Divali Festival 2007,Britomart, Auckland 26-28 October 2007

This is the second time Divali Festival is being held in Auckland and fortunately, I made it this time having missed it last year before moving back from KL. In Malaysia, we would call it Deepavali but the Indians calls it Divali. As usual, I will try not to miss any good chances where food is present.

The weather was not very forgiving but overall pleasant on Sunday after a failed attempt to go on Saturday during the sudden downpour.Unlike the famed Lantern Festival which is held during the Chap Goh Mei ( last day of Chinese New Year) in Albert Park every year, the Divali Festival saw a smaller but rather impressive crowd, mostly local Indian migrants. Divali Fest is fast becoming a must see yearly agenda for many Aucklanders and also tourists alike.

Compared to the Lantern Festival, which is fiercely popular amongst the locals where you will see more Pakehas ( Europeans) than Chinese, Divali Fest is drawing the Indian crowd more than the Pakehas. Good sign for authentic Indian food.
Pakoras, samosas, dhal, rice....etc.....

Indian sweets

An indian friend bought this dish, if not mistaken is called Bhel Puri. He told us that you either love it or hate it. The little round puris are very light and crispy. What you do is you crack open a little hole and fill it with the spiced peas and potatoes......
and then you dunk it into the tamarind base sauce and dip a little chutney and ready to eat. It tastes sour followed by a rather sharp tingle on my tongue. Love? Hmm...not exactly but I would eat it again for sure!
Idli burger, the idli is similar to putu pirings we get at home. Here, it is made into a burger form with coconut and spices filling.

so fast and intricate...too bad it takes 4 weeks to wash off otherwise i would have gotten one too...

Same performers for every festival here