After marmalade and mutton, Rahul Gandhi dons apron to make besan laddoo, imarti

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's culinary forays are fodder for paparazzi and his multitude of fans.

If he is not whipping up orange marmalade with his mother Sonia Gandhi on a New Year's Day, he is learning the art of making Bihar's signature mutton delicacy with none other than former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav.

Congress leader Rahul appears to be more than keen to don a chef's apron at every opportunity and is driving home that politics and gastronomy can easily go together.

Delhi's iconic sweet shop

This Diwali, Rahul took the mithai (sweet) route. On Monday (October 20), the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha released a video of him trying his hand at making 'imarti' and 'besan laddoo' at the famous Ghantewala sweet shop in old Delhi.

Notably, Ghantewala is one of Delhi's oldest and most iconic sweet shops.

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The shop, established in 1790 in Old Delhi, has a rich history and is believed to have served multiple generations of India's political leaders, including Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi.

Interestingly, the name Ghantewala originated either from the emperor's favourite elephant, which would stop and ring a bell outside the shop until fed sweets, or from the bell-ringer (ghantawala) of the Red Fort, who was an ardent patron.

Cooking up Imarti, besan ladoo

At the shop, Rahul was taken to the station where Imarti, a sweet from Uttar Pradesh, made by deep-frying a batter of urad dal in flower-like patterns and soaking it in sugar syrup, was being made. Rahul quickly donned an apron and tried his hand at making Imartis.

The political leader also tried frying besan (gram flour) halwa and forming laddoos, commenting, "Not easy," as he worked.

He talked about the effort behind making sweets, saying, "You eat sweets, but you don't think about how they came here. It involves the work of farmers, workers, and the artisans themselves."

True sweetness of Diwali

For Rahul, this was his way of greeting people on the festive occasion of Diwali. Posting the video on X, he said the true sweetness of Diwali lies not just in the 'thali', but also in relationships and community.

"Tried my hand at making imarti (cousin of jalebi) and besan laddoo at the famous and historic Ghantewala sweet shop in old Delhi," he said, adding that the sweetness of this centuries-old, iconic shop remains the same, pure, traditional, and heartwarming.

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Further, he asked others to tell him how they were celebrating Diwali. "Tell us, how are you celebrating your Diwali and making it special?" he said.

Lighting lamps of joy

In another post on X, Rahul extended greetings to the people of the country on the auspicious occasion of Diwali.

"May India be illuminated with the lamps of joy, may the light of happiness, prosperity, and love spread in every home," the former Congress president said.

In the video, the shop owner tells Rahul they had served his grandmother, father and other members of the family and is now waiting to supply sweets for his marriage when it happens.

Rahul just gives a non-committal smile at the suggestion.

(With inputs from agencies)