After Diwali and all the goodies~ snacks, its Strong Ginger- Cardamom Tea all the way ....

After Diwali and all the goodies~ snacks, its Strong Ginger-Cardamom Tea/ Kadak Adraki-Ellaichi Chai all the way .... 

** What is it that comes to your mind when its "Diwali", right, its that festive time when we clean the home, buy jewels, new clothes, light up diyas, kandil, lighting , burst crackers and above all its goodies and savories all the way. Diwali is a festival when differences are kept apart and brotherhood is cherished .... however, when the five festive days enjoyed to the hilt comes to an end, then comes in the time when the very sight of goodies and savories are no more appealing to mind ... at least to me it is so, my mind just does not agree to have more food specially for breakfast and for years now its just nothing except my lifeline "A strong cup of ginger- cardamom Tea/ Kadak Adraki- Ellaichi Chai" with a few biscuits or fruits if need be ... it also helps in cleaning the overloaded tummy .... Doesn't it ??? 

** Diwali as we all know is the festival of lights and goodies and snacks. Spiritually there is much more to Diwali than just sweets, it is the return of Lord Rama with his consort Mata Sita and brother Lakshman to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana the Demon King of Lanka who had abducted Mata Sita against here wishes and kept her a prisoner so that she agrees to marry him. The Journey of Lord Rama and his brother Lakshman to Lanka to release and bring back Mata Sita is a Long one and I am sure all of you have read the story many times or have come across the same, If not do read the complete Ramayana whenever possible, it will build positivity in you as Lord Rama life was full of difficulty. We crib so much on such small issues, that it puts you to shame when you read through the difficulties the Lord faced at every step in his life. Reading Ramayana will give you inner depth to life of Rama wherein he played the role model of how a man should lead his life upholding Dharma at all cost. We Konkani Saraswats are devotees of Lord Rama and follow all these festive days that are connected to the Lord in any way. So Diwali is an important festival for us just like it is for every Hindu. I will not write about the spiritual subject on Lord Rama here as this post is on a lighter note on the goodies prepared and relished throughout the festival period.

** For us children Diwali meant goodies, snacks and yes off course, holidays, no school, no homework and just enjoy, enjoy and enjoy or go out on holidays visiting new places or visit relatives or go to grandma’s place. The other name for Diwali rightly put would mean fun filled days, though things have changed now unlike those days, Diwali splendor and activity remains the same, we still love the festival in equal zeal. It is that festival when most of the unpleasantness or rivalries are forgotten and family get together and enjoys the festival by shedding away bitterness. Our ancestors instilled in us the habit of visiting relatives homes or elders during festive days to seek their blessings, it was actually their way of seeing to it that the relationships were kept rolling and not lost out on by each leading their own life their own way, the way they wanted without any attachment. Today’s generation have no time for all these rituals as they lead a much faster life than what was say about 2 decades back. We have adapted to technology for almost everything from reading to cooking, to washing to mopping. Everybody seems to stick to their mobile phone for both being in touch as well as gaining of knowledge now. But preparing goodies and snacks for Diwali is something that has been continued through generation and will still be continued.

** Almost every home buzzes in activity during Diwali festive season, by cleaning the home spic and span from top to bottom, buying new clothes, accessories etc. and then the most important of all, yes preparing the goodies and snacks. Decorating homes, doors and the God’s mantap is something followed to date, though I have come across many who just go away on holidays or tours as it is holidays for them at their working place. Coming to sweets and snacks, I prepare a few, some sweet dishes and some snacks, as too much becomes difficult to be consumed and emptied within a span of week to ten days maximum. But, it is still fun to think of new dishes or give twists to the older ones and turn them out into something new and appealing. I love giving surprises by preparing new savories each time. Though sweets are not much of an appeal in my home as we prefer spicier dishes, chakli, tinglodu, sev, chiwda, tukdi, masala groundnuts, etc. are something everybody enjoys. I also prepared some mawa coconut burfi and it was delicious. But the best of all was the sugar coated cashews I prepared in two flavors. They turned out perfect this time, unlike the last time I had prepared and was a hit with my friends. Ahhaaa Diwali was really fun and sweet for me this time, May God Bless us all in the same way every year.

** Throughout five days that the Diwali festive stretches to, it is goodies and snack all way through and at the end of it all, I really do not feel like touching any more sweet dishes for a long time to come. The tongue then begins to crave for something chatpata, spicy and tangy too. Some of the Konkani Saraswats are Non-Veg eaters, though all are not. The story of how eating fish came about in the community is a long one and I will not run into it here. But while we migrated from place to place, we picked up the different eating habits from those particular places and the diversity of the dishes shows in our cooking style and habits that differ from place to place. In my home, we have been eating Non-Veg for generations now and we simply love our authentic fish curries passed on through our grandmother and our mother to us. For us Hindu's, once the monsoon season sets in there are many festivals lined up for almost 4 months that is from Ashadi Masa to Kartika Masa which is also known as Chatur Masa where in all important festivals are observed, which means sweet dishes prepared as Naivedyam during each festival throughout that period. The final is Diwali where the same are prepared in larger quantities as relatives and friends drop in for visit during the festive season.

** Once the Diwali comes to an end the otherwise body and mind that was activated to enjoy the festival with goodies and snacks, is by now tired and wants to just take some rest. The case is always the same with hubby and me, after Diwali for a few days we just do not feel like eating any heavy breakfast or dinner. So, I keep things light specially breakfast and dinner and keep some real good spicy dishes for the lunch so that all those sweets eaten during Diwali is balanced and we enjoy the getaway from the same too. Most of the time my breakfast after Diwali is "Kadak Adraki~Ellaichi Chai/ Strong Ginger~ Cardamom Tea" with some biscuits and fruits and if still anybody needs more there is always some of the Diwali Snacks like chiwda, chakuli etc. to go along with the chai. This light method of bf and dinner gives the body and tummy both the well deserved rest. Lunch has to be something inviting but not heavy or too much otherwise the purpose of having a light bf and dinner get lost. The above picture was posted on a lighter note of how my post Diwali bf is always. It is just the way that it works for me and keeps me going through the day and I love it very much. It keeps me energetic and puts me right back on track in a few days time.

** Disclaimer : This is an article written by me on my own days followed by me after Diwali and festive season. It is exclusively my opinion and not taken from any text or any post of any person or book whatsoever. If, any coincidence is found it is just accidental and again the article is not meant to hurt anybody's sentiments or spiritual believes. Many Doctors or Dietitians would not recommend my method and I am no expert in that field. I am just a simple working women and homemaker who loves cooking and sharing my thoughts and notes about the same in my own space here. In no way would I recommend or advice anybody to do it for longer periods. Each body is different and reacts differently to the same type of food, so to each one of you I would say … please continue a pattern on food habits that make you comfortable and is good for your health, do not try following anybody coz. one man’s medicine can be another man poison as the saying goes. Lead a healthy life by relishing all types of home cooked food in limits, that is the best gift you can give to your family and yourself. Stay Blessed and Spread Happiness. 

** You can check out a few types of Tea Recipes following the link given below …. 

http://gayathrifoodbytes.blogspot.com/search?q=Tea