Healthier Diwali faral that still tastes like Diwali

In Maharashtra it is the faral plate: chakli, chivda, shankarpali, besan laddoo, karanji. In other homes it is mathri, namak pare, gujiya and kaju katli. The food is part of the festival, and I am not going to tell you to give it up. The problem is rarely one piece. It is the dabba that sits next to the tea for two or three weeks, and the handful you take every time you pass it.

Why faral adds up so fast

• •Frying adds a lot of oil. Chakli, karanji and shankarpali soak up oil in the kadhai. One tablespoon of oil alone is around 120 calories.
• •Mostly flour, rice and sugar. Very little protein or fibre, so it does not fill you up. You can eat a lot without feeling it.
• •Eaten by the handful. Nobody plates chivda. It goes from the dabba to the hand to the mouth.
• •Three or four times a day. Every cup of tea and every guest comes with a plate.

Savoury swaps

• •Chakli: bake or air-fry it. Use the same dough and brush it lightly with oil. It is a little less crisp than fried, but close, and you can keep a small batch of the fried version for guests.
• •Chivda: roast it, do not fry it. Roast thin poha or makhana in a pan with a teaspoon or two of oil, curry leaves, peanuts and turmeric. Add roasted chana for protein. A peri peri makhana mix is a good everyday version.
• •Roasted chana instead of shev and bhujia. For munching with tea, masala roasted chana gives the same salty crunch with real protein.
• •Baked namkeen. A baked moong dal namkeen tastes like the shop packet and is actually dal.
• •A soya nut mix for the office. A roasted soya nut mix is easy to carry and much more filling than a box of mixture.
• •Peanuts, but measured. Roasted masala peanuts are a good snack, but peanuts are calorie dense. A small handful in a katori, not straight from the jar.
• •Steamed snacks for guests. Khaman dhokla or khakhra with a masala curd dip feel festive and use very little oil.

Sweet faral: laddoos, barfi and portions

• •Make the laddoos smaller. A walnut-sized laddoo instead of a palm-sized one. Everyone still takes "one", and you have just halved it.
• •Dry-fruit laddoos are still sweets. Dates, figs and nuts are good foods, but they are calorie dense. One small laddoo is a serving, not three because they are "healthy".
• •Try a protein version. A protein besan ladoo, date and nut protein barfi, protein milk peda or paneer jaggery fudge keeps the festive taste and adds protein, so one piece actually satisfies.
• •Bake the karanji or gujiya. Baked versions with a thin crust and less sugar in the filling are a reasonable swap. Make them smaller too.
• •Jaggery is still sugar. It has a deeper flavour, so you can often use less, but count it the same way.

For more sweet ideas beyond Diwali, see healthy Indian desserts for weight loss.

How to keep the faral plate under control

• •Plate it. Take a small plate or katori, fill it once, and close the dabba.
• •One tea, one small plate. Not a refill with every cup.
• •Make smaller batches. Less made means less left over for three weeks.
• •Share and gift. Faral is meant to be given. Send boxes to neighbours, friends and the office.
• •Keep a protein snack ready. Curd, roasted chana or a paneer snack in the fridge gives you something to reach for that is not fried.
• •Put the dabba away. On a high shelf or in a cupboard, not next to the kettle.

A tea-time plate that still feels like Diwali

A small katori of roasted makhana chivda, a few pieces of roasted chana, one small besan laddoo and tea with a little less sugar. It looks like a festive plate, it tastes like one, and it will not leave you hungry an hour later. Want the whole week planned out? Read how to enjoy Diwali without gaining weight.