It is often said that Diwali is celebrated to enjoy the victory of Lord krishna over Narakasura (the demon god) while some other people believe it was only to welcome home Lord Rama after his 14 year exile. I am simply happy to believe in both these stories because it is such a beautiful day after all and I only feel thankful with every year passing by. A very happy Deepavali/Diwali to you!

So, When I first asked my husband what he thought of a post on Diwali for the blog, he only just said not a bad idea at all. Well, coming from him, this means it is okay’ish and not anywhere near exciting. But, you should know that I am on the opposite pole and I always get excited for things he isn’t. So, I quickly decided to write. Because life is too short to not write about things that we love!!!

And one of the things that I love most about India is besides being associated with big bellied people everywhere, the country in itself is so bellyful of festivals. We are never in short of days to celebrate or let me simply put it as there is almost at least one day in a month which is auspicious and our mothers cook some special food and we all pray together as a family. For me, most of the fun and fond things from childhood days are associated with festivals and the food that are made on the day. For e.g, there will most definitely be one sweet treat, one deep fried snack and more of these. Plus the main meal which would either be rice based or traditional tiffins such as the good ol’ idli sambar or pooris with potatoes and so on. Talking of which, my mother always has a set menu for Diwali mornings. It is steaming hot spongy idlies with vada curry(curry made with lentil dumplings) and poori with potato curry. Since the time I was little, yet old enough to understand festivals, this has been the breakfast I have always had on this day. As silly as it may sound but I do miss having her breakfast every year if I am not visiting home. Here, I make my own version of idlies remembering the lovely old days but somehow it never feels the same or tastes like hers. Golly! Her’s are like sunshine and give life to a rather dark and hazy morning in Madras. And most importantly filled with way too much love. Honestly, I miss it as much as a monkey misses his banana.

And I am yet again leaving you with a very easy recipe for a plain red rice dosa which we had for Diwali morning. This may well look like a paupers version when compared to a mouth watering and a widespread menu at all our homes back in India. Nevertheless, this simple dish has started our day on a rather delicious note!

All you need is :

Equal measures of red rice and idli rice(for one cup of red rice take one cup of idli rice)

1/4th cup of ural dal

A spoon of fenugreek

Salt to taste

Soak the rice and fenugreek seeds for a minimum of two hours. And soak urad dal for a minimum of twenty minutes.

Grind all of it together in any blender/mixie or grinder to a smooth paste of pouring consistency.

Add salt and mix well. Leave the batter to ferment for 7-8 hours or until frothy. Best to leave overnight.

Now make dosas and eat with your favourite side dish. As you can see I served with potato curry and it was a lovely combination. After all, masala dosas are just perfect for anytime of the day!

What do you make for Diwali?
First Image Source : Google