Ask any Bengalee worth his rosogollah what “baro mashey tero parban” means and he will tell you it means. ...twelve months and 13 festivals! India is indeed a land of a million gods and a billion festivals. Today Bengalees the world over are celebrating Maha Ashtami, the eighth day of Durga Puja, also celebrated as Dussehra in most of the north and some parts of south India.
Durga Puja begins with Mahalaya, observed seven days before the puja, to invoke the goddess to descend on earth — done through chanting of mantras and devotional songs. This is the day the goddess is meant to have begun her journey from her Mount Kailash home in the Himalayas to her mother's place in Bengal accompanied by her children.
Since the 1930s, Mahalaya has come to associate itself with an early morning radio programme called ‘Mahisasuramardini’ (slaying of the demon). The demon signifies the faces of evil and Durga’s weapons signify the innumerable weapons at our own disposal to tackle everyday evils.
The weapons were gifted to her by the Gods — with the purpose of slaying the demon. Lord Shiva gave her the trident; Vishnu stepped in with his Sudarshan Chakra; Indra chipped in with thunder; Surya, the sun god gave her the bow and arrow while Viswakarma gave her the shield and other protective clothing. Brahma contributed the kamandalu; Kuber, the multi-jewelled necklace and Yamraj, the kaldanda! In addition, the Himalayas gave her the lion, to carry her into the warfront.
Durga Puja rituals begin with Sasthi right through to Dashami whereby the goddess is offered vegetarian delicacies which are later distributed among devotees as palate-tickling 'bhog'.
KHICHURI BHOG(khichadi)
Ingredients
Rice ( Basmati) - 1 cup
Fried Moong dal - 1 cup
Cauliflower - few florets
Potato - 2 ( cut into cubes )
Green peas - 50 gms.
Ginger paste - 1 tbs.
Jeera powder - 1 tsp.
Jeera - ½ tsp.
Salt and sugar to taste
Green cardamom - 2
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon - 1 stick
Bay leaf - 1
Green chillies - 2-3
Pure ghee - 2-3 tbs.
Method — Place a flat pan on the fire and pour some ghee till warm. Then add jeera, garam masala and bay leaves. When the masala starts spitting, place all the vegetables except the peas. Saute them for some time, pour in the rice and dal and stir for a while. Then pour 3 cups of water and add other ingredients. Allow mixture to boil till done. Spread a little ghee on the top. Serve hot.
LABRA (Mixed Vegetables)Ingredients :
Vegetable oil - 2tbs
Sugar - 11/2tsp
Bay leaf - 1no
Five spices (methi , kalonji , saunf , mustard , jeera ) - 1 tsp.
Minced ginger - 3tbs
Turmeric - 1/2tsp
Ground cumin - 2tsp
Salt - 3/4tsp
Chopped tomatoes - 3/4cup
Water - 1/2cup
Cubed potatoes - 1/2cup
Peeled and cubed sweet potato - 11/4cup
Cauliflower, cut into florets - 2cup
Sliced green beans - 1cup
Cubed eggplant (brinjal) - 2cup
Red chilli paste - 1 ts
Cooked green peas - 1/4cup
Garam masala - 1/2tsp
Coriander leaves - some
Method of Preparation :
Heat oil. Lower heat and add bay leaf and five spices. Sauté for a few seconds and add ginger, turmeric, cumin and salt. Add tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes and water. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add cauliflower, beans, eggplant and red chilli paste. Simmer till done. Sprinkle some hot water for a thick gravy. Add peas, mix well and simmer for a while. Remove from heat and sprinkle garam masala. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.
TOMATO & DATE CHUTNEY
Ingredients
Tomato - 500 gms.( cut in cubes )
Sugar - 150 gms
Crushed dates-5-6
Juliennes of ginger
Raisins - 1 tbs.
Oil - 1 tbs.
Saunf - ½ tsp.
Method - Put oil in the kadai . Allow the saunf to spit. Put the cubed tomatoes, crushed dates and ginger in kadai. Allow mixture to cook till tomatoes are done and take off fire once it thickens. Decorate with raisins.
PAYESH ( Rice pudding )
Ingredients
Milk - 1 litre
Basmati rice - 2 tbs. soaked in water
Sugar - 3 tbs.
Cashew nuts - few
Raisins - few
Method - Place the milk in a pan to boil. Pour the rice and stir till rice is cooked.Then add sugar, raisins and cashews. Stir it till it is thick in consistency.
Naroo (coconut laddoos)
Ingredients
Coconut - 1 (big)
Sugar - 250 gms.
Green cardamom - few crushed
Method —- Grate the coconut finely. Mix it well with sugar. Put the mixture on fire. Stir it well till mixture leaves the pan. Cool the mixture. Mix the crushed cardamom. Make balls out of the mixture before it cools.
Rosogollah
Ingredients :
Milk - 1litre
Citric acid/lemon juice - 1/2tsp
Sugar - 1tsp
Sooji - few pinches
For Syrup :
Water - 5 cup
Sugar - 11/2 cup
Method of Preparation :
Boil the milk and add citric acid to make paneer. Once the paneer separates from the water, strain and tie the paneer in a muslin cloth, squeezing out excess water. Let the paneer stand for an hour or two to dry. Then add few pinches of sooji to paneer and knead mixture well. Divide the paneer dough into small balls and keep aside. Prepare syrup with sugar and water, then add the balls while the syrup is boiling. Cover with a lid and continue to boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
Darbesh
Ingredients
Besan – 21/2 cups
Rice powder – 1 ½ cups
Baking soda – 1 pinch
Sugar – 750 gm.
Raisins – 25 gms
Cashew nuts – 25 gms
Khowa – 50 gms.
Permitted food colour
Oil for frying
Crushed nutmeg – ½ tsp.
Method – Make a batter with besan, rice powder, baking soda, water and a pinch of yellow food colour into a thickish consistency. Pour oil into the kadai. Make boondis with a perforated spoon. In the meantime, prepare a syrup with sugar and 2 cups of water and allow it to boil till it is of a one-string consistency. Place the boondis in the syrup after frying. Allow the boondis to soak in the syrup. Then place the mixture on the flame. Stir it carefully till the mixture leaves the kadai. Mix the crushed nutmeg, khowa, raisins and crushed cashewnuts and roll into laddoos. Serve once cooled.
Patisapta
Ingredients
Rice powder – 500gm.
Suji soaked in milk – 100 gm.
For the filling
Milk – 1 litre
Sugar – 2-3 tbs.
Method – Boil the milk with 2-3 tbs sugar and thicken till it has a thick consistency. Make a batter with rice powder and soak suji and 1 tablespoonful of sugar and milk. Make small pancakes with this batter on a non-stick pan and place the khowa filling inside and fold the pancake. Patisapta is made. A coconut filling can be used in place of khowa.
Labanga Latika
Ingredients
maida – 1 cup
Oil for frying
For filling
Milk – 1 litre
Sugar – 2-3 tbsp.
Sugar — 1 cup
Water – 1 cup
Cloves – few
Method – Make a dough with maida and 2-3 tb oil and water. For the filling, boil milk with 2-3 tbs sugar and thicken it as far as possible stirring all the time. Take a small portion from the dough and roll it flat into a puri. Put a spoonful of filling in the middle. Fold it lengthwise, then breadthwise and seal it with a clove at the centre. Likewise make the others and fry them and keep them aside. Prepare the syrup with sugar and water. When the sugar dissolves fully, place the lobongo latikas into it and allow them to be coated with syrup.
