Instructions: The lives of the Indian people are steeped in tradition, with as many as 700 ceremonies that can be performed during an individuals lifetime. The calendar is full of festivals to celebrate, fasts to keep and rituals to mark the passage of time.

But almost no festival or ceremony is complete without tables laden with food, made from recipes that also have been carefully guarded and handed down from generation to generation. Even when fasts are kept, food is in the foreground. Tradition dictates which foods are acceptable during a fast and which are to be eaten when the fast is broken.

Fall is the busiest season of the North Indian festival calendar. This year, the season begins Oct. 17 with the festival of nine nights, or Navaratri, one of the most prominent festivals of Hinduism. Navaratri is celebrated in honor of the seven goddesses of the Indian pantheon. Though it is a time for prayer and fasting, it is also a time for giving thanks and enjoying the gift of life.

Devotees fast for seven or eight days. During the fasts, milk and milk products as well as fruits and certain vegetables are permitted. The fast ends either on the eighth day (Ashtami) or the ninth day (Navami), depending on a persons religious preference.

Navaratri, which occurs twice a year in spring and fall, comes to an end with the performance of the Kanjaks. This a ceremony in which the Kanjaks - young girls who symbolize the goddesses - are invited into the home. People wash the girls feet, prayers are said and, to honor the goddesses through the girls, the Kanjaks are given plates laden with halwa, chickpeas and puris (deep-fried, unleavened bread), as well as bangles and red scarves. Then it is the familys turn to enjoy a feast, usually of halwa, channas (chickpeas), puris and potatoes.

There is a perception that Indian cooking is difficult and time-absorbing.

While there certainly are dishes that require a lot of time and effort, that is true of all cuisines. Also, customs vary from family to family and within particular regions in India.

Growing up, I remember how my mother made the cooking around many of the festivals look easy. As I grew older, I realized she used simple ingredients to create wonderful dishes. After I got married I found myself using some of the same techniques and ingredients my mother used. It did help, however, that I had made a small recipe book for myself before I got married and came to the United States.

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