E8 Chhoti Diwali

U • Food • Festivals • 2020

Festive rituals are a great way to indulge in the best nutrition the seasons have to offer. Fourteen different leafy greens all in one recipe is one such example. Sakshi decides to make the Choddo Shaakh, a Bengali winter specialty prepared on Narak Chaturdashi or Chhoti Diwali. Its served with a mo...

Director: Nidhi Tuli

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    E1 Ganesh Chaturthi
    31 July 2020 | 23 min

    Sakshi looks for her mothers prized recipe diary, the invaluable gift she was was given when she left home to come and work in Mumbai. She decides that she will celebrate one festival a week based on the recipes in her mothers book. She decides to begin this journey by celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi. ...

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    E2 Onam
    31 July 2020 | 22 min

    Sakshi reminisces about living in a joint family and the quirks it comes with. She remembers the chaos in just deciding the days menu. She talks about their neighbour Gayatri auntie and her Onasadhya, she decided to celebrate Onam. She makes pineapple pachadi, pulinji, kalan and rice.

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    E3 Anant Chaturdashi
    31 July 2020 | 23 min

    Anant Chaturdashi is the last day of Ganesh Chaturthi and also a time to eat Khoba Roti in Rajasthan. The day after, Jains celebrate a special day, kshamavani, where they apologise to each other. She makes Khoba Roti and Alvathi.

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    E4 Eid-Al-Adha
    31 July 2020 | 24 min

    Sakshi finds interesting recipes related to Eid in her mothers diary and decides to celebrate Eid, her friend Ali Asgar comes to celebrate Eid with her. She makes Shahi tukda, date and tamarind chutney and veg hare bhare kebab.

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    E5 Navratri
    31 July 2020 | 24 min

    Sakshi reminisces about the beauty of Delhi around the time of Durga Puja. To share this festive feeling, she invites her dear friend Kavita Kaushik to celebrate Navratri. She makes a mixed vegetable dish Shukto with Panch Foran, a pick of whole spices and incorporates the crunchy Badi that Kavita b...

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    E6 Dussehra
    31 July 2020 | 23 min

    The festival of Dussehra is bound in folklore right from Kolkata to Kanyakumari. Sakshi narrates her own stories, one of them being her first encounter with acting during the Dusshera festival. Talking about Karnataka and Mahishasur, Sakshi decides to make a South Indian sweet dish Hayagreeva, made ...

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    E7 Karwa Chauth
    31 July 2020 | 23 min

    Sakshi reminisces about Karwa Chauth celebrations at her home and what the day used to be like. She tries her hand at Dal Baati Churma, an important Karwa Chauth recipe and also a traditional meal of Rajasthan. The Churma made from wheat, suji and ghee, along with the Dal made from pulses and spices...

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    E9 Diwali
    31 July 2020 | 24 min

    The festival of lights is here And Sakshi makes her moms super hit Makhane Ki Barfi. Ram Kapoor joins Sakshi to celebrate Diwali and is caught off guard when she asks him to help her cook Amidst amusing Diwali memories, Sakshi and Ram prepare her favourite Aloo Mutter ki Sabzi and Puri. They savour ...

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    E10 Chhath Puja
    31 July 2020 | 24 min

    Sakshi talks about how festivals give us a reason to pause and soak in nature. One such festival that worships the Sun is Chatt Pooja. Sakshi prepares Thekua, the first bhog of Chatt Pooja. Actor and friend Rajesh Kumar joins her in the kitchen and willingly helps her prepare Kaddu Bhaat. He shares ...

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    E11 Kartik Purnima
    31 July 2020 | 24 min

    Its Kartik Purnima and Sakshi shares many great stories connected to this festival. Different communities celebrate this day for different reasons. Along with the unbelievable edible diyas and the tradition of paper boats, there are simple but delicious recipes for this special day. Sakshi makes Hab...

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    E12 Guru Nanak Jayanti
    31 July 2020 | 24 min

    Sakshi says that the three things she loves the most about Gurudwaras are kar seva, gurbani and kada prasad. She tries to emulate Kohli auntys recipe of the kada prasad or aatey ka halwa because she is celebrating Gurpurb. Its only fitting that she has to host Gurpal Singh in her home. To her joy, h...

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    E13 Satyanarayan Vrat
    31 July 2020 | 24 min

    Amidst some amusing stories of Satyanarayan Vrat, Sakshi makes Panjiri, a special of the vrat, but with a twist in the recipe. She also explains the reason behind the Satyanarayan Puja. Speaking fondly of how the Brihaspativar vrat is her moms favourite vrat, Sakshi cooks a Chana dal and jaggery khe...

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    E14 Ekadashi
    31 July 2020 | 24 min

    To celebrate Ekadashi, Sakshi makes a Khatta Meetha Kaddu, a simple pumpkin recipe with soursweet flavours. She also narrates an interesting Ekadashi story of why the moon waxes and wanes. To go with the kaddu, she makes a plain Rajgeere ke aate ka paratha and one with a paneer stuffing.

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    E15 Hanuman Vrat
    01 August 2020 | 23 min

    Sakshi makes Hanumanji39s favourite urad dal fritters also known as Hanuman Vada or Milagu Vada. She hosts mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik for lunch who gifts her his new book on Hanumanji and tells us lesser known facets of the monkeygod39s personality. Banana and coconut are also foods that are asso...

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    E16 Sankashti Chaturthi
    31 July 2020 | 24 min

    Sakshi is celebrating Sankashti Chaturthi for which she prepares Valachi Bhaji. While preparing this Maharashtrian speciality made with fava beans, dry coconut, onion paste and Malvani masala, she narrates the significance of the name Sankashti and also the reason behind Lord Ganesh’s name. Sakshi t...

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    E17 Vrat Ka Khana
    31 July 2020 | 24 min

    Delighted to receive Matthri and pudina chutney from her doting neighbour Kohli aunty, Sakshi resolves to make vrat ka khaana for her. She speaks about the multiple navaratris in a year and looks for her mom’s Navaratri recipe in the diary. She makes tikki with the fibrous Singhade ka atta along wit...

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    E18 Paush Purnima
    02 August 2020 | 23 min

    Sakshi makes a delicious Moong Dal ka Halwa as she speaks of the amazing lunisolar workings of the Hindu calendar. She narrates fascinating legends of Shakhambari Devi, worshipped on Gupt Navaratri of the Paush month. She also makes Paush Bada from the chilka moong dal and serves it with a garlictom...

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    E19 Christmas
    02 August 2020 | 24 min

    To celebrate Christmas, Sakshi and her friend Maria Goretti bake a chocolate cake layered with a buttery mistletoelike icing. Maria shares memories from childhood and tells Sakshi what it means to be an East Indian. She also reminisces about the women who would sing songs and grind the Bottle Masala...

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    E20 New Year
    02 August 2020 | 24 min

    As the New Year approaches, Sakshi resolves to revive her old love of writing. To celebrate a new beginning, she makes something unique. A change from her Indian recipes, Sakshi prepares savory English muffins. She also makes a vegetarian Shepherds Pie with whole lentils and vegetables, a dish once ...

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    E21 Pongal
    02 August 2020 | 24 min

    To celebrate Pongal, Sakshi prepares Sakkarai Pongal, a kind of sweet halwa. She regales us with various Pongal stories from her moms collected postcards, including a Shiv and Nandi story. She then makes Pulihora or tamarind rice which is common to the four states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karna...

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    E22 Lohri / Makar Sankranti
    31 July 2020 | 24 min

    On this festive occasion of Makar Sankranti and Lohri, Sakshi hosts a super special guest, cricketer Virender Sehwag Sehwag shares amusing anecdotes from his cricket days and also discusses his favourite Kishore Kumar songs while relishing the Lohri specials prepared by Sakshi. The winter harvest f...

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    E23 Vasant Panchami
    02 August 2020 | 24 min

    Sakshi enjoys the Bundi ke Laddoo that have been sent to her by her Mamaji. As she speaks about the blooming spring season, she decides to make something yellow and hence she begins with the Khaman Dhokla. Sakshi narrates an interesting story of Kamdev and ShivParvati related to Vasant Panchami. Thi...

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    E24 Narad Stories
    31 July 2020 | 24 min

    Narayan Narayan… Narad Muni always has a cache of stories about everyone that he swaps around playfully. Sakshi tries to unearth this fascinating personality from mythology by sharing his various tales. On the menu today is Khaja – a sweet dispensed as prasad at the Jagannath Puri temple which has a...

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    E25 Khandoba and Folk Dieties
    31 July 2020 | 24 min

    Khandoba, a local deity of Maharashtra is one of the many regional gods of our country. Sakshi speaks about the beauty of regional deities in a country as diverse as India – that such figures are worshipped by a varied populace irrespective of religion. She also speaks of the Khandoba mela and narra...

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    E26 Mahashivratri
    02 August 2020 | 24 min

    A Kashmiri Shivratri menu is on the cards. Sakshi invites her friend Supriya who is known to whip up tasty Kashmiri fare. Amidst tales of Shiv and Parvati and their wedding day, Sakshi prepares a lesser known curry of India, the Nadru Yakhni or lotus stems with yoghurt. Supriya joins her and brings ...

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    E27 Holi
    01 August 2020 | 24 min

    Its the occasion of Holi and Sakshi cant stop singing She prepares Thandai from soaked almonds, melon seeds, pistachios, poppy seeds and milk. Sakshi is joined by her friend Kanu who gets impressed by Sakshis cooking. They make Gujiya and recall the joy of preparing festive delicacies in a group. Sa...

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    E28 Basoda
    02 August 2020 | 24 min

    Festivals call for freshly made, hot, tasty food. But among these is one which forbids the eating of just that, and instead asks for a dayold food. Dedicated to Sheetla Devi, Basoda is one such festival, on which you eat Basi dishes. But its only those recipes which dont spoil easily and are still d...

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    E29 Gudi Padwa
    31 July 2020 | 24 min

    The presence of so many communities in India doesnt just mean numerous festivals, but also several New Year celebrations Sakshi starts her New Year celebration by making Ugadi Pachadi. Its a preparation from Andhra Pradesh and also part of a ritual bhog. To celebrate the Maharashtrian new year Gudi ...

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    E30 Gangaur
    02 August 2020 | 24 min

    Gangaur is a special festival of Rajasthan which calls for the worship of Shiv Parvati and has fun, childlike customs associated with it. Sakshi creates miniature mud figures of Shiv and Parvati and breaks into a Gangaur song sung by young girls. Having celebrated such festivals in her childhood, s...

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    E31 Mahavir Jayanti
    03 August 2020 | 24 min

    To celebrate the birthday of Bhagwan Mahavir, Sakshi cooks a Jain dish often made in households in Gujarat: Tamatar sev nu shaakh. Diced tomatoes sautéed in spices, chillies, curry leaves and a pinch of sugar as well And of course, a generous helping of sev added on top. Sakshi explains the differen...

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    E32 Easter
    02 August 2020 | 24 min

    On the occasion of Easter, Sakshi invites some children home to celebrate it with her. She makes an Easter special Simnel cake wirth marzipan, dry fruits and tuttifrutti. She also makes a quinoa salad and some tasty hasselback potatoes.

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    E33 Baisakhi
    01 August 2020 | 24 min

    Sakshi shares a story narrating the ingenuity of Akbar and Birbal. She celebrates Baisakhi by making Bhapa Puli Pittha, steamed rice dumplings. Ranveer Brar joins her and makes a delicious Aate Ka Halwa with jaggery. They also prepare Dhokar Dalna, fried lentil cakes in a potato gravy.

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    E34 Akshaya Tritiya
    01 August 2020 | 24 min

    Sakshi celebrates Akshaya Tritiya by doing what she does best, telling stories and cooking delicious food. She narrates the story of Hrishabhdev and that of Krishna and Sudama. The celebration is complete once Kangni Kheer made in sugarcane juice and besan ke gatte are on the table.

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    E36 Buddha Purnima
    02 August 2020 | 24 min

    Sakshi celebrates the wisdom of Gautam Buddha on Buddha Purnima. She makes ‘Khaapse’ or sweet dough fritters. Sakshi’s school mate and actor Anup Soni comes by the surprise her. While they try to nail the braided detailing of the Tibetan Buddhist snack, a bunch of fun school memories come up. They a...

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    E35 Mopin Festival
    01 August 2020 | 24 min

    Sakshi shares her memory of the beautiful Arunachal Pradesh during the harvest festival of Mopin. She makes Bamboo shoot stir fry and also recreates Zan, a recipe that she had in a small, simple restaurant in Arunachal Pradesh.

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    E37 Sita
    31 July 2020 | 24 min

    Mulling over the perception of Sita’s life, Sakshi decides to celebrate Sita39s perseverance. She also shares an interesting story that precedes Sita’s Swayamvar. As the lotus stem is relevant to a Vanvaas story in the Ramayan saga, Sakshi prepares Kamal kakdi ke kofte. She then makes an elephant fo...

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    E38 Jewish Festival Shavuot
    01 August 2020 | 24 min

    Sakshi misses her Jewish neighbour Leela Auntie and decides to celebrate the Jewish festival of Shavuot. She challenges herself by baking her own Challah bread She also cooks a traditional Jewish stew with pumpkin, potatoes and carrot, a recipe she learnt from Leela Auntie.

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    E39 Ganga Dussehra
    01 August 2020 | 24 min

    One of the many questions that intrigued Sakshi as a little child was the greatness of the river Ganga. She thinks of her aunt who unravelled some of Ganga’s secrets and instinctively cooks Chainsoo, a traditional daal from Uttarakhand. Speaking of the dramatic advent of Ganga on earth, she also mak...

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    E40 Sai Baba
    02 August 2020 | 23 min

    Sakshi has bought home some fresh flowers when a sudden remark from Kohli aunty makes her think of the beloved Sai Baba. She decides to make Chatpate Amrud grilled spiced guava and Angur ki chutney, which resembles a grape compote, to celebrate the revered spiritual master. Also on the menu is Palak...

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    E41 Raja Sankranti
    31 July 2020 | 24 min

    As Sakshi reminisces about an old college friend, she introduces us to the unique Odisha festival of Raja Sankranti which celebrates women’s menstruation and fertility. Preparing the Odisha delicacies like Poda Pitha, a traditional cake and Kanika, a sweet rice, Sakshi laughs over funny Indian euphe...

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    E42 Eid-Ul-Fitr
    31 July 2020 | 24 min

    What’s better... Pulao or Qubooli After a heated debate among friends, Sakshi resolves to find out for herself by cooking this Eid special rice dish Qubooli. She invites her friend Ayaz Khan to relish the Qubooli and celebrate Eidulfitr with her, which is sweetened further with Sakshis mouth wateri...

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    E43 Meenakshi Kalyanam
    31 July 2020 | 24 min

    The wedding day of Goddess Meenakshi God Sundereshwarar is celebrated with a colossal feast for her devotees. Sakshi also celebrates their wedding at home by cooking Tindli Thoran, Curd rice and Rasam, and of course, by enthralling us with tales of the heroic goddess.

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    E44 Kabir Jayanti
    07 August 2020 | 24 min

    On a beautiful, poetic afternoon Sakshi invites her poetfriend Piyush Mishra to celebrate the great mystic Kabir. Piyush speaks about the influence of Kabir while sharing his famous couplets as well as giving us a sneak peak of his own writing. They have a lovely time as Sakshi makes her Dadis recip...

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    E45 Jhulelal
    01 August 2020 | 24 min

    Sheikh Tahir, Uderolal or Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, many names but one unifying force for the Sindhi community Jhulelal is the center of Sindhi culture and tradition. Sakshi celebrates all things Sindhi with her friend Shweta Keswani by making a delicious preparation of Vaishnav Bhaji. Together, they al...

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    E46 Mahabharata Stories
    01 August 2020 | 24 min

    They say that the Mahabharata has a story in it about virtually every theme in the world and Sakshi plans to make recipes related to this epic saga. She first cooks Avial, a mix vegetable preparation with grated coconut a dish believed to be innovated by the mighty Bheem. She also makes Mungphali k...

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    E47 Folk Deities
    02 August 2020 | 23 min

    Sakshi talks about her desire for discovering customs of a place along with its food and people. On arriving in Maharashtra, she had heard about Vitthoba and Vari and she expresses her wish to celebrate them. She makes Pitthla, bhakri and thecha in Asal maraath mol true marathi spirit She speaks of ...

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    E48 Guru Purnima
    31 July 2020 | 24 min

    Looking for a traditional Guru Purnima dish, Sakshi comes across her favourite recipe of Badam ka Halwa in her mothers diary. Her gym friend and popular radio jockey RJ Anmol comes over and tries his hand at cooking. They bond over their excitement over little joys that come along with cooking the...

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    E49 Shravan
    31 July 2020 | 24 min

    The auspicious month of Shravan is about meditation and spirituality. Sakshi celebrates the monsoon month by narrating tales of Shivji and making Sabudana khichdi a favourite Maharashtrian fasting staple. Savoury done, also on the menu is something sweet a sweet potato or Shakarkandi ka halwa.

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    E50 Nag Panchami
    31 July 2020 | 24 min

    To celebrate Nag Panchami, Sakshi cooks some Konkani delicacies for the day while narrating stories, busting myths, and sharing intriguing facts about snakes. The first dish she cooks is Dind steamed dough parcels with jaggery and chana dal filling, followed by Adsare Undi – coconut rice dumplings,...

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    E51 Navroz
    31 July 2020 | 24 min

    Actress Tanaaz Irani joins Sakshi to celebrate the Parsi new year, Navroz. Tanaaz is in for a big surprise as Sakshi decides to make a vegetarian Dhansak, which is traditionally a meatbased preparation. The two friends discuss the history of the Parsi community and make Dhansak masala from scratch. ...

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    E52 Raksha Bandhan
    31 July 2020 | 24 min

    It’s time for siblings to bond as Sakshi’s sister Seema Didi is home for Raksha Bandhan. To surprise her sister, Sakshi makes Gulab Jamun, which is traditionally made in her family home. They then fry dough parcels with a paneer and bell pepper stuffing. Sakshi talks about the Koli custom of offerin...

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    E53 Janmashtami
    31 July 2020 | 24 min

    To celebrate Janmashtami, Lord Krishnas birthday, Sakshi prepares Gopalkala and sings Krishna bhajans. She makes Mohanthal and also some Dahi ke Kebab. We learn about the various avatars of Krishna in different Indian states and in the Mahabharata. Sakshi is overwhelmed with emotion as she speaks to her parents on a video call. They even sing a Krishna Bhajan together.

Language

Hindi

Release Date

31 July 2020

Genre

Food, Festivals

Director

Nidhi Tuli