Kali Puja is a Hindu festival prominently celebrated in West Bengal and neighboring states of Orissa and Assam. This festival is dedicated to Hindu Goddess Kali and coincides with Diwali festival. During this occasion, devotees worship the clay idols of Goddess Kali in their homes and open pavilions known as pandals. There are different modes of worshipping Goddess Kali, some use the tantric rites and mantras while others prefer brahmanical rituals. A large Kali Puja celebration takes place at cremation ground in Kolkata. Following the rituals, people sacrifice animals and offer to the goddess. On the day of Kali Puja, a number of magic shows, fireworks and theatre are organized. Devotees visit temples to perform rituals and make offerings. The famous Kali temples in Kolkata include Kalighat Temple and Dakshineswar Kali Temple. Being the second biggest goddess festival in West Bengal, people send best wishes to their friends and relatives. Another custom that is deeply followed in Kali Puja is preparing traditional recipes and distributing the same among neighbors. Just like every other festival, Kali Puja too has its share of specialties when it comes to food. No Kali Puja celebration can be complete without having Bengali khichuri, kosha mangsho and chenna payesh on the dinner table. In the following lines, we have provided the recipes for each of the traditional delicacies of Kali Puja.
Kali Puja Recipes
Bengali Khichuri
Ingredients
Looking for some popular Kali Puja recipes? Read the following article to learn the preparation some of the common and popular Kali Puja recipes.
Kali Puja Recipes
- 1 cup Rice (washed and soaked for half hour)
- 1 cup Masoor Dal (washed and soaked for half hour)
- 1 tbsp Channa Dal (washed and soaked for half hour)
- 1/2 cup Peas, shelled
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 3 Green Cardamoms
- 1" stick Cinnamon
- 3 Cloves
- 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 10-12 Tiny Onions, peeled and diced
- 10-12 Baby Potatoes, washed, cleaned and diced
- 1 Carrot, diced
- 1 tsp Ginger, grated
- 1 tsp Garlic, grated
- 3-4 Green Chilies, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1/2 tsp Garam Masala Powder
- Salt to taste
- 5 cups Water
- 4 tbsp Ghee
- Chopped Coriander Leaves, for garnishing
- Curd and Chutney, to serve
Preparation
- To prepare khichuri, first drain dals and rice in a colander and keep them aside.
- Now partially crush the spices, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.
- Take a large skillet and heat 3 tbsp ghee in it.
- Add cumin seeds, bayleaf and crushed spices to the skillet.
- Also add ginger, garlic and chilies. Stir and fry this mixture for some time.
- Now add onions and potatoes and fry for 2 minutes.
- Add other ingredients like carrot, peas, turmeric, garam masala and salt.
- Once this mixture is little cooked, add dals and rice and gently fry for 1 minute.
- Add water to the skillet.
- Stir the whole mixture and cover it. Leave it simmering till the cooking is done.
- Now add remaining ghee and sprinkle coriander leaves over it.
- Your khichuri is ready. Serve with curd and chutney.
Labra Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 200 gms Red Pumpkin
- 200 gms Cabbage
- 200 gms Cauliflower Stem
- 200 gms Radish
- 200 gms Egg Plant
- 200 gms Potatoes
- 200 gms Sweet Potatoes
- 5 gms Panch Phoran
- 2 dried Red Chillies
- 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 tsp Ginger Paste
- Mustard Oil, as per choice
- 1 tsp Sugar
- Salt to taste
Preparation
- To prepare Labra, you will need to wash the vegetables and cut them into medium sizes pieces.
- Heat oil and add panch phoran and dried red chilies. Next, add turmeric powder, ginger paste and fry the mixture for sometime.
- Now add the vegetables.
- Put the mixture over medium heat and cook it.
- Now add salt and sugar to the mixture and leave it for cooking for another 5 minutes.
- The delicious Labra is ready.
Kosha Mangsho
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 500 gm Mutton, cut into pieces
- ½ cup Onions, grated
- 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
- 4-5 Cloves
- 4 pcs Green Cardamoms
- A tiny piece of Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds, roasted and ground
- Chilli Powder to taste
- 500 gm Hung Curd
- ¼ cup Mustard Oil
- Salt according to taste
Preparation
- To prepare this dish, heat mustard oil and add cloves, cardamom and cinnamon to it.
- Add onions and fry till it become soft. Now add ginger-garlic paste, chilli powder and turmeric, and stir-fry the mixture until it is well mixed.
- Add meat to this preparation, stir-fry over high heat till it turns opaque. Lower the heat and fry till fat separates.
- To the mixture add curd, cumin and salt and fry until the fat separates again.
- Cover it tightly and cook over very low heat, until it is done
- You dish is ready, serve it hot.
Chenna Payesh
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1/2 litre Milk
- 1 tin Condensed Milk
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 1 cup Water
- 2 tbsp Nuts
- 2 tbsp Raisins
- 250 gms Chenna or cottage cheese
Preparation
- To prepare this dish, first take sugar and mix it with the water to prepare thin syrup. Heat the syrup.
- Now take the chenna or cottage cheese in a bowl and add the hot syrup to it. Mix them thoroughly.
- Take a deep bottomed pan, put milk in it and boil it.
- In the next step combine the condensed milk with the boiled milk and simmer for about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Slowly, add the chenna mixture to milk and keep stirring until a homogenous mixture is formed.
- Remove the pan from heat and empty the prepared mix into a bowl.
- Garnish with the raisins and the nuts.
- Serve it chilled.