Traditional dishes served during the festivities and shared around this table include:

Saag – cooked spinach, often studded with cubes of fried paneer cheese

Paneer Masala – a curry of onion, tomato, ginger-garlic paste and aromatic spices

Jeera Aloo – potatoes, cumin seeds and Indian spices

Yellow Daal Tadka – dried, split pulses, meaning lentils, peas and beans with red onions, green peppers, chili powder, turmeric and roma tomatoes

Navratan Korma – vegetable curry made from a base of assorted nuts and seeds, aromatic spices, rich yogurt curd, cream or coconut milk

Achar – pickled fruits or vegetables

Naan – leavened flatbread

Veg Biryani – aromatic rice dish made with rice, veggies and spices

Papad – dough of black gram bean flour, either fried or cooked with dry heat until crunchy

Sheera – traditional Indian pudding made with semolina, ghee, sugar, cashews and raisins

Gulab Jamun – fried balls of a dough made from milk solids and semolina, soaked in an aromatic syrup

Rasgulla – ball-shaped dumplings of chhena and semolina dough, cooked in a light sugar syrup