We’re just a few days away from Diwali and the air in Delhi NCR already carries with it a burnt smell owing to the excessive crackers being burst all around. That said, one cannot miss the festive cheer that surrounds us. Every year, since the past five years, I make homemade sweets and savoury snacks for our near and dear ones for Diwali.
From namkeen matar, shakkarpare, chiwda namkeen to besan laddoos — the house is enveloped in the aromas that are reminiscent of a halwai shop. While these traditional mithais and snacks are loved in my immediate circle, the same folks have also showed a propensity to pick up a more eclectic collection of snacking gifts — when they aren’t cooking them at home. Through this, came a realisation that Indian mithai, itself, appears to be going through a metamorphosis of sorts.
Luxury mithai makers, for instance, have been taking basic laddoos and barfis a notch up with their contemporary twists, and this makes a big difference in making mithai appealing to the younger generations. Off the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway stands Bhawan in Gurugram, a restaurant celebrating reimagined Indian regional food, mithai and cocktails. Helmed by Kainaz Contractor and Rahul Dua, this Diwali, they have on offer a range of quirky twists to their mithais — alongside the traditional ones.
The range here, for instance, includes jaggery cardamom and almond biscotti, which has a typically Indian flavour profile — but are actually thin Tuscan cookies that would .