Chicago’s Indian community will celebrate India’s most joyous holiday, Diwali or Deepawali, the Festival of Lights, Nov. 12.
For a week before that date, the stores along Devon Avenue, Chicago’s main Indian shopping district, will be ablaze with lights and thronged with shoppers buying new clothes, jewelry and, above all, boxes of confections and snacks to give to family and friends.
All Indian holidays and festivals are associated with the consumption of sweets, which are a symbol of affection and goodwill, but Diwali literally takes the cake.
Although Diwali is not predominantly a religious holiday, some people observe it by going to their places of worship. The Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago in Lemont and Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple in Aurora are among the local temples that hold special religious services, cultural programs and fireworks.
The exact date of Diwali varies year to year because it is based on the traditional Indian lunar calendar. Unlike some festivals, which are confined to a region or religion, Diwali is nearly universally celebrated by members of different religions and social groups–in fact, different groups celebrate it for different reasons.
“Everyone celebrates Diwali. For thousands of years it has been a part of life in India,” said Jayant Sukhadia, owner of Sukhadia Sweets on Devon Avenue, whose family has been confectioners in India for 120 years. He said that he and other sweet shop owners on Devon do double, even triple, their normal business during the Diwali festival.
The festival is associated with different stories and events throughout India. North Indians celebrate the triumphant return of Rama, the hero of the Indian epic tale the Ramayana, to his kingdom after 14 years in exile. To welcome Rama’s return, children light firecrackers and people illuminate their houses. In the old days they placed small clay lanterns, called dipa, on the parapets and balconies of houses and buildings, but today electric lights are used.
For businessmen throughout the subcontinent, especially in the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra, Diwali marks the start of the New Year as well as a time to honor Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth who, according to legend, wanders around the world and visits people in their homes on this day. To welcome the goddess, people clean and decorate their homes and women paint elaborate designs outside their houses, called Rangoli.
Bengalis worship with goddess Kali during this period, while South Indians celebrate Diwali as the day on which the wife of Krishna killed a terrible demon. For Sikhs, it commemorates the release of one of their great leaders from prison; for adherents of Jainism, it is the day on which their founder Mahavira attained nirvana.
“Whatever the reason, all over India Diwali celebrates the triumph of good over evil,” said Indira Kumar, wife of India’s consul general in Chicago, Arun Kumar.
The joyous occasion is marked by entertainment, playing cards, visiting friends, and eating and drinking.
People snack continuously throughout the day as they visit friends, family and neighbors, all of whom offer sweet and savory dishes such as samosas (pastries with a spiced vegetable filling), pakoras (onions, potatoes and other vegetables fried in chickpea batter) or vadas (deep-fried doughnuts made from lentil flour).
Kavita Palla of Woodridge said that she still makes a traditional breakfast dish called semia from handmade vermicelli that she gets from India. She cooks it with butter, sugar, nuts and raisins into a kind of pudding.
“In the old days of joint families, people would make the sweets at home, but today many women work, so they usually buy them at their local sweet shops,” said Indira Kumar.
Most Indian sweets are made from sugar and milk that are boiled slowly for several hours until reduced to a solid, called khoya. (Sugar cane is native to India, and Indians are the largest per capita consumers of sugar in the world.) Nuts, raisins, saffron, cardamom, nutmeg, rose water and dried fruits may be added for flavor.
In North India, sweets made from nuts are especially popular at this time. Kamal Jik Singh, owner of New Punjab Sweets, a wholesaler on Western Avenue, has ordered six pallets of cashew nuts for the Diwali sweets he will ship to his customers.
Sweet shops and grocery stores also stock a wide variety of salted and spiced crunchy snacks sold in plastic bags that make great cocktail fare for any Indian party.
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A choice of confections
Some of the most popular Diwali sweets are:
Laddoos: Small balls made from grain or chickpea flour batter fried in clarified butter, soaked in sugar syrup and flavored with nuts, spices and dried fruit.
Jalebi: Bright yellow spirals of chickpea batter deep-fried and soaked in sugar syrup.
Burfi: Fudgelike squares made from milk and sugar are flavored with coconut, carrots, nuts, cardamom and nutmeg and colored every shade of the rainbow. Pressed into little molds, they are called peras.
Gulab jaman: Balls of fried batter soaked in sugar syrup.
Semia: Vermicelli is cooked in clarified butter and milk until soft, then mixed with sugar, nuts and raisins. It is sometimes eaten for breakfast on Diwali.
Halwa: A rich confection made from semolina flour and butter.
Mango kalakhand: A hard, mango-flavored fudge.
Gunjiya or googara: Fried pastries filled with milk, coconut, nuts, sugar and cardamom.
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Where to buy Indian ingredients
Here are just a few shops where you can buy Indian sweets and ingredients:
Sukhadia Sweets
2559 W. Devon Ave.
773-743-7272
New Punjab Sweets
6411 N. Western Ave.
773-381-3333
Patel Brothers
2610 W. Devon Ave.
773-262-7777
Shree Mart
683 N. Cass Ave., Westmont
630-789-1200
A suggested Diwali meal
If you want to celebrate Diwali at home, try the following vegetarian dishes which come from the north Indian states of Punjab and Haryana. Serve with steamed basmati rice. End the meal with the following sweet desserts.
Lentil stew (Dal makhani)
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Soaking time: 12 hours
Cooking time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
The rich dal makhani has been called India’s favorite lentil dish. See the box for sources for urad dal and ghee. Adapted from “Food Culture in India.”
2/3 cup dried black lentils (urad dal)
3 tablespoons dried red kidney beans
6 cups water
4 cloves garlic, minced, or 3 teaspoons garlic paste
1 piece (1-inch long) ginger root, grated, or 3 teaspoons prepared ginger paste
1/4 cup ghee (clarified butter) or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon each: chili powder, salt
4 tomatoes, cored, seeded, pureed
1/2 cup whipping cream
1. Combine lentils and kidney beans in a medium bowl; cover with water. Cover with plastic wrap; soak 12 hours. Drain; transfer lentils and beans to a large saucepan. Cover with the 6 cups water. Add half of the garlic, half of the ginger and 1 tablespoon of the ghee. Heat to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to simmer. Simmer until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat remaining 3 tablespoons of the ghee in a skillet; add chili powder and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Cook 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and the remaining ginger and garlic. Cook until the mixture becomes slightly thickened, about 25 minutes. Add the mixture to the cooked lentils. Cook over low heat, mashing occasionally with a spoon against the side of the pot, about 20 minutes. Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the cream. Cook until thickened, about 20 minutes.
Nutrition information per serving:303 calories, 70% of calories from fat, 24 g fat, 15 g saturated fat, 74 mg cholesterol, 17 g carbohydrates, 5.8 g protein, 646 mg sodium, 4.6 g fiber
Peas and cheese in tomato sauce
(Mattar paneer)
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Adapted from a recipe from Indira Kumar, wife of India’s consul general in Chicago. Paneer, the cheese found in many Indian dishes, and garam masala spice mix can be found in Indian grocery stores. Firm tofu also can be substituted for paneer.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 bay leaf 2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 piece (1/2 inch long) ginger root, finely grated
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander 1 teaspoon each: ground turmeric, garam masala
1/2 teaspoon chili powder or to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 cup water
1/2 pound ready-made paneer or other firm mild cheese, cut in 1-inch cubes Chopped cilantro
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet. Add cumin seeds and bay leaf; cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add onions and ginger. Cook, stirring, until onions are golden, about 5 minutes.
Add coriander, turmeric, garam masala, chili powder and salt. Sprinkle with a little water; cook over low heat until the oil starts to separate, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes; cook until the oil starts to separate. Add the peas; cook 1 minute. Add 1 cup of water. Cook until the peas are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the cheese; simmer until the sauce becomes thick. Sprinkle with cilantro.
Nutrition information per serving: 367 calories, 63% of calories from fat, 26 g fat, 13 g saturated fat, 60 mg cholesterol, 17 g carbohydrates, 18 g protein, 694 mg sodium, 4.6 g fiber
Mustard greens and spinach (Sarson ka saag)
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 38 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
These greens are served with corn bread on special occasions.
Adapted from “Food Culture in India.”
2 pounds mustard greens, stemmed, chopped, stems reserved
1 pound spinach, chopped
4 green chilies, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 piece (3 inches long) ginger root, finely chopped
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons corn flour or finely ground corn meal
1 teaspoon chili powder, optional
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter or ghee (clarified butter)
Heat the mustard greens, stems, spinach, half of the chilies, garlic, two-thirds of the ginger and water to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat; drain, reserving liquid.
Transfer mixture to a food processor or blender; coarsely puree. Return mixture to the pot; stir in the flour, chili powder and salt, mixing well. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and reserved liquid. Cover; cook until completely tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat; pour mixture into a bowl. 3. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the remaining chilies and ginger; cook, stirring frequently, until chilies have softened, about 3 minutes. Pour over the greens.
Nutrition information per serving:102 calories, 50% of calories from fat, 6.4 g fat, 3.6 g saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 8.9 g carbohydrates, 5.7 g protein, 315 mg sodium, 3.7 g fiber.
Coconut fudge (Barfi)
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Chilling time: 8 hours
Yield: 32 pieces
Adapted from a recipe by owner Jayant Sukhadia of Sukhadia Sweets on Devon Avenue.
1 cup each: sugar, milk, whipping cream, unsweetened grated coconut
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 tablespoons sliced pistachios or almonds
Heat sugar, milk, cream and coconut to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Reduce heat to simmer. Cook until mixture becomes very thick and starts to leave the side of the pan, about 50 minutes.
Transfer mixture to a buttered 8-inch-square baking dish. Sprinkle with cardamom and nuts. Cover with plastic wrap; chill at least 8 hours. Cut into 1-inch diamonds or squares.
Nutrition information per serving: 69 calories, 55% of calories from fat, 4.4 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 11 mg cholesterol, 7.4 g carbohydrates, 0.6 g protein, 7.4 mg sodium, 0.4 g fiber
Almond cake (Badam burfi)
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 17 minutes
Cooling time: 8 hours
Yield: 32 pieces
Adapted from “Food Culture in India.”
2 bags (2 1/2 ounces each) slivered almonds
1/4 cup milk
4 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) or butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Cover the almonds with water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high (100 percent) until soft, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a food processor; add milk. Puree.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the ghee in a pan over medium heat; stir in the almond puree until it begins to thicken. Add sugar, stirring constantly. Add the remaining ghee until it is absorbed and the mixture becomes thick and starts to leave the sides of the pan, about 5 minutes. Stir in cardamom. Transfer to a greased 8-inch-square pan; refrigerate 8 hours. Cut into squares or triangles.
Nutrition information per serving: 71 calories, 47% of calories from fat, 3.9 g fat, 1.2 g saturated fat, 4.2 mg cholesterol, 8.8 g carbohydrates, 1 g protein, 1 mg sodium, 0.5 g fiber
