YOM KIPPUR 5782

In all honesty, a Yom Kippur fast is challenging, but not nearly as torturous as a week spent in Passover flour-free purgatory.  Erev Yom Kippur, or Yom Kippur eve, calls for a meal that will sustain you as you reflect and repent amidst the steady rumble of a growling stomach. This year sundown arrived leisurely at 7:03 pm (7:02 in Astoria, Queens) and completing a fast feels the same every year; triumphant. My mother always fasted on this holiday, stemming from equal parts religious belief and   tenacity. It was also the Yin to my father’s Yang, a fellow brought up in a strictly observant Jewish household who as an adult, ate breakfast and lunch on Yom Kippur. 
 
Finding it impossible to replicate the idyllic Rosh Hashanah celebrated in Toronto last week, I veered off course, opting for a less traditional meal. Inspired by Sephardic and Indian Jewish cultures, plus a generous helping of Provincial Indian cuisine, time spent poring through recipes reminds us not only of our differences, but of our similarities. And regardless of what you serve, every good cook knows that it’s not what is on the table that matters, it’s more about the people seated around it.