Festival of Lights, festival of food: 3 chefs on the dishes they’re making this Diwali

Diwali, the mid-autumn Festival of Lights, is a celebration of light over darkness, and good over evil.

Hindus, Jains and Sikhs come together with their families in a vibrant, colourful salute lasting five days. Associated mainly with Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, and Ganesha, the god of wisdom, the feast is a joyful occasion centred on the home.

Diwali is celebrated on October 24 this year, and food is an integral part of the festivities. What will chefs be plating up with their families?

1. Nidhi Verma, specialist in Indian cuisine and founder of recipe box service The Cookaway (thecookaway.com)

Nidhi Verma comes from Punjab, and says: “Diwali is one of the biggest festivals celebrated in India and across the world. The lead-up to Diwali is where all the fun happens. There are a lot of parties and entertaining with friends and family, always including scrumptious food.

“Diwali is a true celebration of Indian cuisine. I have fond memories of celebrating this festival with a lot of gusto, and food being quite central to the festivities.”

For Verma, regional dishes come to the fore at this time of year.

“Brought up in a Punjabi household, we love our dal makhani – slow-cooked black lentils – and paneer, unsalted fresh Indian cheese – and the two always featured on our Diwali dinner table spread,” Verma says.

“Rich, creamy, slow-cooked, whole black lentils are one of the most famous North Indian lentils, consisting of a tasty combination of urad dal – whole black gram – and rajma – red kidney beans. Imagine a large pot on a slow fire, cooking for hours breaking down the lentils, gradually making them very creamy and finished with a tempering of spices cooked in butter. This dish always reminds me of home – the lentils are also known as ‘Maa ki Daal’ which literally translates as ‘mum’s comforting lentils’.”

Verma continues: “Paneer tikka is my family favourite, where skewered cubes of paneer are marinated in a delicious combination of yoghurt, mustard oil, chaat masala and fresh herbs.

“The creamy flavour of the cheese is perfectly balanced by the warm and spicy marinade. This is one of my favourite dishes to make when entertaining. The pillowy soft paneer takes on the warm marinade for a delicious combination of flavours.”

2. Shashi Aggarwal, co-founder of Spice Kitchen (spicekitchenuk.com)

Shashi Aggarwal, whose expertise in the kitchen led her to produce a range of spices and spice blends with her son Sanjay, says she will be cooking her “famous chickpea curry for Diwali” this year.

“Every Diwali before the pandemic, I would cook up a big pot of my chickpea curry and invite all of the family over. It’s a humble vegetarian dish, but my children and their partners love it and always ask me to cook it. It’s our little tradition and so when we couldn’t gather due to the pandemic, I was really sad. I’m looking forward to getting back to normal this year.”

She adds: “The dish means a lot to me as it reminds me of my family back home, especially my mum, sisters and aunties who taught me to cook from a young age. I came to the UK when I was young, just after getting married, and didn’t see a lot of my family after that, so the smell of this curry cooking always connect me to my roots.”

3. Sohan Bhandari, head chef at Colonel Saab (colonelsaab.co.uk)

Sohan Bhandari says he comes from “a foodie family, and Diwali is as much a festival of food as lights for us”.

He says: “I make sure one dish is always a constant every Diwali, and that is dahi bhalla. Having a generous portion of dahi bhalla is like a walk down memory lane, bringing back flashes of happy moments with the family through the years. They are soft, lentil fritters or dumplings, covered in creamy yoghurt and topped with sweet and spicy chutneys. They are fluffy, packed with flavour and so comforting and nostalgic.”

“No matter how many complicated and complex dishes are developed, I believe it is the simplest dishes that stay close to the heart. They are classics, because they become fonder with passing time.”