The festival of lights – Diwali – is knocking on our doors and it’s time to celebrate the occasion with loved ones around. While we are all busy cleaning and decorating our houses to welcome Goddess Laxmi and finally, looking forward to gorging on some mouth-watering treats, the celebrities aren’t any different. And, the latest one to mark the festivity, being a foodie, is none other than Kiara Advani. The actress devoured a finger-licking “Diwali lunch” that featured the vibrant cuisine from Kerala. She shared a picture of her traditional meal served on a banana leaf. On her platter, we could see several dishes including bowlfuls of curries, sambar, rasam, and avial. There’s a portion of rice as well along with a range of dry preparation of curries, gunpowder, thoran and a variety of pachadi (chutneys) including the beetroot one. Kiara’s meal also featured a deep-fried dish that resembles pakodas, and some pickles to amp up the experience. Don’t forget papadam for a crispy twist and delectable banana chips served on the side. We could also spot buttermilk in a glass. For dessert? There’s payasam. “Diwali lunch,” Kiara stated. The actress tagged Sanya Lakhani and wrote, “You,” adding a star emoji.

(Also Read: A Look At Kiara Advani Aka Katha’s Diet On The Sets Of ‘Satyaprem Ki Katha’)

If you are planning to binge on a similar authentic spread, do refer to these five recipes that can be a part of your menu.

1.Sambar

This delicious and savoury dal is extremely popular in the southern part of the country. You can simply make this using regular yellow (toor) dal, sambar masala, some vegetables, mustard seeds and a bunch of other spices. It’s popularly paired with idlis or dosa.

2. Kerala-style avial

Now, this is a wonderful Kerala-style curry you should not miss. Every sadya platter is incomplete without avial. It consists of a drool-worthy preparation of vegetables including raw banana, ash gourd, drumsticks, yam and coconut all cooked together with a bunch of masalas. You can top it up with coconut while serving.  

3. Rasam

Now, this South Indian dish is special and makes for a go-to comfort meal when teamed with rice. It’s like sambar, just thinner in consistency. Simple toor dal is spruced up with lots of pepper and tomatoes. You can either have it with rice or savour it as soup also.

4. Beetroot pachadi

Pachadi is another name for chutney. This super enticing beetroot preparation can jazz up your meal in no time. Also, if you don’t like beetroot in the salad form, try cooking this to make it interesting.

5. Moong dal payasam

Now, let’s conclude the list with a sweet dish. Payasam is typically a sweet pudding that carries beautiful flavours of coconut milk, cardamom and cinnamon. For this recipe, you need to use moong dal with other quintessential ingredients.

So, are you ready to devour a wholesome Kerala-style meal?