MyTastr

Holiday cheat sheet

Diwali

Everything for the festival of lights: 34 things, from the ghee and cardamom for the mithai to the paneer, the biryani rice, the chutneys and the chai for every guest who drops by. Each line links to the full MyTastr ranking and names the current #1 pick.

Plenty of families buy their mithai from a favorite sweet shop and cook the savory spread at home. Buy what your house makes, and skip the rest.

Tap + Add to list on anything you need (or Add all in the bar below), then copy or share your list. It also saves to your MyTastr list.

Sweets & mithai

Ghee, sugar, milk and cardamom: the backbone of every barfi, ladoo and kheer.

  1. 1

    Ghee

    The soul of Diwali sweets: halwa, ladoo and barfi, plus the diyas in many homes. Buy the big jar.

    Chefs’ #1: Ancient Organics Ghee

  2. 2

    Condensed milk

    The shortcut to kalakand, quick barfi and coconut ladoo.

    Chefs’ #1: Longevity Sweetened Condensed Milk

  3. 3

    Milk

    Whole milk for kheer, rasmalai and a fresh batch of paneer.

    Chefs’ #1: Organic Valley Whole Milk

  4. 4

    Sugar

    For syrups, ladoo and kheer. Fine sugar dissolves fastest.

    Chefs’ #1: Wholesome Organic Cane Sugar (granulated and powdered)

  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11

The festive meal

A thali for the family: paneer, dal, biryani or pulao, puri and something rich.

  1. 12
  2. 13

    Paneer

    Paneer makhani, palak paneer or tikka. Every Diwali table has one.

    Chefs’ #1: Sach Paneer

  3. 14

    Lentils

    Dal for the thali: dal makhani, toor or chana dal.

    Chefs’ #1: Timeless Natural Food Organic Black Beluga Lentils

  4. 15

    Chickpeas

    For chole with puri or bhature.

    Chefs’ #1: Westbrae Natural Organic Garbanzo Beans

  5. 16
  6. 17

    Simmer sauces

    A shortcut for the busy night: tikka masala or makhani in a jar.

    Chefs’ #1: Maya Kaimal Indian Simmer Sauces

  7. 18
  8. 19

    Yogurt

    For raita, marinades and shrikhand.

    Chefs’ #1: Fage Total (plain Greek)

  9. 20

    Tomato paste

    A spoonful deepens a quick makhani or chole gravy.

    Chefs’ #1: Mutti Double Concentrated Tomato Paste (tube)

  10. 21

    Coconut milk

    For South Indian payasam and coconut curries.

    Chefs’ #1: Aroy-D (carton preferred)

  11. 22

    Flour

    Atta or all-purpose for puri, paratha and naan.

    Chefs’ #1: King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose

  12. 23

Snacks & chaat

Guests drop by all week. Keep a plate of something crunchy and a tray of chaat ready.

  1. 24

    Chaat masala

    The tangy finish on fruit chaat, papdi chaat and roasted nuts.

    Chefs’ #1: MDH Chunky Chat Masala

  2. 25

    Tamarind

    For sweet-sour tamarind chutney on samosas and chaat.

    Chefs’ #1: Tamicon Tamarind Concentrate

  3. 26

    Mango chutney

    On the thali and next to the samosas.

    Chefs’ #1: Geeta’s Premium Mango Chutney

  4. 27

    Achaar

    A spoon of pickle on every plate.

    Chefs’ #1: Brooklyn Delhi Roasted Garlic & Tomato Achaar

  5. 28

    Roasted peanuts

    For chivda and quick masala peanuts.

    Chefs’ #1: Feridies Salted Virginia Peanuts

  6. 29
  7. 30

    Potato chips

    For a quick masala chips bowl when the namkeen runs out.

    Chefs’ #1: Cape Cod Original Kettle Cooked Potato Chips

Chai & drinks

The kettle doesn’t stop. Keep chai for guests and something cool for the kids.

  1. 31

    Chai

    Masala chai for every visitor. Loose leaf with fresh ginger and cardamom.

    Chefs’ #1: Wagh Bakri Tea (Premium or Masala Chai)

  2. 32

    Black tea

    Strong black tea for chai from scratch.

    Chefs’ #1: Rare Tea Company Rare English Breakfast (loose leaf)

  3. 33

    Sparkling water

    For nimbu soda with lime, salt and sugar.

    Chefs’ #1: Topo Chico Mineral Water

  4. 34

    Coconut water

    Cool and light after a rich meal.

    Chefs’ #1: Harmless Harvest Organic Coconut Water

Also pick up

Not ranked on MyTastr (yet): the fresh produce, specialty items and decorations the list above assumes you have.

  • Besan (chickpea flour) for ladoo, pakoras and sev
  • Fine semolina (sooji) for halwa and rava ladoo
  • Green cardamom pods and saffron threads
  • Khoya / mawa, or milk powder for quick barfi
  • Edible silver leaf (vark)
  • Jaggery
  • Unsalted cashews, almonds and pistachios
  • Desiccated coconut
  • Mithai-shop sweets and a box of namkeen (sev, chakli, mixture)
  • Fresh paneer, if you make your own: whole milk and lemons
  • Cilantro, mint, green chiles and ginger
  • Onions, tomatoes and potatoes
  • Cauliflower, peas and okra
  • Limes
  • Bananas and seasonal fruit for puja offerings
  • Marigolds, diyas and tea lights

Tasters cited from public sources have not endorsed MyTastr.

All holidays →