Exotic Palates: Wish You A Very Happy and Prosperous Diwali!!!

Festive!! That would be the apt word to describe my mood right now! My house, my surroundings, people around me are all just the way they always are...but my heart is singing joyous melodies of festivities!! I have often heard from people that how they miss being back home as in India during such big festivals, be it Durga puja or Diwali!! I feel, it is all in one's mind! In what we do, how involved we are, how much are we willing to invest in carrying out these festivities to etch out our own traditions that can be passed on to the next generation! My spirit is so infectious (or so I blissfully think :))))!), that my 2 children, who are totally oblivious to what Diwali is (they only know through me) and how it is celebrated in India, jump right into the spirit of it all and embrace it! My lovely day will start with "holy bath" in the river Ganges! Am I going to take a multi thousand mile trip to Banaras???? No way...it is our good old Mississippi waters that flow through my Moen faucet, but sanctified with this special oil that I make like so.....

Heat 1/4 cup sesame oil and coconut oil in a saucepan with 2 pods of pepper and 1/2 tsp cumin seeds. Simmer for 3 minutes and cool the oil. Massage this oil in the center of your head for the most cooling effect and wash your hair with your favorite shampoo and conditioner! My version of Ganga Sanaanam/ Holy Bath is done!!

Now is the leghiyam moment.... my mom used to concoct (with the recipe handed down over the generations past!) this digestive to prelude all the yummy goodies that she was going to serve that day....her labor of love! This digestive/chyavanpraash is really yummy if made with the right amount of jaggery and ghee....can be had as an item by itself if you can withstand the slight tingle in the back of your throat!! I have a very simple, quick recipe, passed down by my mother in law....

Roast 2 tbsp of Coriander powder in 1 tbsp of ghee (butter oil), add in a scant 2 tbsp of ginger juice, mix well. Add 2 tbsp or more of brown sugar, a pinch of cardamom, and a little more ghee. Mix everything on a pan over medium heat until it all comes together. Cool the mixture, roll the mixture with greased palms (greased with ghee!) into small smooth balls! Your instant leghiyam is ready, and will taste as good as the authentic one, even better! Do try this out and let me know!!

Now, we all make an array of sweets and savories and show off our skill set during this time of the year!!! This year, I have come up with a different kind of a sweet, that I have fondly named it as Chandra Kala...when I mentioned this to my mom...she said it reminded her of an yesteryear movie star!!! These are like little moons on a platter all dolled up!! Thus the name!!! This took me about 5 minutes to put together and 18 minutes to bake, and I had about 16 per batch. I did all this while cleaning my kitchen, putting the kids to bed....et al! Its an absolute "mommy" favorite.... one for the multitasker in you!!! How do you go about this??? This is how!!!

Preheat your oven to 325 F!

You will need 5 simple ingredients.. 1 pack (14 oz) sweetened coconut flakes; 1 can condensed milk, 2 tsp cardamom powder, 2 tablespoons each, sliced almonds and dried cranberries!

Mix evenly, the condensed milk, coconut flakes and cardamom powder in a bowl.

Drop a tablespoon of this mixture onto a greased baking dish...

Dip your fingers in warm water and pat the little pile of coconut flakes evenly into a disc.

Decorate each disc by sprinkling some sliced almonds and press a dried cranberry in the center for a pop of color!!

Bake the lovely coconut mounds for 18 minutes in a 325 F oven until the edges are golden brown! Cool them for a minute, not longer than that, as they tend to stick to the pan as the sugar hardens on cooling! Transfer them onto a serving platter or an airtight container for later use! Enjoy my little moons on a platter-- Chandrakala!!!