Diwali, the festival of sweets

Spices for Diwali, the festival of sweets

Diwali is the night of lamps, but for the kitchen it is the season of mithai. Milk sweets such as barfi, peda and kaju katli are scented with ground green cardamom and sometimes a few threads of saffron steeped in warm milk, because both spices lift the flavour of reduced milk without hiding it. Nutmeg and mace go into halwa and gujiya, while ajwain and cumin season the savoury snacks, chakli and mathri, that are fried in bulk and shared with neighbours. Gifting boxes of sweets and dry fruit is part of the day, and a box that smells of cardamom is considered a proper one. In many homes the first plate of everything is offered at the shrine before anyone eats.

The spices

CardamomThe scent of milk sweets, ground fresh into barfi, peda and kheer.SaffronA few threads steeped in warm milk give festive sweets their colour and fragrance.NutmegGrated lightly into halwa, gujiya fillings and spiced milk.