Delicious Diwali

Mridula Baljekar (Spotlight 10/2009, PDF), says that the food eaten during the five-day Indian "festival of lights" is really quite simple. "You're not supposed to eat any meat, fish, eggs or poultry during Diwali. It has to be totally vegetarian food." That, of course, is quite different from conventional Indian cuisine, such as the fabulous braised chicken korma that she shows us how to cook on YouTube:

Now, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains are traditionally vegetarian. Their diet is not only delicious; it is far more environmentally friendly than a meat-based one. But most importantly, perhaps, it is very nutritious, combining greens and proteins with the benefits of the spices of Asia. During Diwali, the health aspect is not quite as important, and sweet pastries play the biggest role, much like sweets do around Christmas in the West.

Indian recipes for epicures are available throughout the Anglosphere. A fascinating site to explore for authentic Pakistani Indian cooking is KhanaPakana.com. Or watch "Indian Food Made Easy" by Times Online cook Anjum Anand. Before you try these recipes, though, you'll need some vocabulary, so do our quiz about the basic spices, ingredients and techniques of Indian cooking on the next page.

Anne Hodgson