Queen of the Hanukkah Dosas

A brother complains about his little sister Sadie, who climbs on everything. To lure her down from her various climbing adventures – a stack of cans at the Indian grocery store or the kitchen counter at home – the brother sings his Indian version of a Hebrew song, ‘I had a little dosa; I made it out of dal.'

Yet Sadie’s climbing habit comes in handy when the family is accidentally locked out of their house, leaving their Amma-Amma (Grandma) napping upstairs and a feast of Indian Hanukkah fare cooking inside. This enjoyable combination of Indian and Hebrew culture (the mum is Indian, the dad is Jewish) brings a new look to Hanukkah and includes two yummy recipes at the back for dosas and sambar.

The cover of Queen of the Hanukkah Dosas welcomes the reader in with decorations, games, and Hanukkah treats that surround a little girl standing on a table, donned in a paper crown, while her older brother looks on resignedly from behind. The endpapers are a colourful and charming mix of Indian ingredients such as chana dal and jira.