins over evil, lights shine as bright in the sky as they do on earth and the festivities bring friends and family closer. This year has been a long and exhausting roller coaster ride, but it has also been a time to reconnect with loved ones and learn new skills, especially on the culinary front. So now is a good time to try your hand at these sumptuous, festive-ready delicacies that will leave you sated and impressed by yourself.
- Kachumbar
Ingredients:
- 1 red onion
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 1 large cucumber
- 1 green chilli
- 1/4 cup coriander leaves
- 1/4 tsp or more salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Instructions:
- Dice the onion, tomatoes and cucumber and mix them together in a salad bowl
- Finely chop the green chillies (remove the seeds to reduce heat) and coriander. Add them to the bowl
- Add salt, black pepper, red chilli powder and lemon juice. Toss the mixture together
- You can serve in this as a side dish for your Diwali snacks!
2. Dahi Bhalla:
Ingredients:
For the bhallas:
For green chutney:
- 1 cup coriander leaves
- 1/4 cup mint leaves
- 1 green chilli
- 1 whole Ginger root
- 1/2 tsp black rock salt
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 Lemon (juiced)
For meethi chutney:
- 250 gms tamarind pulp (soaked in 1 1/2 cup water)
- 800 gms sugar
- 1/2 tsp dry Ginger powder
- 1 tsp deghi mirch
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
For yoghurt:
For garnishing:
Instructions:
For Bhallas:
- Soak moong and urad dal for 2 hours
- In a food processor grind them into a paste
- Whisk the paste until light and fluffy. Add jeera and chironji dana
- Wet your palms and pat the paste into a cake. Once the oil is piping hot, drop the patty. Fry the bhallas until golden brown.
For hari chutney:
- In a blender mix coriander, mint, green chilli, ginger, black salt and salt.
- Add garam masala and lemon juice. Blend again.
- For meethi chutney:
Soak the tamarind pulp in water for 30 minutes. Squeeze to extract all the pulp and strain the water. - Pour the tamarind water into a saucepan and add sugar. Turn the flame on and let it simmer until the sugar dissolves. Allow it to cool.
- Once it cools down add dried ginger powder, deghi mirch, salt, black salt and garam masala.
For dahi:
Mix yoghurt and powdered sugar until dissolved. Refrigerate until it cools.
Assembly:
- In a plate roughly break the bhallas into chunks.
- Top with dahi, hari chutney and meethi chutney.
- Sprinkle chaat masala, pomegranate seeds and sev and serve.
3. Dum Ke Aloo
Ingredients:
- 500 grams of baby potatoes
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 tsp red chilli powder (dissolved in water to make a paste)
- 1/2 tbs ginger powder
- 1 tbs fennel powder
- 1 tsp jeera
- 2 sticks cinnamon
- 3 cloves
- 1 black cardamom
- 1 tbs black peppercorn
- 1 green cardamom
- 6 tbs yoghurt
- 3/4th cup mustard oil for frying potatoes
- salt to taste
Instructions:
- Rinse the baby potatoes well. On a medium to high flame boil water and add potatoes until par-boiled.
- Drain and set aside to cool.
- With a fork or skewer, poke the potatoes enough so they absorb the masala.
- In a pan heat mustard oil till it begins to smoke. Add the potatoes and fry on a medium flame. Keep turning until potatoes are golden and crisp. Place them on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
- Remove the oil from the pan until 2 tbs is left. Let it cool down and add asafoetida powder and the red chilli paste and stir.
- Now add the yoghurt, stirring continuously so it doesn’t split.
- Add water according to the consistency you would like for the curry. Then add fennel powder, cloves, black and green cardamom, cinnamon and peppercorns and ginger powder and stir until mixed.
- Now add the potatoes and cover the pan tightly with a lid. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes on a low to medium flame until the gravy coats the potatoes.
If you are looking for more such Diwali dishes? You can check out Healthy Diwali Sweets To Indulge In.
