Navaratri special: Vegetable Khichudi from chef’s kitchen

Mumbai: The sixth day from the new moon marks the beginning of Durga Pooja in Bengal. Mahasasthi/ Sasthi is the day when the face of Goddess Durga is unveiled. This ritual is known as Bodhon and people are seen enjoying each and every bit of this festival. Dancing on the melodious tune of Dhak, they welcome the goddess.

Tallest idol of Goddess Durga made of fiber glass gets ready for worship at Deshapriya Park Sarbojanin,in Kolkata (Photo: PTI)

Today, “Katyayani” the sixth avatar of Goddess Parvati is worshipped.As per the legends, she was born as a daughter to Sage Katyayana. She is the fiercest form of goodness and is often called as the ‘warrior goddess’. Worshipping her gives you strength and illuminates your house with positivity.

This festival in India is celebrated in an magnificent way, so if you plan to see how grand this festival can get, then visiting Ahmedabad and West Bengal is must.

As we talk about the Bengali tradition and their culture, we bring you the recipe of Khichudi.

“Khichudi is served as a bhog to the goddess in Bengal. In each and every festival of ours, this dish is made and served the important part of the meal to the god,” says Chef Sougata Sengupta of feeast@east.

Recipe of the day: Kichudi

Representative image

Ingredient:

• 1 Cup Gobindobhog/ basmati rice
• 1&1/4 Cups of Moong dal (Split green gram lentils)
• 1/3 Cup Green peas
• 6 Florets of cauliflower
• 2 Potatoes (peeled and cut into halves)
• 2-3 tbsps Clarified Butter (ghee)
• 1-2 Bay Leaves
• 1 Dried Red Chillies
• 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
• Garam Masala Crushed (1" Cinnamon, 3 Green Cardamoms & 3-4 Cloves)
• 1-2 Green Chilles (cut in slits)
• 3/4 tsp Minced Ginger
• 1/2 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Sugar
• Salt to taste

Method:

• In a wok, roast dry moong dal till you get a nice aroma of  roasting dal.
• Turn off the heat when its colour change to brown. Pour some water over it. Drain water completely and keep the moong dal seperate. Wash the rice under running water and keep it aside.
• Heat clarified butter in a pressure cooker or kadai. Add minced ginger in it. Saute for few seconds, add cumin seeds and let it change its colour a little. Now add dried red chilli and bay leaf, again saute for few more seconds. Mix crushed garam masala and green chillies in it.
• Now add potato and cauliflower in it. Saute for 3-4 minutes on medium heat.
• Pour 1/2 Cup warm water and spread the dal in it.
• When dal started to boil, add rice and green peas in it.
• Add kashmiri red chilli powder, salt, sugar and turmeric powder in it. Fold nicely for 2-3 minutes or till everything incorporated very well.
• Add 3&1/2 Cups of water in it. Let it come to boil.
• Close the lid of pressure cooker and pressure cook in low till you get one whistle. Switch off the heat now, let it rest in stream for few minutes. If dal is not cooked fully, add 1/2 cup of water and cook for another 7-8 minutes on low heat.
• Khichuri is ready to serve.

This recipe is shared by Sougata Sengupta, who is the chef and owner of restaurant feeast@east, Mumbai. This place is quite popular for serving Bengali cuisine.

Enjoy this delicacy from Bengal and let us know how did you like it.

"Happy Navaratri readers."