S6 E2 Celebrate Diwali with guest Renu Bhardwaj

This week on Three Kitchens Podcast, we welcome Renu Bhardwaj, a UK-based food blogger and author of Celebrate Diwali: Recipes, Activities, and Crafts for the Entire Family.

Celebrate Diwali includes crafts, celebration tips, and of course, recipes: delicious, accessible Indian dishes that blend tradition with a modern, family-friendly approach.

Renu shares her memories of learning to cook alongside her mother, and the dishes that take her right back to those regular family dinners, and annual Diwali festivals. We make one of her favourites, chole bhatura.

As Renu describes it in her book: "The irresistible combination of spiced chickpeas and puffy, deep-fried bread makes chole bhatura a cherished and very popular Punjabi dish, especially at Diwali. Chickpeas are simmered and infused with aromatics and spices, and the dough needs to rest before being fried to create the pillowy bhatura, so I reserve this for special occasions like Diwali.

Chole bhatura is also sure to wow guests with its layers of flavors and textures, bringing a celebratory mood and an atmosphere of joy, gratitude, and togetherness—and that crisp, hot-from-the-pan bread always tempts me into a gratifying second helping."

We enjoyed making (and eating!) chole bhatura at home. The chickpeas couldn't be easier, and while the bread will take a little practice, we recommend giving it a try. It's everything Renu says it is -- warm, comforting and worthy of going back in for seconds.

Ask your local bookstore for Celebrate Diwali: Recipes, Activities, and Crafts for the Entire Family by Renu Bhardwaj , or grab your copy online at Indigo or Amazon.

Follow Renu ‪@hey_renu5046‬

Get the Chole Bhatura recipe -- link in comments!