At Padma Lakshmi’s Annual Diwali Party in New York City, Food and Friendships Are in Full Bloom

“It’s about spirituality, family, and coming together, and renewing the bonds of friendship,” Lakshmi says.

There is only one rule at Padma Lakshmi’s annual Diwali party. The invitation contains a gentle warning, and the sign on the door to her Lower Manhattan apartment reiterates it: “Kindly take your shoes off.” And if you’ve somehow managed to miss it, it’s impossible to ignore the sea of shoes piled up in the hallway. But all thoughts of footwear vanish the moment you take a step through the doorway, draped with a lush mix of striking green mango leaves and deep orange marigolds (the latter of which Lakshmi grows on her terrace).

The entry hallway opens up immediately into Lakshmi’s kitchen, the beating heart of her apartment, where guests in an assortment of South Asian outfits — whether their own or borrowed for the occasion — wander in and out to grab glasses of wine, bottles of water, or cups of the not-too-sweet mango lemonade being doled out by the bartender. (Even Lakshmi’s dog, Divina, is dressed up in a festive orange lehenga.) The sounds of energetic conversation and spirited laughter fill the spaces in her apartment that aren’t occupied by fresh flowers, which cascade down the swing on the edge of her living room, line her kitchen shelves, and pile up in bowls on various countertops. (“The flowers are really important,” says Lakshmi. “I think they add such freshness and beauty to the environment.”)

Lakshmi, a multihyphenate who is best known for her work hosting and producing Top Chef and her own show, Taste the Nation, and for writing multiple cookbooks and a memoir, started throwing her annual Diwali party after her daughter, Krishna, now a teenager, was born. “The first year, it was just my relatives and four or five friends who I knew liked Indian food, so they could come and hang,” says Lakshmi. “Then it kept mushrooming and mushrooming.” Now, the list of attendees averages between 80 and 100 people and today includes her own family, neighbors in the building, families from Krishna’s school, and close friends like fashion designer Prabal Gurung, actor Aasif Mandvi and his family, actress Sarita Choudhury, and Top Chef judge Gail Simmons, who pops in with her daughter to take part in the festivities.

Related: Maneet Chauhan's Diwali is Full of Light and Laughter

Though it is a nippy, drizzly fall evening, the party spills out onto Lakshmi’s terrace, not just for the stunning views of New York City but also for the dosa station. (Leaving shoes at the door and good florals are two of Lakshmi’s Diwali party nonnegotiables. The third? Dosas.) Raj Kumar, a cook from Semma, the beloved South Indian restaurant from 2022 F&W Game Changers Roni Mazumdar and Chintan Pandya, is making the dosas to order. He carefully spreads the fermented batter on a large griddle before covering it in a gentle blanket of gunpowder (a dry mixture made from crushed lentils and spices), placing a heap of spicy potatoes in the center, and gently folding each dosa into a perfect, crisp, buttery triangle.

Inside, servers wander around the party handing out paper cones of crunchy, tangy papdi chaat (deep-fried crackers covered with an assortment of chutneys and toppings), a favorite snack from Lakshmi’s childhood years in New Delhi; small, flaky samosas filled with chicken keema; bowls of fragrant vegetable biryani with dollops of tangy raita; freshly fried thayir vadai, best described as savory lentil doughnuts soaked in a spiced yogurt; and plenty of pani puri, which must be consumed in one bite. Lakshmi doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth, but she is partial to rasmalai, a dessert of paneer soaked in a thickened, sweetened milk. For the party, the Semma team, led by chef Vijay Kumar, made a version spiked with pureed mango, along with bites of pineapple kesari, a sweet made from semolina, ghee, and sugar.

Lakshmi likes to keep the party in a staggered open-house format, with guests coming and going as they please. “I hate a sit-down dinner party where you get stuck talking to people only on your left, right, and across,” she explains. “I want kids and the whole family to be able to come.” And though Diwali is a religious holiday, to many representing the triumph of good over evil, and is celebrated by millions of Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains around the world, for Lakshmi, who identifies as a “secular Hindu,” the holiday is about more than that. “Diwali is a celebration of my culture, and it’s also a time for me to renew my goals and priorities and to get together with a lot of family and friends that I don’t get to see often.”

Related: Diwali Is a Festival of Sweet Delights

As the party continues into the night, the crowd quiets down to watch performances from the legendary South Asian musician DJ Rekha and violinist Raaginder. The living room quickly turns into a dance floor, and Lakshmi, donning a stunning lehenga from designer Anita Dongre, twirls about gracefully, encouraging guests to leave their seats. With her hair down, and in minimal makeup, Lakshmi is an effortless host who refuses to sweat the small stuff: “Just know that s--- is going to get broken. The walls are going to get scratched. Somebody is going to cry, something’s going to break, and just be OK with it.” At the end of the day, Diwali isn’t about your outfits, or even the food, or the flowers," says Lakshmi. “It’s about spirituality, family, and coming together, and renewing the bonds of friendship.”

Pani Puri

Bursting with flavor and texture, these bite-size puffs are stuffed with a chaat masala–spiced potato-and-chickpea filling. Wait until the last minute to pour the spicy mint water into each pani puri to prevent the crispy shells from becoming soggy. Kumar makes puri, an unleavened bread that dramatically puffs up into hollow balls when fried, from scratch, but store-bought dried coins turn this fun snack into a perfect party appetizer.

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Chicken Samosa

Tender, flaky dough is folded into triangular pockets around a savory chicken filling and fried until golden and crisp. The heavily spiced filling, seasoned with fragrant garam masala, is balanced by an herbaceous mint chutney dipping sauce. Use ground chicken that contains a mix of white and dark meat to ensure the filling stays juicy while frying.

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Mango Rasmalai

Balls of soft homemade cheese, or chenna, are simmered in cardamom-spiked syrup and soaked in thickened, saffron-stained milk for this lightly floral and sweet dessert. A double dose of mango, both freshly chopped and canned puree, adds a velvety texture to the fragrant sauce and a brilliant orange hue. Knead the crumbly cheese curds with the heel of your hand until they have a creamy consistency and can be shaped into smooth balls.

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Pineapple Kesari

This semolina-based sweet is infused with saffron and pineapple, a combination that imparts a rich golden color, floral aroma, and balanced acidic and earthy notes. The creamy, bite-size treats are speckled with toasted cashews and raisins for a crunchy and chewy texture.

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Mango Lemonade

Vibrant, sweet mango pulp comes together with tart fresh lemon juice and bubbly club soda in this quick and refreshing drink. Alphonso mangoes, known as the king of mangoes, are prized for their intense sweetness and aroma and silky, nonfibrous flesh.

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