My fav Diwali memory is...

For some it’s the flickering diyas, for others it’s the vibrant hues of trays of mithai circling the neighbourhood and for the rest it’s simply a time to bond over yummy food, lighting fire crackers and sparklers and ushering in the festival of lights. Diwali is different things to different people and like any other festival there are a string of memories attached to it. This Diwali we decided to take a step back in time with some popular chefs asking them to share their memories of Diwali and a secret recipe.

‘A recipe by the world’s best chef I have known’
Celebrity chef Gautam Mehrishi

My grandma used to make Shakarkandi ke gulabjamun. She was an expert in camouflaging ingredients and as kids we never liked sweet potato she made these in such a way that nobody came to know the difference, and all of us enjoyed it immensely. This was a Diwali special recipe of hers and she always surprised us with something unique. This is to remember the best chef in the world I have ever known.

Shakarkandi ke gulabjamun
Ingredients

2 or 3 Boiled sweet potatoes
1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
100 gms Flour 
3 tsp Rose water
Sugar syrup for soaking
A few strands of saffron
25 gms Chenna

Method

Cream the chenna. Cream and mash the boiled sweet potatoes without the skin. Mix together with the flour, make a smooth mixture and form balls by adding the cardamom powder in the centre. Now fry them in medium hot oil till they get a golden colour. Meanwhile, add saffron and rose water to the sugar syrup and add the fried gulab jamuns to the syrup, let them soak for two hours and then serve with garnish of saffron and rose petals.

‘A curry for the soul’
Chef Manu Chandra, chef partner Monkey Bar, The Fatty Bao, Toast & Tonic

Chandraji’s Mutton Curry is a dish that is very close to my heart, as it comes from a family recipe. In this case, ‘Chandraji’ is my father. He loves to experiment in the kitchen, and this is a typical Kayasth recipe for mutton curry, he learnt from his mother (my grandmother). While our family were never great meat-eaters, this dish was always cooked for Diwali and was a treat we all eagerly looked forward to. I would go with my granny in the car to buy meat, and she would sit in the car while I would fetch the meat. She knew exactly what cuts to buy. My father would then come back from work and head to the kitchen to cook it. It was a long process, where the meat was cooked on a slow flame and the onions that would be caramelised would add a slightly sweet taste to the curry. And the makhana is put into the curry to add a lovely body to it. The curry has a purity of flavour to it; it just sings with flavours. It is slow-cooked, succulent and homely, and for people like me who are more into the flavours of the gravy rather than the meat, it was a revelation. Of course, it was a dish that just had to be on the menu at Monkey Bar when we opened. We serve it with rice and it makes for a filling and delicious main dish.

Chandraji’s Mutton Curry 
Ingredients

1 kg Lamb curry cut with bone 
2-3 Star anise
 3 Bay leaves
 3 gms Cumin
 6 to 7 cloves
 10 gms Coriander seeds
 2 tbsp Ginger garlic paste
 4 Whole dry red chillies
 3 1/2 inch sticks cinnamon
 500 gms Onion julienne 
20 gms Makhana  
2 Black cardamom seeds
A pinch of mace
1 tbsp Ghee
1 tbsp Black peppercorn 
1 tsp Degi mirch or Kashmiri mirch powder
250 gms Curd
30 ml Mustard oil

Method

In a heavy bottom pan smoke the mustard oil, add the mutton pieces and sear till golden brown on all sides. Remove and keep aside. Add the ghee and onions and sauté on low heat. Once the onions have reached a golden brown colour, add whole spices and continue to sauté till the onions are dark brown in colour. Stir continuously to ensure onions or whole spices don’t burn. Add the sautéed mutton back to the pan and continue to cook. In a bowl, add the curd and about 200 ml of water. Gradually add this liquid to the pan and simmer, do not add the whole liquid at once. In an oven, toast the makhana until dry and powder in a spice blender. Add the powder gradually to the mixture. If the curry is getting dry, add some water or mutton stock. Add the chilli powder and cook on low until mutton is succulent and tender, finish with fresh coriander and serve hot.

‘An aromatic family treat’
Chef Himanshu Taneja, Culinary Director The St. Regis Mumbai

Diwali is a special festival for all of us. It kept us united, happy and lively at once. I used to wait for this time of the year, to relish all those delicacies made by my mother. The sweets of course are the major attractions of the Diwali table and I would savour the taste of my childhood in the form of Gajar ka Halwa that was prepared by my mother and symbolised care and unadulterated love. A family treat  with the most tantalising aromas. 

Gajar Ka Halwa
Ingredients

 1 kg Carrots
 1 1/2 litre Milk
 8 Green cardamoms
 5-7 Tbsp Ghee
 5-7 Tbsp Sugar
 2 tbsp Raisins
 1 tbsp Shredded almonds
 2 tbsp Chopped dates

Method

Peel and grate the carrots. Simmer in milk with the cardamom until liquid evaporates. Heat ghee in a heavy pan and add the carrot mixture. Cook over a gentle flame for 10-15 minutes. Stir in sugar and continue cooking until the halwa turns a deep reddish colour. Stir in dried fruit and serve.

‘A box of memories’
Celebrity chef Ranveer Brar

In Lucknow my dad’s best friend was a Tamil Brahmin and he used to get a box of Ukkarai that we looked forward to every Diwali.

Ukkarai
Ingredients

 ½ cup Channa dal
 ½ cup Jaggery
 3 tbs Cashew nuts
 1 tbs Almonds
 1 tbs Pistachios 
 2 tbs Ghee
 ½ tsp Cardamom powder

Method

Dry roast the channa dal for two to three minutes and soak in water for three hours. Drain the water and grind it to a smooth paste by adding one to two tbs of water. Grease a tin and pour this batter and steam for 10-12 minutes. Once steamed, let it cool and then break it into small pieces and blend it in a mixer jar to make fine pieces. Heat two tbs of water in a pan, add jaggery to it and melt. Once it reaches to one string consistency, add the ground dal and mix well. 

Add ghee to this and let it cook for more than seven to eight minutes. Add cardamom powder and mix well. In another pan, add ghee and fry nuts. Once the ukkarai is ready garnish it with fried nuts. Serve hot.