What a Sugar Rush

The air was just,well,different. It was redolent with vapours from large kadhais of gram flour being roasted and doused in ghee to be made into laddoos or moong dal being bhunnoed for halwa. There is something oddly contentment-inducing about inhaling the aromas coming from samosas and shakkar paare being fried. The scents waft around and settle in layers for those few days. Perhaps thats what inspired the festive spirit in us then. Its so easy to lapse into nostalgia and equally important,since the children are now told stories of how Diwali was when we were growing up and how it was the exact opposite of e-Diwali cards,SMSes,marzipan balls,avocado dipped in cointreau and castor sugar and chocolate diyas.

The moment used to be sparked off with cotton wicks being made at our home in Jaipur for clay diyas which were soaked in water first,and dried in rows before oil could be filled in them. Then came the making of the hatri,doli and tesu about a week before. Hatri is a hut with a slanting roof,made by tying correctly measured rods of soft wood at strategic corners with sutli thread. Sheets of coloured paper are stuck on with lai homemade gum made from sweet potato. The structure is decorated with hand-cut paper frills of all colours and finally tinselled with gold and silver. The doli and tesu are similar conical structures,resembling tents,and are decorated in the same way. This was an old tradition passed down to the family from the zamindari days when our ancestors had lived near Delhi now Faridabad. They are used for Lakshmi Puja on Diwali: pictures and brightly painted clay statues of Lakshmi,Ganesh and Hanuman are placed inside and a pujapa of kheele puffed rice,patashe,sugar toys,water chestnuts,custard apple,radish,sweet potato,red berries and sugarcane along with all the pakwaan is put inside as a symbol of worship and devotion. All fruits and vegetables used are seasonal and are harvest-related the feeling of natures bounty should pervade and mingle with the festive spirit. Saras leaves are put at Lakshmis feet as hearsay goes,they protect her from any fear that might plague her.

The highlight of starting the hatri meant Ma making hot shakkarkandi sweet potato ki kheer. Sweet potato,peeled,sliced,steamed and then cooked in milk and sugar,and green cardamom powder sprinkled on to give that one last swing of flavour and aroma. My sister always waited for the kheer but sidled away from contributing to the making of the hatri. Our grandmother told us this story every year: Diwali ke din kaccha khana nahi banta and all the food is cooked without onions and garlic. Kaccha khana meant that no chapattis will be made,only poori and bedwi will be fried. No rice is made either. Shed finish the tale,When all the vegetables and fruits were placed before the Gods for bhog,the onion fell off and rolled away from the thali,so from then onwards,its never been used for cooking food for this festival. My kids always question as to why we dont serve non-veg food and the men ask,Why cant we drink even the Gods used to have som ras?

This reflects how the celebration of this festival has been re-invented. So for our family Diwali dinner,alcohol flows,Rajasthani sulas are served,Laal Maas is part of the main course. In my maternal home,though,Diwali lunch remains strictly traditional. Yam curry,sainda namak ka aloo,gobi ki sabzi,mooli baingan ki sabzi,dahi bada,poori and bedvi form the fixed menu. Yam is cut into cubes,fried and added to a tomato-and-curd-based gravy. Potatoes are flavoured in a simple ghee-clove-tomato gravy,which pairs up with the bedvi,stuffed with urad dal peethi. Dessert is moong dal ka halwa for which split moong dal is first soaked,washed,ground on a sil batta to maintain that coarse granular texture which fills the mouth. The food processor does the job now and a little too finely.

Such a meal has a leadenly soporific effect but there is no time to indulge in sleep the diyas have to be soaked and dried for the evening. The hatri has to be adorned with fresh flower garlands,diyas have to be placed on a bed of kheele which signifies the recent harvest. A variety of dry fruits,including cashew and pistachio,and almond barfis are arrayed on silver platters along with homemade pakwaan which in my fathers childhood was made in huge canisters but are now reduced to being made by a couple of dozens. Pakwaan includes parakari,kutubkhani,besan laddoo,soot ke laddoo,dal samosa,besan ki papdi. Kutubkhani is C-shaped sweetmeat stuffed with desiccated coconut,melon seeds,rock candy,raisins,chironji and green cardamom powder fried and dipped in ek taar ki chashni just to give it a light sugary sheen. The parakari is similar in shape but is filled with semolina and khandsari sugar. Soot ke laddoo are made from pounding namkeen paare in a mortar and pestle,mixed with ghee and castor sugar. Piping hot shakkar paare are a delight which I still savour as memories but dont indulge in anymore.

Its an art to stuff mini samosas with split urad dal that has been soaked,washed,ground and spiked with salt,hing,red chillies,aamchur,clove powder and garam masala. The new fangled version of the stuffing is the use of salt-less moong dal namkeen. Papdi made from a mixture of two parts of gram flour and one part of ground urad dal are fried and stored. They are available in the market now but the taste and crackle of home is lacking in it as also is the smell of childhood excitement at getting so many things to eat. School tiffins for a few days after Diwali were more fun than ever my kids dont carry tiffins anymore.

I wait for a friend to send across her homemade chidva which is fat-free and yet flavourful. A lot has changed and we all know that. Diet-conscious Diwalis are the trend now and the diyas have been replaced by Chinese lights. With baklava and mousse cakes taking over,kaju katlis and dhodha seem to be sliding down popularity charts. What remains and thankfully so is the family being together.

Mita Kapur is the CEO of the literary consultancy Siyahi and author of a food memoir,The F-Word