Prawn Curry

What are the origins of Holi and what does it mean to you?
Holi is a celebration of the spring harvest and is associated with many ancient mythological stories, the two most important of which showcase good over evil and also the love story of the God Krishna and his loved one, Radha. It is known as the festival of colours as one of the most distinctive features of Holi is that people rub coloured powder into one another.

I connect Holi with joy and the joy of being with family and friends and this is even more important now.
It is a national holiday in India and people spend the day with friends and family. There are lots of garden parties and people roam the streets eating all the delicious street food on offer.

So, tell us about the coloured powder? Why is that involved in Holi?
The legend is that as Lord Krishna had blue skin, his mother advised him to rub coloured powder on the girl he loved, Radha so they both had coloured skin! But really, these days it is more about celebrating in the most vivid and joyful way possible. Originally, the colour used was red which is a holy colour but since then more have been added to the mix.

What do you usually do for Holi?
Being based in London, we only celebrate Holi if it falls on a weekend, otherwise we have to work. Unfortunately there is no public holiday over here! If it does fall on a weekend, then it is a great reason for friends and family to have an Indian themed party and a lot of people will have Holi garden parties where we eat lots of lovely food and the kids get to run around throwing coloured paints and water balloons. It’s a lot of fun.

What are the traditional dishes that people enjoy during Holi?
Street food is very much at the forefront of Holi celebrations as people roam the streets of India celebrating the day. Or, when people are over, it is normally through the day, evenings are often spent with the family so outdoor food, street food and sharing platters prevail. Some of our favourites are pakoras, samoas, dahi bhallas (which are a lentil dumpling smothered in seasoned yoghurt and served with a chutney). Delicious Kathi rolls and chaats are also on offer; depending on which region you are in, the food will vary slightly.

It’s also a big time for Indian sweets like sweet small hand pies called gujias and drinks like Thandai, which is a mix of rose syrup, milk, poppy seeds and melon seeds.

When people are entertaining, there are often large sharing plates of these delicious sweet and savoury treats for everyone to enjoy.

Please see the recipes here - https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/15PsaIAI8qkQC_6Cadl-RJkwfVYQSlnPa