Talented chef Gayethri Selva shares her family's favourite Deepavali recipes

Gaya (left) continues to make all the heirloom Deepavali dishes that she grew up with for her own little family i.e. daughter Aarti (centre) and husband Jotiganesh. — Photos: SAMUEL ONG/The Star

At her restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, the gorgeous Gayethri Selva is carefully putting the finishing touches to a dish that is close to her heart: her signature mutton ghee roast.

“It is the best!” chirps in her precocious, charming little eight-year-old daughter Aarti Laxmi. Gayethri, or Gaya, as she is better known, looks on fondly at her little girl and the two share a conspiratorial smile.