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6 Diwali recipes with a modern twist

By Ishay Govender, 21 October 2022

Food and travel journalist Ishay Govender says her recollections of the Festival of Lights go back to her childhood home in Pietermaritzburg. She shares treasured recipes, some with modern twists.

1. Spicy lanterns

These crisp, savoury bites are punctuated with Nigella seeds and green chilli. This recipe is based on the Chinese lanterns by Zuleikha Mayat in Indian Delights.

Find the recipe for spicy lanterns here.

2. Poli with fresh coconut

Poli are deep-fried crescent pockets containing a sweet, nutty filling fragrant with cardamom. Fresh coconut makes all the difference, if you can get it.

Find the recipe for poli with fresh coconut here.

Fan of coconut? Find more coconut recipes here.

This is a light, modern way to serve the flavours of burfi, the sweetmeat which is undoubtedly the star of the Diwali table after your celebratory meal. You can use gelatine if you can’t find agar agar, usually available at Indian and Asian grocers.

Find the recipe for burfi panna cotta here.

ALSO READ: 5 foodies share their favourite Diwali memories

4. Chevra

This moreish snack was a favourite in our house, especially as exam season tended to start soon after Deepavali and it was a late-night saviour we enjoyed with mugs of tea or Milo. This version uses fried samoosa pastry shards or phyllo pastry and poppadums instead of the classic corn flakes and puffed rice.

Find the recipe for Chevra here.

5. Jumbo loaf cake

Goolab jamun, known as jumbo in the community I grew up in, is a moist and syrup-drenched sweetmeat. It reminds me of koeksisters and koesusters. This loaf emulates some of those beloved qualities and is easy to make. For the most intense flavour, it’s best to grind the cardamom pods in a mortar and pestle just before using, removing husks until a fine powder forms.

Find the recipe for jumbo loaf cake here.

ALSO READ: j alebi ice-cream sandwiches

6. Chana magaj

Known as besan burfi in India and “Indian fudge” in the West, this is my favourite Diwali treat. Getting the nutty texture is a bit laboursome but use a processor to help with the labour. Besan or gram flour is a brown chickpea flour available at Indian grocers.