Deepavali 2021

Tamil Sweet Treats

Payasam, one of my favourites - sweet dish made by boiling milk, white/ candy sugar, cashews, cardamon, dried raisins and tapioca 🥥

Kalkandam (candy sugar) - literally hard sugar but it’s so addictive 🍬

Payatham urundai - Green moong dhal (Payaru), Grated coconut, Jaggery, Black pepper, Cumin seeds and Water with flour batter which is fried 🍡

Rava kesari (orange and brown ones are the one my mum had growing up) - a mix of semolina, sugar, ghee, cashew nuts, raisins with orange food colouring and water 🍊

“The difference between Diwali and Deepavali is that Diwali is the five-day festival celebrated in mostly the north Indian states, whereas Deepavali is the four-day festival celebrated mostly in the south Indian states.”

Tamil Spicy Snacks

Mutton rolls (I mean I could live off them) - lamb, potato, onions, curry leaves and powder, some 🌶 rolled up and fried

Vadai - white moong dhal, onions, curry leaves, some 🌶, some ground black pepper, fried like a doughnut 🍩

Pakoda - chickpea dhal, cumin, curry leaves, pepper, which are then hand mixed and fried in small pieces ⚡️

Fish cutlet - fish, potato, onions, curry leaves and powder, some 🌶 rolled up into a ball and fried

Paruthithurai Vadai (flat vadai) - similar to to normal vadai but made into a crisp like form 💫

Kadalai/ paruppu (chickpea) vadai - similar to to normal vadai but with chickpeas - kinda of like a falafel 🧆

Murukku - derives from the Tamil word for "twisted", refers to its shape.

“Murukku is quite hard and is not recommended for people suffering from toothache, or wearing braces since it is known to have broken both.”

Made from rice and urad dal flour, mixed with water, salt, chilli powder and either sesame seeds or cumin seeds.

Art direction, food styling and photography by Mathushaa Sagthidas ©