Description
Mid-October is the start of the festival season in India. It starts with Navratri (nine days of music and dancing in praise of various gods and goddesses) and culminates into Diwali, a festival of lights. It is the start of Hindu New Year and signifies the triumph of good over evil, thus a cause for great celebration. The festival season ends with Christmas and the New Year is welcomed with great panache. No celebration is complete without special foods. There are dishes that are prepared especially for these festive times. There is a lot of rolling and deep-frying and women work as a team to prepare the foods, shine the silver, and put out their best linen. This class will attempt to re-create the festival foods from various regions of India. We will make Payasam (Thin Vermicelli cooked with Milk, nuts and cardamom into a pudding like consistency), samosa (spiced potatoes and peas filled in a pastry shell and deep-fried), served with date chutney (sweet and sour dipping sauce), Chhole (a highly spiced chickpea curry, stewed with onion, tomato, garlic and ginger), Carrot rice laced with ghee and a hint of brown sugar, and Poori (deep fried puffy bread of whole wheat flour).
Please note: There is a $20 food fee is payable to the instructor at the class. Portions of class may be filmed for LexMedia.
Shruti Mehta has been teaching Indian cooking to aficionados for over 25 years. She also conducts private classes upon request.
