Diwali has always been a special time of year for me. Growing up in a Gujarati family in Kenya, festivals were about much more than lighting lamps and decorating our homes. They were about family, traditions, delicious food and the excitement of preparing special dishes to share with the people we loved.
Kenyan Chevdo
My dad was specially busy approaching Diwali, on Diwali and New Years Day. He used to help out at my uncle’s mithai shop (Indian sweet shop). He would leave early and come home quite late. Sometimes, me and my sibling also went and helped my cousins by making the cardboard boxes in which all the colourful mithais (traditional Indian sweets) would be packed. Then we would walk down the street looking at shop windows and often checking out how busy the competition business’s were. Looking back, those little outings were part of the excitement of the festive season and are memories I still cherish.
As Diwali approaches, I find myself thinking about the food we prepared, the recipes passed down through generations and the familiar smells that filled our kitchens. So many of these memories are connected to my childhood, my parents and the traditions we carried with us when we made our home in the UK.
We also had a mithai and farsan shop in London, for a few years, and when Diwali approached, we tried our best to recreate that same festive atmosphere. However, it was never quite the same as what I remembered from my childhood in Kenya. Here in the UK, people have different lifestyles and eating habits. Many are more health-conscious and perhaps don’t spend quite as much time or money on traditional mithai (Indian sweets) and farsan (savoury snacks) as families did back home. We found that customers were often more interested in buying takeaway food or snacks such as samosas, kachoris and bhajias rather than stocking up on the traditional treats associated with Diwali. I sometimes missed that special buzz of the festive season — the excitement, the preparations and the feeling that everyone was getting ready to celebrate together.
Over the years, I have shared many of these recipes on Give Me Some Spice. Some go back to the early days of my blog, when I started recording recipes so that my family, especially my sons, could find them whenever they wanted to cook something familiar.
Diwali is not complete without the snacks!
Ask any Gujarati what they enjoy eating around Diwali, and you will probably get a long list of favourites!
In our family, traditional savouries such as chevdo, chakri, gathia, sev and chora fari bring back so many memories. Some families make everything at home, while others enjoy visiting their favourite mithai and farsan shops. There is no right or wrong way to celebrate — it is about keeping the traditions that mean something to us.
If you are looking for inspiration, I have gathered some of my favourite recipes from my blog.
My Diwali savoury recipes
- Kenya-style Chevdo — a delicious mixture of rice flakes, potato crisps, lentils and nuts.
- Chakri or Chakli — crispy, spicy spirals that I have been making for years.
- Ten Diwali Savouries — a collection of traditional snacks to help you plan your festive cooking.
And, of course, the mithai!
What would Diwali be without something sweet?
I have always enjoyed making Indian sweets, and my blog includes recipes ranging from traditional family favourites to easier versions for those of us who do not always have hours to spend in the kitchen.
Here are three recipes you might like to try:
- Chocolate Barfi — a family favourite adapted from a recipe taught to me by my father-in-law, who had an Indian mithai shop in Tanzania.
- Caramel Pendas in the Microwave — a quick and easy sweet when time is short.
- Mixed Nuts Barfi with Dates — a nutty variation for a festive treat.
Caramel penda
Keeping our traditions alive
One of the reasons I started blogging was to preserve the recipes and food traditions that have been part of my life. Recipes are not just lists of ingredients and instructions. They carry memories of the people who taught us, the meals we shared and the celebrations we looked forward to every year.
Although my own celebrations and family circumstances have changed over the years, these traditions still matter to me. Cooking and sharing recipes is one way I can continue to keep them alive.
I am also delighted to be sharing recipes on my blog again after a long break. Thank you to everyone who has continued to follow Give Me Some Spice, and to my family for encouraging me to start sharing my recipes again.
I would love to hear from you! What are your must-have Diwali sweets and savouries? Do you still make them at home, buy them from your favourite shop, or do a little of both? And is there a special family recipe that reminds you of Diwali when you were growing up?
Please leave me a comment below. I would love to hear your stories and memories.
Wishing everyone celebrating a very happy Diwali, filled with light, happiness, good health and delicious food.
Shubh Diwali!
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