ASDA's Diwali Fiesta celebrates the flavours of India

FOOD bloggers and influencers came together for a special Diwali event that was hosted by

supermarket retailer ASDA.

ASDA's Diwali Fiesta was held at Layalina, a restaurant in the heart of Knightsbridge, and the highlight of the event was a five-course meal prepared by popular food blogger Sandhya Hariharan.

Prominent guests included Ashanti Omkar from the BBC Asia Network and blogger and doctor, Dr Chintal.

Speaking about the menu, Sandhya said: “I have been very excited to host this Diwali Party with ASDA. Right from deciding the menu to actually getting down to cooking, it has been a great adventure. Teaming with ASDA has been wonderful as all my ingredients are easily available at one store and there has been no running around to different location to source ingredients."

The culinary adventure started off with a coconut and mango laddoo, a family favourite, said Sandhya.

Appetizers included Aaloo tikki and Tortilla chaat, and it was followed by a refreshing palate cleanser in the form of Rassam.

A vegetarian thaali comprising dishes like dal tadka, tawa bhindi, paneer butter masala with mint raita, cumin rice and naan as accompaniments followed. Sandhya said the idea was to give guests a taste of her favourite traditional dishes at the same time ensuring the food wasn’t too heavy and rich.

The entire Diwali menu was created with ingredients bought from ASDA.

Guest Shabnam Shahi said she was thrilled to attend event.

She said: “I am so delighted to be a part of this culinary celebration that fused flavour, taste and tradition with an array of amazing dishes with quirky twists. I think these lovely dishes can be great repeats and are not just delightful ideas for Diwali but for are lovely for any kind of celebration.”