The Festival of Delectable Bites

Knowing that Deepavali is just around the corner fills us with a pleasant anticipation of brightly-coloured traditional dresses, oil lamps, decorative kolams or rangolis, and the gift of a home-cooked Indian feast. We look forward to getting up early on Deepavali morning to visit close Indian friends and colleagues who would be waiting to welcome us with a spread of mouth-watering delicacies, deftly prepared by their smiling elders who are delighted to see the house so full of people.

Fresh thosai is brought out right off the griddle onto your plate, and to go with it there would be mutton curry, dry chicken curry, coconut chutney, dhal (also called sambar), and a sweet dish to close off the meal which would normally be payasam – rice or vermicelli cooked in sweetened milk and garnished with fruits and nuts.

With the amount of guests present, it is customary to clear the dinner table area as soon as possible and find a cosy spot for the catch-ups and jokes to continue. Does this mean that our chance of having more food is over? You bet your muruku it isn’t – traditional snacks like omapodi (crispy chickpea-flour snacks), muruku, and a smattering of others are always within comfortable reach along with an array of Indian sweets.

It’s quite apparent that food, like all of our Malaysian festivities, lies at the heart of the celebrations during the Festival of Lights. This is why we’ve decided to feature some of our favourite Indian dishes with links to recipes that’ll help you recreate a Deepavali experience anytime you desire!