From samosa chaat to kale ki tikki: 4 must-try Diwali recipes

Diwali celebrations are complete only when centred on a hearty meal filled with traditional Indian delicacies. Here are four dishes you can include in your menu to prepare the perfect Diwali dinner for your friends and family...

Palak Paneer

Ingredients:

• 350 grams spinach

• 1 medium tomato

• 5 large garlic cloves divided, 3 whole and 2 finely chopped

• 1 inch ginger

• 1 green chili or more to taste

• 1 tablespoon ghee

• 1 large onion finely chopped

• Fresh coriander

• 1/2 cup water or as needed

• 1/2 teaspoon of sugar

• 3/4-1 teaspoon garam masala

• 1/4 teaspoon cumin powder

• 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder or to taste

• 1/4 turmeric powder

• salt to taste

• 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream or adjust to taste

• 250 grams paneer cut into cubes

• 1/2 tablespoon kasuri methi crushed, dried fenugreek leaves

• lemon juice to taste

Method

To a pot of boiling water, add little salt and spinach. Blanch the spinach leaves for 2 to 3 minutes until wilted.

Take them out and put them in ice cold water. This helps the leaves in retaining their green colour.

To a blender, add the blanched spinach, 3 cloves of garlic, ginger and green chili. Puree to a smooth paste and set aside.

Heat a pan on medium heat. Once hot, add the ghee and then add the remaining 2 cloves of chopped garlic. Sauté for few minutes until it starts changing colour.

Then add the chopped onions and salt. Cook the onion for 2 to 3 minutes until soft and translucent.

Add the tomato, cumin, turmeric, garam masala powder to the caramelised onion and let it simmer.

Add in the prepared spinach puree and mix. Also add around 1/2 cup water at this point. Cover the pan and let it cook for 10 minutes on medium heat. The spinach will bubble a lot. Stir at regular intervals to avoid it sticking at the bottom.

You may also add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar at this point if you like.

Then add the heavy cream and mix.

Stir in the paneer and mix. Let the curry simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Switch off the flame, add lemon juice, fresh coriander and kasuri methi and mix.

Serve palak paneer hot with naan or roti or rice

Samosa Chaat

Ingredients:

• 3 deep fried samosas homemade

For the Dough:

• 2 cups flour (maida)

• 1/4 cup warm water

• 2 tabespoon ghee

• 1/4 teaspoon carom seeds

•1/4 salt

For Samosa Filling

(if needed)

• 2-3 tablespoon ghee

• 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder

• 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, roasted

• 1 clove of garlic chopped

• 1/4 brown onion

• 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder

• 5 cashew nuts

• 1/2 inch ginger, chopped

• 2 cups green peas

• Salt to taste

• 1/3 cup fresh coriander leaves chopped

• 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala

• 1 boiled potato

Garnish:

• 1 tablespoon coriander mint chutney

• 1 tablespoon tamarind chutney

• 1⁄4 teaspoon chaat masala

• 1 tablespoon fresh coriander, chopped

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• Sweet yoghurt, to taste

• Sev

• Pomegranate

Method:

To a mixing bowl add flour, carom seeds, a teaspoon salt, ghee (4 tablespoons)

Mix everything very well. Rub the flour in between your palms to incorporate the oil for 2 to 3 minutes. After this, the flour should resemble breadcrumbs. Press down a handful of this flour in your palm, it should form or hold the shape. It should not crumble if the oil is well incorporated. Let the dough rest for 25-30 minutes,

For the filling, mix all the ingredients into 1 pan and saute for 5-6 minutes on slow heat.

The dough has to be stiff. Divide it into 3 equal parts.

Roll it to an oval-shaped even layer. Cut the centre into 2 parts. Apply water with your finger over the straight edge. Join the edges and make a cone.

Fill the cone with the potato masala. Seal well.

Heat a pan with oil for deep frying. The oil should not be very hot, it should be medium hot. When it just starts getting hot, add a small portion of dough in the oil. It has to rise slowly and the oil must not be bubbling or sizzling a lot. You should see only tiny bubbles. This is the right temperature. (The dough should not come up immediately and turn golden.)

Gently slide the samosas one by one. After you add them to the hot oil, you must see very tiny bubbles rising slowly. There should not be any sizzling as it usually happens with regular deep-fried snacks.

Cut the samosas in half and put them on a plate. Top with coriander mint chutney, tamarind chutney, followed by sweet yoghurt, pomegranate seeds

and sev.

Now add chaat masala, salt, pepper and fresh coriander. Combine using a fork. Serve immediately.

Niranjan Sarkar is the chef at Le Gourmet

Kale Ki Tikki

Ingredients

• 200 grams kale leaves

• 100 grams edamame

• 50 grams potato boiled & grated

• 5 grams ginger chopped

• 5 grams green chilli chopped

• 2 grams cumin seeds

Rohit Sharma is Chef de cuisine, Amal at Armani