Diwali or also best known as Deepavali is just around the corner!
Deepavali, the “festival of lights” (Deep = Lamp, Vali = Array) celebrating the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, hope over despair and knowledge over ignorance. It’s by far the most spiritual and important festival for Hindu.
That’s the best thing about being a Malaysian. We celebrate Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Christmas, and many more, all enthusiastically enjoyed by people of every culture and religion. Food and decorations are the two main things I always looked forward to, among all aspects of the various festivals.
Before we pamper our taste buds with the best and favourite Deepavali cuisine, first, let us feast our eyes on the traditional vibrant kolam decorations found at Malaysia’s major shopping malls.
Best 5 Deepavali Food You Shouldn’t Miss
As we know, food or cuisine is probably the most important part of any festival celebrations, and what better way can one celebrate but by enjoying rich and colorful occasions with special tasty dishes. Herewith are my own best 5 favorite Deepavali food which I think you shouldn’t miss this Deepavali:
1. Mutton Curry with Tosai (Dosa)
Dipping Tosai into rich Mutton Curry, it is sure to give your taste buds a kick! This is my all-time favorite and I will never miss it for anything whenever I visit my Indian neighbour’s and friends’ house. Tosai is a fermented crepe made from rice batter and black lentils. The crispy and savory Tosai is fairly simple to make at home.
The lovely aroma of Indian Mutton Curry makes me hungry! Preparing mutton curry the authentic Indian way is the best. The curries would be finger licking, rich and delicious. To me, the curry goes perfectly with Tosai, while for others, rice suffice.
2. Vege Biryani
Another Deepavali main course that fall under my eat-list would be Vege Biryani. The traditional Mughlai main course item loaded with chopped vegetables, spices, saffron and dry fruits make this dish simply irresistible. Guess what? My neighbour told me that the biryani have to be cooked with plenty of love and care to bring out the tastiness, happiness and satisfaction that come with it.
3. Pakora (Pakoda)
Pakora, also known as Pakoda in Malaysia, is a classic Indian appetiser that no one can resist. It’s a fried and crisp snack made with different veggies coated in gram flour, and it is best paired with a cup of hot spicy Indian Chai. Leave a plate in front of me and soon you will be wondering where the pakoras have gone to.
4. Murruku (Chakli)
Murruku (also known as Chakli), is a Tamilian word that means “twisted”. They are fried spiral shaped savoury snack made with rice and chickpea flour, cumin, sesame and carom seeds! It has several variations, depending on the types and proportion of flours used. I particularly like the taste that the carom seeds give to them and the fact that even though they are deep fried, they are not oily at all!
5. Sev
Sev, another savory crispy snack made from chickpea flour paste, which is seasoned with turmeric, cracked black pepper, or ajwain seeds by choice. These noodle-like Sev are so tasty and my favorite way to serve Sev is with drizzled chili sauce. To make Sev you do need to use a sev maker, which is a small gadget used for making noodles.
A Touch of Sweets …
Celebrating Deepavali is never complete without a touch of sweets, there’s a long list of delicious and yummy desserts such as barfi, gulab jamun, kaju katli, coconut ladoo, halwa varities, kesari varieties, kheer….. which will certainly get yourself going gaga over it.
On behalf of Pamper.My, we wish all our readers a Happy and Joyous Deepavali festival, with abundance in health, wealth and happiness.
Happy Deepavali 🙂 !
– main image: cravecookclick.com
