Diwali Celebrations

A few weeks ago I had an afternoon soirée to honor the celebration of Diwali. Diwali is a holiday celebrated throughout parts of India for a period of five days.
Some of the details in the celebrations are the lighting of candles and oil lamps throughout the house, and of course, food. Glorious sweet and savory treats are to be shared and enjoyed together and throughout the days of celebration.

Here is the menu, and of course all made from scratch.

=Samosas
=Baingan Bharta (eggplant)

=Chapatis (flatbread)

=Palak Paneer (spinach and cheese)
=Cucumber Raita (yogurt with chopped cucumber and lime juice)
=Butter Chicken

=Dahl Makhani (black lentils with kidney beans)
=Goat Biryiani (goat meat with spiced rice)=Carrot Halwa (sweet milk and carrot pudding)
=Badam Phirni (sweet almond pudding)

Everything turned out absolutely delicious.
In addition to my significant other's immense contributions and his family's recipes, I have to give credit to Sanjay Thumma. His website www.vahrehvah.com really helped out with all of the preparations for this feast. Not only does his website have great recipes, but it also has wonderful videos demonstrating techniques. In addition to his website he has a separate blog. (He also seems very nice and in one of the videos I watched, his food actually brought tears to his eyes. Beautiful!)

We started the meal with a tea tasting of Three Chrysanthemum Blossoming Tea from the Red Blossom Tea Company in San Francisco.

I acquired the tea my last trip to the city, and was delighted to indulge in a tea tasting at their store in China Town.

The tea was a perfect start to our sumptuous feast and celebration. The buds opened up completely unleashing their sweet honeysuckle flavor.


We had the Samosas next, and I have to say for the first attempt at making these bundles of spicy potatoes and peas - they were crisp, and magnificent.


With the main courses, we sipped on Mango Lassis (yogurt and mango puree with a hint of sweetness, and just a bit of water to thin out the consistency) with shot glasses filled with chilled vodka and Lemons for a squeeze. The Lassi by itself was a delightful complement to the savory dishes, but with the vodka it gave that extra little citrus boost.


We spent all afternoon and evening reveling in the fabulous dishes we created as we discussed the significance and relevance of the celebrations we were acknowledging. There is nothing like enjoying food and friendship surrounded by candlelight and amazing aromas.

Creamy Roasted Squash and Saffron Soup

I absolutely love fall squash. Soups, tarts, pies, pasta you name it.
Being the season for the squash, I acquired both Butternut and Acorn Squash at the market the other day and I couldn't resist. This soup is so easily prepared. I could have added many varieties of root vegetables but I decided to keep it simple with just the Acorn and Butternut squash, and carrots.
Here we have the Creamy Roasted Squash and Saffron Soup:

1 med sized Butternut squash
1 med Acorn Squash
4 carrots chopped
1 med onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
1/4 stick butter
7 strands saffron
2 bay leaves
8 oz heavy cream
2-3 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
3 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Chop both squash, carrots, and garlic. Scoop out seeds from the squash and place on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, and bake in 425 degree oven until toasty and golden.
Place veggies on a baking sheet and dress with 3 pads of butter and sprinkle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until all vegetables are tender.

Sautee chopped onion in 3 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp olive oil until lightly golden. Add chopped garlic and sautee for one minute. Add veggies and stir to mix. Pour in stock to almost cover veggies. Add Bay leaves and Saffron. Simmer for at least 20-30 minutes. With an immersion blender blend soup till desired consistently. ( I left mine just a bit chunky, but mostly smooth)
Pour in cream and simmer for another 10-15 minutes.
Serve with toasted seeds as garnish.