The Festival Of Tihar is so much beautiful. Colorful lights and decorations invade each house during this festival. Lights show joy and prosperity in the family. It is believed that Laxmi, goddess of wealth, doesn’t come to the house which is not lightened.
Tihar also brings many foodstuffs that are loved by many. You will consume a lot of dry fruits and sweets given as Bhaimasala by your sisters. There are several different treats you will surely try.
On looking at the food side of Tihar, all delicacies seem to be floating in oil. Almost all items made in Tihar are made in oil or ghee. There is oil and sweetness spilled over and who doesn’t like it?
Except those who are not into sweet, I guess. But the major reason I see that these foods and sweets being less prepared in some homes is due to the tendency of switching to the healthier options of eating and other new delicacies and cuisines taking place of them (nowadays more than ever).
Another reason is surely the tediousness of preparing them.
I am fond of sweetness so yeah, Tihar is yummy for me. I have been eating these delicacies since my inception. I love them and I look forward to Tihar because of them since they are made only on very special occasions besides Tihar (in marriages).
Some Delicacies That Are Made During Tihar In Nepal
Below are some of the treats, that you will find yourself enjoying the festival of Tihar.
Sel Roti
Sel Roti is a Nepali donut that is prepared at festivals and other occasions as well. It is made with soaked rice flour mixed with ghee, sugar, and water. It is then dropped in hot oil or ghee in a circular pattern and fried on both sides until golden brown.
Sel Roti is best made with coarser flour. When there is no flour remaining inside the roti after frying, it will last several days. It is uniquely Nepal is found in every corner of the country and had with beans curry, pickles, or tea. After Tihar ends, we all have some extra Sel left. This makes our breakfast for the next few days and will be enjoyed with tea.
Fini Roti
Fini Roti has an enjoyable layered texture but devoid of any sweetness. It is made specially during Tihar but is tedious to prepare as it requires double rolling.
Fini is made from kneaded wheat flour (Maida) that is rolled out to a very thin layer, rolled into a cylinder after applying ghee-rice flour mix (Saatho) all over. The cylinder is cut into small size cylinders and rolled again to get layered roti. This is now fried in oil in high heat before it starts to turn golden.
Veli Roti/Arsaa
Veli Roti is a sweet delight enjoyed during the festive season. Due to the jaggery used in this bread, it gets its brown color and sweet taste.
It is made using fine rice flour, jaggery, and little ghee. Jaggery is heated in a pan until it gets caramelized and flour is mixed in it slowly and made into a dough. Palm-sized roti is made from dough and fried in oil. I am fond of Veli Roti due to its pleasing taste that seems not too sweet.
Chini Roti/Anarasa
It is an absolutely sugary delight that is loved by ones who are fond of sweetness. The name literally translates to “Sugar Bread”.
To make Chini Roti one part of sugar is added to one to two parts of rice flour and kneaded using very little to no water as the sugar melts and binds the dough. Now balls from these doughs are made into palm-size roti and fried in oil/ghee. These are usually fried on only a single side and some even put extra sugar on top.
When made, they are crunchy and too sweet. Most cannot eat more than one or two of these at a time because of the extreme sweetness.
Jhilinga
Jhilinga is a crunchy fried delight that is devoid of sweetness but enjoyable flavor. It is made from rice flour that is cooked in boiling water and made into a dhindo-like consistency.
A small quantity of this is placed into a special mold press which makes noodles shape. These noodle cakes are dried and after drying it can be fried and enjoyed.
Nowadays you can easily find the dried ready to fry Jhilingain on the market during this season which reduces the hassle but ensures you will enjoy it.
Kurauni or Khuwa
Khuwa is basically evaporated milk. Milk is placed on the stove and it is continuously stirred so that it doesn’t stick to the sides or bottom of the pan. When it is nearly semi-solid it is ready.
Khuwa when added sugar and dry fruits and cardamom powder becomes Kurauni. Khuwa is used to make sweets like Barfi.
Sweets
Along with other roti, there are some accompanying sweets made in Tihar. Sweets can be easily brought from the market and a lot of sweets are sold during this season. The major sweets consumed are Rasbari, Lalmohan, Peda, Barfi, Jalebi, and Kalakand.
Many of us like to prepare our own sweets. Rasbari, Lalmohan, and Jalebi are some easily made sweets that are prepared in the household and enjoyed with all.
Final Words
Besides these, there are other delicacies made which are not included in this article as well which are different among families and regions. Other items like Lakhamari, Khajuri, Laddu, etc. are also worth mentioning.
Festive season very fun with the meeting of family and relatives and these delicacies make Tihar more fun. The delicacies are enjoyable to eat but tedious to make as well. So, the whole family dives into making these helping each other. This brings the extra delight to make them and eat them as a group.
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