You can show your children how to vary the dessert by preparing and serving a pudding that your children can make using banans, chili powder, saffron, and black pepper along with other fruits such as mangoes or berries. The idea is teaching nutrition by introducing children to variety in cooking and how to use spices in desserts instead of the same old chocolate, vanilla, or butterscotch pudding. The purpose is to teach the variety of tastes when dessert combines the taste of chili powder with bananas and black pepper or saffron and turmeric in a spicy, sweet and savory mix of fruit and spices.
There's an Indian spice store near my home where I can find out what spices to use to make Tikka Masala sauce, a creamy sauce with a tomato base that I can put over other foods....So I'm wishing all Hindus a happy Diwali. For some reason the lucky charm a lady from India once gave me has continued to bring joy, and I do enjoy Indian foods and spices. So Happy Diwali everyone. Each part of the world has his or her own festival of lights. It's time to light a lamp and walk out of the darkness.
You don't have to be Indian or Hindu to eat Indian food on October 26, 2011, because that day is the start of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights and also a good time to cook Indian food or buy frozen Indian-style food.
There's a recipe for a main meal and a dessert for Diwali. So you can try cooking it yourself and enjoy the cuisine of India that you can make at home, such as desserts of fruit, chili, and saffron or turmeric-infused basmati rice, or lamb vindaloo. When you cook Indian food at home, you can put in as much or as little spices as you want to your own taste.
The Tandoor Chef has provided Indian recipes so everybody can celebrate Diwali with Indian-style food and cook it at home. October 26, 2011 starts the Hindu festival of lights. This is a great opportunity for the Sacramento community to learn more about Indian culture and get involved by supporting the Deepkiran Foundation, which helps to educate and care for impoverished children in remote villages of India.
With each new Facebook fan, Tandoor Chef – Restaurant Quality, Authentic Indian Cuisine, the leader in all natural Indian frozen cuisine, is donating $1 to the foundation so the foundation want to spread the word. With each new Facebook fan, Tandoor Chef will donate $1 to the Deepkiran foundation. See the Tandoor chef Facebook site.
Everybody is encouraged to visit TandoorChef.com, Facebook.com/TandoorChef and Twitter.com/TandoorChef to learn more about how they can participate in this year’s Festival of Lights. Diwali is marked by five days of celebration. Each one has it’s own story, meaning and traditions:
The Days of Diwali
Day 1: Happy Dhan Teras
The first day of Diwali celebrates Lord Rama’s return from exile after defeating evil and restoring goodness and virtue. On Dhan Teras (day one), many prepare and shop for items symbolic of the week’s festivities. These include new clothes for the dawning year, candies for gifts and fireworks to scare away darkness and evil.
Day 2: Happy Naraka Chaturdas
This day pays homage to Lord Vishnu and his triumph over the demon Narakasura. Many celebrate this day by bathing before dawn or dusk, donning new clothes and lighting only a few candles or fireworks.
Day 3: Diwali
This is India’s New Year’s Eve and the center of the week’s festivities and celebrations. This day is also known as Lakshmi Puja (after the Goddess of Light and Prosperity). Many celebrate by cleaning their home, praying and lighting their homes and streets with every candle, lantern and firecracker available. It’s a time to welcome a new year with the hope of coming wealth, goodness and light -- which is why Diwali is known as the Festival of Lights.
Day 4: Happy Annakut
Annakut is a day for remembering Krishna’s defeat of evil and the protection of shepherds through lively and brightly colored decorations and feasts. This day is for giving thanks and looking forward to the promise of eating well throughout the new year.
Day 5: Happy Bhayiduj
This is a powerful day for many Indian siblings. Indian legend says brother and sister gods, Yama and Yami, visited each other to strengthen their familial bond, feast, exchange tokens of affection and make promises of care and protection. Many siblings follow these steps with each other on the final day of Diwali.
A Feast for Annakut
You can celebrate Annakut with a traditional Indian feast of your own. Here is a three-course meal you can enjoy with loved ones to mark the special occasion:
Appetizer: Tandoor Chef Palak Paneer Samosa, which is creamy, spiced spinach and paneer cheese cooked in traditional style; stuffed into crispy pockets.
Main Course: Lamb Vindaloo with turmeric-infused basmati rice is a traditional Indian meal to enjoy throughout any Diwali celebration. Enjoy the succulent lamb marinated and simmered in a rich, traditionally-spicy sauce; served with turmeric-infused basmati rice.
Dessert: Fruit Kheer (Fruit Pudding)
Ingredients:
2 large Bananas (peeled and thinly sliced)
2 large santras (peeled into segments with pipe removed) A santra is an orange.
1/2 tsp saffron strands
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp salt
2(140 ml) cartons curd (plain yogurt)
Directions:
Mix the sugar, pepper, chili powder, salt and curd together. Then, add the bananas and santras and mix together for 2 minutes. Dissolve the saffron in a tsp of water and sprinkle it over the dish before serving.
For more information on the Tandoor Chef, please contact: Lesley Waldsmith, RMD Advertising at Waldsmith@RMDAdvertising.com.
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