Diwali Recipes

Looking for inspiration for your Diwali snack selection? New to the festival and need foodie guidance? Well here we’ve got two of our personal favourite snacks to help start your festival of lights off the right way!

Dahi Puri Chaat

Recipe and images courtesy of Manjula’s Kitchen

INGREDIENTS:

16 crispy puffed puries golgapa (available in Indian grocery stores)

Filling:

½ cup yellow moong dal ½ cup potatoes (boiled peeled and cut into small pieces) ½ cup tomatoes (chopped in small pieces) ½ cup cucumber (chopped in small pieces) 1 tbsp green chilli (finely chopped) 1 tsp ginger (finely chopped) ½ tsp salt ½ tsp roasted cumin seed powder 1 tsp lemon juice

For Garnishing:

1 cup yogurt (whipped) ¼ cup tamarind chutney 1 tbsp soy sauce ¼ cup boondi 1 tbsp green chilli (finely chopped) ¼ tsp red chilli powder

METHOD:

Spread the puries on microwave safe plate and microwave for about 20 seconds, this will make the puries crispier and give the freshness. Set aside. Wash moong dal changing water 3-4 times and boil it in 2 cups of water over low medium heat until dal is very soft and tender but not mushy.

After dal is at room temperature mix all the filling ingredients together, dal, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumber, green chilli, ginger, salt, cumin powder, lemon juice.

ASSEMBLE DAHI PURI:

Whip the yogurt and add the water as needed to make it consistency of thick batter. Mix tamarind sauce and soy sauce together. First make a hole with your thumb in the centre of the golgapa, fill with 1 tablespoon of filling. Drizzle with yogurt tamarind chutney, few pieces of green chilli, and few boondi, red chilli powder and drizzle some more tamarind chutney.

Pea Kachori

Recipe and images courtesy of BBC Food website.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE FILLING:

4cm/1½in piece root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped 2 fresh green chillies, roughly chopped 600g/1lb 6oz frozen peas 3 tbsp rapeseed oil, plus extra for greasing 1 tsp mustard seeds 1¼ tsp ground cinnamon 1¼ tsp garam masala ½ tsp ground turmeric 1¾ tsp salt ½ tsp chilli powder

FOR THE PASTRY:

300g/10½oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting ½ tsp salt 2 tbsp rapeseed oil, plus extra for greasing 175ml/6fl oz hot water

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Lightly grease a baking tray with a little oil. For the filling, blend the ginger and green chillies to a paste in a food processor, then remove from the food processor and set aside. Blend the peas in the food processor (there is no need to wash the bowl). Remove and set aside. Heat the oil in a lidded frying pan over a medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and fry, covered with the lid, until they start to pop. Take care to keep your eyes and face away from the pan. Add the ginger-and-chilli paste and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the pea purée and continue

to fry, stirring well, for a further 4-5 minutes. Stir in the cinnamon, garam masala, turmeric, salt and chilli powder and fry for a further 2-3 minutes, or until there is little to no moisture left in the pan but the peas are still bright green. Transfer the pan contents to a bowl and set aside. For the pastry, put the flour into a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the salt and oil to the well, then rub the mixture together using your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Pour in 120ml/4fl oz of the water and stir the mixture until it comes together as a dough. Gradually add the remaining water, kneading it into the dough until it feels firm and pliant. Roll the dough into a ball, then rub your hands with a teaspoonful of oil and pat the dough all over to cover it in the oil - this will keep it moist. Pinch apricot-sized pieces of dough and roll each piece into a 10cm/4in circle on a lightly floured work surface. Place 1 heaped teaspoonful of the filling mixture into the middle of each pastry circle and bring the edges of the pastry up tightly around the peas. Seal at the top by pinching the edges closed and trimming off any excess pastry. Roll each parcel into a ball and place onto the prepared baking tray. Gently roll the kachori balls around on the baking try to coat them in the oil. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden-brown.

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