Diwali Special — Dinner at My Nani Ghar
Named after Rashmi’s own Nani (grandmother), Laalima is a quiet tribute to all grandmothers — the ones who fed us with their hands and showed us that tenderness has an unforgettable flavour. Coinciding with the 2025 Diwali Festival, Laalima is her debut supper club — a heartfelt tribute to the food of her childhood and the woman who inspired it all. With every course, Rashmi invites guests to experience not just a menu but a memory of garlic-scented kitchens, steel plates clinking, and favourites made before you even asked.
Each dish is a journey back to her Nani Ghar, shaped by slow, golden summers at her grandmother’s bungalow in Yercaud’s coffee-scented hills. Those days were filled with naps under ceiling fans, running barefoot on the grass, and the scent of garlic and mustard oil drifting in from the kitchen.
This three-course family-style menu honours the rustic, bold flavours of Bihar, an eastern state in India where mustard takes center stage, garlic is never held back, and fennel sweetens the finish.
With Laalima, Rashmi invites you to return to a grandmother’s home and to the quiet joy of being so loved, someone made your favourite food before you even asked.
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A savoury-sour, soupy surprise to awaken your palate and nudge you gently into the hills of Yercaud. Just like Nani used to begin every meal — simple, tangy and impossible to forget.
Litti Chokha लिट्टी चोखा (Lentil & Vegetable Dumplings)
Roasted whole wheat dumplings stuffed with a spiced sattu filling, brushed with ghee, and served with a smoky medley of mashed eggplant, tomatoes, and potatoes.
This quintessential Bihari dish is earthy, smoky, and comforting — the kind of food you eat with your hands, tearing the litti open to let the ghee soak in, and scooping up the chokha for a bite that tastes like home.
Laalima Ki लालिमा की स्पेशल चिकन करी (Chicken Curry)
A bold and rustic chicken curry, slow-cooked and layered with whole garlic cloves and warm spices. A deeply personal recipe from Rashmi’s Nani Ghar, where garlic and mustard oil always take center stage.
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Laalima Ki Aloo Tarkaari लालिमा की आलू-सोया तरकारी (Vegetable Curry)
A hearty vegetarian curry made with potatoes and peak seasonal vegetables, dum-cooked with whole garlic cloves and rustic spices. Dum refers to an ancient technique that traditionally uses dough as a seal over a pot to trap steam and preserve juices within the curry as it slowly simmers.
Poori पूरी (Fried Puffed Spice Bread)
Soft, puffy bread made with whole wheat flour and a sprinkle of Carrom and Nigella seeds. A beloved Bihari delicacy, poori is often made during special occasions, and pairs beautifully with spicy, umami-laden dishes, even desserts, creating the perfect balance of heat and sweetness on your plate. Perfect for sopping up the juices from your curry!
Ghee Pulao भात (Steamed Rice with Ghee)
Fluffy basmati rice finished with ghee, made to soak up bold curries and balance spices.
The meal is accompanied with whipped yogurt, pickled onion rings, slit green chilies, lemon wedges- Essential side notes to balance heat and acidity, just like at a traditional Bihari meal.
Makhana Mousee with a Thekua Surprise मखाना मूस और ठेकुआ (Foxnut Mousse with a Bihari Biscuit Wafer)
A creamy mousse made from ghee-roasted foxnuts (makhana), infused with cardamom, and sweetened with jaggery. It's topped with a delicate, crisp thekua wafer, a nod to Bihar’s beloved festival biscuit.
Guests must crack through the wafer to uncover the mousse beneath — a playful, nostalgic finale that bridges tradition and surprise!
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Rashmi Singh is an Executive Events and Communications Specialist based in Toronto — a storyteller at heart, both in her work and in her kitchen. Born into the rich food traditions of Bihar and raised on the warmth of her Nani & Ma’s cooking, she now shares those memories and flavours through her culinary Instagram page Spoonful with Rashmi @spoonfulwithrashmi
