Nishas world and baby Alisha

India will be celebrating Diwali in one days time and the city is all geared up for the festival of lights! Every street is dressed up in pretty lanterns and lights, every home is being cleaned and decorated with rangoli, diyas, lamps and candles.

Its a five-day long festival, each day being significant in its own terms which you will understand when you read all the info about this holy festival through the link above.

Am familiar with most of the Diwali customs out of which these three really make me feel good :-)


Rangoli is a traditional and holi ritual, a colorful art which the women decorate on their door steps, and the main purpose on Diwali is to welcome the goddess Lakshmi who is also called the goddess of wealth. She is worshiped with immense devotion, and she in return blesses her devotees with prosperity and wealth.


No festival is incomplete without sweets and traditional delicacies and Diwali too, which is usually celebrated with lighted skies, crackers, sparklers and other fireworks, cant be imagined without sweets, as there is a custom to exchange sweets to the friends and neighbors.

Rockets, christmas trees, sparklers, ground wheel known as charka, diyas and lighed streets etc etc.. they all add to the festivities and sure light up the skies along with excitement and thrill of children, and adults too!

Have a happy and safe Diwali with these do's and dont's tips..


Photo and below content courtesy: Timesofindia

The Do’s:

- Before bursting fire crackers, look for an open space and ensure there are no combustible and inflammatory things around. If so remove them at once

- Always buy fire works from licensed and reliable sellers

- Keep small children away from the bursting area

- Use a sparkler, agarbatti (incense stick) or a long fire wood to light a cracker as they keep you at a safe distance and do not possess a naked flame

- Read the label on the crackers and follow the instructions carefully

- While igniting aerial fire works like rockets ensure that they are not facing any opening like an open window, door or an open building which may cause fire accidents

- Keep fireworks stock away while lighting a particular firework

- Wear footwear while lighting fireworks

- Keep a bucket full of water handy

- Be prepared for emergency

- Organize a community display of fireworks rather than individuals handling crackers

- Keep first aid and buckets of water handy. In the event of fire, extinguish flame by pouring water from the buckets. Every major fire is small when it starts

- Light only one firework at a time, by one person. Others should watch from a safe distance

- In case of burns, pour large quantity of water on the affected area

- In case of major burns, after extinguishing the fire, remove all smouldering clothes. Wrap the victim in a clean bed sheet

- The patient should be taken to a burns specialist or a major hospital. Don’t panic

- In case of eye burns, wash the eye with tap water for 10 minutes and take the victim to a hospital

The Don’ts:

- Do not wear nylon clothes. Prefer cottons while bursting crackers

- Strictly avoid using matches and lighters for bursting crackers as they have open flames that can be dangerous

- Never ignite aerial fireworks (like rockets) if there is any overhead obstruction present like trees and wires

- Never ever leave a lit match, agarbatti (incense stick) or sparkler near unused crackers

- Never experiment with crackers or make your own fire works

- Avoid bursting fire works on roads

- Never ever light a cracker in your hand. See to it that you put it down and ignite it

- Don’t keep your face close to the cracker while trying to light it

- Do not throw fire works at people

- Never give any firework item to small children

- Never try to burst crackers indoors or from inside a vehicle

- Do not have fire works in your pocket while igniting another

- Do not tend to burst crackers when some one else is trying to ignite one

- When crackers take time or do not ignite immediately, do not indulge in trying to burst them. Rush to a safe place immediately. Throw some water to diffuse them

- Never try to light used fireworks

- Do not ignite fireworks in any container

- Do not approach immediately the misfired fireworks

- Do not tamper with misfired fireworks

- Do not wear loose, hanging clothes. Secure all clothes properly

- Do not apply any cream or ointment or oil on burnt area

Here is an update from my post We're waiting for the festival of diwali, and some diwali recipes to enjoy and i'll be posting a few more recipes as promised. I had already posted a kaju barfi recipe which is a great delight to eat.. here are few more for everyone to try out..

Sweet indian traditional recipes

Malpua (pancakes in syrup) in 9 steps!

Ingredients:
2 cups water
3 cups sugar
Saffron strands
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
500 gms flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 can (400gms) sweetened condensed milk
1 litre milk to make rabri
Slivered almonds and pistachios to garnish
Ghee to deep fry malpuas

Method:
1. Mix the milk and 1 cup of sugar in a thick-bottomed pan and cook to reduce it to a fourth of its original volume. Stir frequently or the milk will burn at the bottom of the pan. When the milk has thickned as above, remove it from the fire, allow it cool and then chill in the refrigerator. This is rabri (sweetened thickened milk).
2.In another pan, mix 2 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar and boil. The syrup is ready when you get a single-thread consistency. The way to test this is to stir the syrup with a spoon, lift the spoon out and carefully touch the syrup on it with your index finger. Press your index finger and thumb together and gently pull apart. The sugar will stretch to form a single 'thread'. If this happens the syrup is ready. If not keep boiling and test occasionally till done.
3. When the syrup is ready add the cardamom powder and saffron and mix well. Keep the syrup aside to use later.
4.In a large mixing bowl, blend the condensed milk, flour and baking powder together to form a smooth batter.
5.While you are mixing the batter, heat enough ghee in a deep frying pan to cook the malpuas.
6.When the oil is hot, use a ladle to gently pour the batter into the oil to form circles about 4" in diameter.
7.Cook till golden brown. Remove from the oil and put directly into the sugar syrup.
8.Remove after 2-3 minutes and drain on a wire rack with a plate underneath to catch the dripping syrup.
9.To serve, place 2 malpuas in a plate, spoon rabri over them and garnish with slivered nuts.

Gujia, with khoya(mawa) and dry fruits

Ingredients :
Flour 250 grams
Khoya 500 grams
Raisins a few
Almonds 100 grams (finely chopped)
Cooking oil 3 tablespoon
Water 100 ml
Sugar 250 grams

Method:
Mix the oil and flour properly to form a binding consistency of breadcrumbs.
Add some water and knead entire mixture, lighty.
Make a soft dough and set it aside, covering it with damp.
Fry the khoya in cooking oil till it becomes light brown and then mix the sugar into it carefully.
Add the almonds and raisins, and fry for a few more minutes. Remove from fire and let it cool. Make small thick flat rotis out of that kneaded dough.
Fill half of flattened roti with the khoya mixture and roll it between your palms, sealing the sides of the roti keeping the khoya inside it.
Make the sealing look decorated by a hemming.
Deep-fry these gujias until it becomes light golden brown, keeping the flame at low. Take out the gujias on a newspaper and let the oil get soaked.
Serve hot or store it in an airtight container for using it on specials days like diwali.

Mushrooms in Onion Gravy

Ingredients
200 gm Mushrooms
3 Onions
2 Tomatoes, finely chopped or pureed
3 Green chillies, finely chopped
Coriander leaves
Salt as per taste
Red chili powder as per taste
A pinch of garam masala powder
A pinch of cardamom powder
Oil

Method:
Slice mushrooms, boil them and keep aside. Then make a paste of the onions.
Heat oil in a wok and add the onion paste and cook till the paste turns golden brown.
Add the tomatoes, green chilies, salt and red chilli powder.
Cook the tomatoes till the gravy leaves the sides of the wok and add water if required.
Add the mushrooms and cook for a while.
Season with garam masala powder, cardamom powder and coriander leaves. Serve hot!

Dahi bada, with curd(yogurt)

Ingredients:
For the badas(round shaped balls):
1 Cup Urad daal
Salt to taste
Oil to fry
For the dahi(curd) mixture:
1 kg Dahi(curd)
1/2 tsp grated Ginger
1-2 green chilies chopped
Salt to taste
2 tsp Roasted cumin powder
Red chili powder to taste


Method:
For Badas: Clean, wash and soak the daal overnight.
Grind it into smooth paste.
Add salt to taste.
Heat oil in a pan and drop a spoonfuls of batter and fry till golden brown.
Take the hot vadas and put in cold water for 2-3 minutes.
Now Take them out of water and squeeze the water and keep aside.

Method for Dahi mixture: Blend the curd and little water until it is smooth.
Keep in refrigerator for an hour to get chilled.
Add salt, red chili powder and cumin powder.

Its barely a month we all celebrated the Durga Puja festival and three days to go for Diwali, the festival of lights! I had written about it if you would like to read it.. head over to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth visits us on diwali(the festival of lights). It always gets pretty exciting before a festival nears because it brings with it so much of joy and delight.

Being a non-hindu i get the privilege to celebrate this festival with my sister and her family(married to a hindu). My son and daughter enjoy bursting crackers and eating the puja prasad..

Though shopping and other exciting activities make up the pre-celebrations but the main part of any celebration is feasting and especially in India, almost every hindu/bengali household gets involved into the preparing of delicious traditional sweets and other dishes for their families and guests who would be visiting them. Here are some recipes for Diwali.. Am sure you will enjoy relishing them once your fingers touch them :-)

Kaju barfi

Ingredients
3 cups Cashew powder
2 cups Sugar
0.5-cup Water
Silver foil

Method
Prepare some sugar syrup of almost 2 thread consistency and dissolve the cashew powder in the solution. Keep stirring the solution and once its thickened spread it on a plate. Before the barfi cools and hardens, cover it with the silver foil and cut into into diamond shapes. Your barfis ready, enjoy it with your family and relatives on diwali.

I'll be updating some more tomorrow.. dont forget to hop back here :-)