Happy Diwali! Jerry and Tanner Agar head into Indian food for the Festival of Lights. Like Bourdain, but with lower stakes: two curious eaters finding it out together, with some real experts to keep them honest.
Tanner starts with an amuse booze, a Masala Chai Old Fashioned. (Also, “chai tea” just means “tea tea.”) Then eTalk host Sonia Mangat, whose new podcast Silk & Savage spotlights prominent South Asians, explains what Diwali means to Hindu and Sikh families. She covers why you should eat at a Sikh temple (cover your head, and no, a Jays hat doesn’t count), the one dish she won’t celebrate without, and the case for big multigenerational households.
Next, Jerry and Tanner taste a pile of Diwali sweets their Indian friends picked out: jalebi, gulab jamun, laddoo, barfi, milk cake and more. One savory snack from "the twins" steals the show.
Then celebrated Canadian chef Vikram Vij talks about opening Vij’s in 1994. He refused to serve butter chicken, told doubtful diners “if you don’t like it, I’ll pay for it,” and explains why it’s time to drop the word “authentic.”
To finish, Tanner builds your first Indian restaurant order, from samosas and pakoras to paneer, biryani and naan, plus tips for your first visit.