Durga puja celebrations and any discussions related to the pujas is not complete without food and food related discussions. I read in a book somewhere that Indians and Italians are the only people in the world who can talk about dinner WHILE eating lunch!! On behalf of the Indians, I can vouch for the truth of this statement. We are foodies by birth. We eat food, sleep food, think food, imagine food, dream food......
The good news is that our Gods love food as well.
So offcourse we had wonderful food during the pujas.
So offcourse we had wonderful food during the pujas.
We had wonderful menus each day ..planned according to the day of puja...tested and tasted by experts. The idea was to bring back memories of puja back home through the taste buds as well. On one hand, we had veg menu comprising of khichuri and labra to recreate the religious ambience of Mahastami. On the other hand, we celebrated Nobomi (the last day of puja) with a rich mutton curry.
According to the puja rituals , the Goddess and her family is served lunch (Bhog) everyday. Even though its "regular" food that is served like rice, daal etc, "Bhog" , somehow ends up tasting DIFFERENT. Is it a different recipe? or the ambience? or the incense sticks? or the offerings? What exactly makes it so tasty?
I do not have the answer...but what I have is the recipe of "Bhog and Labra"..
[This recipe is from Soma , published in Kallol magazine 2011. The photo is of the real Bhog cooked by Satarupa and Satya on Mahastami,]
Bhog Khichuri
Serves 4
Ingredients
•50 gm. ghee
•200gm. basmati rice
•250 gm. dhuli mung ki daal (skinless, split yellow Mung dal)
•100 gm. green/frozen peas + also add few florets of cauliflower, new whole small potatoes
•2 tsp. ginger paste
•1 tsp. cumin seeds
•1 tsp. cumin powder
•1/2 tsp. chilli powder
•1-2 bay leaves,
•2 green chillies, slit lengthways
•1-2 red dry chilli
•2 small-medium tomatoes chopped
•Salt to taste
•1 tsp. sugar
•1 level tsp. turmeric
•A sprinkling of Bengali Garam masala powder, made of 4-5 green cardamom, 4-5 cloves and 1" stick of cinnamon
What to do:
1.In a dry pan or wok, dry roast mung dal. You will get an aroma of bhuni/roasting dal. When the colour becomes dark yellow, turn heat off. Add to the rice and wash together in cold water.
2.In a sauce pan, put rice and dal and enough boiled water to cover and be about 2 inches or 5 centimetre above the rice-dal mix. Now put on a high flame and bring to boil.
3.Turn heat down to simmer and add salt, turmeric and chilli powder. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally. When it is nearly half cooked, turn heat off and take it off the cooker. You can check and adjust salt at this stage.
4.Heat ghee in another, large pan. Throw in cumin seeds, bay leaves, green chillies, whole red chillies and sugar. When seeds splutter, add ginger and cumin powder and stir fry for a few seconds.
5.Add chopped tomatoes and stir fry until mushy
6.Add peas and the other vegetables and stir fry for few more seconds.
7.Now add the semi cooked rice and dal mix and stir well.
8.Add boiling water and cook on low heat for another 7-8 minutes or until the dal, rice and the vegetables are cooked, stirring off and on. When khichuri is ready, it should be like porridge, not too dry.
9.Turn heat off. Sprinkle garam masala and cover.
Ingredients
•50 gm. ghee
•200gm. basmati rice
•250 gm. dhuli mung ki daal (skinless, split yellow Mung dal)
•100 gm. green/frozen peas + also add few florets of cauliflower, new whole small potatoes
•2 tsp. ginger paste
•1 tsp. cumin seeds
•1 tsp. cumin powder
•1/2 tsp. chilli powder
•1-2 bay leaves,
•2 green chillies, slit lengthways
•1-2 red dry chilli
•2 small-medium tomatoes chopped
•Salt to taste
•1 tsp. sugar
•1 level tsp. turmeric
•A sprinkling of Bengali Garam masala powder, made of 4-5 green cardamom, 4-5 cloves and 1" stick of cinnamon
What to do:
1.In a dry pan or wok, dry roast mung dal. You will get an aroma of bhuni/roasting dal. When the colour becomes dark yellow, turn heat off. Add to the rice and wash together in cold water.
2.In a sauce pan, put rice and dal and enough boiled water to cover and be about 2 inches or 5 centimetre above the rice-dal mix. Now put on a high flame and bring to boil.
3.Turn heat down to simmer and add salt, turmeric and chilli powder. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally. When it is nearly half cooked, turn heat off and take it off the cooker. You can check and adjust salt at this stage.
4.Heat ghee in another, large pan. Throw in cumin seeds, bay leaves, green chillies, whole red chillies and sugar. When seeds splutter, add ginger and cumin powder and stir fry for a few seconds.
5.Add chopped tomatoes and stir fry until mushy
6.Add peas and the other vegetables and stir fry for few more seconds.
7.Now add the semi cooked rice and dal mix and stir well.
8.Add boiling water and cook on low heat for another 7-8 minutes or until the dal, rice and the vegetables are cooked, stirring off and on. When khichuri is ready, it should be like porridge, not too dry.
9.Turn heat off. Sprinkle garam masala and cover.
Ingredients:
• 200 gms Red pumpkin
• 200 gms Cabbage
• 200 gms Cauliflower stem
• 200 gms Raddish (Muli)
• 200 gms Egg plant (Baingan)
• 200 gms Potatoes
• 200 gms Sweet potatoes (Red)
• 5 gms Panch phoran
• 6 Green chillies
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Ginger paste
• 1 cup Mustard oil
• 1 tsp Sugar
• Salt to taste
What to do:
•Wash the vegetables and cut into medium sizes pieces.
•Heat oil and put panch phoran and red chilies.
•Fry till they turn brown.
•Add the vegetables.
•Put it over medium heat and cook it.
•Mix salt, sugar and green chillies
•Add a little water and Cook it for more 5 minutes until the water almost dries and the vegetables are fully cooked.
