This Mumbai-based home baker’s firecracker chocolates are the ultimate Diwali gift
There may be a ban on bursting firecrackers this Diwali, but you can still indulge in Mumbai-based home baker Sarika Shahu’s firecracker chocolates. The chocolate foil wrappers are inspired by vintage firecracker designs and labelling.
Diwali is synonymous with fireworks. But with the Supreme Court imposing a partial ban on fireworks ahead of the festive season, the emphasis is now on eco-friendly options. Mahim-based home baker Sarika Shahu has found an innovative way to combine the tradition of exchanging sweets and bursting firecrackers, with her unique brand of edible firecracker chocolates.
Shahu offers a range of chocolates that resemble popular crackers like Anar, Chakri, Rocket, Sutli Bomb, Laxmi Bomb, and Lavangi. The wrapping foil paper mimics vintage firecracker labels and designs, and the packaging includes brown paper bags and boxes, just like she remembers it from her childhood.
“As a child, Diwali was incomplete without crackers. But now, we have to consider the air pollution levels as well. So, keeping in mind the tradition, I decided to make edible, eco-friendly firecrackers. It’s a good way for families to feel festive and celebrate a tradition without harming the earth,” says Shahu.
The home baker spent a month researching firecracker designs and packaging by visiting city markets and browsing online. She later took the help of her cousin to create new designs for the wrappers and get them printed.
For those who eat chocolates sparingly or are on a diet, you can safely store the chocolates for six months in your refrigerator, or even keep them at room temperature (in the shade, preferably in an air-conditioned room) for one month. The chocolates are available in a variety of flavours such as plain dark and milk chocolate, roasted almonds, fruit and nut, and orange-flavoured chocolates, among other options.
While Shahu experiments with new designs every year, Diwali 2018 has been especially good for her, as she has managed to sell 75kg worth of chocolates.
Shahu started BakedByMoms, her home baking venture, two and a half years ago. She has studied baking and confectionery making at the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition, Dadar, and has also done a course on chocolate-making from the Academy of Pastry Arts in Malaysia.
To order the edible firecrackers, call/WhatsApp Sarika on 9320416407. You can also DM your orders to her on her FB page and Instagram. The chocolates are priced at ₹300 for 250gm. Shahu is accepting orders for delivery only till November 5.
