The South Asian Festival of lights, “Diwali,” is celebrated at this time. It is one of the biggest celebrations in India and is seen as the beginning of the new calendar or financial year in some parts. Diwali is traditionally celebrated for five days with each day having a specific myth and belief.
I love Indian food and South Indian food in particular. One of my favorite South Indian foods is Sambar. This is a delicious soup or stew that is served with Indian crepes called dosas, vadas (lentil “doughnuts”) or rice.
Pakistan is in need of our assistance – financial and non-financial. Having financially donated to the UN, I am now trying to help non-financially through projects to raise awareness and prompt more aid.
I love to improvise and play around with Indian cooking. To me, spices are like paints for an artist. Therefore, cooking is more of an art rather than a science. I like to use what I think would taste good. I often replicate a method rather than using a specific recipe. Substitutions are a rule rather than exception in my kitchen. In this case, I made my version of potatoes and tofu, Indian style.
In Hindu mythology, Ganesha, Lord of Overcoming Obstacles, is the god with the elephant head and human-like body. He is the son of Shiva and Parvati. Ganesha is wise and jovial, often impulsive and sometimes careless, but always filling the world around him with laughter and joy. He loves to dance, eat sweets and he rides a tiny mouse, Mushika.
I had two heads of cauliflower to use up from my organic produce delivery and a lot of red potatoes. So the first thing I thought of for the two ingredients was alloo gobi. Sometimes, I add tofu, but this time I didn’t, since I was also making masoor dal, which would suffice for protein.
Masoor dal (red lentils/Egyptian lentils) cooks easily and is tasty. It can also be substituted by mung dal. This is an easy recipe that is sure to please. Although oil or ghee can be used, the ghee adds a richer flavor.
PRAAG is Denver’s first South Asian rock band. The band was formed two years ago in Denver with music enthusiasts around the city with South Asian origin.
I’ve been busy lately and felt like eating some Indian food and also felt the need for some comfort food. I also wanted to use up some leftovers at the same time. I had some leftover rice and some cooked potatoes that were a recent breakfast side dish. I decided to make some improvised Indian fried rice.
Recently, I worked out to “Masala Bhangra” on Fit TV. The Indian folk dance work-out routine was created by Sarina Jain, combining Bhangra and Bollywood moves. It is a good cardiovascular work-out, allowing one to lose weight easily while having fun. Sarina is considered to be the “Jane Fonda of India.”