We all look forward to the coming festivals and auspicious occasions, we mark them in our calendars, start counting days, and the mere thought of it gives us a slight adrenaline rush and put all our “smile muscles” in action.
I reckon that the most exciting and important of any celebration is food. It’s the time when our mothers and grandmothers sit down and literally argue on the dishes to be put on the menu with constant unattended request from our grandfathers.
Once the dishes are decided comes the time when the list of ingredients is prepared, all efforts are made to check its quality and quantity..
Ingredients like saffron, cardamom, rose water and cashews play a special part on these occasions and make the dishes rich and heavy.
Some of my favourite dishes I expect on the dining table are yellow sweet rice with the rich aroma of cardamom and clove, potatoes with a thick tomato curry and cumin, curd with pineapple and pomegranate floating like red jewels and not to forget the refreshing ripe mango drink with lemon and fresh mint if it’s a hot summer day.
You just cannot ignore sweets on these occasions, ladoos, coconut barfis or simply some toasted dry fruits tossed in caster sugar.
With Diwali and durga puja coming around in less than 2 months, I am sure all of us have already dreamt of such a day, a day of utmost joy, bringing together our families and most importantly a day I can claim to have helped my mother in the kitchen only in the hope to escape it for the rest of the year.
The kitchen is always busy, the fridge is not a disappointment anymore and the cabinets are filled with treasures .You end up gaining “some” extra few pounds but it is totally worth it.
Any occasion small or big tickles our taste buds, excites our gastric juices and make it a grand affair!
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