Singh - Vivek Singhs Indian Festival Feasts

Indian villagers celebrate Holi at the Nandji Temple. (Manan Vatsyayana/AFP/Getty)

Introduction

Growing up in India in the 1970s, my memories are of food being the centre of every event. With India being a country that is full of diversity, be it a religious festival, a family occasion, a birthday of a friend or wedding of an acquaintance, each of these meant being surrounded by lots of people.

Indias festivals are as diverse as the countrys landscapes and as lively as its people, bringing together a blend of cultures, religions and understanding for people to celebrate. Celebrations often have long, drawn-out preparation, with weeks and months of planning; I recall women, especially of my mothers and grandmothers generations, getting together in each others kitchens to prepare the ever-important Diwali snacks. And with many days of preparation would come several days of recovery, post-festival.

Looking back at those events, and in writing this book, I cant help but notice that food was an expression of the sentiment, the emotion that people would feel for the particular event. Indian food is as diverse as India, so the kind of food that would be served would vary from festival to festival, family to family, region to region. Nevertheless, food is at the heart of these celebrations, regardless of numerous cultures and religious nuances. Often, food was traditionally incorporated into the festival as an offering to a deity, and then communities or families would gather to share in a feast, so indeed one may say that these festivals are incomplete without food. It is often said we eat to live, but here, more than anywhere, it seems like we live to eat! Somehow, almost miraculously, the food element of festivals and celebrations would evoke similar emotions of happiness and joy, and bring friends and family together in a way that would be unique to that occasion.

This collection is an effort to pick out some of the most favoured celebrations from my childhood memories. Weaving through the calendar, I dip in and out of festivals (trust me, India has more festivals and celebrations than there are days in the year!): from al fresco picnics on Makar Sankranti in my fathers colliery town to Saraswati Puja (the veneration for the Goddess of Knowledge) in the middle of January, or from vibrant Holi, Easter, community weddings or Dussehra all the way through to Diwali or Christmas. The festivals included here are just a beginning; its probably true to suggest that if an Indian were to engage in all celebrations, they would have no time left for anything else in life.

Each of the occasions included here is marked by the unique kind of food that is prepared and served at the event. With some of these dishes only being eaten once a year during the festival, the preparation and presentation tell a story of celebration in India; a combination of colours, energy, music, communities and, of course, flavours and styles of cooking.

Fast forwarding from the celebrations of my childhood, todays modern society has become even more of a cultural melting pot; there is now so much interest, understanding and interaction between various communities. As a result, in India, the festivals and the feasts are more and more being shared beyond the initial boundaries of the festival, with neighbours of different religions being invited to share the celebrations. And even beyond India, festivals such as Holi and Diwali have become increasingly familiar in London and across the world; celebrated with immense fervour amongst people of all backgrounds, extending much further than just the people of the festivals ethnic origins. Indeed, at The Cinnamon Kitchen in central London we host Play Holi in the City and invite Londoners to join our celebrations with paints and Holi-themed cocktails and canaps its a joy to be part of it.

This book shares a collection of recipes for the kind of food that is enjoyed at festivals and celebrations in India, combined with regional nuances and religious differences in the subcontinent. These carefully chosen recipes, in their own unique way, paint a festive picture, and a sense of sharing and being together, through their vibrant colours, special ingredients, big feasting platters and unique flavours. For example, in the Holi section you can expect to find samosas and chaats of various combinations, alongside cool lentil dumplings in yoghurt dressing. Other recipes like malpuas and thandhai will just finish off the meal... If youre looking for ideas for a wedding meal, skip to my collection of Bengali wedding dishes for ideas, including a rich and creamy prawn curry redolent with cardamom, sweet spiced slow-cooked mutton curry and a punchy fish curry with mustard. The community pot of biryani and