By Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff

Diwali Celebration at the Outer Sunset Farmers Market & Mercantile on November 12th, 2023.

Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, is currently celebrated all over the world by over a billion people. San Franciscans take pride in honoring diversity; this includes celebrating Diwali!  On Sunday Nov. 12, 2023, the Outer Sunset Farmers Marker & Mercantile was buzzing with activities including crafts, a cultural exhibit, a sari show, Indian themed dances and a cooking demonstration with food sampling to share this beautiful holiday with the community! This was the first outdoor celebration of Diwali in the Outer Sunset of San Francisco. And the OSFMM plans to repeat Diwali and other cultural celebrations in the future.

Diwali has many historical interpretations in Hindu mythology, but the common thread of the belief is to honor the victory of good over evil, or light over darkness. In India, houses are lit up with lights, floors are decorated with sand paintings called Rangoli, food is shared with family members and many festivities are marked with dances and music. We created some of these activities, on Nov. 12, 2023, thanks to the Diwali planning committee the OSFMM staff.

Here are some photos depicting the many activities that took place. We are grateful to the audience that joined us to celebrate. We are very thankful to the vendors who supported this event and appreciate Other Avenues Food co-op’s donation of food for the cooking demo. I am also adding the recipe for masala chai (Indian tea with milk and spices) that we shared with the enthusiastic audience.

Masala Chai

The term “tea” is often used for beverages made from any herbs. These “brews” should be called infusions. There is only one plant that qualifies as a tea plant, camellia sinensis. The tea plant’s origins are blurry and the word for tea “Cha” or “chai” in many languages suggests its Chinese roots. Tea is brewed and served hot with or without sugar in many countries. In India, black tea leaves are brewed with water, milk and sugar– this is called “chai.” Prepared this way, chai is a very popular drink throughout Asia. The British learned to drink tea with milk from the Indians. Later they separated the tea from the milk and sweetener to make “English tea” or “tray tea.”

Masala Chai (Chai with Spices)

4½ cups water

2 cups milk, whole or low-fat (or soymilk for a vegan version)

1 small cinnamon stick, 3 whole cloves, and 12 to 14 seeds from cardamom pods, coarsely ground

3–4 teaspoons of loose black tea (combine a strong Indian black tea with an aromatic leafy tea)

1 tablespoon sugar or honey, or to taste

Place water, milk and the spices in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Add tea leaves, turn off the heat and cover for five minutes. Uncover, strain and add your choice of a sweetener and serve.

Makes 6 servings

These recipes are modified from Shanta’s book, Cooking Together: A vegetarian Co-op cookbook, available at local bookstores, Other Avenues Food Co-op & Rainbow Grocery Co-op; copyrights © Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff, 2017.