Diwali treats filled with health and flavor
As the festival of lights approaches, here is a delectable array of recipes to illuminate your festive table and infuse it with a burst of health and flavour. These delightful creations, enriched with the wholesome goodness of California walnuts, aren’t just culinary delights; they are a symphony of mildly sweet flavour, crunchy texture, and nutrition, perfect for joyous festivities.
These wonder nuts are grown amid plenty of sunlight, fertile soil, and the best-suited climate in the sunshine state of California, and they often exceed the quality standards mentioned by the Federal and state of California. A handful (approximately 28g) of California walnuts packs a powerful nutritional punch, providing your body with 2.5g of heart-healthy plant-based omega-3 ALA, 4g of protein, and 2g of dietary fibre. But the magic of walnuts goes beyond numbers. They are known to support heart health, aid brain function, and contribute to a balanced diet.
Now, as you embark on a culinary journey with our handpicked recipes for your Diwali feast, you’re not just indulging in exquisite flavours but also embracing a wealth of health benefits. The nutty crunch and mild sweetness of California walnuts add an extra layer of delight to these dishes, elevating the textures and enriching the tastes.
From delectable dahi vadas to irresistible carrot barfi, our recipes are designed to illuminate your taste buds and nourish your body.
Walnuts and Berry Stuffed Dahi Vada
Neha Deepak Shah
Experience the joy of biting into these dahi vadas with a surprise sweet and savoury walnut and berry filling. The creamy yoghurt, the soft vadas, and the crunchy, delicious mildly sweet walnuts create a harmonious symphony of textures and flavours.
Ingredient For Filling
1/2 cup walnuts, toastedÂ
2 tablespoons chopped coriander
1 green chilli
2 tablespoons cranberries or raisins
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon jeera powder
Dahi vada Batter
1 cup white urad dal (washed & soaked for atleast 5 hours)
1 green chilli
A small piece of ginger
Salt
Some oil to cook
*To serve*
Thick Curd – You can add some black salt & if you like it sweet, a little sugar
Preparations:
1. Post soaking, drain all the water from the dal.
2. Blend the soaked dal, green chilli and ginger it in a mixer grinder for a super smooth batter.
3. Now whisk this batter for 5 to 7 minutes at least. It should become light and airy.
4. Pulse the ingredients of the filling to get a coarse mixture.
5. Make the dahi vada in the paniyaram pan with little oil.
6. Put some of the walnut stuffing in the centre & put some batter to cover it.
7. You can use chutneys of your choice – imli, green chutney & beetroot chutney.
8. Top it with lots of the walnut mixture.
Walnut Lauki Halwa
Kumar Nachiket
A dessert that’s a sensory delight. The nutty richness and mild sweetness of California walnuts meet the nostalgic wonder of Halwa to create this harmonious blend of flavours and textures.
Ingredients
1 Lauki/Bottle Gourd
400ml milk
3 tablespoon ghee
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/2 cup, crushed California walnuts
1 teaspoon keora water
Preparation
1. In a pan, heat 3 tablespoons ghee and add grated lauki and cook till it just starts to change colour, approx. 15 mins
2. Add equal parts of milk and cook it together till it reduces and mixes with the lauki completely.
3. Add sugar and cardamom powder. Cook till the sugar dissolves completely.
4. Add crushed California walnuts and cook for 2-3 mins.
5. Add keora water and give it a final mix. Serve Hot.
Carrot and Walnut Barfi
Shumaila Chauhan
Here’s an indulgent mithai recipe that you can whip up at the last minute, in case you’re caught up in Diwali shopping and prepping the home for the festival. In this Carrot and Walnut Barfi, each bite is a celebration of the carrot’s softness and the nutty crunch of walnuts, offering a delightful contrast of flavours and textures.
Ingredients
500g carrotsÂ
2 tablespoons ghee, plus 1 tablespoon extra
3-4 whole cardamoms2 tablespoons desiccated coconut (optional)Â
1 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup California walnuts
1/4 cup milk powder
Few strands of saffronÂ
1/4 cup roughly chopped walnuts
Preparations
1. Peel the carrots, and roughly chop them. Put in a food processor. Pulse the carrots with 1-2 tablespoons milk (do not add more than that- only enough milk to pulse it into a coarse paste). Pulse till the carrots are very small pieces- almost like a coarse paste. You can also grate them finely.Â
2. Line an 8 by 8 cake tin with parchment paper and oil it well.
3. In a thick bottom kadhai/pan, heat 2 tablespoons ghee. Add the carrots and mix well to coat it with ghee. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 5 – 8 minutes, till the carrots lose their moisture.
4. Add milk and saffron strands and mix well. Cover and cook on low flame till all the milk dries up. Keep stirring occasionally and make sure to cook on low flame.
5. While the carrots are cooking, pulse the walnuts with the milk powder, cardamom seeds and coconut powder to make a fine powder.
6. Once all the milk has dried and the carrots are no longer leaving any water, add the sugar and mix. Cook on low medium flame till the sugar water dries up.
7. Now add the walnut powder mix and mix well. Add 1 tablespoon ghee and cook till the mixture comes together and is thick- another 5 minutes. Add the chopped walnuts.
8. Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin and pat it to make an even layer of preferred barfi thickness.
9. Let set for 2-3 hours in the refrigerator.
10. Once set cut into barfi-sized pieces and enjoy.Â
Elevate your festive celebrations with California walnuts, nurtured under the sunny Californian skies, where they exceed quality standards. Their signature crunchy texture and mild sweetness make them the perfect addition to your festive feasts.