Diwali celebrations are taking place in India and around the world, with both Indian and Irish communities in Dublin marking the occasion by coming together and for the most part, enjoying great food.
Diwali, known as the festival of lights, is celebrated by many religions and many regions in India for varying reasons. Diwali is to celebrate light over darkness and the triumph of good over evil.
From October 22 to 24, Doolally’s Diwali specials include Tandoori Pineapple Chaat (a smoked and spiced creation served with tamarind and mint chutney), Palak Chilgoz Ki Tikki (spinach and toasted pine nut cakes) and Gulab Jamun Sundae (a traditional Indian sweet served with ice-cream and berries).
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Speaking to Dublin Live about how Dublin Indian restaurant Doolally will mark the celebration, executive head chef Shloke Chhabra made it clear how important food is in Diwali celebrations. He said: "Any festival in India, there's always food involved.
"For Diwali, it's always an array of appetisers around the table where everyone digs in after you say a prayer. The house gets done up. People are dressed up in their best traditional Indian clothes.
"It's hard for me to explain how much fun I had growing up as a child during Diwali. Diwali for us was about food and the enjoyment."
Shloke's passion for Indian food and the sheer array within Indian cuisine is evident when he speaks about the menu items he serves at Doolally. When asked about why people should visit the chic Camden Street restaurant for Diwali, he says that people have "never eaten something like this before in their life".
He explained: "The menu I've developed is what I would do at home, what my mother would do. That's who I learned from. We have six particular dishes for Diwali."
Shloke revealed that then experience of coming up with the menu took him back to his favourite Diwali memories. "These dishes, I don't think anyone has ever done it out here. It's very traditional," he said.
"People associate Indian food with being too rich and heavy. This is something new for them."
It's no surprise that the traditional Irish and European interpretations of Indian food is somewhat distorted from authentic Indian fare. Shloke and his team get a thrill out of introducing proper traditional Indian cuisine to diners at Doolally.
Staying true to his reputation as a welcoming host, Shloke offered us samples of the restaurant's lunch menu. A unique blend of India and Ireland was dropped to the table, cleverly marrying together flavours from two cuisines that are sometimes worlds apart.
The Doolally Caeser Salad featured chicken that simply fell apart, reminiscent of the texture you'd find in your favourite Indian curry. Meanwhile the Lamb Seekh and Bacon Rolls mixed the saltiness of Irish bacon with the exploding flavours of Indian-cooked lamb.
There was also the Chole Masala with Kulcha, which was North Indian spiced chickpeas served with potato stuffed bread. Overall, your belly gets full as a celebration of flavours takes place on your tongue.
Diwali events have been taking place in Dublin over the past couple of weeks. This past Tuesday, a special event organised by the Ireland India Council took place in City Hall and features traditional Indian dance and music, a Molly Malone sing song and many a note of India and Ireland's cultural and historical links.
Bookings for Doolally can be made at Doolally.ie.
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