Deepavali memories of Indian chefs behind Michelin-star restaurants 

Indian chefs behind Michelin-starred restaurants across the globe on their festive memories, and how to curate a Deepavali feast worthy of that elusive star. These chefs are Garima Arora, Vikas Khanna, Vineet Bhatia, Sriram Aylur, and Srijith Gopinathan.

Garima Arora

Having grown up in Mumbai, with her extended family in New Delhi, Garima’s festival of lights was all about firecrackers, the puja, and mithai. “We headed to Delhi every year, and it was a very traditional affair,” says the chef who now lives in Thailand and runs the one Michelin-star modern Asian restaurant Gaa.

The mornings were spent cleaning, she says, adding, “we were all given rags and brooms to clean the house”. As a treat, her grandmother would make the children “cheeni ka paratha”, a layered flatbread topped with sugar. Lunch was always methi paratha with homemade butter.

After the evening’s Lakshmi pooja, Garima recalls how everyone looked forward to the halwa and dinner feast. “I still remember the one Diwali when our dog got to the halwa before us and passed out happily after finishing the bowl!”

As for the feast, there was always the much-loved rajma chawal, jeere wale aloo, puri, raita, salad, and kheer. “My biggest weakness was the motichoor ladoo!” says the chef who also helms Marigold, a chaat and mithai cloud kitchen in Bangkok.

Garima, who has not been to India for Deepavali for the last 14 years, says this year the festival is special in more ways than one. “My son Aham will complete six months on Diwali day, and we will start his first solid food then.”

Garima’s festive menu: dahi bhalla papdi, and sev batata puri for starters to mark a mix of her upbringing in the capital and Mumbai; an Asian-inspired bowl meal of rajma chawal with sabzi, pickle, and curd; a motichoor ladoo smash with raspberry granita for dessert.