Basic HTML Version
44 | FireFlyz
Feast
Sweet Signif icance
Gillian Foong
puts away theMuruku this Deepavali andwalks downmemory lane to
hermaternal home for some sugary treats.
T
he
Indian tradition calls
for sweet occasions to be
celebratedwith sweetness
in our tongues – be it an
addition of a newmember
to the family, the union of
two people in holy mat-
rimony or even the start of a new career.
For me, the sweet scents of ghee over a
burning coal fire from
Amma’s
(mother’s)
kitchen ignites indicators that the festival
of lights is near. It never fails to make me
wonder what sweet mouthfuls the aroma
could bring. Could it be tiny bits of chick
pea flouring swimming in a wok of ghee?
Or could it be
Amma’s
delicate fingers
rolling warm pools of ghee into a ball of
delightful sweetness with cashews and
raisins?
Whatever it is, it never fails to put a
smile on my face as I picture the family
gatherings taking place on Deepavali Day.
So put those cookie jars away as I bring
you some of my favourite Deepavali treats
from home.
Laddu
Tome, the best
Laddus
in town are found in
the home of my
Ammama
(grandmother).
Made from chick pea batter that is fried in
ghee thendropped intoapot ofwarmsyrup,
thismixture is thenmoulded into a perfectly
roundball togetherwithcashews and raisins
that are also fried in ghee. Although it is
available all year round in Indian food
outlets, the
Laddu
made it into my list of
favourites this Deepavali as it brings back
fond memories of the festival itself. One
of the first
Palaharam
to be made at my
grandmother’s to kick-start the festivity.