Kayra Authentic Kerala Cuisine serves sweet appam and vatalappam (Photo: Kayra Authentic Kerala Cuisine)
Deepavali celebrations might be a tad quiet this year with various movement restrictions in place. Although you might not be able to visit your relatives during this time, you need not miss out on the joy of eating your favourite Diwali treats. These popular establishments are offering a range of Indian delicacies, from traditional snacks to creative noshes, to be delivered to your — or your loved ones’ — doorstep. Here is an assortment of sweets and titbits for a memorable festive weekend celebration.
Shangri-La Hotel, KL
The 5-star hotel celebrates the festive season with a selection of six traditional Indian sweets. Besan ladoo, chena ladoo, doodh peda, kacha golla, labang latika and til gur kil are among the variations of sweets you can purchase as a box of 20 pieces (RM48) or 30 pieces (RM60). The Deepavali Desserts set comes in a beautifully adorned box suitable for gifting purposes and as a sentimental token. The promotion ends on Nov 30.
If desserts are not to your fancy, Lemon Garden Café is offering a special Deepavali vegetarian set (RM65) and non-vegetarian set (RM88) menu. An array of Indian dishes such as Jeera Matar Pulao, Goan Fish Curry and Saag Gosh (lamb cubes simmered in spinach purée and seasoned with Indian spices) are available for dine-in, delivery and takeaway.
Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur, 11, Jalan Sultan Ismail, 50250, KL. Call 03 2074 3900 or WhatsApp 019 390 2257 to place your orders or make a reservation. Learn more about the special offer here. Opens daily from 7am-10pm.
De.Wan 1958 by Chef Wan
De.Wan 1958’s Jewellery Box is a treasure trove of both sugar and spice, available in a form of a tiffin or a gift box. The Diwali Tiffin (RM109) features an exquisite 3-tiered container with an assortment of spicy snacks such as mixed murukku, and savoury dishes like lamb kuzi or, if seafood is to your liking, prawn masala. Mixed Indian sweets such as ladoo, kandy, gulab and palkova make up the third layer of the tiffin, making them the perfect complement to the chilli and spice-laden bites.
On the other hand, the Diwali Gift Box (RM89), as the name suggests, comes in a luxurious black box with four drawers to store mixed murukku, urundai, coloured kandy and laddoo. Vegetarian options are also available upon request for both the Diwali Tiffin and Gift Box.
De.Wan 1958 by Chef Wan, The LINC KL, Lot 2-2, Level 2, No.360, Jalan Tun Razak, 50900, KL. 010 207 0383. Opens daily from 11am-4pm, 6pm-10pm. Order here.
Mr. Naan & Mrs. Idly
Situated in the heart of Little India, Mr. Naan & Mrs. Idly offers an amalgamation of North Indian and South Indian cuisines (represented by the popular dishes used in its name) on top of a wide variety of vegetarian dishes.
Snacking options are aplenty, with classic savoury staples like the pani puri, a hollow puri filled with flavourful ingredients such as spicy mashed potatoes, finely chopped onions and chickpea mix. We recommend their bhel puri, which is made out of spicy puffed rice. It's best eaten with onions, tomatoes, pomegranates and sour mangoes with a tangy tamarind sauce.
Mr. Naan & Mrs. Idly Pure Vegetarian Restaurant, 190, Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Brickfields, 50470, KL. 019 261 7070. Opens daily from 11am-11pm. You can order for takeaway or delivery here.
Namaste India
An authentic North Indian restaurant, Namaste India's Hartamas branch is famous around the neighbourhood for their cosy ambience and vast selection of dishes and desserts. This Deepavali, treat yourself or loved ones to their stunning assorted sweet box, priced at RM90/kg that comprises five different types of sweets.
In the box, you will get katli, which is a fudge made from cashews and a Deepavali must-have, peda, made with chopped pistachio, cardamom, and saffron. For the adventurous, sample unique versions of your usual milk barfi as Namaste India offers a sugar-free version that is naturally sweetened by seedless dates and enriched with nuts, cardamom powder and ghee. The box also includes ladoo, a sweet treat made from battered besan with a light cardamom flavour. If you have a small family, skip the box and customise your order with individual pieces.
Namaste India, No. 6-G, Jalan 31/70a, Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur. Opens daily from 9:30am-9:30pm. Fresh sweets require order placement 2 days prior to pick up or delivery. Contact 012 635 2383 via Whatsapp to place your order.
Kayra Authentic Kerala Cuisine
Experimenting with new cooking methods doesn't mean forgoing traditions — in fact, it could grow your appreciation for a certain cuisine. Kayra Authentic Kerala Cuisine in Bangsar is not afraid to be creative with their food, often churning out unconventional Indian dishes that still retain distinct Keralan qualities. While their main courses gain the most attraction, its snacks and desserts are worth trying as well.
Indian and French influences come together in their popular dessert, waffam (from RM23), a sweet course that combines an appam and a waffle. Accompany it with roast chicken for a reinvention of the American chicken and waffles. Otherwise, it makes a perfect vegetarian dish on its own. If you’re more of a traditionalist, they also serve sweet appam (RM8) and vatalappam (RM19), a Keralan dessert that looks similar to milk pudding but is baked and caramelised with coconut milk, cardamom, and palm brown sugar.
Kayra Authentic Kerala Cuisine, Level 1, Bangsar Village, Kuala Lumpur. Mon-Fri, 11.45am-3pm, 6.30-9pm; Sat-Sun, 11.30am-9pm. Delivery service is available daily from noon-9pm. Place your order here.
Jassal Tandoori & Jesal Sweet House
Jassal Tandoori Restaurant is now back to their former location in Brickfields after gracing Bandar Sunway for about two years with their North Indian goodness. While they have now expanded their menus to include home-cooked cuisine, they first started out by selling traditional North Indian sweets and desserts. For that matter, their sweets are always top notch.
Take your pick from delicious jalebi, a pretzel shape snack popular across South Asia and Middle east to laddu motichoor, made from fine chickpea flour. Their gulab jamun, a milk-solid-based sweet, is also available at RM10 per box. If you are not into spongy sweets and would like to munch and crunch on baked biscuits, Jassal Tandoori offers a wide variety of cookies for you to choose from at RM35 per jar.
Jassal Tandoori Restaurant, 84, Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur. Opens daily from 11am-10pm. Order for takeaway or delivery at 03 2276 0555 or 010 457 8173.
