DURGAPOOJA RECIPES
Durga pooja is a four day festival which is celebrated with much pomp and splendour in West Bengal. During this festival Goddess Durga is worshipped.
The festival is celebrated with fasting, feasting and worshipping. It is a time of great celebration in this day when special dishes like sweets are prepared. Of course, Bengal is famous for sweets.
They are also known for some delicious delicacies unheard of in the other parts of the country. Here is a list of some recipes which are commonly prepared for Durga Puja celebrations.
BANDHAKOPIR DALNA RECIPE
Ingredients
Cabbage finely sliced
1 lb
Potatoes cut into small cubes
2
Oil
2 tbsp
Turmeric
1 tbsp
Green chili paste
1 1/4 to 2 tbsp
Cumin
1 tbsp
Corainder
1 tbsp
Ginger grated
1 inch
Butter
1 tbsp
Bay leaves
2
Garam masala
1/2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste
Method
- Fry cubed potatoes in hot oil in a wok, until lightly browned.
- Remove the potatoes from oil and keep aside. To the hot oil, add cabbage. Sprinkle with salt.
- Stir the cabbage well and then and cover with a lid. Cook the cabbage over simmer for about 3-4 minutes, with the cover removed.
- Add turmeric powder, chili paste, cumin, coriander and ginger to the cabbage.
- Stir and fry until the spices are well blended with the cabbage. The cabbage should be nearly cooked at this stage.
- Add 1/2 cup water, the potatoes, fold in salt and sugar to taste.
- Simmer over medium heat until potatoes are cooked and there is practically no gravy in the pan.
- In a frying pan, heat butter. Add the bay leaves and garam masala.
- Stir fry a couple of minutes and pour over bandhakopir dalna.
- Stir the cabbage and remove from heat.
ALOO POSTO RECIPE
Ingredients
Potatoes
4
Oil
1 cup
Green chillies
6
Bay leafs
2
Turmeric powder
1/2 tbsp
Poppy seeds
2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Method
- Boil, peel and cut the potatoes into thick cubes. Set aside for later use.
- Grind poppy seeds, three green chilies, turmeric powder and salt in a mixer grinder, to form a thick paste.
- Mix the ground paste with 1 tablespoon of water. Now, smear the paste onto the potato cubes. Heat the oil.
- First, fry the bayleafs and chillies. Next, add the potatoes and fry on low heat, stirring all the while.
- Fry the potatoes on medium flame first, then on simmer, as the oil gets heated up.
- After frying the potatoes until golden brown, drain the oil and then remove them off the flame.
- Serve aloo posto hot, with rice and dal.
CHOLA DAL RECIPE
Ingredients
Splitted bengal gram
1 cup
Turmeric powder
1/4 cup
Dry red chilies
2
Cloves
3
Cinnamon sticks
2
Cardamom powder
1/2 tbsp
Cumin seeds
1/2 tbsp
Ginger
1 inch
Green chilies
2
Oil
3 tbsp
Fresh coconut grated
1 tbsp
Sugar
1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Method
- Soak the split Bengal gram in water for one hour.
- Cook the dal in a pressure cooker, with cloves, cinnamon sticks, turmeric powder, sugar, cardamom powder and salt.
- Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and let them splutter.
- Add the red chilies, chopped green chilies and ginger. Fry for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the seasonings to the boiled dal and mix well. Cook for another 10 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh coconut and serve hot with rice.
LABRA RECIPE
Ingredients
Brinjals
100 gm
Pumpkin
100 gm
Sweet potatoes
100 gm
Raw bananas
1
Potatoes
2
Mustard oil
3 tbsp
Corainder seeds
1 tbsp
Cumin seeds
1/2 tbsp
Fennel seeds
1/2 tbsp
Red chilies
5
Ginger
1 inch
Turmeric powder
1/4 tbsp
Sugar
1 tbsp
Ghee
1 tbsp
To be mixed together
Mustard seeds
1/4 tbsp
Cumin seeds
1/4 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds
1/4 tbsp
Black cumin seeds
1/4 tbsp
Fennel seeds
1/4 tbsp
Method
- Cut the vegetables into medium size pieces.
- Powder the corainder, cumin and fennel seeds ,and red chillis finely.
- Heat oil, add the crushed ginger and fry lightly. Add the mixed spices called ' panch phoran' and stir fry for a minute.
- Add vegetables, fry well, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes. Add turmeric powder, salt, and one cup of water.
- Simmer the flame and cook until vegetables are done.
- Add the powdered spices, sugar and stir well. Cook for another few minutes adding ghee.
- Serve hot with rice.
MISHTI DOI RECIPE
Ingredients
Milk(buffalo milk, with full fat)
2 1/4 litres
Sugar
500 gm
Yogurt(dahi)
25 gm
Earthen pot(handi)
Small Container/ Deep Bowl (with 1.5 kg capacity)
Method
- Add 300gms of sugar to the milk and put to boil on Medium heat for at least 45mins and beat the milk constantly while boiling.
- See that the milk is reduced to almost 40 % and becomes thick and light brown in color.
- Place the remaining 200gms of sugar in heavy bottom vessel with 50ml of water and melt on low heat .
- Allow the sugar mixture to turn dark brown in color. Gradually add this sugar mixture to the boiled milk and boil again for 15 minutes.
- Take it off the flame and beat constantly with a jar till the mixture becomes lukewarm.
- Transfer the mixture into the earthen pot. Mix the Yogurt into the mixture after 5 min.
- Cover and allow setting for 8 to 12 hours at a warm place, do not open or move the pot during this period.
- Uncover and store in a refrigerator. Serve chilled.
NIMKI RECIPE
Ingredients
Flour
250 gm
Cumin
1/2 tbsp
Oil
2 cups
Salt to taste
Method
- Roast the cumin in low oven heat for some time and then grind it.
- Mix cumin and salt with flour. Knead the flour mixture with 2-3 teaspoons of oil and water (as needed) to dough.
- Roll the mixture dough flat. Fold it. Roll it flat again. Repeat the process one more time.
- Cut dough in diamond shape (2 triangles on top of each other).
- Make them around 1-inch in size or whatever you feel like. Heat the oil in a skillet on medium heat.
- Fry the diamond shaped nimki, until they become of a brownish.
- Serve it hot or let it cool down a bit and then store in air tight container for days.
PATISHAPTA RECIPE
Ingredients
Grated coconut
1 cup
Sugar
1 1/4 cup
Maida(flour)
1 cup
Milk
1 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder
1 tbsp
Oil
Method
- Make a dosa like batter using maida and milk.
- In a wok, pour in the grated coconut and cardamom powder and cook.
- When there is no moisture left add in the sugar and keep mixing constantly till all the sugar dissolves and the coconut feels slightly sticky.
- Remove from fire and keep aside to cool. Now make tiny little pancakes (dosa) using the maida batter.
- Cook lightly, then spread some coconut filling on the open dosa and make a roll.
RASGULLA RECIPE
Ingredients
Milk
1/2 litre
Flour(maida)
2 tbsp
Lemon juice
1/4 tbsp
Sugar
1 cup
Water
1 cup
Rose water essence
4-5 drops
Method
- Heat milk in a pan and bring it to boil. Remove from heat.
- Add lemon juice. Stir slowly and gently until white curd forms on the surface and separates from whey.
- On straining this milk, the curd that is obtained is called "chenna".
- Wash chenna well under cold running water and twist the cloth that was used for straining to extract water.
- Knead chenna to make a smooth dough. Add flour and knead again.
- Make small balls of equal size (6-7) of the dough and keep aside. Next make sugar syrup.
- Mix sugar and water in a saucepan and bring it to boil.
- Add chenna balls to the syrup and cook for 15 minutes with lid partially covered.
- Chenna dumplings will puff up. On cooling, add rose water essence.
PAYES
Ingredients
Milk
1/4 litre
Sugar
3 tbsp
Green cardamom
3 pcs
Rice
100 gr
Water
4 tbsp
Method
- Boil milk with sugar and cardamom until it turns thick.
- Add boiled rice (not full boiled) to it. Heat it gently for a few minutes.
- Add raisins if you like Serve it cold.
PINEAPPLE CHUTNEY
Ingredients
Medium size pineapples or a can
2
Kashmire chillies
2
Lime juiced
1
Ginger piece 2" chopped
1
Sugar
1 cup
Salt
1 tbsp
Dates or dried apricot finely chopped
100 gms
Large pinch of panch phoron (aniseed, cumin seed, mustard seed,
onion seed & fenugreek seeds)
Method
- Heat a tablespoon of oil and season with panch phoron and kashmiri chillies.
- Add the pineapple and cook on full heat.
- Add chopped dates or apricots, chopped ginger, sugar and salt.
- Cook until the pineapple cubes are soft.
- Add lime juice when cooked.