5 Indian-inspired Halloween Dishes to Make

As Halloween approaches, the excitement of haunting decorations and delicious treats fills the atmosphere.

The holiday is often celebrated with parties, scary costumes, jack-o-lanterns and trick-or-treating.

This year, why not go beyond sharing conventional sweets and explore the rich and vibrant flavours of Indian cuisine?

With a touch of creativity and a festive feel, you can make some Indian-inspired dishes that are as tantalising as they are eerie!

Here are five recipes that will bring a unique twist to your celebrations.

Pumpkin & Coconut Milk Curry

Pumpkins are a worldwide signifier of the Halloween season and have so much more use than just for carving.

Embrace the autumn spirit by incorporating it into a curry.

This tender pumpkin cooked in coconut milk and mixed with warm aromatic spices is a perfect dish to enjoy on a cold autumn night.

Ingredients

• 3 cups pumpkin, cubed
• 1 Onion, diced
• 2 Tomatoes, chopped
• 2-inches ginger, peeled and minced
• 2 Garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• ¾ tsp garam masala
• ½ tsp coconut sugar
• Salt to taste
• 3 Mint leaves, chopped
• A handful of coriander leaves, chopped
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 cups water

For the Spices

• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1½ tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½-inch cinnamon stick

Method

1. Heat the coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and the cinnamon stick. Fry for 20 seconds.
2. Add the diced onion, a pinch of salt and turmeric powder. Cook this until the onion turns a light brown colour.
3. Next, add the chopped ginger, and garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
4. Add the tomato and cook until mushy.
5. Add coriander powder, garam masala, red chilli powder, salt, coconut sugar and tomato paste. Cook for around 45 seconds.
6. Stir in the pumpkin with all the spices and cook for three minutes.
7. Pour in the coconut milk and water and stir. Bring this to a gentle boil and reduce to a low heat. Cook the pumpkin curry for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Adjust the spices to your taste then add mint, coriander leaves and lemon juice and simmer for four minutes. Serve with roti, naan or rice.

This recipe was inspired by Yummly.

Paneer Fingers

Similar to mozzarella sticks, this Halloween recipe adds an Indian twist and is perfect for a party.

Paneer rectangles are coated in breadcrumbs and crushed poppadoms, adding a crunchy texture.

They are finished off with red ‘fingernails’, a great savoury treat for the spooky season.

Ingredients

• 180g paneer
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• ½ tsp garam masala
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• Salt to taste
• ¼ cup breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup water
• 1½ poppadoms, crushed
• 2 tbsp water
• Almonds
• 1 tbsp oil

Ingredients

1. Take the paneer and cut it into rectangular cubes. You can cut the edges to them rounder.
2. Coat them with the oil, salt, chilli powder, garam masala and turmeric and set aside.
3. In a bowl, take the all-purpose flour and add a quarter cup of water. Mix well to make a slurry.
4. In another bowl, add the breadcrumbs and add the poppadoms, salt, a quarter teaspoon each of chilli powder and garam masala. Mix well.
5. Coat the paneer in the flour-water mix then into the breadcrumbs, ensuring the paneer is fully coated.
6. To make the fingernail, soak the almonds until the peel can be removed and then cover it with red food dye.
   Dip the almond in the slurry and stick it on the end of the finger.
7. Preheat the oven to 205°C and spread the paneer fingers on a baking tray. Lightly spray with some oil and bake for 15 minutes until golden.
8. Serve hot with chutney or ketchup and enjoy.

This recipe was inspired by spkitchen.

Mummy Samosas

It is believed that on Halloween, the souls of the dead returned to their homes, so people dressed up to ward off the spirits.

You can’t get any more Halloween-themed than the undead so this mummy samosa recipe is a perfect treat for this autumn celebration.

These unusual samosas are pizza-flavoured and have gooey, cheesy centres.

Ingredients

• 6 boiled potatoes, mashed
• 1 Pepper, chopped
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp garlic, minced
• 2-3 Green chillies, chopped
• 2 Tomatoes, chopped
• 1½ tsp Italian seasoning
• 3 tbsp pasta sauce
• ½ cup breadcrumbs
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup grated cheese
• Black peppercorns

For the Dough

• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• ¼ tsp salt
• Water as required

Method

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat and add the chopped onion. Sauté until light brown.
2. Add the green chillies and garlic and fry for 20 seconds. Next, add in all the other vegetables apart from the potato. Stir fry for a few seconds then add the mashed potato, salt, pasta sauce, breadcrumbs and Italian seasoning.
3. Mix for around four minutes then remove from the heat and set aside.
4. Once the vegetable mixture has cooled down, grease your hands with oil and start making oblong-shaped patties.
5. Make a groove in each patty and stuff with the grated cheese. Seal this by tucking in the vegetable mixture from the sides to the middle.
6. Place the patties in the fridge whilst you begin to make the samosa dough.
7. Fill a bowl with water and put some wooden sticks in it to soak.
8. In another bowl, add the flour, four tablespoons of vegetable oil and salt. Mix well with your hands.
9. Gradually add water and knead until the dough is smooth and lump-free.
10. Make balls from the dough. Roll them out into thin oblong shapes. Make sure to flour the rolling surface and the rolling pin to avoid sticking.
11. With a knife, cut the samosa dough into vertical quarter-inch thick strips.
12. Take out the patties from the fridge. To make the mummy eyes, roll two little balls of dough for each patty and place them near the top. Then press the black peppercorns on top of the eyeballs.
13. Wrap the patties with the pastry strips and keep a little area at the bottom free for the wooden sticks.
14. After wrapping the patties, pat the wooden sticks before inserting them into the bottom of the patties.
15. Preheat the oven to 180°C and lightly brush the samosas with oil. Place them onto an aluminium foil-lined tray and bake for 15 minutes.
16. Serve the samosas with chutney.

This recipe was inspired by Not Out of The Box.

Spider Jalebi

Spiders are creatures considered to be endowed with supernatural qualities, and like other creatures of the night such as bats and cats, they are associated with witchcraft.

Jalebi is a popular Indian snack that is fried and soaked in sugar syrup.

This treat is an ideal substitution for ordinary Western Halloween sweets.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• A pinch of turmeric
• ½ cup plain yoghurt
• ½ cup water
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Ghee as needed

For Sugar Syrup

• 200g sugar
• ½ cup water
• A pinch of saffron
• ¼ tsp cardamom powder
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• A few drops of black food colouring

Method

1. Add sugar and water to a pot. Boil on medium heat until reaches a stringy consistency.
2. Take a small portion of the syrup with a spoon and let it cool slightly.
3. Take it in between your thumb and forefinger.  Gently move the fingers away from each other and you should see a single string.
4. Pour lemon juice, cardamom powder and saffron. Remove from heat, stir, and set aside.
5. Add the flour, cornflour and turmeric into a mixing bowl. Mix well until uniform.
6. Now add the yoghurt and water. Mix into a thick lump-free batter (This must be thick but of flowing consistency, add more water if needed).
7. Whisk for four minutes until the batter is smooth.
8. Add a couple of drops of food colouring and mix until all of the batter has changed colour.
9. Pour lemon juice into the batter and add baking soda.
10. Once smooth, spoon some of the batter into the sauce bottle or piping bag.
11. Heat a wok on medium and add ghee.
12. Check the oil is hot enough by dropping a small proportion of the batter. It needs to come up immediately without browning.
13. Squeeze the batter gently in circular motions, starting from the middle and moving outwards.
14. While the jalebi is frying, ensure that the sugar syrup is hot to warm so that the jalebi can be dipped in. If not, heat it a little.
15. When the jalebi is cooked, it should be crispy. Remove with a skewer and dip into the warm sugar syrup straight away.
16. Allow to rest for two minutes. Then, remove to a plate, repeat the process and serve hot.

This recipe was adapted from Sanjana Feasts.

Ghostly Naan

A Halloween twist on the classic naan is to make them look like ghosts.

It is still the fluffy flatbread that is crispy and chewy at the same time.

But the addition of eyes and a screaming mouth adds a unique twist that is perfect to make during the spooky season.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup warm water
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1½ tsp active dry yeast
• ¼ cup plain yoghurt
• 2 tbsp melted butter, plus extra for brushing
• 2½ cups bread flour (or you can substitute half of it with whole wheat flour)
• A pinch of salt

Method

1. Stir the sugar and yeast into the water then let the yeast bloom for about five minutes.
2. Once yeast blooms, whisk in the yoghurt and melted butter.
3. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl, then make a well in the middle and pour the liquid mixture in.
4. Using a wooden spoon, gradually stir the flour into the water mixture until a dough is formed. The dough will be sticky at this point.
5. Cover the bowl with cling film and let it rest for 15-20 minutes. After resting, you will find that the dough will be much less sticky.
6. Take the dough out of the bowl and place it onto a lightly floured surface.
7. Knead for about five minutes until smooth and elastic, then place in a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat.
8. Cover with cling film and leave in a dry area until doubled in size, about one hour. Once the dough doubles in size, punch it lightly to deflate, then pick it up and place it on the lightly floured surface.
9. Divide dough into eight balls and work with one ball at a time.
10. Roll each ball into a roughly oval or teardrop shape. Using a straw, cut out holes for eyes and mouths, then stretch the holes with your fingers to enlarge.
11. Heat a cast iron frying pan over high heat.
12. Pick up each naan and stretch it lightly, to keep its shape, as you place it on the hot pan.
    When it starts to bubble, turn it over.
13. When dark spots appear, remove and repeat with the remaining dough.
14. Brush the naan with melted butter and serve warm.

This recipe was inspired by Fiesta Friday.

This Halloween, take a culinary adventure with these Indian-inspired recipes that blend tradition with a festive flair.

Each dish combines mouth-watering flavours with an element of fun.

Gather your friends and family and dive into these spooky creations that will elevate your Halloween celebrations to new heights.

Happy cooking, and an even happier Halloween!