I’m a chef – these Diwali dishes will impress your friends and family
THE annual Hindu festival of lights, Diwali, starts on Tuesday.
A celebration of the triumph of good over evil, it lasts for five days and coincides with a new moon.
It’s a chance for loved ones to come together for worship and a tealight-adorned feast of delicious Indian dishes.
Rukmini Iyer, right, is the author of the Roasting Tin cookbook series and knows a thing or two about feeding the masses.
“Sweets are always part of the Diwali feast,” she says.
“I love the non-traditional sticky spiced popcorn with dates, caramel and sea salt.
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“I’ve also suggested two dishes you can cook at the same time for a meal – my cauliflower and green-pea pulao, and a paneer and red-pepper curry.”
Happy Diwali to you.
Green pea, cauliflower and onion pulao
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 55 mins
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YOU NEED:
2 red onions, thickly sliced
Juice 1 lemon
1 small cauliflower, cut into small florets
Leaves from cauliflower, roughly chopped
40g salted butter
2in ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, grated
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cinnamon scroll
5 cardamom pods, lightly bashed
5 cloves
2 tsp sea salt flakes
200g basmati rice, rinsed well
150g frozen peas
400ml vegetable stock
Large handful flaked almonds
METHOD: Preheat the oven to 200C fan/220C/gas mark 7.
Mix the red onions and half the lemon juice together then tip into a lidded casserole dish along with the cauliflower, cauliflower leaves, butter, ginger, garlic, oil, whole spices and sea salt flakes.
Mix then transfer to the oven to roast (lid off) for 20 mins.
After 20 mins, take out the dish and turn the heat up to 210C fan/230C/gas mark 8.
Stir the rinsed rice and peas through the cauliflower mixture then pour over the stock.
Use a wooden spoon to make sure all the rice is submerged in the stock, then scatter over the flaked almonds.
Cover with a lid or very tightly with a double layer of foil and return to the oven for 30 mins.
Your oven must be at the correct temperature and the dish needs to be very tightly covered for the rice to cook through in 30 mins.
Once cooked, let the dish sit, covered, for five mins before fluffing through with a fork.
Squeeze over the remaining lemon juice to taste, adjust the salt as needed and serve hot.
Spiced roasted paneer with tomatoes and peppers
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
YOU NEED:
225g paneer
3 mixed peppers, thinly sliced
250g cherry tomatoes on the vine, halved
1 red onion, thickly sliced
1 red chilli, thinly sliced
2in ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, grated
2tbsp olive oil
1 heaped tsp ground cumin
1 heaped tsp ground coriander
1tsp fennel seeds
½tsp ground turmeric
1tsp sea salt flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
Lemon wedges, to serve
METHOD: Preheat the oven to 180C fan/200C/gas mark 6.
Cut the paneer into 6 squares, and then each in half so you have 12 triangles.
Halve the triangles horizontally, so you have 24 thin triangles.
Soak in boiling water for 10 mins while you cut up the rest of the veg.
Drain the paneer through a sieve, and pat it dry with kitchen paper before transferring to a large roasting tin along with the peppers, tomatoes, onion, chilli, ginger and garlic.
Add the oil, spices and salt and mix well.
Fish the paneer pieces out so they lie on top of the peppers (this will help them crisp up), scatter with the freshly ground black pepper, then transfer to the oven for 30 minutes.
Serve hot, with the lemon wedges alongside to squeeze over.
Sticky spiced popcorn with dates, caramel and sea salt
Serves 2-4
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
YOU NEED:
25g butter
1tsp chaat masala
½tsp mild chilli powder
1tsp sea salt flakes, plus extra to finish
1tbsp olive oil
75g popping corn
75g caster sugar
30ml water
150g medjool dates, stoned and finely chopped
METHOD: Tip the butter, chaat masala, chilli powder and sea- salt flakes into a saucepan and heat until the butter has melted.
Scrape the butter out into a large bowl and use kitchen paper to wipe the pan out thoroughly.
Add the oil and popping corn to the same pan and cover tightly with the lid.
Place over a medium heat until you hear the popcorn “pop”, then lower the heat and let it continue to pop for a further 5-6 mins until the popping becomes very infrequent.
Add the sugar and water to a small frying pan and place over a medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar has dissolved.
Increase the heat and let the sugar syrup come to the boil – when it starts bubbling and darkens to a light amber, turn off the heat.
Tip the hot, cooked popcorn into the bowl with the melted spiced butter and use a spoon to thoroughly coat it.
Add the chopped dates and, when the caramel is ready, pour that in too and mix.
Tip the popcorn into a large roasting tin and use a spoon to evenly distribute the dates around the popcorn.
Scatter with sea salt, leave to set for 5-6 mins and then dive in.
South Indian-style black-pepper and fennel prawns
Serves: 2
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
YOU NEED:
2tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1in ginger, finely grated
7 fresh curry leaves
Sea salt flakes, to taste
½tsp fennel seeds
½tsp coriander seeds
½tsp cumin seeds
½tsp black peppercorns
1 dried red bird’s eye chilli
100g cherry tomatoes on the vine, roughly chopped
100ml water
180g raw king prawns
Roughly chopped fresh coriander, to serve
METHOD: Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the onion, ginger and curry leaves.
Cook over a medium to low heat with a pinch of sea salt for 10 mins, stirring occasionally, until golden brown around the edges.
Tip the fennel seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns and dried red chilli into a small frying pan and toast over a medium to low heat for 2–3 mins until aromatic.
Tip into a pestle and mortar and grind until fine.
Once the onions are golden brown, add the ground spices and stir-fry for 30 secs.
Add the chopped cherry tomatoes and cook over a medium heat for a further 2-3 mins, before adding the water and king prawns.
Increase the heat to medium to high and cook for 3 mins, stirring frequently, until the prawns are cooked through and the sauce has thickened and reduced.
Add salt to taste, then scatter with the fresh coriander before serving hot.
Chickpeas with tamarind, kale and ginger
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
YOU NEED:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 red onion, thickly sliced
2in ginger, grated
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp tamarind paste
300ml water
1 tsp sea salt flakes
1 heaped tbsp dark brown sugar
100g kale, finely chopped (remove and discard the tough stems first)
Roughly chopped fresh coriander, to serve
METHOD: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. When hot, add the cumin seeds.
Let them sizzle for 30 seconds then add the onion and stir-fry for 6–7 mins until just browning at the edges.
Add the ginger and chilli flakes, stir-fry for a further minute and then add the drained chickpeas, tamarind paste, water, salt and sugar.
Stir, then cover and cook for 20 mins.
After 20 minutes, add the chopped kale and simmer, uncovered, for a further five mins until the kale is just cooked and the liquid has reduced.
Taste for salt and add more as needed.
Scatter with fresh coriander just before serving.
Roasted cumin and lemon shortbread
Serves: 6–8
Prep time: 20 mins, plus 1 hr chilling
Cook time: 15 mins
YOU NEED:
1 tsp cumin seeds
100g softened butter
50g caster sugar
Zest 1 lemon
110g plain flour
40g rice flour
METHOD: Tip the cumin seeds into a frying pan and toast over a low heat for 2–3 mins, shaking the pan frequently, until aromatic.
Allow to cool for a minute or so, then roughly grind in a pestle and mortar.
In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest together until pale and fluffy.
Gently fold in the flours and the ground cumin, bringing the mixture together into a soft dough as quickly as you can.
Form the dough into a neat round, then wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 160C fan/180C/gas mark 4 and line a tray with baking paper.
On a lightly floured surface, gently roll out the dough with a floured rolling pin to 3mm thick and stamp out shapes of your choice.
Transfer the shapes to the lined baking tray, reroll and stamp out the remaining dough, then transfer to the oven to bake for 15 mins, keeping an eye after 12 minutes if you have smaller shapes.
When cooked, the biscuits should take on hardly any colour, but look firm and feel sandy to the touch.
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Gently transfer to a wire rack to cool and serve with ice cream or tea.
- India Express – Fresh and Delicious Recipe For Every Day by Rukmini Iyer (£22, Square Peg) is out now. Photography: David Loftus