If you rolled a bit of Christmas, New Year's Eve and the Fourth of July all into one, then catered the affair with heaps of sweets and savory snacks, you'd begin to get a taste for what it means to celebrate Diwali, India's best-known festival.

The sugary treats known as "mithai" -- thousands of tons are prepared for Diwali every year -- tend to get most of the attention during this holiday that marks the victory of good over evil and light over darkness.

But Indian food is all about balance and contrasts. Salty, spicy snacks collectively referred to as "namkeen" or "karam" play an equally important role during Diwali, which this year falls on Oct. 17.

Piquant little diamonds called shankarpali; chili-spiked mixes of flaked rice and lentils called chivda; and crisp, golden noodles called ribbon pakoda serve as both munchies and gifts, the latter an element as critical to Diwali as to Christmas.

"It's a time when a lot of family connections and kinship ties are strengthened," says Sharmila Sen, a humanities editor at Harvard University Press and expert on Indian food. "For women, it's important that their families send these elaborate presentations of nuts and savories to their husband's family, thereby strengthening the ties."

The legends behind Diwali -- a word taken from the Sanskrit word dipavali meaning "row of lights" -- vary by region in India, but people of every faith line windows and doorways with small clay or silver oil lamps, and trim homes, shops and businesses with brightly colored lights. Firecrackers pop and screech from early morning. Businesses close their fiscal year and open new books.

Diwali is also a time for visiting friends and family, and the delicate, time-consuming savories -- which are easily made in large quantities -- are exchanged between homes.

"In one neighborhood, you're going to have 50 or 60 families, and you're going to feed all the immediate neighbors," says Abraham Varghese, executive chef at Washington's Indique Heights, who recalled rolling and cutting shankarpali with his brothers as a child. "We would go to all the homes we knew, and to the poor home."

The treats are often wrapped as colorfully as possible, baled in reds, golds, greens and marigold, the colors of happiness and auspicious beginnings, Sen says.

In times past, gifts would be placed on platters and draped in elaborate fabrics. Today, they are more likely to come in wrapping paper that mimics the patterns of those fabrics or in colorful cellophane.

Bright cardboard boxes, platters fashioned from dried palm or banana leaves, and clay pots also are used. Occasionally, a silver platter is used to deliver the savories to a very important client or hard-to-please in-laws.

The idea of giving savories -- as well as sweets -- is rooted in the principles of Indian cooking. Indian cuisine is about balancing taste elements, about playing hot, sour, sweet, salty, bitter, astringent and umami (savory) off one another, says Raghavan Iyer, an award-winning cookbook author and chef at Minneapolis restaurant Om.

"With Indian food, you have to associate the word 'balance,'" he says. "So, in addition to the sweets, savory does play a big role."

Crisp, spicy snacks serve another crucial function at Diwali. Because they are deep-fried, they keep for weeks in air-tight containers. Which means a host can always have a big stash on hand to accommodate hungry holiday visitors.

"Diwali is all about snacking," says Sangeetha Sarma, a Washington food publicist who grew up in the South Indian city of Chennai. "It's the Festival of Lights, but it's really like Thanksgiving."

Thattai

The name for these fried treats, thattai, may have been taken from the Tamil word meaning "flattie" or "pattie." These South Indian treats are sometimes found in shops, but connoisseurs swear by the fresh taste of homemade.

Start to finish: One hour

Servings: Eight

4 cups rice flour

1/2 cup urad dal flour (or chickpea flour)

2 tablespoons yellow split peas, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

10 curry leaves, roughly torn (optional)

Salt, to taste

1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces

1-1/2 cups water

Vegetable or canola oil, for frying

Arrange a large sheet of waxed or parchment paper on the counter near the work area.

In a large bowl, combine both flours, the yellow split peas, cayenne, sesame seeds, curry leaves and salt. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in the butter. Add 1/4 cup of the water, and begin making a dough.

Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture has the consistency of piecrust. Working on the waxed or parchment paper, form the dough into 1-inch balls, then use a rolling pin to flatten each into a disc about 1/4-inch thick. Set the discs on the paper, then use a knife to cut the discs into quarters. Using a fork, prick each piece in several places.

In a large, deep skillet over medium, heat about 1 inch of oil. To test the oil, place a small piece of bread it in; it should sizzle.

Carefully slip the quarters into the oil. Do not crowd the skillet. Turn them occasionally with a slotted spoon, frying until golden brown. Transfer to paper towels to drain. When completely cool, store in an airtight container. Will keep for several days.

(Recipe adapted from the blog "Food in the Main" at srefoodblog.blogspot.com)

Cereal chivda

Chivda is India's equivalent of Chex Mix. Salty, spicy and full of enigmatic flavors, the ingredients will vary by region, but often include puffed or flaked rice, lentils, nuts and sometimes fruit. Many modern Indians, especially in the U.S., substitute breakfast cereal for the puffed rice. For the best flavor, make this a day ahead.

Start to finish: 15 minutes

Servings: Eight

1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 green chilies, stems removed, thinly sliced

4 to 5 curry leaves (optional)

2 cups crisped rice cereal

2 cups plain O's cereal (such as Cheerios)

3 cups bran flakes and raisin cereal

1/2 cup yellow split peas

1/2 cup roasted peanuts

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3/4 teaspoon mango powder or citric acid

In a large deep skillet over low, heat the oil. Add the mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add the cumin seeds, green chilies and curry leaves, if using. Saute on low until crispy, about one minute. Do not let the mixture burn.

Add all three cereals, the split peas, peanuts and raisins, and cook for another two to three minutes, tossing constantly to keep from burning.

Remove the skillet from the heat. Add salt, garlic powder, cayenne and mango powder or citric acid, then stir thoroughly. Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container. Will keep for several days.

(Recipe adapted from the blog "Veggie Foodist" at veggiefoodist.blogspot.com)

Spicy shankarpali

These diamond-shaped Diwali staples come in sweet and savory versions. Though Indian families will often have a special cutting tool to make the shape, it is easily replicated with a fluted (or traditional) pizza cutter.

Start to finish: 1-1/2 hours

Servings: Eight

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

2 teaspoons rice flour

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon slightly crushed cumin seeds (optional)

Pinch asafetida

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons hot vegetable or canola oil

Water

Vegetable or canola oil, for frying

In a large bowl, combine all three flours, the cayenne pepper, cumin seeds, asafetida and salt. Add the hot oil, and mix well. While mixing, add water by the tablespoon until a stiff dough forms (about 1/4 cup of water total). It should be roughly the consistency of piecrust. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

Form the dough into a ball, and place on a large piece of waxed or parchment paper. Roll out the dough until about 1/8-inch thick. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut diagonal lines across the circle. Then, cut in the opposite direction to form small diamond shapes.

In a large, deep skillet over medium, heat about 1 inch of oil. To test the oil, place a small piece of bread it in; it should sizzle.

Working in batches, lift the edge of the paper slightly, peel off several pieces of dough and fry until golden, about one minute per side. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to paper towels to drain. When cooled to room temperature, store in a sealed container for several days.

(Recipe adapted from the blog aayisrecipes.com)

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