The festival of lights is here, bringing a season full of gathering and parties. Make sure that your party turns up great with some good food and amazing people. Bringing a few Diwali recipes for refreshing Juices, Starters, and Namkeen your family and friends! Check out our next blog for Diwali special Main course and Desserts!
● Juice to serve:
A good juice warms up the mood of a gathering/party and stirs in good conversations around - quite essential for a Diwali gathering. Hence, check out these interesting recipes for a quick yet refreshing drink!
➤ Jaljeera
A good juice warms up the mood of a gathering/party and stirs in good conversations around - quite essential for a Diwali gathering. Hence, check out these interesting recipes for a quick yet refreshing drink!
o Ingredients
- ½ cup Mint leaves
- ½ cup Coriander leaves
- 2 tablespoons Ginger
- 4 tablespoon Sugar
- 1 pinch Strong asafoetida or Strong Hing
- 6 tablespoons Lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon Tamarind (seedless)
- 2 tablespoon Cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons Black salt
- 2 teaspoons Chat masala powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- Ice cubes as required
o Method
- Chop the mint and coriander leaves finely.
- Take a bowl and mix all the ingredients including cumin seeds, strong hing and chat masala powder. Don’t add the ice.
- Blend the mix in a blender.
- Pour the juice in glasses.
- Add ice cubes and serve.
➤ Rose Coconut Cooler:
A fusion of two popular Indian ingredients i.e., Rose and Coconut, this cooler will win the hearts of every individual at the party! Try it out!
o Ingredients
- 6 teaspoons Rose syrup
- 1 cup of Coconut water (chilled)
- 12-15 Mint leaves
- 2 cubed Lemons
- Drinking soda as required
o Method
- Combine mint leaves, lemon, and a little amount of coconut water in a shaker. Shake it well.
- Add Rose syrup and remaining coconut water to it and shake it for 2 minutes.
- Pour the juice in glasses.
- Top it up with soda as required.
- Serve it cold.
● Starters:
As the word says, ‘Starters’ are only for the start. But they ought to be the best. Hence, try out a few amazing dishes stated below. These dishes won’t take much time and will add the right amount of sass you need to get the party going!
➤ Paneer Tikka
Everyone’s favourite Paneer Tikka can be an ideal starter for Diwali. Not-so-spicy and easy-to-make, this won’t take much of your time.
o Ingredients
- ½ cup Onion petals
- ½ cup cubed Capsicum
- 5 cubes of Paneer per stick
- ½ cup Curd
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon red Chilli powder
- ½ Coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon Garam masala
- ½ teaspoon Kasuri methi or dry fenugreek leaves crushed
- ½ teaspoon Chaat masala powder
- 2 teaspoon Besan or gram flour
- ¼ teaspoon Ajwain seeds
- 3 teaspoon Oil
- Salt to taste
o Method
- Take yogurt in a bowl.
- Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, chaat masala powder, kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves), and ajwain seeds to it.
- Combine them well.
- Add oil and all the vegetables along with the Paneer.
- Make sure that the yogurt coats well to them.
- Marinate, cover, and refrigerate it for about half an hour.
- Now, insert paneer, capsicum, and onion onto the skewers.
- Roast it in a hot tawa or tandoor.
- Sprinkle chaat masala powder over it and serve it with green chutney.
➤ Veg Lollipop:
Attractive and a bit funky, Veg Lollipop is a good Diwali dish to jazz up your evening. As it contains a host of vegetables, it is a fibre-rich option for starters during this festive.
o Ingredients
- 2 peeled, boiled, and grated Potato
- 2 tablespoon finely chopped Onion
- 3 tablespoon Peas
- 2 tablespoon Capsicum
- 2 tablespoon grated Carrot
- 2 tablespoon Maida
- 2 tablespoon Cornflour
- 2 teaspoon Corn
- ½ teaspoon red Chilli powder
- ¼ teaspoon Garam masala
- ½ teaspoon Amchur powder or Dry mango powder
- ½ teaspoon Chaat masala powder
- ½ teaspoon Ginger-garlic paste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ¼ cup Bread crumbs
- ½ cup Water
- Oil for deep frying
- Salt to taste
o Method
- Take a large bowl and add all the vegetables to it.
- Add chilli powder, cumin seeds, garam masala, chaat masala powder, salt, and ginger-garlic paste in it.
- Add bread crumbs and mix well to make a soft dough.
- Prepare small-sized balls from it.
- In another bowl, make a semi-thick slurry from maida and water.
- Dip the small-sized balls in this slurry, coat it with bread crumbs, and fry it till golden brown.
- Insert a toothpick in each lollipop and serve along with tomato sauce or cheese mayonnaise
● Namkeen:
Diwali and Namkeen are two sides of the same coin. Preparing them a few days in advance will save your time and help you manage other things, simultaneously. Thus, check out these recipes.
➤ Dal Moth
Simple yet tasty, Dal Moth is a popular namkeen. Make it for your Diwali gathering and see your guests enjoying every bit of it.
o Ingredients
- 200 grams of whole Masoor dal
- 1 cup Sev
- ½ teaspoon red Chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon Chaat masala powder
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper powder
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Amchur powder or dry mango powder
- ¼ teaspoon Hing or Asafoetida
- ¼ teaspoon Black salt or kala namak
- 1 tablespoon Melon seeds or magaj seeds
- Pinch of turmeric powder
- Pinch of baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- Oil to fry
o Method
- Soak Masoor dal along with turmeric powder, baking soda, and salt for 8-10 hours.
- Heat oil in a kadhai. Once, the oil is hot, reduce the flame to medium and fry the soaked masoor dal in batches. Before frying, ensure that no water is left in the dal.
- Drain the excess oil.
- Follow a similar procedure with Melon or magaj seeds.
- Take a bowl. Add fried masoor dal, fried melon seeds, and other spices like cumin seeds, chat masala powder, hing, etc
- Mix well.
- Cool it completely and serve.
➤ Kachche Kele ka Chivda:
Kachche Kele ka Chivda or Raw banana chivda is a sweet and sour namkeen that requires no prior preparation and hence, can be prepared within less time. As the flavours are mild and sweet, it will be loved by all.
o Ingredients
- 2 Raw bananas or Kachche kele
- 2 finely chopped Green chillies
- 8-10 Curry leaves
- 5-7 Almonds
- 5-7 Cashews
- 1/3 cup Peanuts
- 1 teaspoon Chaat masala powder
- 1 teaspoon powdered Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon red Chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon Raisins
- Salt to taste
- Oil for frying
o Method
- Wash and peel the raw bananas. Grate and fry them in hot oil on a medium flame.
- Once they turn golden brown in colour, take them out of the oil.
- Remove excess oil and keep them aside.
- In the same pan, fry peanuts, cashews, and almonds till they turn golden brown. Keep it aside.
- In the same pan, fry green chillies and curry leaves till they become crispy.
- Lastly, fry raisins for a few seconds.
- Take a bowl and combine all these mixtures.
- Add red chilli powder, chaat masala powder, and salt to it.
- Mix well and server as per your convenience.
Diwali is the festival of purity and positivity. Enhance the effect of this essence by using 100% pure spices of Vasant Masala.
Wishing you a very Happy Diwali and a prosperous new year!