By Niveditha Kalyanaraman
November 10th, 2023
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Diwali is the festival of lights and rightfully "The Indian New Year". It is not just a festival, but a celebration of people, happiness and togetherness. It is the occasion where people get together, clean homes, decorate their abodes with lamps and lightning. It is also the time of the year where people gorge on yummy sweets and delicacies. Here are 10 traditional Diwali dishes from different parts of India.
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Bengali households prepare a savory dish called Choddo Shaak on the day before Kali Puja or Diwali which is known as Bhoot Chaturdashi. The dish is prepared using 14 green leafy vegetables. It is believed that this dish wards off evil during the festive season.
A traditional Diwali recipe from Himachal Pradesh, babroo is made using all-purpose flour, yeast, and sugar or jaggery. The dough made with these ingredients is fried to perfection to yield a sweet and crispy treat. This well-known pahadi dish has a solid texture and tastes delicious.
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A traditional Diwali specialty of Jodhpur, Rajasthan, mawa kachori is a royal dessert with a sweet crust and filling of mawa or khoya mixed with dry fruits. The stuffed kachoris are fried golden and dipped in sugar syrup which gives them an exquisite, sweet taste and a massive crunch.
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Originating in the city of Mysore, Karnataka, Mysore pak is a rich sweet dish usually prepared using ghee, sugar, cardamom, and gram flour. This scrumptious dessert item has a unique porous texture similar to a buttery and dense cookie.
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A popular dessert prepared in Assam during Diwali, narikol laru is basically coconut laddoos prepared using shredded coconut, ghee, green cardamom powder, and sugar.
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Teepi Gavvalu, also called "Bellam Gavvalu," are traditional Andhra sweet snacks made with jaggery and flour. Gavvalu is the Telugu name for sea shells. This crunchy sweet is vegan and stays fresh for upto two weeks.
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Deepavali Marundu, or "Legiyam," is for you if you feel stuffed after feasting on a lot of sweets. It is a traditional dish made in the households of Tamil Nadu, mainly to aid the digestion of the heavy sweets and savouries one consumes during different festivals.
Singhal is a classic festive dish from the Kumaon hills of Uttarakhand which is prepared for special occasions and festivals. This deep-fried snack is made with semolina, banana, yoghurt and milk and flavoured with fennel seeds and cardamom.
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Rice flour and jaggery fritters studded with poppy seed, anarsa is an important part of Maharashtra’s Diwali faral (sweet and savoury snacks).
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Every foodie would attest to the fact that Diwali is incomplete without crispy crunchy savories. This is exactly why Thenkuzhal is an important snack in Tamil Nadu’s Diwali menu.
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