How To Prepare Healthy Diwali Snacks: Celebrity Chef Kaushik

P T Usha 5 years ago

Diwali is just a day away and all women out there, we are sure that you have already started thinking about the preparation of ‘bakshanams’. But we can also hear you saying, “Can I prepare healthy organic sweets?”
Working women your question would be about ‘short and sweet recipes’. Here we have answers for both questions.

Celebrity chefs – Kaushik and Shri Bala – explain the simple and healthy way of making Diwali sweets. And to those who have a deep interest in cooking traditional recipes, we have also discussed the recipes that are reviving this year in the city.

Chef Kaushik says, “This year, I have explored a lot of sweets and there are several new arrivals. Notably, people choose health over taste, these days. This can be proved by people searching for organic sweets by surfing online. Many organic sweet shops, too, do well in the city. I wanted to lose weight this year, so I researched more about this kind of eateries. Some of them that impressed me are murukku seedai made out of red rice, karupatti laddu and more. Desserts like karupatti tiramisu are the best example of traditional ingredients influenced by western style.”

According to him, adhirasam, vella seedai, maa laadu, sweet sevai, karupatti cheeni mittai, thengai mittai, panai olai kozhukattai, karupatti ellu urundai and suyyam are some of the popular dishes that are mandatory in the sweet list South India.

YOU CAN DO IT
“Many people just go out and order the sweets. I understand their work schedule and I am not against the sweet industry. But, if you are not making it, then it is not worth it. Even a simple payasam that you make at home is worth the work. Traditional dishes like akaravadisal is very easy which will take just 20 minutes to prepare. And for people in Tirunelveli region, the Deepavali morning will start with idli and okkarai. It’s sodhi with a mixture of sweet and kaaram which is also a standard, easy recipe,” he explains.

REVIVING TRADITIONAL DISHES
Talking about traditional dishes, Chef Shri Bala says, “We can rightly say that traditional ingredients are coming back. Karupatti halwa is done with kambu paal and karupatti. Okkarai is done with paasi paruppu and siru payiru which is a very old dish that is coming back. Thiruvaiyaru Ashoka is very famous already but Chennaiites seem to like them so much now.”

“Our ancestors stressed on healthy dishes. Many traditional sweets that are substitutes for white sugar are also resurfacing.

Natural sugar like coconut sugar, dates mixture, etc., are preferred. Millets and panangarupatti are ruling the sweet industry now. People are aware of the problems of using white sugar. So palm and cocunut sugar are ready substitutes. Healthy laddus are done with thinai added with finely chopped dates,” she adds.

All set to welcome Diwali? Running short of time to prepare organic sweets? Worry not people. Get the best and healthy sweets/snacks this Diwali by logging onto Sulekha. Get connected to the expert Catering Services here, now.