toledoblade.com --

When the 20th annual Festival of India is held Aug. 7-9 at the Hindu Temple of Toledo, 4336 King Rd. in Sylvania, the theme will be Jhalak, A Glimpse of India. The program will feature Indian traditions, delicious food, lively music, graceful and energetic dances, and colorful costumes.

From noon to 8 p.m. Aug. 8, Mela, or carnival, will include temple tours, food stalls with desserts and drinks, and shopping, with Indian movies, music, costumes, and jewelry.

"All the food is vegetarian," said Abha Nandkeolyar, hospitality chairman. "There will be food from Southern India as well as Northern India." There will be Masala Dosa (bread made from rice flour), lemon rice, and jalebi (rice fried and dipped in sugar syrup).

Mrs. Nandkeolyar demonstrated how to make bhatura, a dough made with yogurt that is rolled and fried in canola oil to make it puff up. The dough is similar to baked naan (bread).

The dough is made 12 hours beforehand with two cups self-rising flour mixed with 3/4 cup homemade yogurt or nonfat yogurt, one teaspoon oil, and a pinch of salt and mixed in the food processor. Then the bhatura are rolled out very thin. She made them small, but says at the festival they are much bigger.

"The bread must be eaten with chickpeas, which can be spicy or mild," said Rupan Vij, president of the executive committee of the Hindu Temple of Toledo.

Mrs. Nandkeolyar served bhatura with a vegetable salad, raita (which is made with yogurt and dried mint leaves), and the chickpeas flavored with turmeric, onion, tomato, and ginger. It's a delicious dish you won't want to miss.

Desserts and drinks will include mango lassi, hot tea, and Indian sweets.

Foods are individually priced. There is no admission fee. For more information about the festival visit www.hindutempleoftoledo.org.

'Top Chef'

Preeti Mistry, 33, who grew up in Sylvania, will be among 17 contestants in the sixth season of Top Chef: Las Vegas which premieres at 9 p.m. Aug. 19 on Bravo. She is the daughter of Arvind and Bindu Mistry. She attended Notre Dame Academy and Arbor Hills Junior High School.

After attending Bowling Green State University for one year, she received her culinary education at Le Cordon Bleu in London. She works as an executive chef for Bon Apetit Management Co. at Google's headquarters south of San Francisco. She was born in London and raised in the United States.

Preeti's Indian culture, extensive international travel, classic French culinary training, and access to local California ingredients inspire her cooking. She enjoys building intense flavors and likes to work with sauces, soups, and vinaigrettes.

The Islamic Center of Greater Toledo will hold its ninth annual International Festival from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Aug. 15 and from noon to 6 p.m. Aug. 16 at the Islamic Center, 25877 Scheider Rd. in Perrysburg. Volunteers of many of the 23 nationalities will prepare homemade recipes. Countries represented are Lebanon, Pakistan, Southeast Asia (Indonesia and Malaysia), Egypt, Afghanistan, Turkey, Bangladesh, Brazil, Palestine, and the United States.

New to the food offerings is Libya, with a grilled salad. Other foods will be shawarma from Lebanon, fried bananas from Brazil, pilau from Bangladesh, barbecue kabobs and green tea from Afghanistan, and barbecue chicken samosas and mango ice cream from Pakistan. Desserts from Turkey, steamed chicken in banana leaves from Indonesia, and cotton candy, hot dogs, and French fries from the United States will also be served. Foods are individually priced.

The festival will have cultural exhibits with arts and crafts, and jewelry. Free tours of the Islamic Center will be held. Food demonstrations, including bread making, will be featured. The entrance fee is $3 per car.

Michigan wine events

•Traverse City Wine & Art Festival, to be held from 5 to 11 p.m. Aug. 22, will feature 22 Leelanau and Old Mission peninsulas wineries paired with food prepared by local chefs, plus live music and artwork. The event replaces the Traverse Epicurean Classic, an annual fall culinary event at the Great Lakes Culinary Institute that has changed its location. Tickets can be purchased for $20 per person at lpwines.com. For information, visit traversecitywinefestival.com or call 231-256-2829.

•Michigan Beer and Wine dinners will be featured at Boyne Highlands Resort in Harbor Springs. Michigan beer dinners are $30 and wine dinners are $40. Events begin at 6 p.m.; dates are Aug. 3 and 10 and Sept. 8 and 15. Guests must be at least 21. Call 231-526-3059 or visit BOYNE.com.

wThe Epicurean Classic now will be held in St. Joseph, Mich., on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan Aug. 28-30. Among the year's featured artisans are Gale Gand, Takashi Yagihashi, Guiliano Hazan, Brian Polcyn, Eve Aronoff, and Mary Sue Milliken.

Attendees can choose from 45 cooking demonstrations, cheese/wine/beer tasting seminars, six guest chef dinners, the opening Great Lakes Wines BBQ Reception, the Grand Reception, and the daily Tasting Pavilion. Day passes for Friday and Saturday are $110, and $89 on Sunday. A three day Gourmand Pass is $339. Visit epicureanclassic.com.

Kathie Smith is The Blade's food editor.

Contact her at:
food@theblade.com
or 419-724-6155.