Culture Tuesday: 5 Vegan Diwali Recipes (Indian Cuisine)

Culture Tuesday is a weekly column in which Best of Vegan Editor Samantha Onyemenam explores the cuisines of different cultures across the globe through a plant-based and vegan lens. This article featuring 5 vegan Diwali recipes was written in collaboration with Priya Narayanan of SpicesAndSpoons.com and @spices.and.spoons on Instagram.

Culture Tuesday – Vegan Diwali Recipes (Indian Cuisine)

Diwali, also known as the ‘Festival of Lights,’ is an important Indian (and Hindu) celebration. Its name comes from the lamps (deepa) placed in rows (avali) which symbolize the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil.

Indian festivals are events that feature a display of special cultural clothes, colorful decorations, gatherings of friends and family, and great food, especially finger foods/snacks and desserts. However, the foods served during Diwali also include more filling main meals that celebrate the harvests and create bonding opportunities between friends and family.

In this piece, we will be exploring five dishes that can be served as part of a Diwali feast. One of these will be an appetizer while three will be main meals and another one a dessert. The dishes we will be exploring are corn and peanut chaat cups, aloo mattar, poori, vegetable pulao, and payasam (kheer).

Vegan Corn and Peanut “Chaat” Cups

Chaat are savory appetizers seasoned with chaat masala – a blend of amchoor (mango powder), asafoetida, black pepper, chili powder, coriander, cumin, ginger, kala namak (black salt). They can be fried or made into a simple salad. This recipe is for a salad version but served in edible cups.

Click here for the full recipe.

Vegan Aloo Mattar

Aloo mattar is a spicy potato (aloo) and pea (mattar) dish in which the potatoes and peas are simmered in a spicy sauce. The sauce is cooked with onions, garlic, ginger, aromatic herbs, and spices, green chillies, turmeric, chili powder, tomatoes, and salt. The sauce can be served light or thickened by mashing some of the potatoes and peas added to it.

Click here for the full recipe.

Vegan Poori

When it comes to Indian festivals, “healthy” might not be the word of choice, instead, it’s all about comfort and tradition. When it comes to festival season, nothing can surpass the craving of this classic dish that – poori.

Poori, also spelled as, ‘puri,’ is a deep-fried bread made from unleavened wholewheat dough. It is often served as an accompaniment to a savory sauce such as aloo mattar, chana masala, and korma. However, it can also be served as an accompaniment to sweet dishes/desserts such as payasam (kheer).

Click here for the full recipe.

Vegetable Pulao

Pulao is one of the most popular dishes in India. It is a rather simple aromatic one-pot vegetable and rice meal full of flavor. It is made by cooking the rice and vegetables with onions, ginger, and sometimes, garlic, as well as aromatic herbs and spices or pulao masala.

Click here for the full recipe.

Vegan Payasam (Kheer)

Payasam, also known as, ‘kheer,’ is a creamy pudding typically made with milk, condensed milk, sugar, vermicelli, ghee, saffron, and roasted nuts.

For this vegan version, oat milk and condensed coconut milk are mixed to mimic the creaminess of the more conventional dish, and coconut oil is used so the final dish has a similar texture to that created from the use of ghee.