2022 Diwali: Tom Yum Chakli? Chefs from Mumbai provide inventive cuisine to try this holiday season

Even though Diwali is known as the “festival of lights,” there is no denying the impact that food has on people throughout the holiday season. Diwali is almost approaching. Given that it’s one of the most fun holidays of the year, people are understandably thrilled to be celebrating it two years after the Covid-19 outbreak began.

Though most of us will be occupied indulging in mithai, laddoos, and several other types of sweet meats, it’s important to remember that chakli and other savoury foods are also much sought-after during this period, and one plate full of them will never be sufficient. Yes, throughout the years, a lot of individuals have turned to purchasing it pre-made. Many others still prepare their own Diwali “faral” (snacks) or other holiday foods, most of which are vegetarian but also include non-vegetarian treats in various regions of the nation.

This Diwali, you should absolutely try something new—at least, that’s what Mumbai chefs advise. In order to present creative and delectable recipes for foods that anyone may create during this time of year while keeping the festive mood in mind, Mid-day Online sought out to city chefs. In addition to sharing a Tom Yum Chakli, they also share a calzone with mixed veggies, a dish of smoked aubergine, and last but not least, a blueberry tart.

Gauri, the cook, Youkoso, and Prabhadevi’s Tom Yum Chakli
During Diwali, who doesn’t like munching on crunchy chaklis? A year-round favorite, this snack is also included in the platter of snacks that are provided and handed to guests at our houses. Gauri, the chef, says, “This is our favourite snack to binge on with the unique flavour of Tom Yum in a chakli for a Diwali hi-tea party.” Although it is well known that chaklis come in a variety of flavors, use the Tom Yum powder to reinterpret your passion for it with Asian flavors. Your visitors will be amazed.

Components:
two cups of rice flour, Maida One cup of salt One tablespoon butter and two tablespoons of tom yum powder 2 tsp. Water, if necessary
Frying oil for Tom Yum powder:
25 grams of lemon grass
20 grams of Thai ginger
Lime leaf kaffir, 5 grams
40 grams of dry red chili
Powdered lemon, 10 grams
Powdered garlic 10-gram powdered coriander Ten grams of sugar
All of them should be roasted, cooled, and powdered.

Method: 1. Combine the maida and rice flour, then add 1 teaspoon of salt and the tom yum flavor. Blend well.
2. Add the butter and thoroughly blend.
3. Gently add the water and begin kneading the dough. dough must be soft and smooth, with water added as needed.
4. Roll the dough into a cylinder and insert the star mold chakli maker inside.
5. Form the murukku, slip it into the heated oil, turn it over, and cook it over medium heat until it becomes crispy.
6. Remove the oil and pat dry with paper towels.
7. Enjoy the instant chakli when it has cooled, or preserve it in an airtight jar for up to two weeks.

Chef Amit Shetty of Cafe Noir in Lower Parel prepares a calzone using exotic vegetables.
If you’re planning a large supper, try making a tasty calzone with unusual veggies; the flavors are simple yet filling. According to chef Amit Shetty, “It is the best option as it satisfies your taste buds by becoming the main dish for your Diwali dinners.” Fresh flavors are added to the cheesy meal by adding a mixture of bell peppers, asparagus, zucchini, beans, and corn.

Ingredients: 100 grams of refined flour
Ten grams of zucchini
Ten grams of bell peppers
Ten grams of asparagus
Five grams of beans
Two grams of basil
5 grams of corn
18 grams of mozzarella

Method: 1. Use refined flour to make dough.
2. Roll it into a sheet that is 6 mm thick.
3. Add oil to a skillet and sauté the garlic and onion.
4. Dice your veggies and blanch them for a minute or so.
5. Include your tomato sauce and the blanched veggies in the pan.
6. Add chopped basil and salt and pepper for seasoning.
7. After cutting the rolled sheet into two circles, fill it with your mixture.
8. Cover with mozzarella cheese. Use a fork to tuck it in.
9. Bake it for around ten minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.
10. To give your calzone a shine, glaze it with butter.

ITC Grand Central, Parel’s head chef, Paul Noronha, serves up a dish of blueberry Rabdi with pistachio crumble.
If, like most people, you thought rabdi was a sweet dish, chef Paul Noronha will change your mind. He adds a pistachio crumble and utilizes seasonal fruits like blueberries, which give the condensed milk dish a tangy flavor. “This dish is unique because it has a fusion of flavors,” says Noronha. This recipe showcases rabdi as the star ingredient, with a subtle touch of pistachio in every bite. The inclusion of blueberries as a sweet ingredient gives it a distinctive taste and accentuates its seasonality.”

Components:

Crumbled pistachios
100 grams of butter
100 grams of sugar
20 g of pista paste and 100 g of flour
Rabdi 600 ml Milk 50 grams Sugar
Five grams of cardamom
Ten grams of sliced nuts
Two drops of Kewra water
50 grams of blueberries

Method: 1. Bring milk to a boil in a big pot with a thick bottom. During the first fifteen minutes, stir constantly. Continue gently moving the skin to the side as it develops on the surface.
2. Add freshly produced cardamom powder to the milk.
3. Add the sugar once the milk has reduced to a fourth. Take it off the burner and let it reach room temperature. Add the chopped nuts and kewra water.
4. To make pistachio crumble, whisk together the butter and sugar until they resemble cream. Then, mix in the pista paste and flour. This mixture should be refrigerated until it solidifies. Bake the mixture’s cubes at 180 degrees Celsius until they are golden brown.
5. Fill a martini glass with rabdi, top with blueberry compote, and then crumble.
6. Add mint leaves and pistachio crumble cubes as garnisheses on top.

Chef Rachel Goenka, the creator of The Chocolate Spoon Company in Bandra West, has created a Smoked Aubergine Bruschetta.
The chef and founder of The Chocolate Spoon Company, which operates The Sassy Spoon and The Sassy Teaspoon among other restaurants, Rachel Goenka, suggests switching up your usual stuffed brinjal recipe to a smoked aubergine bruschetta with spiced chickpeas and fried onions if you’re a fan of aubergine, also known as brinjal in India. “A bruschetta is normally made with tomatoes,” she says. We put a cheeky spin on the classic bruschetta by adding smoked aubergine.”

Components: brinjal 100 gm of tahini, 15 ml of olive oil, 10 ml of salt, 2 gm of pepper, 5 ml of lemon, 10 gm of tomato, and 10 gm of cumin powder Two grams of cilantro leaves 3 grams
garbanzo beans Five grams
pomegranate Five grams
Five grams of scallions
20 grams of fried onion
Baguette 20 g of butter and 5 g of
Garlic Five grams

Method: 1. Wash, wipe down, and pat dry the brinjal. Season with oil, salt, and pepper. Grill it whole on a griddle. Alternatively, bake it in the oven until it’s cooked through and tender.
2. Allow it to cool completely before removing the meat, seeds, and peel with a spoon.

3. Roughly chop the roasted brinjal and transfer to a basin.
4. Add the diced tomatoes, lemon juice, coriander leaves, tahini, salt, and cumin powder now.
5. Soak the chickpeas in water for the whole night, then boil them the following day and remove the skin.

6. Bake them till crispy, and then sprinkle with sweet paprika.
7. To build the bruschetta, toast the bread slices in the oven while spreading them with garlic butter. After that, heap a spoonful of the mixture over it and garnish with scallions, crispy chickpeas, fried onions, and pomegranate seeds.