Left it till late? Here are some quick last-minute Diwali dishes to make life easier
Life tends to get busy and soon we forget about the most important days in our lives. And then we realise it’s too late to order from home industry suppliers and are suddenly faced with a dilemma.
Don’t let that be the case for you this Diwali.
We have sourced some quick and easy recipes for you that will make your family happy and save you the embarrassment of leaving Diwali preparations till the eleventh hour.
You can check out more of these recipes in the latest IOL Food digital magazine, which is packed with innovative and cool recipes of your traditional Diwali favourites.
MAINS
Amritsari kulcha
Ingredients
1 kg refined flour
400 ml water (add more if needed)
A pinch of salt (optional)100 ml canola oil
For the filling
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 kg potatoes (crushed), boiled
2 tsp coriander seeds (crushed), roasted
2 tsp ginger, chopped
2-3 green coriander sprigs, chopped
1 green chilli, chopped
1 tbsp dried pomegranate seeds (anaardana seed) (crushed)
Lemon juice
Method
Make a semi-firm dough with refined flour, water, salt and keep it covered with moist cloth for 1 hour in a cool place.
Combine all filling ingredients, except canola oil, and gently fold together. Check seasoning.
Dab some oil on your fingers and palms. Using them, make small balls (40-50 g each or size of medium potato) from dough and flatten to stuff with filling.
Pack flattened dough with filling just enough to stuff and encase well.
With a rolling pin, flatten wedges again.
In a medium-hot, non-stick pan, brush wedges with canola oil and cook evenly on both sides.
Serve wedges with coriander-mint chutney or curd (optional).
Red prawn curry with cashews (Serves 4)
Ingredients
30ml sunflower oil
125ml cashew nuts
15ml Thai red curry paste
400ml coconut milk
4 - 6 lime leaves
1kg prawns, shelled and deveined
10ml sugar
salt to season
fresh coriander, to garnish
fresh basil, to garnish
Method
Heat the sunflower oil in a thick-bottomed pan on medium. Add the cashew nuts and sauté until they are golden brown.
Drain on absorbent paper towel.
Reheat oil on medium and add the red curry paste. Fry the paste and gently stir until it is fragrant.
Add coconut milk and lime leaves.
Bring the sauce up to the boil and when the coconut milk is fragrant, add the prawns.
Stir gently, taking care not to break up the prawn meat.
Add sugar and salt.
Simmer until the prawns change colour and switch off the heat when the tails begin to curl.
Garnish with fresh coriander and basil.
SWEETS
Burfee truffles (Makes 24)
Preparation - 50 minutes/Cooking Time - 10 minutes
Ingredients
6 tablespoons ghee
1 cup fresh cream
2/3 cup Nestlè Sweetened Condensed Milk
3 tablespoons rose essence
green cardamom powder
4 cups Nestlè Klim Milk Powder
Method
Heat the ghee, cream, condensed milk, rose essence and cardamom powder in a heavy base pot.
When small bubbles appear, add milk powder in, a little at a time. Stir until it has cooked through and forms a soft mixture.
Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool. You can place it in the fridge.
Once the mixture becomes cool enough to handle, shape it into small balls and place on a baking sheet.
Refrigerate to set.
Soji with almonds and cream (serves 8)
Preparation - 10 minutes/Cooking time - 45 minutes
Ingredients
250g Unsalted butter
2 cinnamon sticks
4 tablespoons almonds
1 cup semolina
500ml milk
3 tablespoons rose essence
3/4 cup Nestlè Klim Powder
1/2 tin Nestlè Sweetened Condensed Milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cardamom powder
Yellow food colouring
1 can Nestlè Dessert & Cooking Cream
Coloured almonds/ pistachios
Method
Preheat oven to 180ºC. In a pot, melt butter. Add in cinnamon sticks, almonds and semolina. Fry on medium heat.
Mix the milk, rose essence and milk powder together. Add into the semolina mixture; stirring until mixture thickens slightly.
Add in the condensed milk, sugar, cardamom powder, and egg yellow colouring. Mix fast and mix through well. Allow to thicken once again.
Place in oven proof dish/ pot and allow to bake. It will thicken more this way and all the flavours will infuse.
Garnish with cream and almonds or pistachios
BEVERAGES
Go with something different this Diwali with India inspired beverages bursting with strong flavours. This includes the jaljeera cocktail, which has a rejuvenating and cooling effect, and is considered to be good for digestion as well.
Muggsy’s magic
Ingredients
30ml fresh pineapple juice
30ml lime juice
5ml sugar
2-3 leaves basil
1 egg white
45ml whisky (optional)
Soda
Mint and orange peels for garnish
Method
Shake pineapple juice and basil in a shaker.
Add the rest of the ingredients except soda. This is done so the egg white makes the drink nice and frothy and gives it great texture.
After the drink is dry shaken, add ice and shake it again.
Transfer to glass, and top it up with soda.
Garnish it with thin slices of mint and orange peels.
Jaljeera cocktail
Ingredients
1 fistful coriander leaves
1 fistful mint leaves
5 ml ginger juice
15 ml lime juice
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp tamarind
2 tsp roasted cumin powder
Boondi (crisp and fried gram flour tiny balls) as per requirement
300 ml water
Method
Add coriander, mint, ginger and lime in a blender, add a little water and grind to make a smooth purée. Transfer the purée into glass bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Serve chilled.