Celebrate Diwali: The Festival of Light

This year, Diwali (or Deepavali) falls on October 24.  Traditionally, Diwali commences on the darkest night of the Kartik month as per the Hindu lunar calendar, and the celebration lasts five days in total. 

Diwali is one of the most symbolic Hindu events of the year, celebrated by millions of people the world over. It’s a festival of light, signifying the victory of good over evil and a time to eradicate dark shadows and negativity from our lives. The festival also symbolises the illumination of our inner selves resulting in positivity and clarity which in itself, sounds like something worth celebrating.? 

Of course, as with any good festival, there is the food. Diwali is a vibrant and colourful celebration in which food plays a major role. Traditional sweets, flavoured with fragrant sweet spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, cloves or nutmeg, are prepared ten days prior to the festival to be shared with loved ones, along with savoury spiced snacks to be enjoyed throughout the five day celebration. If you feel like getting in on the delicious action, here’s where to go. 

Doolally, South Richmond Street, Dublin 2. 

Executive head chef at Doolally, Shloke Chhabra has curated a special Diwali menu to mark the festivities. According to Shloke, “food is at the very heart of the festivities. With my family, we traditionally gather together for prayer, followed by a grand feast, and then go outside to light up the sky with crackers”.  The festive menu at Doolally includes the sublime sounding ‘palak chilgoz ki tikki’, spinach and toasted pine nut cakes, the recipe for which he has kindly provided below for those who prefer to celebrate at home. The festive menu at Doolally runs from Saturday 22nd October until Monday 24th. www.doolally.ie   @doolallydublin

Taza, Artane and Raheny, Dublin 5

A relative newcomer, Taza (meaning ‘fresh’ in Urdu) has just recently opened a second restaurant in Raheny, much to the delight of its many admirers. The ‘Molly Malone masala’ with cockles, mussels, salmon and sweet tomatoes, coconut milk and fresh dill sounds intriguing. The chargrilled, papaya tenderised chuck steak on the bone marinated in garlic, ginger and spices, sounds quite fantastic also.  www.taza.ie   @tazarestaurant

Ingredients 

1kg fresh spinach 

50g pine nuts  

100g gram flour/chickpea flour  

200g cream cheese 

20g salt (to taste) 

50g coriander leaves 

20g ginger  

30g garlic  

10g garam masala  

10g cumin powder  

10g green chilli  

100g toasted oats  

100ml sunflower oil  

Method 

Spinach Puree: 

1. Blanch the spinach in boiling water for 20 seconds. Strain and refresh in ice cold water. 

2. Once cool, squeeze out excess water and blend to a paste. 

3. Strain the puree and set aside. 

Pine Nuts and Cream Cheese Filling: 

1. Toast pine-nuts in pan on medium flame and allow it to cool. Once cooled, crush and set aside. 

2. In a bowl, add cream cheese, toasted pine nuts, 5gm cumin powder, coriander roots finely chopped, chopped green chilli and mix well. 

Assembly 

1. Heat oil in a pan, add chopped ginger and garlic. Once golden brown, add the gram flour and cook until thickened and golden brown. 

2. Add the spinach puree and cook further, add salt, cumin powder and garam masala. Once it reaches a doughy consistency, remove from heat and set aside to cool. Note: Keep stirring on medium flame or else it will burn at the bottom of the pan. 

3. Once cold, portion individual balls of 30gm each and roll like a dough ball. Open the centre using your thumb and add in the cream cheese filling. 

To Finish 

1. Once all cakes are prepared, flatten slightly, making sure the cream cheese doesn’t escape. 

2. Coat each patty with oats then pan sear at medium high heat until golden brown on both sides. Serve with mint or tamarind chutney.? 

@chef.shloke