We are on the final recipe for this Diwali!! As much as I have enjoyed making this series, it has been by far one of the most time-consuming projects that Natasha and I have worked on ever. Ever since Natasha has been involved in the blog we have kind of expanded the scope and reach of how we engage with our community. In December of last year, we had the first bake along where we soaked a bunch of dried fruits in rum to make this amazing rum cake (will do this again this year dw). In March, we ran an IWD campaign all month where women-run businesses from around the country participated and over 50 businesses were featured through the month. In the summer, we ran two reels campaigns: One, all about dips and the other all about drinks. And since September, we have been working on this Diwali campaign (that’s right, it’s been two whole months for us haha).

For the production and content creation geeks out there, here is how this campaign was made possible. Natasha and I decided in August that the next big campaign we want to run would be for Diwali and conceptually the idea was to create a whole dinner table that is filled with options for mains and starters and of course dessert. We began to research and earmarked references and recipes that we would like to build upon. By the end of August, we planned all the recipes and began planning out the shoots. By this time we had also roped in Nayantara as our photographer for the final table shoot on September 24. Now, each recipe needed a whole video, Reels footage and a full blog post to be a part of the blog. This meant that we couldn’t possibly shoot everything on September 24. Natasha and her production brain back-tracked and we shot every recipe over the weekends leading up to September 24. We also froze the meals we made so that all we have to do on the day of the photoshoot would be to heat up and style the dish. Once the shoot was over, we began post-production. I edited all the statics while Natasha would edit the videos and we did this parallel to the launch of the campaign. Monday we would share the sneak peek of a recipe, Natasha would edit between Monday and Tuesday, and then I would do the voice over, write the blog, and manage all the copies, and technical nitty-gritty. Of course, this also happened to be the time where we had an awful client at work breathing down our neck which meant working till 9 pm every day and then sitting till late at night on Thursday and Friday trying to finish the blog on time.

Trying to make this campaign work has been an amazing task. It’s been difficult, no doubt. But I never felt like I hated what I was doing. It was something we wanted to do because we believe in high-quality work and finally we have a community that not only listens to us but actually appreciates the work that is put in to deliver all this to you. I love our work and I am super thankful to an ace photographer like Nayantara to come help us out and making our food look so so good! This long-winded thank you note would not be complete without a big thank you to Natasha who really works on this blog like it’s her own. I am so grateful to have a partner like her who finds a way to involve herself in the things I am so passionate about. I love you pup ♥️

This Achari Mushroom Tikka are the final recipe in this Diwali series. They are a homage to all the chicken and paneer tikkas you know we will be having this Diwali but with a cool twist. Learn how to make an Achaari masala blend from scratch that legit tastes like a pickle and see how you can turn the humble mushroom into something both colourful and so full of flavour. The mushrooms used here are Oyster mushrooms but feel free to use what you find. The oyster mushroom does make the dish look a lot more dramatic with that caramelisation running down each gill of the shroom— making it look like this beautiful leaf with venation, but the humble button mushroom would do the trick as well. Do share your versions of this dish with me on Instagram and as always, happy cooking and a very happy Diwali ✨

Glimpses from the week

Ingredients

For the Achaari Masala

2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds (methi dana)

1 tablespoon fennel seeds (saunf)

1/2 tablespoon black mustard seeds

2 teaspoons dry mango powder (amchur)

1/2 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds

1 teaspoon nigella seeds (kalonji)

2 teaspoon red chilli powder

For the Marinade

200 g Oyster mushrooms or any large mushrooms of your choice

100 g plain yoghurt

1 tbsp achaar masala

1 tbsp chickpea flour

1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds

1/4 tsp garam masala

2 teaspoons turmeric

1 tsp salt

3 tbsp oil

Method

• Toast your dry spices in a skillet on medium to high heat. Let cool and grind in a food processor. Next, add red chilli powder and amchur. Mix well and store in an airtight container.

• Give your oyster mushrooms a good wipe with a dry kitchen towel.

• Slice the mushrooms lengthways, about 1-1.5cm thick. I got 4 slices out of each mushroom but this will depend on the size of your mushrooms.

• Whisk together the yoghurt, achaar masala, chickpea flour, ground turmeric, ground coriander seeds, garam masala and salt.

• Add the mushrooms mix well and keep in the fridge for 30 minutes to overnight

• Heat a griddle pan or frying pan over medium heat. Place the marinated mushroom slices in the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, until chargrilled and cooked through.