Mumbai Food: Festive Diwali treats cooking in the kitchens of city's homes

The festival of lights finds myriad cultural expressions across communities and a quantum of that diversity has its roots in the kitchen No matter which kitchen you peep into right from the sweets to the savouries the mains and their accompaniments yoursquoll find some distinct styles and techniques at play perfected through generations While more than most of us have succumbed to the convenience of readymade Diwali delicacies there are some homemakers who continue to whip up the traditional spreads and make it look easy while they are at it We entered a few homes in the city to sniff around whatrsquos cooking this Diwali SundayKannada Diwali Breakfast platterSurnolis sweet poha coconut milk with the haseru neru on the sideThis comes straight from the South Canara region of Mangalore We are at the Murthy home in Colaba where every year Sandhya Murthy whips up a scrumptious breakfast spread for the family to mark the start of the auspicious day The dosa on Diwali is a different concoction from the everyday dosa ldquoThis is called the surnoli dosa which is made of soaked rice ground coconut poha and dahi The preps begin a night before Diwali as the batter needs to rest overnight This is to be had with freshly made coconut milkrdquo Murthy says Therersquos also a poha on the side made with jaggery elaichi and coconut mdash sweet and light this one is very different from the Maharashtrian kanda poha as we know itSandhya MurthyA moong dal drink made with jaggery called the haseru neru is a Diwali morning signature ldquoTraditionally this is not a breakfast drink Itrsquos to be had after the early morning bath to cool the system down The coffee is for later with the breakfastrdquo she explains The consistency of the haseru neru is thick but it sits lightly in the stomach and the jaggery leaves a sweet aftertaste The breakfast platter sets the tone for the day which has an elaborate lunch in the wings In fact for this community Diwali is the only festival that allows nonvegetarian on the plate Murthy tells us ldquoUsually we make some fried surmai and sometimes chicken curryrdquoSweet and savoury TamBrahm spreadThe snack spread with the leghiyam in the centreAs we walk into Gayatri Govindrajanrsquos home in Chembur we find her dipping the batter for chakli but that is only a tiny part of the Diwali dry snack spread While monitoring the chakli she sets up a table with plates of cashewbarfi the Tamil spin on kaju katli mdash these she makes without ghee Therersquos also the badam laddoo Mysore Pak and the padusha or the Tam version of the balushahi A mix of peanuts fried dals boondi crispy poha straightforwardly called the ldquomixturerdquo is also put on the table to offset the sweetness The lunch spread again is a balance of the sweet savoury spicy and tangy elements The Diwali rasam is always made with dal which is accompanied by one root vegetable mdash usually a potato or arbi Curd is used either in a mor kootu Tamilian equivalent of the Gujarati kadhi or as pachadi raitaGayatri Govindrajan keeps an eye on the chakliBalance is key in this spread where they even have a Diwali leghiyam or Diwali medicine Govindarajan says ldquoWe use long pepper jeera dal chini elaichi cinnamon and a few herbs They are sundried and powdered and later cooked with water and a little jaggeryrdquo Tradition has it that Iyengars wake up early in the morning apply oil in their hair eat a dollop of this leghiyam wrapped in a beetle leaf before going for a hair wash ldquoItrsquos a stomach medicine that prepares the system for all the impending bingingrdquo she addsThe JainGujju Fada ni LapsiJayashree with her Fada Ni Lapsi PicNimish DaveWhen artist Jayashree Savani is not holding a paintbrush you can catch her in the kitchen In fact when we visit her Vile Parle residence she has just completed preparing the Fada Ni Lapsi Also known as Gujarati daliya lapsi this sweet dish is famous in western India especially in Gujarat ldquoItrsquos a perennial favourite during festivals like Navaratri Janmasthmi Diwali and Dhanterasrdquo says Savani who learnt the preparation 20 years ago from her mother Made of broken wheat jaggery saffron paste and cardamom the dish is soft and smooth in texture and sprinkled with almond and pistachio slivers One bite and we can feel the richness of the desi ghee ldquoIt takes about 40 minutes to prepare this The tedious bit is cooking it on a slow flame for 30 minutes or till the broken wheat is almost done All through this you have to continuously stir the batterrdquo she says While it is also possible to make fada lapsi in pressure cooker to reduce its cooking time Savani prefers the nonstick pan ldquoThe taste is altogether differentrdquo The dish she adds is known for its nutritional value ldquoIt can even replace a mealrdquoThe Saraswat special ladoos Sunila Mallapur binds the laddoo PicsDatta KumbharOn a sunny Tuesday morning when we drop by at Sunila Mallapurrsquos Tardeo home shersquos in the midst of preparing boondi ladoos from a large vessel Her hands work like magic as she greases her palms with a drop of ghee and moulds the laddoo in a perfect round The dexterity is a result of the over ten yearsrsquo experience that the home chef comes with ldquoIn 2006 when my husband and I launched Annaporna Caterers we decided to offer not just Chitrapur Saraswat breakfast and lunch items but also Diwali specialtiesrdquo she says Chitrapur Saraswats are a small Konkanispeaking community of Brahmins who are traditionally found along the Canara coast The list of sweets and savourites that she hands us is exhaustive with over 21 items on the menu right from saath a version of the Balushahi besan ladoo sugar karanji to chakli bhajni and karo jada sevThe savoury phenorildquoWe take the orders 15 days in advancerdquo she tell us But we leave the naram soft boondi laddoo for the last because they need to be consumed within a weekrdquo But the laddoos are a patron favourite and itrsquos easy to figure out why Dotted with cashews raisins saffron and cardamom the laddoos are delicious ldquoWhile mixing water and sugar you have to hit the right consistency If you take a drop between your thumb and index finger you can see a single string forming thatrsquos when you set it asiderdquo she says After polishing the laddoos the 51yearold offers us the savoury phenori mdash layered pooris that are crisp in texture ldquoIt can be made with plain flour for a light texture or a combination of flour and fine semolina It is as much in demand as the laddoos because after all the sugar rush you need some spice to balance it outrdquo adds SunilaThe Maharashtrian NevryoThe nevri karanji prepared with dry coconut stuffing might be synonymous with Diwali for most Maharashtrians But for Anagha Desai wife of the late Indian fast bowler Ramakant Desai itrsquos the nevris with gram flour stuffing that have always piqued her interest And for good reason ldquoTraditionally this was the popular version in the Konkan region but it has fallen out of favour Now it is on the verge of extinctionrdquo says the 68yearold who feels there are more takers for the coconut varieitySo when we visit her sprawling Worli residence she has already made a plateful of nevris for us The outer covering prepared using maida and semolina is brittle but tasty with the powdery stuffing made of roasted poppy seeds desiccated coconut and sesame seeds making it a delightful combination ldquoThe use of jaggery makes this a healthier snack Itrsquos a filling dish which has a shelf life of about ten daysrdquo she says Next year Desai plans to release a book that will contain vintage Maharashtrian recipes that she learnt from her mother and motherinlaw ldquoThe gram dal karanji will certainly feature in it Itrsquos my little effort of reviving its popularityrdquoAnagha Desai prepares nevryo PicDatta Kumbhar