Khichuri & Labra

Celebrating Durga pujo 8000 miles away from home is hard. It’s not possible to re-create the শরতের আকাশ the faint music from pandals drifting around, the smell of new clothes. We definitely can but try to cook the same food.

Aastamir morning is one of the very very few times where by tradition bong succumb to have vegetarian food, the bhog offered to the goddess. I will cover the traditional bhog in 3 part post.

• Part 1 – Khichuri
• Part 2 – Labra
• Part 3 - Chutney

Khichuri

Ingredients

1. Yellow Moong dal - 1/2 cup
2. Red Moosur dal - 1/2 cup (not used when this is offered for Bhog)
3. Chana dal -1/2 cup
4. Gobindobhog or BasmatiRice(also available in US as jeera rice) -1 and 1/2 cup
5. Cumin seed -1/2 tea spoon
6. Bay leaf - 2
7. Clove - 4
8. Cardamom - 2
9. Cinnamon stick - 1"
10. Ginger - 1"
11. Garlic clove - 1 small (not used when this is offered for Bhog)
12. Green chili - 2
13. Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
14. Frozen Green peas - 1/2 cup  
15. Bhaja masla - 1 tb spoon (ingredients given below)
16. Turmeric powder - 1tea spoon

Procedure

1. Make a paste of ginger, garlic and green chili.
2. Wash and soak the rice for half an hour.
3. Dry roast moong dal until some of them turn light brown.
4. In a pressure cooker add 3 to 4 tb spoon of oil and temper it with bay leaf, cumin seed and whole garam masala. (Clove, cardamom and cinnamon)
5. Now add the soaked rice and fry unless you start getting a nice aroma.
6. Gradually add moong, musur and chana dal followed by turmeric powder.
7. Add the ginger, garlic and chili paste along with the grated coconut.
8. Fry it in a very low heat until the raw smell of the spices completely goes off
9. Now add the peas..
10. Add 7 to 8 cups of water along with salt and a little sugar.
11. Mix it and cover the pressure cooker.
12. Cook for 4-5 minutes at full pressure.
13. After opening the pressure cooker add bhaja masala and 1 or 2 tb spoon of ghee.

Bhaja Masla

Dry roast all the ingredients below and grind it. You can store this in an airtight container and use for Jhal muri (Spicy puffed rice) and Chutney.

1. Clove -5
2. Cinnamon -2 inch
3. Cardamom -4
4. Cumin seed -1 tb spoon
5. Coriander seed -1 tb spoon
6. Dry red chili - 5/6
7. Fennel seed - 1 tea spoon