Diwali house parties and get-togethers are in full swing this festive season. this time, add some crunch by turning nuts into tasty dishes Although sweets remain the favourite child of the platter. Walnuts , pecans, and almonds can do more than serve as a garnish or sit in a bowl for guests to nibble on. Dry fruits are also a popular gifting choice. Utilise them by turning them into savoury dishes. You can try crispy tikkis, add them to pulaos, or add them to creamy desserts for extra flavour.
We have curated four nut-based recipes for this Diwali, from walnut tikki chaat and pecan gucchi pulao to chocolate-peanut butter bites and sitafal almond basundi, to satisfy both sweet and savoury cravings. The curated recipes add variety to your menu. Shape into tikkis and shallow-fry until golden and crisp. Top with yoghurt, both chutneys, spices, pomegranate, sev, and garnishes. Finish with toasted Chilean walnuts and serve. Mix peanut butter, melted chocolate, coconut oil, stevia and salt in a bowl until smooth. Coat each ball with desiccated coconut and place on parchment paper. Add caraway seeds, green cardamoms, black peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon and nay leaves and sauté till fragrant. Add onions and sauté till light golden. Add American pecan, morrels and mix well. Add vegetable stock and allow to boil. Transfer in a serving plate, garnish with coriander sprigs and serve hot. Blanch the almonds, remove their skins and slice them thinly. In a kadhai, bring the full-cream milk to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and add the condensed milk, stirring continuously. Alternatively, add sugar as per taste. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the milk reduces to half its original quantity. Add the sliced almonds, mix well and turn off the heat. Allow the basundi to cool completely. Once cooled, gently fold in the chilled sitafal pulp and mix well.
Here’s the set of recipes: Recipe by Chef Nehal Karkera on behalf of Chilean Walnuts 150 g boiled, mashed potatoes 100 g toasted, crushed Chilean walnuts 30 g roasted chana dal powder Chopped coriander, green chilli and ginger 1 tsp each roasted cumin powder, chaat masala and red chilli powder Juice of 1 lemon Salt to taste Oil for shallow frying 150 g sweetened, thick yoghurt 40 g tamarind chutney, 30 g green chutney 20 g pomegranate arils and 20 g sev 10 g toasted, chopped Chilean walnuts Chopped coriander, roasted cumin powder, chaat masala and red chilli powder for garnish Ginger juliennes for garnish Mix potatoes, walnuts, chana dal powder, herbs, spices, lemon juice and salt. Recipe by Rahul Kamra, keto coach and founder of Ketorets 75 g unsweetened peanut butter 30 g dark chocolate (preferably 85% Lindt) 2 tbsp stevia 30 ml coconut oil ½ tsp salt 30 g desiccated coconut Melt the coconut oil and dark chocolate separately. Refrigerate for 2 hours, until firm. Scoop out 1 tbsp of the mixture at a time and roll into small balls. Refrigerate for another 2 hours until set. 6-8 dried morrels (gucchi), soaked in warm water for 20-25 minutes and drained 10-12 American pecan + for garnish 1½ cups Basmati rice, soaked for 30 minutes and drained 2-3 tbsps ghee 1 tsp caraway seeds 3-4 green cardamoms 5-6 black peppercorns 4-5 cloves 1-inch cinnamon stick 2 bay leaves 2 large onions, thinly sliced 10-15 saffron strands Salt to taste 3 cups vegetable stock Fresh coriander sprigs for garnish Heat ghee in a deep non-stick pan. Add rice, saffron, salt and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Lower the heat, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes. Set aside for 10-15 minutes. Recipe by Chef Meghna Kamdar on behalf of Australian Almonds 2 medium-sized sitafal (custard apples), deseeded, pulp removed 1 litre full-cream milk ¼ cup condensed milk (or sugar, as per taste) 10–15 blanched almonds, peeled and sliced Rose petals, for garnish Sliced almonds, for garnish Remove the seeds from the sitafal and scoop out the pulp. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the flavours to blend.
Garnish with rose petals and sliced almonds before serving chilled.
