Photo Credit: mary_gaston22
As most of you know, Diwali, the festival of lights, is upon us. I really love Diwali as a holiday – like Thanksgiving, it seems like a celebration we can all get something out of, regardless of our faiths or lack thereof. Focusing on light in our lives already in our lives, our thanks for the people who have helped us get to our current state of knowledge and happiness, and our wishes for increased light and good in a world is something I think everyone can get behind.
This year, for the first time, Aditya and I are stringing up lights outside the house. We’re a bit behind other people, though – about every fourth house in our new neighborhood has lights up, so we either have a lot of South Asians in the neighborhood or a lot of people who like to get ready for Christmas early! We’ll also be following a particular family tradition when we light our candles; I’ll post about that a little later with pictures.
Tomorrow night we’ll be going to his brother & sister-in-law’s house for a potluck Diwali party. We’re in charge of bringing the appetizers – any suggestions?
Anyone else have fun plans for the rest of the week or over the weekend?
5. November 2010 at 12:01 am
Toover kachoris are a good idea. Similar to samosas but not as common
5. November 2010 at 12:17 am
Diwali is a beautiful festival and I had the pleasure of also being in Singapore and Malaysia a few years back during Diwali. Now being in Hyderabad, we get to enjoy all the lights and (loud) firecrackers. But you are right, it doesn’t have to be a religious holiday and everyone can enjoy it. Although my family (not me) is Muslim we don’t celebrate it, but we definitely enjoy walking around the colonies to see and enjoy all the gorgeous lights!
As for appetizers, samosas with a nice mint chutney is always a crowd pleaser, but you could also make small meat kebabs with a mint and cilantro chutney. (Not sure if your hubby and in-laws are vegetarians), I just started reading your blog. Let me know know if you want the kebab and chutney recipe.
5. November 2010 at 11:50 am
Samosas are pretty labor-intensive. I’d go with something steamed, like khaman or idli. They are quick and easy because they don’t have to be done individually like many Indian dishes.
My sis-in-law (who lives with us) and I are going to surprise my husband tonight by lighting diyas around the house. He doesn’t know we even own any. We also put some lights up outside yesterday but didn’t actually turn them on yet. We don’t actually get to enjoy the decorations much, though, because we’re going to a friend’s house for non-diwali activities this evening.
5. November 2010 at 3:22 pm
My special plan for Diwali/Tihar was to make traditional Nepali sel roti… which I’m HAPPY to announce came out pretty good (http://americanepali.wordpress.com/2010/11/05/sel-roti-success/). We will bring them to a Diwali party at our Indian friend’s place later tonight, and we will light tea light candles around our apartment in the evening. P likes making Lakshmi footsteps with flour paste on Lakshmi puja as well. Bhai Tikka is a pretty big part of the festival for Nepalis which is on Sunday, so we will probably have a special dinner for that too.
So I better go make the big pot of Aloo Ghobi for that party… Happy Diwali to you and all your readers!
5. November 2010 at 5:38 pm
These aren’t Indian, but I’ve really enjoyed these pickles lately & they’re easy to make. They are nice finger food. I used califlower, baby carrots, green onion, jalapenos, & cilantro. You could use just about any veggie.
http://www.justhungry.com/5-day-lemon-honey-mustard-salad-pickles
<3 Sherri, Gori Pagal