Stir and shake up some Diwali delights with these easy expert recipes

What makes a Diwali party a big hit — company and bonhomie aside? The scrumptious food and beverages, of course! While friends and family celebrate with games, music and friendly banter, it’s the food and drinks that leave a lasting impression.

To help you curate your menu, My Kolkata has some easy recipes for tipples, snacks and something sweet from four city F&B-ers:

Honey Chilli Wings

Recipe by Rohan Sur of The Burger Shop

Ingredients

• Chicken wings, with skin: 12
• Dark soy sauce: 1 tsp
• English mustard: 1 tsp
• Salt (to taste)
• Cracked black pepper (to taste)
• All-purpose flour: 50g
• Sunflower or soybean oil (for deep frying)
• Honey: 70 g
• One clove of garlic (for chilli garlic paste base)
• Dried red chilies: 25 g
• Vinegar: 1 tbsp
• Butter: 15 g
• 1 clove garlic, chopped

Method

• For the marinade, mix dark soy sauce, English mustard, salt, and cracked black pepper. Coat wings in the marinade evenly and let sit for 15-20 minutes
• Toss marinated wings in all-purpose flour until fully coated
• Heat oil in a deep pan or fryer and fry the wings until golden brown and crispy. Set aside
• Make the chilli-garlic paste by blending garlic, dried red chilies, and vinegar
• In a separate pan, melt butter over medium heat, add chopped garlic and saute until fragrant
• Stir in the honey and chilli-garlic paste and cook until the sauce thickens slightly
• Add fried wings to the sauce and toss until fully coated and serve hot

Saffron Sweet (Gin cocktail)

Recipe by Pankaj Gusain, bartender

Ingredients

• Saffron-infused gin: 60 ml
• Pomegranate juice: 30 ml
• Lime juice: 15 ml l
• Sugar syrup (1:1 ratio of water and sugar): 15 ml
• Tonic water (to top up)
• Edible flowers to garnish (optional)
• Rose water (optional, for spraying)

Method

• To make the saffron-infused gin, add three pinches of saffron to 300 ml of gin. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes, allowing the saffron flavour to infuse.
• Combine equal parts water and sugar and heat gently until sugar dissolves, then cool to make the sugar syrup
• In a shaker, combine 60 ml saffron-infused gin, 30 ml pomegranate juice, 15 ml lime juice and 15 ml sugar syrup
• Shake well with ice and strain into a highball glass using a fine strainer
• Add ice, top up with tonic water and garnish with an edible flowers
• Optionally, spray rose water over the drink just before serving

Sugar-Free Honey & Ghee Tea Cake 

Recipe by Marium Javed of Sugarbaby Dessert Co.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour: 110 g
• Baking powder: 30 g
• Ghee: 60 g
• Honey: 50 g
• Stevia (sugar substitute): 2 tbsp
• Egg: 1
• Fresh cream: 100 g
• Vanilla essence: 1 tsp

Method

• Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 180°C (350°F) to get it nice and warm
• In a mixing bowl, combine the ghee and honey, beating until smooth and creamy
• Add the egg and vanilla essence, mixing well to incorporate
• Sift in the flour and baking powder and add the stevia. Gently fold until you get a smooth batter.
• Pour in the fresh cream and mix until just combined
• Grease a 4-inch round cake tin and pour in the batter, spreading it evenly
• Lower the oven temperature to 145°C (293°F) and bake for 1.5 hours, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Let the cake cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely
• Slice and enjoy your sugar-free tea cake!

Grapefruit Hibiscus Soan Paloma (Tequila cocktail)

Recipe by Jit Mukherjee of The Grid

Ingredients

• Salt and celery for the glass rim
• Grapefruit syrup (preferably Monin): 30 ml
• Agave syrup (preferably Monin): 10 ml
• Dash of lime juice
• Soan Papdi (broken into chunks): 20 g
• Tequila (preferably Don Julio Reposado): 60 ml
• Ice cubes
• Splash of soda water
• Dash of hibiscus reduction (alternatively, can use a hibiscus syrup. Recommendation: Manama Hibiscus syrup)

Garnish:

• Soan Papdi: 10 g
• Caramel sugar candy strips: a few

Method

• Coat the glass rim with salt and celery
• In a cocktail shaker, add 30 ml grapefruit Monin syrup, 10 ml agave Monin syrup, a dash of lime juice, 20 g Soan Papdi (in chunks) and 60 ml Don Julio Reposado tequila
• Add a few ice cubes and shake well
• Strain the mixture into the prepared glass and add a splash of soda water and a dash of hibiscus reduction
• Top with crumbled Soan Papdi and a few caramel sugar candy strips, and serve