Communities get ready for a string of festivals

Despite the lockdown, Bengalrueans are gearing up for festivals coming up on April 13 and 14

The coming week marks fresh beginnings and harvest festivals for many communities. The Bengalis are observing Poila Baisakh, Assamese Bihu, Punjabis Baisakhi and Tamils and Keralites will be seen celebrating Puthandu and Vishu.

Each of these festivals has a great set of traditions and, of course, lots of delicious foods. Metrolife asked members of these communities to share some of their favourite festive recipes.

Baisakhi calls for ‘Meethe Peele Chawal’

Rameet Kaur, entrepreneur, enjoys making her family’s favourite ‘Meethe Peele Chawal’ (sweet yellow rice) for the day.

The dish holds a special place in her heart as her grandmother used to make it.

She says, “We have been savouring this dessert since childhood and my grandmother, whom we fondly called as ‘Chaaiji’, made sure it was perfect. Even if we were all busy at the gurudwara the whole day, she made sure we savoured it after a long eventful day.”

Rameet’s mother learnt the recipe from her and the entrepreneur now makes it at home.

Meethe Peele Chawal

Ingredients

Basmati rice (soaked) - 1 cup

Sugar- 1 1/4th cup

Water - 4 cups

Lemon yellow food-grade colour- 1/2 tsp (optional)

Saffron - 1 gm (soaked in 2 tsp water)

Green cardamom - 4 to 5

Cloves- 2 to 3

Blanched almonds - 25 gm

Raisins - 20 gm

Cashew Nuts - 20 gm

Chopped dried coconut

Desi ghee - 100 gm

Method

Soak one cup basmati rice for approximately 30 minutes.

Bring the water to a boil with cardamom and cloves in it and add the soaked rice. Let it come to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, till the rice is almost cooked (about 12 minutes, 80 per cent done). Strain it and keep it aside.

In a large ‘kadai’ heat desi ghee and roast all the dry fruits and coconut until golden brown on low flame and keep aside. In the remaining ghee, add 2 pods cardamom and 4 cloves.

Now add in the strained rice along with Kesar water. Mix it gently until all blends well.

Add all the sugar to it and cover and simmer it until the sugar melts. Do this for 5 minutes.

Cook until the rice is completely soft and finally serve the ‘Meethe peele chawal’, garnished with few chopped nuts kept aside.

Pitha, a must for Bihu

Eapsita Baruah, HR professional, is from Tinsukia, Assam. She will be observing Bihu by preparing Xutuli Pitha, a traditional dish from the state.

She says, “It is prepared by using Bora Saul, glutinous rice available in Assam. Xutuli is a musical instrument and the pitha is given the shape of Xutuli, so we call it Xutuli Pitha.”

Eapsita’s first memory of ‘Xutuli Pitha’ is having it at her maternal grandmother’s place.

“She used to prepare different varieties of ‘pitha’ during Bihu and my favourites are are the ‘Xutuli pitha’ and ‘Mitha aloo pitha’,” she says.

Xutuli Pitha

Ingredients

For pitha dough

Rice flour – 2 cups (In Assam, we use Bora Saul. One can use the normal rice flour)

Curd

Jaggery

For filling

Jaggery

Black sesame seeds

Grated coconut and dry fruits (optional)

Refined oil for frying the pithas

Method

Take 2 cups of rice flour. Add curd and jaggery to it and mix it with the rice flour and prepare a dough. Keep it to rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

For the filling, roast some black sesame seeds and grind them. Make a coarse powder of it. Mix the powdered seeds with powdered jaggery and grated coconut. Add dry fruits according to your wish.

Take small portions from the dough and make small round balls out of it. Flatten the balls and give circular shape to them. Put 1 tbsp of the filling mixture in the middle of the circle. Now close the circle and try to give a shape of the Xutuli or the shape of an eye or lotus petal.

Fry these in oil till they turn brown.

The ‘pithas’ are ready now.

P for Poila Baisakh, P for prawns

Indrajit Adhya, assistant vice president of an MNC, recollects the recipe of ‘Chingri Maccher’, a must-have festive dish. His mother taught him the recipe.

He says, “I have been experimenting with my cooking skills during this lockdown. I have mastered ‘Prawn Malai Curry’, one of the dishes I will be making for Poila Baisakh. The cashew nut paste, cream and coconut milk add magic to the dish.”

Chingri Maccher (Prawn’s Malai Curry)

Ingredients

Prawns (with or without shells, cleaned and deveined) - 500 gm

Onion - 2 large or 3 medium-sized (made into paste)

Ginger paste - 1 tbsp

Garlic paste - 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder - 2 tsp

Red chilli powder - 2 tsp (can add more if you want to spice it up)

Green chillies - 2 to 3 (slit)

Coconut milk - 200 ml

Coconut grated to a coarse paste - use a half of one coconut to make the paste, Cashewnut paste - 1 tbsp

Milk - 1 small cup

Salt and sugar to taste

Garam masala powder - 1 tsp

White oil, Ghee - 1 tbsp

Fresh cream - 1 tbsp

Method

Smear the prawns with salt and turmeric powder and set aside for 15 minutes. Heat oil in a cooking pan.

Add the prawns and fry it lightly for about 5 minutes. Take it out and keep it aside. In the same oil, add the onion paste and saute till the paste turns light brown. Then add in the ginger paste and garlic paste. Mix well and fry for about 5 minutes.

Next add the turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Mix well and fry for 2 minutes. Now add the coconut paste and cashew nut paste. Fry for another 10 minutes. Next add the coconut milk, milk and mix all of these together. Fry for about 10 minutes.

Add in the ghee, salt, and sugar and mix well. Slide in the green chillies

Now add the fried prawns and mix well. Cover with lid and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Remove lid, check the dish for sugar and salt - add more if required.

Finally add the fresh cream, mix well. Before removing from flame, add the garam masala powder and mix. Turn off the heat and let it rest for about 15 minutes before transferring the content to a serving dish.

Note: This dish goes well with steamed rice or sweet pulao.

What’s Vishu sadhya without ‘pachadi’?

Homemaker Beena Sanjai has always celebrated Vishu with family.

She says, “The festival marks a new beginning for Keralites. Apart from arranging the ‘vishukani’, preparing the food together as a family is a ritual. We would either gather at one of the relative’s homes and cook there or do a potluck.”

Despite the lockdown, Beena plans to cook a bit of everything and celebrate the spirit of the festival. Rice, sambhar, avial, olan, kootu curry, pappadam and payasam will be part of the menu.

Her favourite dish for the day is ‘Pineapple Pachadi’. “I first had the ‘pachadi’ a few years ago, as part of a sadhya (grand feast) and loved it. I liked the taste and whenever I prepare it, I also garnish it with some more fruits like grape or pomegranate,” she says.

Pineapple Pachadi

Ingredients

Pineapple - 1 small one (ripe)

Coconut - 1 cup (grated)

Curd - 1 cup

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Jaggery powder - 1/2 tsp

Green chilli - 1

Mustard - 1 tsp and 1 pinch

Grapes - 6 to 7

Pomegranate - 2 tbsp

Coconut oil - 2 tbsp

Red chillies - 2

Curry leaves - 4 to 5 leaves

Salt to taste

Method

Grind half of the pineapple in a mixer and finely chop the other half.

Take a kadai, add the ground pineapple and chopped together into 1/4 cup of water. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt. Bring it to boil. When the mix has boiled nicely, add jaggery powder to it.

Then add a grounded paste of grated coconut, jeera, green chilli, pinch of mustard and thick curd.

After adding this paste to the pineapple mix, boil it till it becomes thick and the water evaporates.

Switch the gas off and add chopped seedless grapes and pomegranates to the mix. Mix well.

For seasoning

Heat coconut oil, add mustard, dry red chillies and few curry leaves.

Pour this over the pachadi and mix well. Garnish with a few pomegranate seeds and grapes.

Mango flavours for ‘Puthandu’

Shreevalli Prasad, senior manager (operations) at Rainbow Hospitals, says that she can’t recollect any Puthandu without the traditional mango rice.

She says, “I would be at my grandmother’s house every summer and mango rice is an authentic Tamil Iyengar delicacy. She would always make it and I looked forward to it.”

Mango rice is one of Shreevalli’s favourite dishes to prepare during summer. “I call it ‘Pati’s Mango Rice’. During these testing times, the simple recipe is a big relief and makes the festive celebrations a favourable one,” she adds.

Pati’s Mango Rice

Ingredients

Mustard seeds - 2 tsp

Red chillies - 10 to 12

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Assafitodea (hingh) - 1/4 tsp

Jaggery - 1 tsp

Grated coconut - 1 cup

Grated green sour mango - 1 cup

Method

Mix well all the above ingredients to a fine paste and keep aside.

Add 3 to 4 tbsp oil and add mustard seeds around 1 tsp, 2 tsp of groundnut, 2 tsp of channa dal and 2 tsp of urad dal.

Fry it well and add a handful of curry leaves and 2 to 3 red
chillies. Now add the paste into the pan, mix it well and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes in medium low flame.

Once cooked, add 2 big cups of cooked rice to the paste and mix well.

Keep it on a low flame for another 3 to 4 minutes.

Now garnish a few coriander leaves and serve it hot.