On September 25, the Hindu Temple Society of the Capital District hosted a Glimpses of India festival at the Empire State Plaza. The event was a fund raiser for a Cultural Center that will "provide a place to preserve and enhance our rich spiritual and cultural heritage." I learned a lot about Indian holiday festivals, and the food, dances and ceremonies that were traditions for each. The main holiday in November is Deepavali or Diwali, the Festival of Lights. During this 11-day period there are lamps lit to "show the victory of the light over the darkness."

India has the highest number of people in the world that maintain a vegetarian diet. The Hindu religion’s concept of "ahingra" is the principle of not taking life, which is applied by many who do not eat meat or fish. The Vedhic scriptures prescribe vegetarianism as an ethical way to conduct ones life. The Man-Samhita, an ancient Indian code of law, says "meat can never be obtained without injury to living creatures, and injury to sentient beings is detrimental to the attainment of heavenly bliss."

An Indian vegetarian meal consists of many small portions of different dishes rather then a main entrée. In cooking, a large number of different spices are used lightly. When eating, water is served as the only beverage. Dal is the main meat substitute, called the "poor man’s meat." It is a paste, sold often in cake form, of ground legumes such as chick peas or black eyed peas.

The Bengali (a province of India) style of dining balances nutrition with many colors, flavors and textures. The meal is arranged around a mound of rice placed in the center of a thala, which is a large decorated circular tray. Accompanying dishes are placed around the platter in small bowls (called baatis) so the sauces don’t run together. In addition to the curries, the full baatis contain chopped roasted peanuts, tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, bananas, grated fresh coconut, radishes, carrots, sliced onions, peeled tangerines and chopped bell peppers.

References

Curried Green Split Peas (Matar Kidal)

This uses badis, a dal (legume) paste, and curry. Garam masala is an often-used spice mixture of cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.

Boil pumpkin, set aside. Boil split peas, set aside. Heat oil and fry badis, set aside.

Fry together onions, garlic and all spices. Pour in 1/2 cup water and soak 5 minutes. Add pumpkin and 1 cup water — bring to boil. Add salt, fried badis and mangos. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes over medium heat. Pour Bagher over and serve.

Sour Mango Chutney

Peel and seed mangos, cut into 1/2-inch pieces. In blender or food processor pureé mangos. Mix together with spices — if too tart, add more brown sugar to taste. Use as an accompaniment to vegetable and rice dishes.

Spinach & Yogurt Salad (Palak Raita)