The name of the festival comes from the Sanskrit word dipavali, meaning row of lights. In India houses, shops, and public places are decorated with small earthenware oil lamps called diyas. These lamps, which are traditionally fuelled by mustard oil, are placed in rows in windows, doors and outside buildings. Oil lamps are often floated across the River Ganges and it is regarded as a good omen if the lamp manages to get to the other side.
The lamps are lit to help the goddess Lakshmi find her way into people's homes. They also celebrate one of the Diwali legends, which tells of the return of Rama and Sita to Rama's kingdom after fourteen years of exile. Hindus will leave the windows and doors of their houses open so that Lakshmi can come in.
Rangoli, patterns in coloured sand, are drawn on the floors. The lotus flower is a popular design because images of Lakshmi traditionally show her either holding a lotus or sitting on one.
This festival is celebrated on a grand scale in almost all the regions of India and is considered mainly as the beginning of a New Year. Like Christmas in the West, Diwali is a time for buying and giving gifts. Traditionally sweets and dried fruit were very common presents, but the festival has now become a chance for serious shopping.
Diwali is a time to celebrate with friends and family so I take this opportunity to wish you a joyful festival spent with your loved ones.
India
If you are about to go off to India then buy this book. Buy this book and read the first 80 or so pages before you pack, and then dip into relevant chapters by destination. You will be glad you did.
Why read the first 80 pages first? Well, it’s not just because they are at the beginning but because they cover important issues like packing (that’s why I said, to read this before packing), water purification, hazards of road travel and money matters (yes, it does!)
The back of the book is also, in my opinion, a “must read sooner rather than later”, it being Background and Language. The Background chapter covers history, culture, religion and geography. Language covers, well, language! It makes a good impression if you can say “thank you” in Hindi.
This is such a comprehensive book and it covers every place you would want to go and a few that you wouldn’t. Let’s look at one area and marvel at the thoroughness of this volume. Stick a pin in the map, dear reader, and I’ll tell you what the guide says about that location...
Kerala, nice choice! Pages 887 to 959. We start with a map of the subcontinent and Kerala highlighted, a list of contents for this chapter and the special Footprint Features which include items like Don’t Miss, Kerala’s Social Underbelly, Body Language, The Backwaters, and The Modern Mass Pilgrimage. Other regions have appropriate Footprint Features, one of the many elements that put these guides ahead of the others.
The smallest of towns is listed and there is advice on travel, sights, places to stay (prices indicated), eating (don’t eat the buffet), shopping and tours. I don’t think anything has been left to chance. Every detail has been well researched. In Munnar, for instance, you can visit the Tata Tea Museum, or how about the Elephant Yard in Guruvayur?
The maps are first class and there are lots of them, from regional maps to city street maps. The transport information is the best I have come across in this type of guidebook and the detail is amazing, giving bus routes and frequency, motorcycle hire websites and addresses, rickshaw and taxi rates and train information. The Footprint Guides are designed with the independent traveller in mind, and they don’t assume that you are loaded with cash.
Each area has its own Directory, a comprehensive list of handy addresses....like a chemist. All guides tell you where to post a letter (your mum will be lucky if she gets a postcard), but you need to know where to go if you get sick or, more important, if you need to check your email! It’s all in this guide.
This is your “Big Trip” and you want to get as much out of it as possible. You only want to carry one book so let this be the one.
India
Authors: Annie Dare and David Stott
Published by: Footprint
Price: £14.99
ISBN 978 1 906098 05 6
The Indian Kitchen
The Indian Kitchen by Monisha Bharadwaj is, for me at
least, a must-have Indian cookbook. To call it just a “cookbook”
somehow diminishes its value. It’s a lush, rich encyclopaedia of
ingredients common to kitchens on the subcontinent.I am a fairly well practised preparer of Indian food but there were even a few surprises for me. I began by just flicking through the pages and have finished by reading it from cover to cover in almost one sitting. It’s a book that is difficult to put down once opened.
The introduction is poetic: “...the kitchen can be the most fascinating room in an Indian home. Here, iridescent spices sparkle alongside huge boxes of Himalayan snow-washed rice, earthy lentils accentuate plump, dry fruits and rich, musky nuts sit next to jars of pearly sago and subja seeds.” You will love this book even if you had never tasted curry and didn’t intend to!
Each ingredient is listed by type. We start with From the Spice Box and continue to From the Grinding Stone and there are several other chapters all with equally evocative names.
The individual spices, seeds, nuts, grains etc. each have a general description and have paragraphs called Appearance and Taste, Buying and Storing, Culinary Uses, and then the recipes. Some items even have Medical Uses which will be of particular interest to anyone who prefers the natural approach to health care.
The photography is wonderful and the recipes are clear. It’s written in such a way as to hold your hand and give a bit of confidence, not only to the inexperienced cook but also to those of us with a few Biryanis under our belts who are trying something different.
Take an ordinary ingredient like an onion. Well, it’s several different types of fresh onions and powdered and flaked onions. There is a paragraph on how it grows, lots of lovely photographs and a couple of recipes. Onion Bhaji is a popular starter in Indian restaurants but they are easy to make at home and this recipe is particularly interesting as it has a different seasoning from my usual recipe. I am sure Monisha’s is an authentic version and my mouth is already watering at the prospect.
Indian bean dishes are comforting and delicious but seldom seen at the local “Calcutta Curry House”. Lobhia Ki Subzi (Spicy Black-eyed Beans) is gorgeous and I would have mine with some Indian bread. It’s simple to make and only has 3 tablespoons of oil for a dish for four people.
I can’t praise this book highly enough. I could say more but the best idea would be to go and buy a copy. Don’t even think of asking if you can borrow mine!
The Indian Kitchen
Author: Monisha Bharadwaj www.cookingwithmonisha.com
Published by: Kyle Cathie
Price: £14.99
ISBN 978-1-85626-659-8
Fish Indian Style
Chef and restaurateur Atul Kochhar is one of the better known Asian faces on food TV in the UK. His restaurant, Benares, holds a Michelin star and he has recently opened another two restaurants. I think we can safely conclude that Atul understands food.
Although a fish eater, I must admit that it is, more often than not, bland. Chefs will try and persuade you that the lack of taste should be considered as “delicate”. But many of us prefer more robust flavours that if well chosen can enhance fish, and Atul has chosen well.
Fish Indian Style offers over one hundred superb and unique recipes for all kinds of fish and seafood. Most of the dishes have several alternatives to suit the seasons. Trout might be substituted for salmon, sea bass or sea bream. Atul has recipes for every occasion and for every taste.
Fish isn’t cheap so it’s good to be able to be flexible. There are all kinds of fish, from the pricey for when you feel like pushing the (fishing) boat out, to cheaper choices like mackerel which is so often overlooked. Lobster might be beyond you at the end of the month but you could substitute prawns.
Indian food is a great love of mine and these recipes don’t disappoint. The food of the subcontinent isn’t always fiery hot but is often aromatic and subtle. Atul’s ingredients marry well to produce delicious dishes that are both exotic and simple. The spices are not expensive and you’ll probably already have them to hand.
There are quite a few recipes here that I would consider outstanding. Chilli-fried potted shrimps, which is a rework of a British classic, and Crayfish Samosas, which is a new take on an Indian classic. They are both simple recipes but produce lovely results for starters or even an Anglo-Indian brunch or supper buffet. Konkani Fish Curry in a Spicy Coconut Sauce is perhaps one of my (many) favourites. Its combinations of spices and coconut typify the flavours of Indian cuisine, and this is a traditional recipe.
Fish Indian Style will be well received by those of us who want to do more with fish. It’s an exceptional book with inspiring ideas that will encourage you to experiment...and probably to eat more fish!
Fish Indian Style
Author: Atul Kochhar
Published by: Absolute Press
Price: £20.00
ISBN 9781904573838