Deepavali is popularly known as the Festival of Lights. It really is pretty to see those small little oil lamps lining the front of our Hindu neighbors’ houses and streets like Little India, in Singapore, ablaze with decorative lights. Here of course with houses further apart, and fewer Hindu neighbors, it is almost a special sight to  catch a glimpse of a house lined with those miniature oil lamps. Instead, we see candles in  carved out pumpkins - but that’s not Deepavali is it? It’s far from what I remember the Festival of Lights should look like.

My dad’s friends will normally invite us over to their place for Deepavali. OOOhhh…I loved the murukkus. Served in pretty air tight glass bottles/jars, they were there for the guests to help themselves to. Nothing like crunching on those murukkus and hearing the crispy bits explode and shake your head and fill your ears. It was a skill to talk and eat them; knowing when to crunch on them so that you don’t miss out on the conversation. Especially important is when a question is directed at you! Now, did you think I was going to post a recipe about murukku? I have to say, unfortunately, no.

But on Eid, when they come over, we have Eid treats. Even if they didn’t come over, we enjoyed sending over our Eid goodies to them. It was all about sharing and enjoying each other’s company and respecting each other’s culture and belief. It’s what the world could use a lot more of.

When I chanced upon Fun & Food Cafe’s announcement of a contest to commemorate the Deepavali celebration, it  set me thinking. Even though I missed the murrukkus, the little oil lamps and the company, I could still share my Eid treats with my Hindu friends the world over. So here’s my earlier post of a favorite Eid treat - simple, easy on the eyes and melts in your mouth - Honey Cornflake Cup.

So be it Deepavali, or Halloween or Eid or Hanukka or Christmas or …(and the list goes on). We’ve lived in the dark for long enough. I say World Peace!

Ingredients:
5 cups cornflakes (lightly crushed - so that the pieces are not too big)
4oz stick + 1 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated/fine sugar
3 tbsp honey
sliced/crushed nuts (optional)
Sprinkles (optional)
About 50 small baking cups

Method:

1. In a large saucepan, combine butter, sugar and honey.
2. Place the pan on slow fire and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
3. Turn off the flame and immediately add the cornflakes (and nuts, if using) into the sugar mixture.
4. Stir to coat the cornflakes completely with the sugar mixture.
5. Place the cups onto a baking tray. Spoon tablespoonful of the mixture into the cups.
6. Decorate with whatever sprinkles you like.
7. Bake in pre-heated oven at 350F for abt 10 min.
8. Remove from oven, leave to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Tips:

• To cruch the cornflakes and not make a mess - measure the amount of cornflakes needed and put it in a ziploc bag. Lay the bag flat on the table and distribute the cornflakes evenly. Do not zip the bag completely. Leave a small hole so that air can escape when you put pressure on the bag. Use a rolling pin and gently roll over the cornflakes twice or until the desired size is obtained. Don’t crush it too much - it’s not honey cornflake POWDER cups!
• If using nuts, mix the nuts and the crushed cornflakes well before pouring the mixture into the sugar mixture.
• Do not over-bake the cornflakes. If it’s too hard or burnt, it’ll lose it’s charm and you don’t want to deal with chipped teeth!
• Do not wait for the sugar mixture to cool before adding the cornflake mixture - it’s difficult to mix when the syrup mixture thickens.