6 spring festivals of India & abroad and where to try their colourful food traditions

Peele chawal at Tari.

Thingyan, Myanmar

Thingyan Festival at Burma Burma restaurants across India.

Thingyan marks the Burmese New Year, with traditional delights like mohinga (fish soup), laphet thoke (tea leaf salad), and mont lin ma yar (sticky rice cakes). India’s only Burmese speciality restaurant and tearoom, Burma Burma is hosting a Thingyan Festival till May 19 at its various outlets in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and others. The stunning ‘Village Set’ of assorted dishes served on a flat cane basket include Sweet Lime and Shallot Salad, Mock Meat Samosa, Peppery Tofu & Onion Stir Fry, flaky Palata, Pumpkin & Broad Bean Curry, Coconut Rice and Roselle & Mushroom Stir Fry, with an array of delightful relishes.

Hanami, Japan

Japan’s cherry blossom viewing festival, Hanami is celebrated with delightful bento boxes of sushi, tempura and sakura mochi enjoyed under the blooming trees. In Delhi, you can try a special Hanami menu at the Japanese fine dining restaurant, Guppy till May 31. Presenting an amalgamation of colours and flavours of spring, it includes Rainbow Roll (with salmon, tuna, yellowtail, avocado and crab), a Vegetable Rainbow Sushi (made from cream cheese, asparagus, avocado, and shishito) a Tofu, Asparagus and Artichoke dish that highlight the fresh produce abundant during spring, and a Grilled Yuzu Khosla Fish, among others.

Celebrate Hanami at Guppy, Delhi with Chicken, Avocado & Greens Salad.

Poila Boisakh, Bengal

The Bengali New Year is celebrated with traditional delights like panta bhat (fermented rice), fried fish, bhaja (fritters), aromatic pulaos and sweets. The gastronomic experience lab, Indica in Delhi is hosting a Poila Boisakh lunch and dinner on April 20, with Panta Bhaat, Enchod (jackfruit) Chops, Maan Kochu Bhorta (Yam), Chingri Bhorta (Prawn) and more. Noida-home chef Sharmi Adhikary, known for making rustic Bengali food with seasonal produce, has a Poila Boisakh menu for April 15, featuring Doodh Potol (pointed gourd in milk gravy), Begun Basanti (aubergines in sweet-sour gravy), Maacher Matha Diye Daal (moong dal with fish head), etc. In Kolkata, The Bhawanipur House has a Poila Baisakh feast on till April 15, serving Calcutta Fish Fry, Gondhoraj Baked Fish and prawn cutlet.

Poila Boisakh, or Bengali new year, feast. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Bohag Bihu, Assam

Assam’s spring festival, Bohag Bihu is celebrated with varieties of pithas (rice cakes). Mumbai-based home chef Gitika Saikia has a Bihu menu till April 16, with pitha platters featuring Nangol Dhuwa Pitha (steamed rice flour dumpling stuffed with coconut and jaggery), Lau Polla (pumpkin pitha), Til Pitha, Mitha Ghila Pitha, etc. Traditional mains include Alu Tita Phool Pitika (potato & bitter flower mash), Patot Diya Horu Maas (small river fish in mustard paste, steamed in banana leaves) and Bhut Jolokia Pork Gongura Leaves Dry Fry. Delhi’s popular Cafe Lota is hosting an Assamese food festival from April 18 to 21 with a menu of ‘authentic Assamese delicacies that celebrate local ingredients and simple recipes’.

Bohag or Rongila Bihu spread. (Photo: Gitika Saikia)

Vishu, Kerala

Kerala’s New Year is marked by a sumptuous feast known as sadya of avial (mixed vegetable curry), olan (ash gourd stew), payasam (sweet pudding) and more. Mumbai-based home chef and caterer NairOnFire, and Delhi-based home chef Ruchi Mittal are offering Vishu sadyas, featuring Elaichi Banana, Inju Puli, Olan, Parippu, Yam and Kadala Kootu Curry and a host of other traditional items. In Delhi, you can also try authentic Kerala food for Vishu at popular restaurants like Mahabelly, Sana Di Ge and Zambar, while in Mumbai, South of Vindhyas, Banana Leaf and Just Kerala are offering sadyas.

Kerala Sadya meal. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)