Oops! Totally forgot to post about this! I think the madness that is Halloween took over, sorry.
First we sat and read Story of Divaali by Verma Jatinder which is beautifully illustrated, what I have come to expect from Barefoot books. The title is a little misleading though, I expected it to be more about the festival but instead it is the story of Ramayana. It is still a beautiful book but if you are looking for something to specifically introduce Diwali to your kids, this would be a nice addition but doesn't really talk about the festival and what goes on as such. If you know of a good book, please let me know.
Then we decided to make some Indian sweets, now I have to admit I wasn't very organized and slightly butcher the real recipe! We made Atte ke Ladoo the Ebi way! The recipe is HERE. We used melted butter instead of ghee and cinnamon instead of cardamon, have to work with what you've got! They were delicious in the end though, if not in the slightest bit authentic.
The recipe was easy and apart from melting the butter, which you might want to do, it was child friendly. I happened to have all the ingredients for mango lassi so we made that too then decorated the table with lots of candles.
Happy Diwali to you!
Wow, I'd never have thought of trying cinnamon for atte ke laddoo, but apart from not being traditional, I don't see why it shouldn't work, especially if you've used unsalted butter instead of ghee - it should taste more like the pasty base for apple strudel or something. The problem with laddoos is that they have to be shaped when fairly hot if you want to get a nice tight shape, and so, in that sense, they are not really kid friendly. Otherwise you need a lot more of ghee to bind them. Atta laddoos should be dense, dry to touch, bite-able but not friable. Come on over and we'll treat you to them :)
ReplyDeleteAs to the book, it tells the story behind Diwali, which is also, in a sense, what the festival is about. Most Indian festivals are related to the harvest in some way or the other, but nevertheless have a reason, a story behind them. If you like, I'll email you more info about the festival celebration, but you probably don't need it by now.