Diwali Gifts for Friends: Curry Leaf Snack Jars and Small Gifts

By Neer Vasa, NutriThrive founder · Updated 5 Oct 2026

Looking for Diwali gifts for friends that won't just add to the pile of sweets on the bench? My answer every year is something savoury and useful: a jar of curry leaf tadka snack mix you make at home, or a small gift box with tea, curry leaves and a soap. Below is the snack jar recipe I use, small gift ideas under $20, and our ready-made Diwali Gift Box.

Why a savoury gift works next to the mithai box

By the Diwali weekend most homes have more barfi and ladoo than anyone can finish. A savoury jar or a pantry gift stands out because people actually use it in the following week: with chai on Monday afternoon, on the table when the next visitors arrive, or in the pan for Sunday's dal.

It's also easier to post and keep. Sweets with milk or fresh cream need to be eaten quickly. Dried curry leaves, loose leaf tea and a wrapped soap are fine in a parcel for days. That's why our own Diwali box is built around those three things.

How to make curry leaf tadka snack jars (makes 4 jars)

This is the same tadka I'd pour over dal, just landing on something crunchy instead. It's quick, and the whole kitchen smells like Diwali morning.

What you need

• 2 tablespoons ghee (or a neutral oil)
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 2 small handfuls of dried curry leaves (about 3 to 4g), stems flicked off
• Optional: ½ teaspoon chilli flakes, a pinch of turmeric, a pinch of hing (asafoetida)
• 4 cups roasted salted peanuts, roasted cashews, puffed rice (mamra) or a mix
• 1 teaspoon fine sugar and salt to taste (optional, for a chivda-style finish)
• 4 clean, dry jars with lids (about 300 to 400ml each)

Method

1. Put the nuts or puffed rice in a large, wide bowl next to the stove. A tadka waits for nobody.
2. Heat the ghee in a small pan over medium-high heat until it looks loose and smells nutty, but isn't smoking.
3. Add the mustard seeds. They should pop within about 10 seconds. If they sit silent, the pan is too cold.
4. Turn the heat down a little and add the dried curry leaves, crumbling them lightly as they go in. Stir for 10 to 20 seconds, only until they darken a shade and smell strong. Dried leaves scorch faster than fresh ones, so don't wait for them to brown.
5. Add the chilli, turmeric or hing if you're using them, then pour the whole lot, ghee and all, over the bowl.
6. Toss well, season with salt and the sugar if using, and spread on a tray to cool completely.

Packing the jars

Cool means cool: warm mix in a sealed jar sweats and goes soft. Once it's at room temperature, fill the jars, tap them down and close them tightly. Tie a ribbon or a strip of fabric around the lid, and slip a few whole dried curry leaves on top so the jar looks like what it is.

Label the jar (allergens and date)

Write a small tag with the contents ("peanuts, cashews, ghee, curry leaves, mustard seeds") and the date you made it. Nuts and ghee matter to anyone with an allergy or who doesn't eat dairy, so put them on the label rather than relying on memory. I make mine no more than a couple of days before I hand them over.

Small Diwali gifts for friends under $20

Not everyone has time to fry snacks for four households. These are the small gifts I'd put together from our own range:

• For the friend who cooks: a 30g pouch of dried curry leaves ($7) with a handwritten card for your favourite dal tadka or lemon rice.
• For the tea drinker: 100g of Darjeeling loose leaf black tea ($7.50) with a brew note: "85 to 90°C, 3 to 4 minutes".
• For the host: a handmade lavender soap bar ($7) for the guest basin.
• For a colleague or neighbour: any one of the above with your snack jar. Small, useful and easy to carry to work.

If you want all three in one parcel, the gift box below does that.

The ready-made option: our Diwali Gift Box

NutriThrive Diwali Gift Box: $20

• 100g Darjeeling loose leaf black tea, from a family farm in Darjeeling
• 30g whole dried curry leaves, grown on our farm in Gujarat
• 95g handmade moringa and lavender soap bar (melt-and-pour), handmade by us in Australia

No moringa powder. Packed in Truganina, Melbourne, and posted Australia-wide or picked up by arrangement. Add a gift note at checkout or email us after you order.

Shop the Diwali Gift Box →

I pack these boxes myself in Truganina. The soap is wrapped separately so the tea and curry leaves don't pick up its scent. If you're buying for a whole friendship group, a workplace or a temple committee, contact us with the number of boxes and your delivery postcodes, and we'll confirm stock and dispatch. For more ideas by budget, see our Diwali gift ideas guide.

Diwali gifts in Melbourne: pickup in Truganina

If you're in Melbourne, delivery is usually 1 to 3 business days after dispatch. If you'd rather collect, we offer pickup in Truganina by arrangement. Message us before you order so we can agree a time. That's also the easiest way to grab a few extra pouches of curry leaves for your own snack jars. For state-by-state cut-offs before Sunday 8 November, see Diwali gift ideas and order-by dates.

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Written by Neer Vasa, NutriThrive founder.