By Lyn Potter
Last weekend Aucklanders were at Aotea Square in their thousands to celebrate Diwali.
I was there and had a great day; the sun was out, the atmosphere relaxed and the entertainment non-stop.
On the stage outside magicians performed, a dance troupe from the desert state of Rajasthan whirled in their colourful costumes and youngsters took their chances in a Bollywood competition.
People were lining up to have their hands painted with henna patterns, buying Indian clothing, jewelry and crafty presents, joining a lantern making workshop or simply meandering around people-watching.
The brightly coloured saris and shalwar kameez worn by some of the Indian ladies were a feast for the eyes.
One of the best parts of the Diwali festival is the food stalls; a great way to have a taste of traditional Indian foods.
People of all ages and nationalities queued up to buy their share and then found themselves a small patch of grass, perched on the concrete steps or just stood eating food out of paper bags, or from disposable plates. It was one huge urban picnic.
In India, Diwali – the Festival of Lights – is one of the most loved festivals and it is celebrated all over the country.
Lamps, candles and fireworks are lit to symbolise the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil.
Everywhere small earthenware oil lamps or diyas are placed in rows on windowsills and outside buildings casting flickering lights.
Diwali is also celebrated in countries in which Indian people have settled throughout the world. In many cities public festivals are held in which everyone is welcome to take part. Here in New Zealand, in Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland it’s become a huge annual event hosted by the Asia New Zealand Foundation and City Councils.
As Diwali is a Hindu festival the food served is vegetarian – so no butter chicken! But there were heaps of hand made sweets, a special feature of Diwali, in all sorts of colours and shapes. Heaven for those with a sweet tooth!
I spotted some gulaab jaamun, little brown dumplings floating in caramelized sugary syrup, and someone kindly handed me a jalebi to taste. These lacy sweets are made by piping a batter onto hot oil then dipped in sugary syrup. They were freshly made and still warm and crisp.
Lots of people were munching on samosas, those triangular deep fried pastries filled with a spicy pea and potato mixture and puris (puffed up discs of fried Indian Bread).
One of my very favourite Indian street foods was there: dhosa (gigantic rice pancakes which were filled with a spicy potato filling). They were served with a dab of coconut chutney and tiny cups of rasam (spicy soup). I love the way some of these were decoratively twisted into gigantic cones.
The thin crisp crust was light and tasty and you could break bits of it off and use it to scoop up the potato filling. This is finger food at its best.
To quench your thirst there was chai (sweetened Indian spicy tea) and mango lassi. For this mango flesh is blended with yoghurt and sweetened to make the Indian version of a smoothie.
At the end of food alley I came at last to a stall where almond and mango kulfi (Indian ice-cream on a stick) was being served. Kulfi is not whipped during freezing so it has a rather grainy texture, more like a rather solid gelato. Cardamom, saffron or cinnamon is often added for a spicy flavour as well as pistachio or almonds.
The Diwali festival won’t be back in Auckland for another year. But I’m already looking forward to another taste of India!
In the meantime, here’s hoping that the Indian New Year will bring good fortune and happiness to all.
For more Diwali pics visit Lyn’s website