food & drink
Celebrating Diwali, the Festival of Lights, at Rivayat
From 6 to 9 November, Michelin-starred chef Rohit Ghai marks it with two tasting menus at The Oberoi, Marrakech.
- Date
6–9 November
- Location
Marrakech Route de, Rte d'Ouarzazate, Marrakech 40000, Morocco
- Prices
Expédition Signature menu MAD 1,050 per person. Expédition Végétarienne menu MAD 1,250 per person.
For four evenings, from 6 to 9 November, Rivayat celebrates Diwali with two tasting menus. The Indian restaurant of The Oberoi, Marrakech, led by the Michelin-starred chef Rohit Ghai, roots both in Indian culinary traditions and in the chef's contemporary vision.
Diwali, or Deepavali, is celebrated every autumn across India and in Indian communities abroad. In the Hindu tradition it recalls Rama's return to Ayodhya after fourteen years of exile, and it stands for the victory of light over darkness, of good over evil and of knowledge over ignorance. Homes are lit with diyas, small oil lamps, doorways are decorated with rangoli, and families gather to exchange gifts and share sweets. Food is at the heart of it, with recipes handed down from one generation to the next.
Two menus
The Expédition Signature opens with classic bites such as aloo bonda, a crisp potato and cheese bite with mint chutney, and golguppa, a popular speciality of tamarind and spiced water. It moves on to grilled salmon with radish yoghurt and basil chicken tikka, then a choice between slow-cooked lamb with onion and ginger and prawns in coconut milk with curry leaves.
The Expédition Végétarienne explores another side of the Indian repertoire: a cauliflower samosa, a dahi kebab of yoghurt and beetroot, then morel and cashew korma or grilled paneer with tomato and ginger.
Both come with black dal, cumin potatoes, rice and Indian breads. To finish, a chocolate and orange creation or a traditional malpua with rabri, saffron and red berries, an echo of Diwali, when sweets accompany every celebration.
The chef and the room
Rohit Ghai comes from Punjab and draws on that heritage for a personal cuisine, faithful to its roots, where each dish keeps its identity. At Rivayat he brings together the richness of India's regional cuisines and the precision of contemporary techniques. The name means "heritage" in both Indian and Moroccan culture; the restaurant opens onto a patio inspired by the Ben Youssef Medersa and seats 100 guests, 40 inside and 60 outside.
