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Welcome To Taste The Delicious Pujor Bhog !!! <3 <3<3 :)
The Durga Puja is celebrated with a lot of fervor and gusto. Anybody who visits the pandals for the Puja is given Bhog (bhog is food offered to God and then partaken). The major highlight of the Durga Puja Bhog is the ‘Khichuri’ (khichdi in Hindi) which is made in all pandals. Though it’s a simple dish made of rice, lentil and vegetables, it acquires a distinctive taste when offered as bhog. The Bhog is served free (in most places) to all who visit the pandal irrespective of their caste or social status. I tried making the ‘Bhoger Khichuri’ at home and it turned out pretty well. The Bhog khichuri is usually made of a special kind of rice called ‘Govind Bhog rice’ but since that wasn’t available I’ve used the rice that I usually cook. In fact you can make this often as it’s easy to make, simple and nutritious too. Here’s the recipe.
Bhoger Chichuri
Ingredients:
• 1 cup rice
• 2 tbsp ghee
• ½ cup Moong dal (split green gram)
• ¼ cup green peas (optional)
• A handful of string beans (optional)
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1 cardamom pod• 1 cup rice
• 2 tbsp ghee
• ½ cup Moong dal (split green gram)
• ¼ cup green peas (optional)
• A handful of string beans (optional)
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 2-3 cloves
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1-2 bay leaves
• 1 green chili
• 2 tomatoes
• Salt
• 1 pinch sugar
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
Method:
• Dry roast the moong dal till it emits a nice aroma and keep it aside
• In a pan pour some ghee
• Add cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves, cloves and stir a bit
• Add green chili, ginger paste & cumin powder, red chili powder, salt, turmeric and stir
• Add peas, chopped beans, and tomatoes and stir again
• Add the washed rice and moong dal to the vegetables, pour sufficient water and let cook till the rice and lentil become soft.
• The Khichuri should should be of a prridge like consistency and should not be thick so add more water if required.
• Serve hot with Laabra (a mixed vegetable curry)
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2
Laabra
All through the Durga Puja, we had Bhog with Laabra, a mixed vegetable dish usually served with Khichdi but which also goes well with dal & rice. It has almost the entire gamut of vegetables cooked with basic spices and with a hint of sweetness. Since I liked it, I had to try it out at home. I’ve omitted radish in my recipe because I don’t like it, but you may add since the actual recipe calls for it.
Ingredients:
2 cups of the following mixed vegetables chopped into small pieces: Pumpkin, potato, cauliflower, capsicum, green peas, and eggplant.
1 large Tomato
2 Green chilies
1 tbsp Panch phoron (mixture of equal amounts of fennel, cumin, black cumin, mustard & fenugreek seeds)
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Red chili powder
Salt to taste
1 tsp Sugar
2 tbsp Oil
A bunch of chopped coriander/cilantro leaves
Method:
Heat some oil in a pan, add panch phoron and once it splutters add all the vegetables. Add tomatoes, green chilies, salt, chili powder and turmeric and stir for a minute or two.
Add enough water to cook the vegetables and cover the lid of the pan
When vegetables are cooked and tender add sugar and stir again.
Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and laabra is ready to serve.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2
Vhaja's
There are 5 Type's of Vegetable Fry is Compulsory For Offering in Bhog.
They Are :
1. Begun Vhaja (Brinjal Fry)
2.Alu Vhaja (Potato Fry)
3.Kumro Vhaja (Pumpkin Fry)
4.Korola Vhaja (Bitter Melon Fry)
5. Potol Vhaja
Ingredients:
1.mustard oil to fry 1 tsp turmeric powder
2.salt to taste
Vegetable's How to make Vegetable's Fry :
Wash and cut the Vegetable's into half inch round slices.
Apply salt and turmeric powder.
Heat up the oil in a pot to smoking point.
Take off heat, cool slightly and then reheat.
Fry the Vegetable's pieces till crunchy and brown.Serve hot.
Payesh (Kheer)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup Basmati Rice
1 litre milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp cardomon
12 Almonds
10-15 Raisins
1 litre milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp cardomon
12 Almonds
10-15 Raisins
1. Soak the rice in water for 15 mins.
2. Heat the milk on medium flame. Keep on adding sugar to the milk and keep stirring.
3.When the milk starts to boil, add the rice slowly to it. Remember to keep stirring the milk continously.
4. After about 20-25 mins, when the milk has thickened and the rice grains has become soft, add cardomon to it and stir gently
5. Remove the container from flame and add almonds sliced into half and raisins on top.
6. Cool the payesh and keep it in refrigerator for a couple of hours.
7. Serve chill a delightful Chaler Payesh , the taste of bengal.
Chutney
Ingredients for Bengali chutney:
7-8 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
10 pieces dates, chopped (Khajur)
2 whole red chillies
1 t-spoon mustard seeds (rai/sarson ka dana)
1 t-spoon grated ginger (adrak)
1/2 table-spoon cooking oil
1/2 cup jaggery or to taste (Gudh)
7-8 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
10 pieces dates, chopped (Khajur)
2 whole red chillies
1 t-spoon mustard seeds (rai/sarson ka dana)
1 t-spoon grated ginger (adrak)
1/2 table-spoon cooking oil
1/2 cup jaggery or to taste (Gudh)
How to make Bengali chutney:
Take a small fry pan and heat 1/2 table-spoon oil in it. Then, add red chilli and mustard to it.
Add chopped tomatoes and dates to the pan and cook it with closed lid on medium-low heat till the water from tomatoes gets disappear, Stir occasionally.
Add ginger and jaggery, cook on low heat until Bengali chutney gets required thickness and everything blend together. Let bengali chutney gets cool at room temperature.
Now take a grinder, add chutney to it. Grind bengali chutney to form a smooth paste.
Tasty Bengali chutney is ready to eat
Tasty Bengali chutney is ready to eat
