Diwali marks the day Prince Rama and his wife Sita returned to the city of Ayodhya after 14 years in exile. Sita was kidnapped by a demon-king, Ravana. Hundreds of diyas (oil lamps) were lit by the people of the city to help guide Rama and Sita back home.
This beautiful festival commemorates good over evil, and light through darkness. The word Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word deepavali, which translates to ‘rows of lit lamps’, representative of the lit diyas on Rama and Sita’s journey back to safety.
This year, family and friends will be reuniting after several years of separation. This Diwali will be a special one. The story of Rama and Sita arriving back home after so many years away from their families is symbolic of what so many individuals will be experiencing. Covid has made us value our relationships now more than ever after not being able to see our loved ones for so many years.
Thats why I have created a beautiful thali to serve these gorgeous Diwali snacks in. You can easily enjoy these with your loved ones. It includes Eggplant Chaat, Paneer and Jalapeño Kebabs, and Wonton Samosas.
You’ll find all the recipes below.
I hope you take this beautiful week to cherish the small moments we often take for granted. This Diwali is all about holding your loved ones close and appreciating them for just being present.
Eggplant Chaat For Diwali
Chaat is an Indian style hors d’oeuvre. It combines savory, tangy, sweet and spicy flavours. Chaat is also a roadside treat that normally includes fried batter, topped with roasted nuts, yoghurt and several tasty chutneys. I’ve created this with fried eggplant coated in chickpea batter, and topped this with aloo bhujia (crispy potato bits), spicy green chutney, yoghurt, and pomegranate.
Eggplant Chaat
Equipment
- 1 cast iron kadai for frying
- 1 mesh spatula
- 1 Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
For The Eggplant
- 15 slices eggplant round slices that are 1/2 cm thick
For The Eggplant Batter
- 3/4 cup besan chickpea flour
- 3/4 cup water room temperature
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 1/8 tsp hing
For The Green Chutney
- 30g coriander with stems root cut off
- 7g mint leaves only
- 1 green birds eye chilli
- 2 tbsps besan chickpea flour
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 tbsp water room temperature
- 1/8 tsp cumin powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp hing
- 1/4 tsp sugar
For The Extra Toppings
- 1/2 cup yoghurt mixed with Haldiram's boondi whisked together
- 1/2 cup pomegranate
- tamarind paste
- Store-bought Indian snacks: Haldiram's Gujarati Mix, and Aloo Bhujia
For Frying
- Avocado oil
Instructions
- Fill the kadai with enough oil for frying, and heat it up
- Dip each slice of eggplant in the batter and place it in the heated kadai. Fry each slice until golden brown.
- Place the fried slices on a paper towel to dry.
- In a serving bowl, line the fried eggplant along the bottom and sprinkle the Haldiram's Gujarati mix over the eggplant.
- Drizzle the yoghurt, tamarind, and chutney over the mixture.
- Sprinkle the pomegranate and aloo bhujia over this.
- Serve warm.
Paneer and Jalapeño Kebabs
These kebabs are vegetarian, gorgeously crispy and flavourful. I’ve made this with spiced paneer, jalapeños and panko. Instead of frying, these are baked for roughly 35 minutes and come out perfectly golden.
Paneer and Jalapeño Kebabs
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 Baking tray
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
For The Kebab Mixture
- 2 cups paneer store-bought is fine
- 1/3 cup jalapeño from the can
- 1/8 tsp paprika
- 1/8 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/8 tsp amchur
- 1 tbsp fresh dill
- 1 tbsp flour to thicken the mixture. Add more if needed.
For The Coating
- 1 cup panko Japanese breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius
- Mix all the ingredients together for the kebab.
- Scoop about 2 tbsps into the palm of your hand. Gently squeeze it together into a oblong shape.
- Generously coat each kebab with panko and gently place it on the parchment covered baking tray.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then gently flip each kebab over. Bake for another 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
- When you take these out of the oven, be sure to let it completely cool before touching it. It will fall apart if it has not cooled down. This will take about 10-15 minutes.
- Serve with green chutney.
Diwali Snack: Wonton Samosas
You’ve all heard or tried the typical Indian style samosas stuffed with masala peas and potato, but instead of the traditional triangle shape, I’ve made this into bite-size wonton shapes. These are fun and creative for those wanting something different in their Diwali menu. Instead of making my own samosa dough, I’ve used store-bought spring roll sheets. These make the process of wrapping a lot easier.
Wonton Samosas
Equipment
- 1 saucepan for boiling the potatoes/peas
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 Chopping Board
- 1 small bowl
- 1 kadai/baking tray/air fryer
Ingredients
For The Stuffing
- 160g potato or sweet potato diced
- 70g green peas
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds jeera
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp amchur mango powder
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp hing
For The Wrapper
- Store-bought spring roll wrapper
Instructions
- In the saucepan, add about 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add in your diced potatoes
- Let the potatoes fully cook, and scoop them out onto a strainer. Once all the water has been strained out of the potatoes, place it in a bowl and set aside
- Add your frozen peas to this boiling pot of water. Let it cook for about 1 minute. Strain the peas and add it to your potato bowl.
- Add all the spices to the potato and peas mixture, and mix thoroughly.
- In a small bowl, add about 2 tbsps of water, with 2 tsps of cornstarch. Mix it into a paste. Set aside.
- Open up your packet of store-bought spring roll wrappers, and cut it into equal square shapes. approx. 8cm by 8cm should be alright.
- In the center of each square wrapper, place 1 tsp of potato mixture.
- Dip your finger into the cornstarch water, and dampen the edges of the square wrapper.
- Gently fold one corner of the wrapper to the diagonally opposite corner, to create a triangle shape. Press it down to tighten all the edges.
- Now, join the bottom corners of the triangle to create a wonton shape. Gently squeeze it down again to secure the shape. Use more cornstarch water if necessary.
- Once you finish wrapping all the samosas, fry them until golden brown in a kadai, or bake them for about 30 minutes at about 175 degrees Celsius. You can also air fry these if you like.
- Serve them with green chutney or coconut chutney. In the photo, I used a candle holder to serve my chutney. You can do the same!
If you’d like to create some sweet dishes this Diwali, be sure to check out the following easy mithai recipes to make at home!
Lavender Cake with Almond Flour and Cashew Cream Frosting (vegan)
Rose Coconut Ladoos (lactose-free)
Haldi and Matcha Coconut Barfi (lactose-free)
Pistachio Pudding Cake with Cashew Cream (vegan)
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