Turn of the year feasts

[1]

Owing to a cosmopolitan culture, booming economy and rising job opportunities, the city has natives from various parts of the country as well as a teeming expatriate population. Around this time of the year, many of them come together to celebrate their regional New Years.

Be it Baisakhi, Vishu, Poila Boishak, Bihu or even Songkran (Thai New Year), the capital offers many options to go out with your family and savour the traditional fare, so that one does not miss the festive mood in their region. We present a list of choicest options where you can dig into sarson ka saag, mangshor jhol, machher tenga, and thoran among other delicious options.

Songkran — Thai
Blending elements of several Southeast Asian traditions, Thai cuisine consists of lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components. Celebrating the Songkran festival (Thai New Year), Courtyard by Marriott, Gurgaon presents authentic flavours from Thailand like Thord Man Kung (Thai shrimp cakes), Larbkai (spicy mince chicken with roasted rice) and Pla Nueng Manow (steamed fish with chilli and lemon sauce) among others. Expat chef Piyawat of Marriott says, “Thai food has distinct taste as it involves a subtle mixing of fresh herbs and spices like whole Thai peppers, cilantro, lemon grass, Thai basil and mint. Other common flavours come from galangal, tamarind, soy beans and chillies.”

Baisakhi — Punjab
Baisakhi (or Vaisakhi) is a double celebration to mark the harvest festival in Punjab. Celebrating the spirit of hearty Punjabis, Pind Balluchi, Lajpat Nagar is offering a menu which is an evenly balanced fare of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. There is a selection of popular Punjabi starters like dahi kebab, paneer tikka, chicken seekh kebab and chicken tikka malai. The main course is a fabulous spread of rich and spicy dishes with a Punjabi tadka and zaika including paneer saaghwala, dhania murg curry, rarra chicken, dum aaloo, dal tadka and several other dishes.

Vishu — Kerala
The New Year festival of Malayalis, Vishu, is celebrated in the capital too with great fervor. Dakshin (South Indian Fine Dining), WelcomHotel Sheraton in the capital will be celebrating the festival in its unique style with sadhya, a traditional lunch where the food is served on a banana leaf with upperi, pickle, thoran (vegetables prepared in coconut), pulisseri (yoghurt curry), papadam and payasam (Indian pudding).

Bihu — Assam
Rongali Bihu marks the agricultural New Year, at the advent of seeding time and is celebrated as the festival of merriment in Assam. To celebrate the joyous festival, people wear new and colourful clothes, visit their friends and relatives, organise traditional feasts and distribute sweets. In the city, if you are looking for some traditional fare like masor konir bor (fish egg pakodas), dhokar bor (lentil pakodas), til diya hahor mangso (duck meat cooked in sesame seeds), paleng xak chicken (chicken in spinach), rou maas patot diya (rohu fish in banana wrap), hurum (puffed rice), dhekiya boror tenga (Assamese sour curry) and the traditional Assamese pitha (special rice cakes made only during Bihu) and finishing off your meal with tamul paan (betel nut and leaf), then head straight to Jakoi, Assam Bhavan.

Poila Boisakh — West Bengal
Celebrations are often synonymous with traditional delicacies for Bengalis. For their New year or Poila Boisakh, there’s a lovely buffet option at Oh Calcutta, Nehru Place. Start with murghi bhaja (chicken fry), moving on to bhaat (steamed rice), narkol diye cholar daal (lentils with coconut pieces), potoler dolma (pointed gourd stuffed with cottage cheese), mangshor jhol (mutton curry), papda macher jhaal (mustard fish curry) and finish it off with rosogolla, nolen gurer payesh (jaggery rice pudding) and patishapta (jaggery rice flour pancakes).

SAO TAM
Ingredients
1 small green papaya
1/2 cup honey-roasted peanuts or plain roasted
1-2 cups bean sprouts
1 to 2 tomatoes, cut into long thin strips
1 red chilli, minced
3 spring onions, sliced into long matchstick-like pieces
1/2 cup fresh chopped basil
Handful of fresh coriander

Dressing:
1/2 tsp. shrimp paste (if vegetarian, 1/2 tbsp soy sauce)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp. fish sauce or 2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce for vegetarians
3 tbsp lime juice
1/2 to 1 tbsp honey

Method
Prepare the dressing by mixing together all dressing ingredients in a cup. Make sure shrimp paste and honey dissolve fully. Set aside.
Peel the green papaya, then slice it in half and remove all the seeds. Grate the papaya. Place in a large bowl.
Add the sliced tomato, spring onion, chilli, bean sprouts, and most of the basil. Add the dressing, toss to combine.
Add the peanuts or cashews. Toss again.
To serve, scoop the salad into individual bowls. Sprinkle with remaining basil leaves and fresh coriander.