Mumbai chefs reinvent traditional Diwali recipes to add to festive spread

Shakarpara
Ingredients
200gm water chestnut flour
50gm maida
30gm suji
60-80gm jaggery
4 tbsp ghee
1 tsp beetroot juice (from grated and squeezed beets)
4 to 5 tbsp castor sugar
1 tbsp sesame seeds

Method
1. Make the coloured sugar by adding a couple of drops of beetroot juice to the castor sugar. Mix well and leave it to dry out.
2. Take a bowl and add all the ingredients except the powdered sugar and mix.
3. Knead into a stiff dough with the help of very little water (only if required).
4. Roll out the dough to a thin layer and cut into diamonds or squares.
5. Deep-fry the pieces. Roll the diamond cuts in flavoured sugar immediately.
6. Top with roasted white til and serve.
7. Store these in an airtight container for up to a week.

Chef Amrita raichand
TV and web show host
Shakarpara is a very common dish that is made during Diwali and I wanted to give it a healthy twist or, rather, make it more interesting for kids. So, I make it with singhada and finished the shakarpara with some pink sugar (by adding a drop of beetroot juice and not artificial colour). There are quite a few snacks which I like, but my favourites are karanji and besan laddoos, and patal pohe chivda.

Hazelnut Gujiya
Ingredients
For the dough
2 cups refined flour
1 cup clarified butter
Water to mix

For the filling
50gm hazelnut paste
50ml cream
Freshly grated coconut
Hint of saffron
Hint of cardamom
Ghee for deep frying

Method
1. Knead the flour into a stiff dough with water and leave it to rest for at least half an hour.
2. Add all the filling ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well.
3. Shape the filling into medium-sized ovals.
4. Make balls of the dough and roll out into 1cm and 1/8 inch-thick round circles.
5.Place a piece of the filling on half of the dough.
6. Fold the other half over and press the edges together to seal.
7. Pinch and twist along the sealed edges to create a design.
8. Heat ghee in a wok. When the ghee is hot enough, place the gujiya in it and fry until the gujiya becomes light brown and crispy.
9. Serve hot.

Michael Swamy,
Chef Patron - Nueva
Chakli, shakarpara and pedas have been my favourite Diwali snack and sweets. Hazelnut helps add a unique flavour to this gujiya recipe.

Tex Mex Chivda Bowl
Chef Rakhee Vaswani,
Palate Culinary Studio and Academy
Mexican and Indian cuisine have always shared a chemistry that I believe in. Perhaps what works wonders for this

pair is the flavour factor that they possess. That's why I decided to marry our crunchy chivda with a Mexican wholesome stir-fried bowl. As a kid, I always relished sweets like kaju katli and rava kheer. I used to love the kheer my mom made during Diwali and served it right after the pooja. The aroma of desi ghee used to take over our home. The aroma signifies home for me.

Tex Mex Chivda Bowl,
Ingredients for the Pineapple Salsa
1 chopped onion
2 slices of canned pineapple
3 cloves of chopped garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste
1 tsp Mexican seasoning
4 chopped green chillies
1 tsp fresh chopped parsley
3 tomatoes (blanched, peeled, deseeded and chopped)
2 tbsp Lime juice
1 tsp tomato paste
3 tbsp tomato juice
2 to 3 chopped jalapenos
1 tbsp chilli garlic sauce

Method
1. Put oil in a pan. Fry the garlic and onion till translucent.
2. Empty in a bowl, add chopped tomato, tomato paste, green chilli and jalapeno.
3. Mix well. Add the chopped pineapple, lime juice, tomato juice, salt, chilli garlic sauce and Mexican seasoning.
4. Add the fresh parsley.

For the Sour Cream
2 cups hung curd
Lime juice
Salt to taste

Method
1. Take the hung curd, add lime juice and whip it till thick.
2. Add salt.

For the Guacamole Sauce
1 avocado
1 tbsp lime juice
Salt to taste
1/2 chopped onion
1/2 chopped tomatoe
1 minced green chilli
1 tsp chilli powder

Method
1. Cut the avocados in half, remove the stone and mash the avocado in a bowl.
2. Add onions, tomatoes, salt, green chillies, lime juice and chilli powder.

Mexican Chivda
2cups chivda
1/4 diced red, yellow and green pepper each
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp pav bhaji masala
2 tsp mexican seasoning
Parsley to garnish
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste

Method
1. Heat oil in a pan and stir fry the garlic and pepper for a few seconds.
2. Add the chivda, mexican seasoning, pav bhaji masala and toss it.
3. Garnish with parsley.

Refried Beans
1 cup dried kidney beans (store-bought, strain and keep aside)
1 chopped onion
2 tomatoes (skinned, seeded and chopped)
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp garlic paste
½ tbsp butter / olive oil
1 tsp mexican seasoning
Garlic cloves (as per taste)

Method
1. Heat oil in a pan and fry the garlic and onion till translucent.
2. Add tomatoes and the paste, all the seasonings and the beans and cook well.
3. Garnish with parsley.

For the charred corn
1/2 cup roasted corn
Salt to taste
1 tsp pav bhaji masala
Oil, to drizzle

Method
Season and grill in the oven till charred.

Final assembly
1. In a bowl, place the mexican chivda mixture, and top with all pineapple salsa, charred corn, refried beans,
sour cream and guacamole sauce.

Black Rice Chakli
Ingredients
1 cup black rice
1/4 cup besan
2.5 tbsp oil or softened butter
âÂÂÂu00c2u0085ÂÂÂu00c2u0094 to ¾ cup water - add as required
¼ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
½ tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
½ tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1 tsp red chili powder
A generous pinch of asafoetida (hing), optional
1 tbsp white sesame seeds
Oil for deep frying
Salt as required

Method
1. Make a soft dough by adding all the ingredients.
2. Shape it in spirals using the chakli maker.
3. Gently lift while deep-frying till crisp.
4. Garnish with red chilli chutney to make them look like chakris (the cracker).

Amninder Sandhu,
Executive Chef, Arth
My all-time favourite Diwali snack is chakli. I have fond memories of our neighbour making them on Diwali. The idea behind the recipe was to use an unusual ingredient. So, I decided to use black rice, which is a lot healthier than regular polished white rice and also gives a nice, nutty flavour once cooked. The texture of black rice is firm, which makes it easier to make the chaklis.