It may be getting darker this month, but New York City’s Hindu population is about to light things up for Diwali.
Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains in India and other countries celebrate Diwali by lighting candles and lamps throughout homes, buildings and temples; decorating floors with rangoli, an art form where intricate patterns are created with rice, sand and dried flowers, and participating in prayers.
It is also marked by large family feasts with lots of sweets. Several Indian restaurants and chefs in NYC are taking part by serving special menus and dishes in honor of the holiday.
Here’s where you can find them.
Snacks and sweets at Rahi
Chef Chintan Pandya will be offering snacks and desserts Nov. 7-10, including Delhi pakodi chaat ($13), a lentil dumpling mixed with chickpeas and sweet yogurt with mint chutney; shrikhand ($9), a sweet yogurt dish with rose petal jam, pistachios and sweet mathri; paneer pasanda ($26) made from cottage cheese and mint chutney in Korma sauce folded into a mini sandwich; and lamb raan ($39), which is a slow-cooked lamb leg with masala onion, gravy and roti. (60 Greenwich Ave., West Village, 212-373-8900, rahinyc.com)
A family-style feast at The Bombay Bread Bar
Chef Floyd Cardoz’s eatery will be festively lit up and serve Mumbai-inspired street foods and regional Indian dishes from Nov. 5-9. For $65, guests can enjoy the family-style Diwali Feast Menu, which includes four courses: shishito pakoras and sweet potato chaat to start; traditional chicken tikka, chettinad shrimp and kachumber salad; lamb shank biryani, dal fry, mango chutney and radish raita; and gajar halwa and kulfi falooda. Lucky guests will be given “BBB Buck$,” gift cards at the end of their meals, too. (195 Spring St., SoHo, 212-235-1098, thebombaybreadbar.com)
Lamb keema Hyderabadi and Rasmalai tiramisu tart at Baar Baar
This East Village Indian gastro bar is offering a $60 three-course meal (dessert included) Nov. 7-11, including tuna papdi chat and lamb keema Hyderabadi, which is potato mousse with green peas and buttered pao, to start; butter chicken, sea bass and beef short rib curry with a side; and a rasmalai tiramisu tart, cottage cheese dumplings in sweetened milk, for dessert. Guests can also enjoy a Bollywood jazz band on Nov. 7. (13 E. First St., East Village, 212-228-1200, baarbaarnyc.com)
New desserts at Frankie Goes to Bollywood
Starting Nov. 7, this quick-service Indian street food restaurant is launching two new desserts — rasgulla ($5), which is a ball of ricotta cheese made with Stevia and soaked in cardamom syrup, and New Orleans-style Bombay beignets (two for $6), which are filled with spiced rice pudding and dusted with cardamom-powdered sugar. (204 Spring St., SoHo, 646-869-1600, frankiegoestobollywood.com)
Cooking lessons with Queens Curry Kitchen chef
Head to Flushing Town Hall on Nov. 10 for the annual Diwali festival, which will give the public an opportunity to join chef Nupur Arora of Queens Curry Kitchen in cooking workshops and shop for Indian savory foods and sweet treats. The event also includes a dance party with DJ Rekha and performer Abha Roy, who will mash up Bhangra and Kathak music and dance, a jewelry workshop and henna painting. ($20, 1 to 4 p.m., 137-35 Northern Blvd., flushingtownhall.org)
