Diwali Recipes: How to create a typical North-Indian meal

As most people know, Deepavali or Diwali, the festival of lights, is celebrated by Hindus all over the world. It is a festival that is celebrated with the most pomp in India – the defeat of the Demon Lord Ravana and the movement from darkness into the light, makes it an auspicious and colourful occasion. As with any big festival, there are plenty of fun traditional activities, laughter and dance. But a festival wouldn’t be complete without mounds and mounds of good food.

There is no one thing that constitutes a ‘typical’ Deepavali/Diwali meal however. Many South Indian families would typically have a vegetarian meal consisting of vastly different, and lighter foods, than there would be at a North Indian’s table at Diwali.

Singapore has a good mixture of North, West, East, North-East and South Indians but South Indians are in the largest majority and hence, Deepavali foods that are typical in South India are more commonly found in restaurants and households here.

Generally, a Diwali dinner in a North Indian home is quite a huge affair, with at least two meat dishes, two or three sabzi (vegetable) dishes, a main course of Biryani or Pulao, some rotis and one or two desserts. So as not to overwhelm you with this introduction and to be a little different by giving you an idea of what a typical North Indian Diwali meal would look like, here is a three-course home-cooked meal, complete with full recipes and photos of each dish. Do note that Indians don’t generally believe in course-by-course meals and after a few traditional (albeit oily) snacks, the main dishes are piled up next to each other or on top of each other.

Enjoy!

Snack

Aaloo Tikki (Potato Patty)

Simple to make and sinfully delicious, this is a favourite street food and party snack.
Makes: about 10

Ingredients:

1 cup peeled and boiled potatoes
1/2 cup boiled and coarsely crushed green peas
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander
1 tsp chaat masala (you can get this in a packet at Mustafa Centre)
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste
oil for greasing and cooking

Method:

1.Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
2.Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and shape each portion into a round, flat 50 mm. (2”) tikki.
3. Heat a non-stick griddle on a medium flame and grease it with oil and cook the tikkis, using little oil, till both sides are golden brown in colour.
4. Serve hot with tomato ketchup or green chutney.

Main Meal

Punjabi Lamb Biryani (Dum Pukhth style) – Recipe Courtesy of Shobha Tsering Bhalla 

There are many different ways to cook this amazing dish, but here is a recipe that is unique to the North-West Frontier (Punjab/Pakistan). This dish isn’t the easiest thing to make and requires a lot of time and patience. We hope the detailed directions help you in your Biryani cooking adventure!

Serves: 10-12 people

Ingredients:

250 ml (9 fl oz) olive or sunflower oil
2 tbsp ghee
3 cassia leaves or bay leaves
5 cm (2 inch) cassia bark or cinnamon stick
8–10 black peppercorns
7–8 cloves
3 black cardamom pods, lightly crushed
6–7 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 and a half tsp crushed garlic
1 and a half tsp peeled, finely grated/ground root ginger
450 g (1 lb) boneless lamb, from shoulder or neck or both, cut into 2.5–4 cm (1–1½ inch) pieces

Marinade mixture: (200 gms yoghurt, 1 tsp ground fresh ginger, 1 tsp ground fresh garlic, I tsp ground coriander seeds, 1 tsp ground cumin  seeds, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp ground nutmeg)

5 medium onions, about 500 g chopped
300 gms (18 fl oz) yogurt, lightly beaten until smooth
4 hot green chillies, cut into 1 cm (½ inch) segments
handful of chopped coriander leaves
5 hard-boiled eggs
5 medium peeled potatoes (par boiled in salt water and saffron)
200 ml of warm milk with 1 teaspoon saffron soaked in it (for pouring over the biryani later before baking)
salt to taste

2 dried aloo Bukhara Persian prunes, if available
450 g (1 lb) basmati rice
generous pinch of ground saffron
1 capful (the cap of the bottle) kewda water
3 tablespoons ghee
100g Rose water or Kewra (screwpine) water

Method :

1. Fry half the sliced onions until brown and slightly caramelised; keep aside.

2. Marinate the lamb in the marinade mixture for 2-3 hours.

3. Put the oil and ghee in a heavy-based 25 cm pan and set it over a medium-high heat.

4. When oil is hot, add the cassia leaves and bark, peppercorns, cloves, and both types of lightly crushed cardamom pods. Stir a few times, then add the garlic and ginger. Stir and put in the marinated meat. Fry the meat for about 5-7 minutes, or until it is lightly browned.

5. Add the remaining onions. Stir and cook over a medium-high heat, for about 5 minutes, or until the onions have softened.

6. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the yogurt. Add the green chillies, coriander leaves, 1 tsp of salt and the aroo Bukharas, if using. Keep stirring and bring to a vigorous simmer, reducing the heat to medium-low.

7. Cover partially and cook, stirring now and then, for 25 minutes. Uncover, stir and cook for another 10–15 minutes, or until the sauce is very thick and paste-like where the oil separates from the meat.

8. Add the boiled eggs and potatoes, stir in half a teaspoon of Garam Masala, a pinch of turmeric and a teaspoon of saffron. Cover and set aside.

9. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2. Rinse the rice then leave to soak in ample fresh water for 15–20 minutes. Drain and dry on a cloth.

10. Bring about 5 litres of water to a boil in a large pot. When it is boiling rapidly, add 4 tsp of salt and stir. Set a colander in the sink.

11. Add the rice to the boiling water. Stir to separate the grains, cover partially and return to a boil for 5-6 minutes. Drain quickly and leave in the colander.

12. Tilt the pot of meat, potatoes and eggs and spoon out the fat and oil into a small bowl. Pour a bit of this oil into a heavy-based 25 cm ovenproof pan that has a tight-fitting lid, and spread it out.

13. Now spread some of the almost-cooked meat, eggs and potaoes over this and then half the rice over this layer. Make a cross over it with the saffron soaked milk and sprinkle some fried onions.

14. Spoon the rest of the meat with the thick gravy, potatoes and eggs over the rice. Sprinkle the saffron over the meat and then add another layer of rice over this and sprinkle generously some of the fried onions over this rice.

15. Spread the remaining rice over the meat and then a spoon of melted ghee over the top of everything. Make another cross with the saffron coloured milk and the rest of the onions. End with the Rose or Kewda water, sprinkling it slightly over the top.

16. Cover the pot, sealing the edges of the lid with dough made of flour and water and then place the pot in the centre of the hot oven for 30–40 minutes, or until the rice is cooked through. Mix very gently with a slotted spoon before serving.

Dessert

Naan-khatai:

Preparation Time: 25 mins.
Cooking Time: 40 mins.
Makes: 16 to 20 biscuits

Ingredients:

100 gms plain flour (maida)
100 gms fine semolina
100 gms powered sugar
100 gms ghee (or salted butter)
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg powder nutmeg (jaiphal) powder
1 tsp plain yoghurt/dahi
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp saffron (kesar) strands
1 tsp full-fat milk

Method:

1.Sieve the flour.
2. Sieve the semolina with a fine sieve.
3. Cream the ghee and sugar very well until light and creamy.
4. Add the cardamom and nutmeg powders and cream again.
5. Warm the saffron and dissolve in 1 teaspoon of milk.
6. Add the curds, soda bi-carb and prepared saffron. Mix well.
7. Add the flour and semolina and knead well. Form into small rounds.
8. Arrange on a greased baking tin and bake in a moderate over at 300°F for 30 to 40 minutes.
9. Cool and store.

Happy Diwali to everyone!

Diya-Maya Tsering Bhalla