Diwali is synonymous with Mithai and home made snacks but sometimes we just dont have the time or ability to make 10-15 different types of Mithais. Wouldnt it be nice, if you could make just one type and end up with a flavorful, colorful assortment! Thats exactly what a Diwali Mithai Exchange/Swap does. I got this idea from my American friends who organize cookie exchanges for Christmas, So I thought why not give it an Indian twist and make it a Mithai exhange party! What a super success it was!
The first thing to do it to of course send invitations to the people who you would like to invite for the exchange. For me it was simple, we are a group of 10 ladies who meet once a month, it just happened to be my turn this month and so I turned it into a Mithai Exchange Party! I gave enough notice to all my friends, asking them to bring any Mithai with at least 20 pieces, so we could all go home with 2 pieces of each kind.
I also did say to bring in some snacks, namkeens, kachoris, mathis, just to have some variation, and some of the ladies got both sweet and savory items! Thanks Jaya and Sabita for the extra effort! There was so much excitement to see who made what, and how it turned out. I also had to make a display table where people could put their delicacies. I set up my display table with Moortis of Ganesh and Laxmiji and Diyas to set the ambiance. I also set up a rangoli outside with candles, so it set the mood from the front porch!
We had Badam Barfi with Almond Flour, Kalakand, Besan Barfi, Mathis, Mohanthal, Kachoris, Badam Peda, Kesar peda, Pan ladoos, Dal ki Pothli, Namak pare, Mal pua! Gosh, if I had to make all of that myself, I would have probably spent the whole week. Anyway, Party means food and entertainment, so I had to make sure I had some appetizers for everyone.
If you have read How to organize/ plan the best stressfree dinner party, you know that for appetizers, I like a mix of hot and cold as well as somethings that can be made in advance. So I choose to make Dabeli Twists, Quinoa Oatmeal Dhokla and Couscous salad.
The Couscous salad can be made in advance, just mix the veggies, couscous and feta cheese just before guests arrive. The Quinoa Oatmeal Dhokla can be made in advance as well, just garnish with coconut and cilantro just before serving. The Dabeli Twists were amazing! Think of it as a french pastry with all the Indian spices and chatnis! I made it, and froze it and then just baked it in the oven when friends arrived, so we had a hot appetizer without much fuss.
Diwali without Diyas is incomplete, so I planned on everyone painting clay Diyas and taking them home This requires some forethought and planning. I bought the Diyas from the Indian store and bought enough paints and paint brushes.
The night before my daughter helped me set up the table with paints, plates, glasses and brushes for everyone. It was so much fun to listen to Bollywood music and talk about anything and everything and paint away. Here is everyones creativity at display!
After making the Diyas, it was time to eat lunch. I had made Rasa aloo, Gobi matar, Bhindi Do Pyaza, Fat Free Dahi vadas and Bedmi Puris, which I fried fresh and hot at that time. The best part about the Bedmi Puris is, its got all the flavor and crispness that we expect from dal ki pooris but there is no soaking and grinding of dal! That just makes it so easy to make these pooris! Some of my other popular desserts are Chocolate Covered Kalakand, Chocolate,Dates and Nut Laddoo, Instant Rabri and Besan ke laddoo.
Rasa Aloo
After eating lunch,it was obviously time to try out the sweets, mithais and also pack them to take home. I got large enough, to go, plastic containers and while I cleared up, my friends packed boxes for everyone to take home. When organizing, please keep in mind that you ask not to bring any sweets that have syrup in them as it just makes it hard to transport-things like rasgulla, gulab jamun, rabri etc would have to be a No No. Also, if you are coordinating, make sure everyone knows what the other person is bringing, so you don’t end up with the same mithai.
Here is a picture of some of my friends at the party
Happy Diwali to you and your family.
May this years Diwali be as sweet as the Mithais that you make.
I follow drikpanchang.com for the muhurat timings etc as they give dates and timings as per the time zone and city you live in.
Sharing some insights about Diwali and its various forms of celebrations by my friend Mononita-Diwali is almost here!,
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Madhu
Nice
Aanchal Gupta
Thanks Madhu, appreciate it.