As a millennial or Genz, you might be familiar with the term ‘Thanksgiving,’ thanks to the 1000th F.r.i.e.n.d.s. rerun you have been watching (pun unintended). Ross Geller explained that it is “a day of giving thanks.”
It might sound like a weird concept, but it is a day you express your gratitude. However, every TV show and movie always shows a big family feast with Turkey as the meal’s star!
Now, while none of us truely understand the concept of Thanksgiving, we realize that the type of meal that must be eaten on the day has a very special significance. It also means that for many of us, Thanksgiving means a bunch of Americans gathering to celebrate the occasion by eating turkey! There are also a ton of other dishes like mashed potatoes, some cranberry sauce, a bit of stuffing (which you might think of as food dressing), and a dessert, which is usually some sort of a pie. But we know, Aditi, that as an Indian, eating ‘uble aalo’ and a ‘big bird!’ sounds blasphemous. But it seems that’s what you’ll have to do when you are in America soon! Okay, fine, we were kidding. You can stop crying. It turns out, just like everything else, the NRIs have deployed their ingenuity, and now ‘thanksgiving and the american indian’ combine to form a deliciously unique blend that is way tastier than a turkey, with some normal dressing. In fact, some desis have taken it a step further to create a vegetarian variant of the meal as well.
What is Thanksgiving?
Before we get into how the ‘videshi-desis’ have made their own version of Thanksgiving, we want to explain the original festival to you. You see, Thanksgiving is actually a holiday that Americans and Canadians celebrate. The original festival was celebrated first in 1621 on a harvest festival, when the English colonists, or Pilgrims, and Native Americans shared their meal in Plymouth. While the Americans draw the Thanksgiving tradition from there, the rituals and the feasts have remained the same through the years. The Americans celebrate the festival with great enthusiasm. A giant turkey is a must for these feasts because the ‘first’ pilgrims went fowling for turkeys to eat them for dinner. And this is where the concept of the turkey comes in. So, every Thanksgiving meal needs a turkey with potatoes, cranberry sauce, and a pie for dessert. We know this isn’t a ‘Chhappan bhog’ Rahul. But this is nothing compared to our wide range of sweet and savory dishes for our festivals!Fear not, dear boy! Our fellow desis have come up with very innovative ways to expand the scope of these meals and thanksgiving and the american indian population is bringing their A-game!Why Are Indians ‘Changing’ Thanksgiving?
We know that you are wondering why someone would change a festival, that too, something of historical importance. The truth is that when two or more cultures interact, a third culture develops. In simple language, this means that when more and more immigrants started living in America, their beliefs, cultures, and practices began mixing with the American culture. So when Indians went to America, like any other good-hearted person, they also participated in America’s different cultures. One of them was the festival of thanksgiving. But the American palate is a lot blander for the average Indian. So, the desis thought of giving some spicy twists to the traditional American Thanksgiving feast. And since we are Indians, the ‘spicy twist’ also meant an innovative replacement of some extremely non-vegetarian dishes with their vegetarian counterparts because (in babu bhai accent) bilkul riks (risk) nahi lene ka.The American-Desis & Their Desi Tadka To Thanksgiving Meals
Indians are one of the most innovative people in the world. They know how to make the best of any situation they are in. So it would come as no surprise that when faced with some very bland or less-flavourful foods, NRIs took the matter into their own hands. From taking ‘mumma’s-specially-prepared masala mixes’ to the US to changing some American recipes to include more spice, the desis-on-videshi-soil have done it all. The occasion of Thanksgiving is no different. With its main dish falling into the category of non-vegetarian and its bland side dishes, the Indians came up with some better, and dare we say, more wholesome alternatives! So let’s see how the meal of thanksgiving and the American Indian population go together!
- A Turkey Need Not Be Non-Vegetarian – We are aware that we said that a ‘turkey can be vegetarian,’ Rahul! Chill. It is not a typo. We are saying that Indians have devised some ingenious ways to offer more vegan and vegetarian alternatives to a predominantly vegetarian main course.
India has a majority of the vegetarian population. So it is obvious that only a few immigrants who just shifted to the US would be able to dive head-first into meat, let alone a whole turkey. But that doesn’t mean Indians didn’t celebrate the ‘day of giving thanks.’ On the contrary, they even went ahead and searched for vegetarian- and vegan-friendly options for this feast. One such option was replacing the turkey with a pumpkin with vegetarian stuffing in it. And for the ‘vegan-nation,’ there are tofu-centred dishes!
- A Vegetarian Main Course – Many Americans prefer a hearty meal with chicken, fish, or even meat. But many Indians don’t eat that. So, the NRIs tried to make the main course more vegetarian. Now, this’ desi twist’ can range from a normal dal, roti, or sabzi meal to a more extravagant option of a baked cauliflower head with pulao and shahi paneer (or even kadhai paneer, if you are really going desi).
Not only does this make the food a bit more edible for Indians, but it also adds a heady mix of spices, making the main course more edible for the desi folks. This also makes the menu more customizable so you can enjoy it!
- More ‘Masale-daar’ Side Dishes—A traditional ‘turkey-day’ feast includes mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce as side dishes. Why are Indians not satisfied with this? Well, reason number 1 is ‘teen tigada, kaam bigada.’ Reason number two is ‘taste kahan hai?’ (remember the Everest taste masala ad?). As fun as cranberry sauce sounds, we still need our chatpati chats, papads, or even just ‘some salt’ in our dishes.
Lo and behold! The NRIs are to the rescue again! The desis have altered some of the non-vegetarian main course dishes of the feast of thanksgiving and the american indian now has his eyes on the bland side dishes. Some NRIs have swapped the regular cheese and bread dishes with some wholesome paneer and naan. Then there are the regular dips, which can be replaced with a nice, spicy, and flavourful brinjal dip; you can call it an eggplant dip if you want to feel really fancy, Rahul. Of course, a raita with some chaat masala is a must-have!
- Spicing Up The Menu—India is a land of spices, so it is natural that when it comes to American food, yeh dil mange more spice. While regular pasta and pizza are good for a ‘snack break,’ eating them on a special occasion just won’t do. So, the Indians have gone back to their roots and added some tastier options to the menu.
One such addition is having a tasty and tangy chutney. It can be a cilantro chutney, a tomato chutney (not sauce!), or any other you like. The American ‘dressings’ and dips are no match for these lip-smacking chutneys. In the case of just a normal mashed potato side dish, amp it up with a scalloped potato and roasted carrots combo. It goes without saying that when we say ‘roasted,’ you can roast the potatoes and carrots with spices to make it a delectable combination. Another suggestion is to make a side dish of corn with a chaat masala and cilantro dressing. And if you want to add more veggies to the mix, add green beans made with extra ‘masala’ to the menu.
- Bringing In The Local Indian Cuisine & Culture Too—America may have people from different cultures living there, but it is no match for India’s cultural diversity. When Indians go abroad, they not only bring an Indian perspective to the US but also local cultural hints to the ‘Land of Opportunities.’
So, while we are on the topic of food, these hints are also present here. Many Marathi dishes like Vangi Bath and Puran Poli (sweet paratha), as well as seafood, and some South Indian dishes like medu vada, podi idli, and more, have also found their way into the meal on thanksgiving and the american indian people are more than happy with this development.
- More Indian desserts – While a traditional Thanksgiving pie is made of pumpkin, apple, or any other fruit, the Indians just aren’t having it. They want more variety, and of course, some want variants. So, some have resorted to more creative desserts.
This list includes a Gulab Jamun cake complete with its cardamom flavor. Another sweet dish is a malai halwa, which makes the mouth water! And if you want something simpler, a normal meetha daliya or porridge works just fine!
Even The Non-Vegetarian Foods Have A ‘Masala-Special’ Glow-up!
Remember when we said that a majority of Indians are vegetarian? Well, there is also a portion of Indians who love non-vegetarian food. They love meat, chicken, and even some seafood. But that doesn’t mean they like American ‘non-vegetarian’ festive food much. Their heart is desi, which means their ‘palate’ loves spice and flavor. So here are some changes that have been made to American non-vegetarian food to make it tastier.
- A spice-fest of biryani paired with a tandoori-flavoured turkey sounds like heaven. The biryani spices will complement the tandoori turkey well and give the heart a feeling of bliss!
- One desi friend also suggested replacing the gigantic turkey with some smaller Cornish game hens. This makes the meal more customizable, the portions more manageable, and the cooking process a little easier.
- Another desi way to make the turkey tastier is to marinate it in yogurt with curry or even chutney, as per taste. This will add more flavors to the ‘big bird’ and also satisfy your ‘masala-craving.’
Indian Food Needs Indian Ingredients – Any Kirana Stores Near You?
Ever watched an episode of Masterchef? There is always a challenge to make something from scratch. Now, this is all well and good for someone who aspires to become a chef in a Michelin-starred restaurant or open their own restaurant, but it is highly likely that you are none of these things. So, if you want to go ahead and make the dishes that we mentioned above, you need the spices and ingredients that are Indian, like chaat masala. In fact, if you are going to mix the words ‘thanksgiving and the american indian,’ then you will definitely need these indian spices, groceries, or even utensils.
Some of these stores can be offline stores that can be found in localities with a high indian population. Offline Indian stores such as Little India are mostly available in such localities. Another offline indian store is Patel Brothers, which is a famous one. You can also shop at online Indian stores. A few examples of such stores are Kesar Grocery, as well iShopIndian. These stores have online websites where you can shop from and order your groceries from and get them delivered home.
Affordable Grocery Essentials To Prepare Your Indian Thanksgiving Menu
Since we know that you love shopping, Aditi, you might be happy to know that this is a new opportunity for you to browse the Internet and shop. However, the slight ‘catch’ is that these are groceries, not makeup or clothes. But it is still shopping, so potato, patato. While Indian dishes can be made with any spices available, the real taste comes only with some particular Indian masalas and grocery items. So, we took the pain of combining a list of some basic grocery products that are necessary for Indian cooking and are also affordable.1. Turmeric Powder – While we generally advise people not to differentiate based on color, ‘color’ is our best friend when it comes to food. The dish’s colors make it look appetizing and can also tell if the dish is overcooked. An essential ingredient to bring the vibrant yellow color to your daals is Turmeric powder. It is also a spice you usually find in your mom’s masala-daani’. You can always buy it from Amazon as it has various options and some very affordable prices.
2. Cinnamon Powder and Sticks – Let’s have a small quiz. Do you know what daal-chini is, Rahul? You would be dead wrong if you said daal with sugar mixed in it! Daal-Chini is cinnamon. Yeah, the same one that you ask for in your ‘Starbucks order.’
Cinnamon is essential in many dishes, such as daals, methi malai matar, and chole bhature. Should we go on? Anyway, the point is that if you want to get started in cooking Indian cuisine, this spice will come in handy, so you should probably buy it in powder form or as a cinnamon stick.
3. Basmati Rice – Ask any Indian what their comfort food is, and they will either say dal-chawal or any other rice-based dish. Now, when we had talked about the mixing of thanksgiving and the american indian, we had talked about how many NRIs also made rice-based dishes. So it might be a good idea to stock up with some good basmati rice regardless of whether it is to make Pulao during a festive get-together or a khichadi on days when you have a cold.
4. Wheat Flour – As fancy as it sounds, wheat flour is nothing but aata. While you might think aata is just for making roti, you have forgotten that you can also make some delicious parathas with it.
However, since we are talking about festive food here, we will remind you that you can make paranthas and puris with it. It can also be used to make desserts like aate-ka-halwa and a wheat-flour-based cake! So what are you waiting for? Buy it from any of your local Indian grocery stores like Little India or Patel Brothers, if you have one, or you can order it from Amazon or some Indian stores like iShopIndian’s website or from Kesar Grocery.
5. Ground Black Pepper/Black Pepper Powder—Another spice that you should probably stock up on is black pepper powder. It goes without saying that it is a major ingredient in many Indian dishes, adding some much-needed flavor to any dish it is added to. So, it is also a big part of the essentials list. Buy it from Amazon or from iShopIndian.
6. Ghee—As an Indian, you should know that ghee is a big part of our diet. When it comes to festive dishes, especially desserts, it is always part of the ingredient list. It is also a healthier option than frying things in butter or oil, so add this to your grocery list as well.
7. Carom Seeds/Ajwain – While Ajwain might not be a common ingredient, it is certainly an essential one to have. Like cardamom and black pepper, it is also a part of some of the dishes that we Indians love to eat on festive occasions.
8. Garam Masala – A pack of garam masala is a must in every Indian kitchen. It also forms the basis of many Indian dishes, especially the various daals. So, of course, we will advise you to buy it if you want to make a nice indian feast, especially when you are mixing thanksgiving and the american indian food.
Conclusion – Indians Take The Phrase ‘Spicing Things Up’ Literally!
Indians have a very varied palate. They can eat anything from an extremely sweet Jalebi to a spicy panipuri. And why won’t they, as India is the land of spices? But this might put you at a disadvantage in the US. You see, those ‘Americans’ don’t have a spice tolerance like Indians, and much of their food lacks the herbs and spices that we use in India.
Now we know that changing the food and menu of an entire country is difficult. But we can make some alterations one dish at a time. And this is what our NRI folks are doing, and what better way to do this than with Thanksgiving? Many NRIs have made some slight changes and alterations in the menu of thanksgiving and the american indian population is loving their new spicey blend. The list starts by swapping out some non-vegetarian options for vegetarian and vegan choices and goes on to include some regional Indian dishes and sweets.
Of course, this has opened the way for many other variations in food and lifestyle as well. But that is a topic for another day. For now, all you need to know is that the NRIs have devised a way to have a vegetarian thanksgiving without a turkey, and they make up for it with some lip-smacking dishes. And, of course, there are many customizable options for our non-vegetarian pals as well! Bon Appetit!!
