Happy Deepavali!

Today is Deepavali, the Festival of Lights which is celebrated among the Indian community. Behind this festival is the legend where good triumphs over evil. It is celebrated with sweet treats and Indian food.

However this year, my sister decided on her version of 1Malaysia. My younger sister is married to an Indian and they have three lovely girls, who do not look alike. She has a grandson Ishan who is 15 months old.  She served Indian tidbits and western cookies plus delicious nasi lemak served with Indian curry, Malay sambal sotong, Indian mutton curry and Malay prawn sambal.

 Of course there are the kangkong, ikan bilis ( fried anchovies) , groundnuts and cucumber which are a must for nasi lemak (rice cooked in coconut milk, pandan and serai (lemon grass)).

My pictures don't do justice to the lovely spread she put out for family and guests. I don't know how to take good photos or how to upload them nicely and in the right place.

Not all my siblings were present as some of them are not in Malaysia at the moment. Anyway it was a good gathering of not only the Lim clan but also friends of the family with their children and grandchildren. Lots of things to talk about, besides the food. My youngest sister steamed some delicious Chinese cupcakes made from sweet potatoes. She also fried some Chinese style noodles for the children who are unable to eat the spicy food.

The guys had their drinks and talked among themselves, topics ranging from golf to local politics. The ladies had their own things to talk about. My nephew recently proposed to his girlfriend underwater during a dive at Pulau Sipadan, a world heritage site and one of the world's top diving spots. Nowadays the youngsters do things very differently and they certainly are not short of creative options. Weddings on the beach are also very popular these days. Well, why not?

Malaysia has very beautiful beaches and I understand from some of my friends that many couples from China come to Sabah to get married because they love the beaches we have.

On the left is the mutton curry and in the background is the prawn sambal. These two dishes were cooked by the Indian lady who comes to cook for my sister, who being Chinese, does not know how to cook the Indian style.

That's the beauty of a mixed marriage. You get to eat the food of the two different cultures, in this case, spicy Indian food and Chinese stir-fries and Chinese boiled soup. My sister's soups are absolutely delicious. My children always prefer hers to mine.

On the left is the chicken rendang, also spicy but dry, without any gravy. The chicken is soft and tender, a favorite with the guests.

On the right is my niece Sunitha, who is pictured with some of the tidbits being served today. In the bottles are the spicy Indian tidbits such as Muruku ( different varieties) , kuih rose, and other savory bites.

Guests came and went. Just before we left, my sister urged us to take some food home so that we need not cook or go out for dinner. This practice is very familiar with Malaysians, the practice of "tah pau" meaning taking the food home with you. Even when you eat out in the restaurant, if you still have food left over, it is the usual practice to tell the waiter to "tah pau". We either take it home so that we can eat it on the following day or we give it to the dog. No one lifts an eyebrow at this. It is an accepted practice here. So I "tah pau" back the fragrant nasi lemak and my sister gave me a tupperware of curry chicken, my favorite. Of course there were the usual condiments that accompany the nasi lemak. Yum yum, am looking forward to having it again tonight. How not to grow fat?????