Less fried food, more protein: What’s on the menu at Delhi’s Diwali parties

On October 18, Sugandha Wadhwa, 35, hosted her annual Diwali party for school friends — a tradition she has kept up for the past six years.

But over the years, she had begun noticing a change. No matter how elaborate the spread, her guests would arrive with full stomachs, leaving little room for the food she had lovingly put together.

Wadhwa, a resident of Delhi’s Paschim Vihar, says, “I used to wonder where I was going wrong. But later I understood that everyone is now very mindful of their diet.”

The change was reflected in this year’s menu. Last year, the table had been laden with an elaborate platter of garlic bread, pizza, Italian dishes and deep-fried Indian snacks. This time, her menu read, “Carry your healthy spree.”

With friends flying in from Australia and the US, Wadhwa laid out a spread of oatmeal bowls, smoothies and salads, including grilled chicken, chickpea and Mexican varieties.

Wadhwa is not alone. Across Delhi, people in the 25-40 age group are increasingly opting for healthier, protein-rich spreads at their parties this festive season, unwilling to set aside their dietary preferences even for a celebration.

According to Akshat, founder of COOX, a home-based chef service platform, customers asking for clean, healthy food prompted the company to introduce a ‘healthy mode’ feature on its app.

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“People are very experimental with food and have become cautious about sugary and high-calorie options. Earlier, they would miss out on dishes such as watermelon feta salad and watercress salad,” he said.

While only around 10% of customers currently opt for healthier food, he said, the proportion is gradually growing.

For Wadhwa, changing the menu was a simple decision. “I wanted to offer something that they would not have to think twice about eating. Especially those who live abroad are also very conscious about what they consume because they come here once in a year or once in two years,” she said.

Her preparations began a month before the party. She started by drawing up a list of ingredients she associated with healthy eating, including pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, oats, flaxseeds and nuts. As October 18 approached, she added vegetables to the list.

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For starters, she’d served cucumber hummus canapés topped with olives, and beetroot tikki. The welcome drink was a smoothie with oats, water and apple, with bananas left out to keep it light.

The main course comprised a variety of salads, while dessert included dates halwa, followed by coffee shots.

Wadhwa, who helps her husband run their family business, was not the only host rethinking her Diwali party menu.

Anju Gupta, 56, a resident of Greater Kailash-I, decided to strike a balance when she hosted a party last week, offering both healthier and fried options. “Since everyone is so health conscious these days, and there are multiple parties happening, I promised my friends I would keep both healthy and fried food options. Most of the snacks were high in protein,” she said.

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The sandwiches, for instance, were less buttery and cheesy than usual, with fillings of Greek yoghurt and hung curd. She also served quinoa salad.

“The 15 guests I hosted were tired of eating junk food. I told them this time would be different, they were excited. When they saw the platter, they were surprised. Nobody was saying they would have just a little, and nobody avoided eating because something was fried,” she said.

That, however, did not mean fried food had disappeared altogether. Some guests still found themselves reaching for fried kebabs.