Fancy a change from turkey and Christmas pud? The kitchen team at Newcastle’s Dabbawal restaurants cook up an Indian festive feast
Christians may be in a tiny minority in India, but they certainly know how to do Christmas, often following Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve with presents and a spectacular feast of all things wonderfully spicy and sweet.
There are no Christmas trees, so a banana or mango tree might end up bedecked in sparkly bits, and in southern India Christians might put small oil-burning clay lamps on the flat roofs of their homes.
Almost a quarter of the 33m people who live in the south western state of Kerala are Christian and every house is decorated with a Christmas star. Here, there’s excitement in the air and the delicious smells of baking and sweet making are everywhere. Homes are decorated, carols fill the air and there is a feeling of freshness and happiness. It is also the wedding season for Catholics in India. Fancy a change this Christmas? We asked the talented chefs at Dabbawal street food restaurants inNewcastle to create our own Indian feast. Enjoy!
Dabbawal, High Bridge, Newcastle, tel 0191 232 5133
Dabbawal, Brentwood Mews, Jesmond, Newcastle, tel 0191 281 3434
