Cooking up a cultural feast

The Diwali Festival of Lights is a time of celebration?and eating?writes Sharu Delilkan
Producing 40kg of chickpeas in a spicy tomato sauce, 30kg of golden, puffed Indian bread, 20kg of mango yoghurt smoothie and 20kg of tropical fruit punch might faze some cooks ? but Pratima Nand is fit for the challenge. The 54-year-old Hillsborough resident, known as ''the food lady'' for her radio programme on Planet FM, is gearing up to run her stall at the Diwali Festival of Lights this weekend. The festival, which attracted 60,000 people last year, will be launched on October 13-14 with two free classical Indian concerts in the 500-seat Pavilion, Britomart East. Diwali means a row of lamps. Originally a Hindu festival, it has now crossed the bounds of religion and signifies many different things in different areas of India. One of the traditions includes lighting small oil lamps, or diyas, around homes to honour Laxmi, the goddess of wealth. Sikhs celebrate the return of the sixth Guru Hargobind Ji, who escaped from captivity in the city of Gwalior, still refusing to denounce his religion. Traditional food made during this festivities reminds Pratima of her childhood in Fiji. Among the typical Diwali treats are sweets such as ladki mithai (deep-fried, crispy dough strips), laddoo (sweet flour balls), barfi (nut-based dessert) and vegetarian delights such as kadhi (lentil balls in spicy tomato gravy). Despite living in New Zealand for the past 32 years, she has made sure her children and grandchildren don't lose sight of their roots. ''Like my mother, I've always cooked nutritious, traditional food for my kids.'' But sharing her culture and food with others was not something Pratima found easy to do when she moved here more than three decades ago. ''Firstly, spices and Indian products were not as readily available. We were also frowned upon and called 'curry munchers'. ''Today, Indian restaurants are filled with Kiwis who have come to love our food. Looking back I can't believe how much things have changed. ''It's great to see Kiwis embracing our culture and I'd like to congratulate them for including the various cultures that make Auckland unique.'' Diwali Festival of Lights fromOct 13-15 , Britomart East (rear of Britomart Transport Centre). Details; www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/whatson/events/diwali/default.asp