Festival season is on the way, and that’s why many food lovers started to find festival special food recipe. I am also one of the foodies, and I try various recipes to make my family and guests happy. On the occasion of the Durga Puja (Navratri), I am going to share with you some delicious and amazing Bengali food recipes.
It would not be wrong to say that Durga Puja is one of the grand festivals of India, a festival that celebrates strength, womanhood, and the victory of good over evil. During this time, the city of Kolkata is dressed like a bride, adorned with the best of world creativity. A friend of mine, who happened to visit the city of joy during Durga puja, quoted that ‘There is no better proof of Indian creativity, than the Durga Puja.’ Well, apart from art and spirituality, the love of Bengali lies in their food. Durga Puja is a time to cook, serve and eat with love. So, bring two such vegetarian Durga puja recipes that are a must-have.
Our first recipe is a bhog that is offered to Durga ma on Mahanavami. It’s a pot full of goodness and is exceptionally healthy and delicious. Yes, you have guessed it right, our first recipe is the Bengali Khichuri.
Recipe Of Bengali Khichuri
- 175gm mung dal
- 200gm long grained rice
- One large grated onion
- One spoon of ginger paste
- One large tomato, grated
- One spoon of cumin seeds
- 2 to 3 pieces of cardamon
- 2 to 3 pieces of Bay leaves
- 1 to 2 pieces of cinnamon sticks
- One small bowl of pure ghee
- One small spoon of turmeric powder
- Three finely chopped green chilies
- half spoon sugar
- Salt as per taste.
Vegetables 8 pieces each:
cauliflower, potato, peas, and carrots
Are we ready to cook?
- To start with, roast the moong dal on a low flame. Then, keep stirring it until it turns brown.
- Now in a pan, heat ghee, add bay leaves, and all the aromatic spices (cloves, cinnamon, cumin, cardamoms). Let these spice heat and releases a fantastic aroma.
- Moving ahead, add onions and let them grow golden brown
- Add tomatoes and let them soften and release the juices
- Once the flavors of onion and tomato blend, add sugar
- Next in line are the ginger paste, turmeric, and salt. Stir them well
- We are halfway through, now add the washed rice and dal and mix them well so that the masala blends with the rice and dal. Add chopped chilis on top
- Pour five to six cups of water and let it boil. Once the khichuri starts bubbling, cover it and let it boil for 40 mins on low flame
- After 40 mins, add the chopped veggies and cook for another 15 mins
- By now, the aroma will already make you hungry. Check the vegetables and ensure that they are cooked properly
- Serve the hot bowl of khichuri with a tablespoon of ghee and enjoy with some begun bhaja.
The second dish that we have chosen is the no onion garlic dish, full of taste and health. It is one of the favorite dishes of every Bengali home, and you cannot end the 10-day festival without having this. Yes! You have guessed it right, presenting Chanar Korma- the beautiful Bengali delicacy.
Recipe Of Chena Korma
This recipe has two parts; first, we will make the Chena Bora and then the paste for korma gravy.
For Chena Bora, you need:
- 1-liter cow milk
- One spoon of lemon juice
- Two teaspoon flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
- One pinch of cinnamon powder
- One teaspoon ghee
- One spoon of chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar and salt to taste
- Oil to deep fry the bora
To prepare Korma gravy:
- One cup whole green peas
- 1 cup coconut
- 1 cup cashew nuts
- One spoon grated ginger
- 1 cup yogurt
- 2-3 pieces of dry spices
- 2-3 dry red chilies
- One teaspoon turmeric powder
- One tablespoon chili and jeera powder
- One teaspoon garam masala powder
- One teaspoon sugar
- Cooking oil
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup water
Are we ready to cook?
- Let’s start with boiling milk on low flame. Keep stirring it occasionally
- Add lemon juice to the milk and stir it until the milk curdles
- As the water separates from the milk, turn off the flame and allow it to cool
- Strain the water from the curdled milk, and with that, your cottage cheese or chena is ready
- Add all the spices mentioned in the ingredient to the cottage cheese
- Also, add ghee to it and mix them well
- Make small balls of chena and put them on a plate
- In a pan, pour oil and shallow fry the cheese balls
- Take the cheese balls out on a clean plate Once they turn brown.
Your cheese balls are ready; now it’s time to make the gravy.
- Grind grated coconut, cashews in a jar. Once the powder is formed, add some water, and grind it to make a fine paste.
- To make the gravy, take oil/ghee in a pan and add the dry spices to it. Allow them to release the flavors.
- The next step is to add ginger paste
- Add peas and stir them well
- Cover the pan with a lid and let the peas cook for a few minutes
- Add yogurt to the peas and mix them well
- Remember the korma paste we made with coconut, and it’s time to add that it the pan.
- Add chili powder, turmeric, garam masala, and salt to the mix and cover it again.
- The aroma will fill your home, and to intensify the taste, add cumin and coriander powder.
- Once the masala’s mix well, add a cup of water to the gravy and let it boil for 3-4 minutes
- The last step is to add the cheese balls to the gravy and cook it for 3-4 minutes more.
- Serve the Chena bora gravy with basmati rice and celebrate the festival of wisdom and strength.
Easy To Cook Chorchori Recipe
If there is one Bengali recipe that you can’t miss to enjoy, it’s Chor-chori. This recipe is a mix-vegetable version. Chorchori is a dry vegetable dish that comes in different variants. In this article, we have come up with a data chor-chori recipe.
The present situation of the pandemic has made us realize the need to go towards the basics. Thus, people are looking for traditional Bengali food recipes that they can cook in their homes. People are looking for food items full of nutritional benefits and one that can boost immunity and strength.
One of the most nutritional-rich Bengali recipes that you can try is Datar Chor-chori. The recipe includes an amalgamation of different vegetables. Chor-chori is a healthy delight that you can try every day. The recipe is not only rich in taste; it is also rich in nutrition.
Here’s a simple recipe of chor-choro that you can try at home by using simple ingredients:
Ingredients for chor-chori
- 150 gm cauliflower stalks
- 120 gm pumpkin
- 80 gm brinjal
- 60 gm beans
- 20 gm tomato
- 60 gm potato
- Three pieces of green chilies
- 6 gm coriander leaves
- 25 gm mustard seeds
- One-piece dried red chili
- Nigella seeds
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- Six pieces bori
- 35 gm mustard oil
- 10 gm salt
- 15 gm sugar
How to cook?
- Soak mustard seed in water for 2 hours. Grind them to a fine paste along with two green chilies and 60 gm water. Set aside the paste.
- In the next step, separate the stalk from the cauliflower and wash it thoroughly in water. Next, cut the cauliflower stalks into 2 mm pieces. If you have thicker stalks, you can divide them horizontally.
- Keep the chopped cauliflower stalks in a saucepan with 3g salt and 100 gm water. Cover it with a lid and let it steam for 8-minutes. After that, strain it and set the water aside. You will need strained water during the cooking process.
- Next, cut potatoes into 2cm wedges, pumpkin into 3 cm cubes, and brinjal into 5 cm long segments. Chop tomatoes and slit green chilies.
- Let the real cooking part begin by heating 20 gm mustard oil in a pan. You can also use dal bati to add a distinct taste to chor-chori. Fry the dal bati for about 20 seconds till it is golden brown.
- Temper the oil by adding dried red chilies and cumin seed.
- Add potatoes and fry them on a medium flame for almost 2 minutes. Then, add the pumpkin and fry it for two more minutes. Also, you can add all the other veggies that you have, or you love to add. Keep on frying the vegetables, and at last, add tomatoes.
- Now add turmeric, salt, and sugar. Add steamed cauliflower.
- After 2 minutes of frying, add mustard paste. And saute on medium heat till you get rid of the raw mustard. This process will take almost 5-7 minutes. If you feel mustard is sticking to the pan, you can deglaze it with a splash of water.
- Break the fried bori into tiny parts and add to the mixture along with slit green chili. Cook it for two minutes before adding chopped coriander leaves.
- Serve it with steaming rice.
Chor-chori is one of the most delicious vegetable options that belongs to the West Bengal region. Try this Chor-Chori recipe and let us know how delicious it was. There are different other versions of chor-chori, you can try them as per your taste.
