Celebrate Diwali with food

ResLife

Posted 20 hours ago

Wed 04 Nov, 2026 12:11 AM

Cook, share and bond through Diwali 🎊

Diwali is one of the world's most vibrant and widely celebrated religious festivals. Known as the Festival of Light, it spans over 5 days (starting 6th November) and marks the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance.

So let's get together and celebrate this occasion through food!

1. Spinach and coconut dal with pitta and yoghurt

Serves 4

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
25g root ginger, peeled & finely chopped/grated
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped/grated
2 tbsp medium curry powder
500g red lentils, rinsed well & drained
1 vegetable stock cube, dissolved in 1L boiling water
400ml tin coconut milk
150g spinach
1 pitta bread, toasted
50g plain yoghurt
1/3 red chilli, very finely sliced/chopped (optional)
Salt and black pepper

Method

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a low-medium heat. Add the onion, ginger and garlic, cover with a lid and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes or until softened but not coloured.
Add the curry powder and lentils. Stir well to make sure the lentils are well coated. Add the stock, bring to a simmer and then cook, stirring regularly, for 15-20 minutes, until the lentils are a pale yellow and only retain a little bite. Add the coconut milk and spinach, turn off the heat and stir to combine. Cover with the lid and leave the spinach to fully wilt.
Season with salt and pepper. Share with 3 friends or divide the rest into sealed containers. Serve the dal with a toasted pitta and yoghurt, garnished with red chilli, if using.

2. Vegetable biryani

Serves 6 - great for making with flatmates

400g basmati rice
2 tbsp fresh root ginger, grated
2 tbsp garlic, grated
2 green chillies, thinly sliced
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
200g Greek-style yoghurt
2 tbsp lemon juice
50g fresh coriander, finely chopped (+extra for garnish)
20g fresh mint leaves, finely chopped (+extra for garnish)
300g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
200g cooked beetroot, cut into small cubes
200g green beans, cut into small pieces
200g peas
1 tsp crushed cardamom seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
200g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp double cream, warmed
Large pinch of saffron
Salt and black pepper
2 onions, thinly sliced and dried on kitchen paper
Vegetable oil, for frying

Method

Rinse the rice in cold water until it runs clear, then soak in water for 25-30 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the ginger, garlic, chillies and dry spices with the yoghurt, lemon juice, coriander and mint and season well. Put in a blender or food processor and blend until fairly smooth, then mix with the vegetables and leave to marinate.
Drain the rice and cook in a saucepan of boiling salted water with the cardamom, cumin and bay leaf for 6-8 minutes, or until al dente. Drain well and mix with the chickpeas.
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Mix the melted butter, cream and saffron in a small bowl.
Put a lidded flameproof casserole dish over a medium-low heat. Tip in the vegetables and their marinade (if the yoghurt is very thick, add a splash of water) and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until starting to soften. Season well. Spoon the rice evenly over the top and pour over the saffron mixture. Cover tightly and bake for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, add oil to a saucepan, enough to cover the bottom. Fry the onions in batches until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.
Serve the biryani with the crispy onions and scatter over the coriander and mint.

3. Aloo chaat

Serves 4

600g potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
2 tsp chaat masala
1 tsp red chilli powder
15g fresh coriander, chopped
1 pomegranate, seeds separated
1-2 green chillies, chopped, seeds in
1/2 lemon, juice only
60g Greek-style yoghurt
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and crushed
2 tbsp milk
6 tsp tamarind chutney
40g bhujia
salt

For the mint & coriander chutney:

1 large garlic clove, roughly chopped
40g shallots, peeled and diced
1-2 green chillies, roughly chopped, seeds in
10g mint leaves
10g fresh coriander, roughly chopped with stems
1 tsp ground cumin
1/5 tsp salt
1 tsp chaat masala
1/2 lemon, juice only
4 tsp olive oil
2 tsp Greek-style yoghurt

Method

To make the aloo chaat, cook the potatoes in a saucepan of lightly salted boiling water until just cooked through. Drain and leave to cool. Put the cooled potatoes, all the spices (except the cumin seeds), 10g coriander and 35g pomegranate seeds in a large bowl with the chillies, lemon juice and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix and set aside.
Put the yoghurt, sugar, cumin seeds and milk in a bowl and whisk together.
To make the mint and coriander chutney, place all of the ingredients together with 20-30ml water in a blender/food processor and blend until smooth.
Place the potato mixture on a large serving plate. Spoon the yoghurt mixture over the potatoes. Top with 4 tsp of tamarind chutney and 4 tsp of mint and coriander chutney. Sprinkle with the bhujia, remaining pomegranate seeds and fresh coriander, then spoon 1 tsp of mint and coriander chutney and 2 tsp of tamarind chutney. Serve for everyone to share.

4. Dark mango and ginger rocky road

Serves 12-14

300g dark chocolate, roughly chopped into small pieces
70g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
1½ tbsp golden syrup
¼ tsp sea salt flakes
100g ginger biscuits, broken into chunks
50g dried mango, cut into small pieces
50g crystallised ginger, cut into small pieces
60g marshmallows, cut in half if large

Method

Grease and line a 20cm square baking tin with baking paper. Leave a slight overhang at the sides of the tin so it can be lifted out easily later.
Melt the chocolate, butter, golden syrup and salt in a large saucepan over a low heat. Stir gently until everything is melted and well incorporated. Alternatively, place in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second bursts, mixing between each burst until everything has melted. Add the biscuits, mango, ginger and marshmallows to the chocolate mixture. Stir well to combine.
Transfer the mixture to the tin, level the surface and spread out to the corners. Chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours or until set. Lift the rocky road out of the tin using the overhanging baking paper and cut into squares using a sharp knife.

Interested in reading more about Diwali? Check out our ResLife x Indian Society Diwali event 🪔

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