Feast on homemade delicacies this Durga Puja

Durga puja is the biggest festival for the Bangali Hindu community. It celebrates the victory of goddess Durga in the battle with Mahishasura - the victory of virtuousness over evil. 

One of the key ingredients that makes this festivity even more joyous is lots of good food and food has always been a major part of Durga puja. 

The best part of the occasion is that you can eat to your heart's content whether it is vegetarian or non-vegetarian dishes, snacks, desserts or anything in between.

Although the Covid-19 pandemic has had a stronghold on our lives and lifestyles for the last two years, festivals and celebrations were not halted. Instead, celebrations were moved inside homes with friends, family and loved ones. 

Which is why the Durga puja festivities this year call for delicious recipes that can be made at home. The Business Standard has curated a three-course meal menu that you can easily follow to surprise your friends and family while eating healthy.

Appetisers

1. Kolar Mochar Chop

Ingredients

1 kolar mocha

3 potatoes, mashed big

3 green chilies, chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 cardamoms

1/2 cup grated coconut

1/4 cup peanuts

2 tbsp raisins

1 tsp roasted cumin powder

1 tsp ginger, chopped

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp sugar

Salt to taste

1 tbsp flour for slurry

1/2 cup mix of cornflour and breadcrumbs

Oil for deep frying

Instructions

Preparing the florets

1. Collect the florets of the flower, tear out the middle stem (stigma) of the florets and finely chop the florets in batches.

2. Boil the florets in water with lemon juice or tamarind extract. Strain the florets, discard the water and squeeze out the extra water until it becomes pulpy. Set aside.

Preparing the stuffing

1. Heat some oil in a pan and temper it with cumin seeds. Add the chopped banana florets and saute for a few minutes. Add in the peanuts or grated coconut along with cumin powder, garam masala, ginger, raisins, salt and sugar to taste. Lightly stir fry for a few more minutes and remove from heat.

Preparing the potato shells

1. Mash the potatoes thoroughly and mix it with salt and finely chopped green chillies. Divide it into six portions, flatten them like patties and shape into small rounds.

2. Fill the center of the potato rounds with the stir fried banana blossom and shape them into small cutlets. Make sure to secure it properly.

3. Meanwhile, prepare a slurry with flour and water. Dip each of the cutlets into the slurry and roll them in a mixture of cornflour and breadcrumbs. Set aside.

4. Refrigerate the cutlets for 20 minute. It will help to bind the crumb coating well.

5. To double coat the cutlets, take them out of the refrigerator after 20 minutes and dip them again in the slurry and crumb coat. Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

6. Deep fry each cutlet until it turns golden-brown on all sides.

7. Serve the cutlets hot with kasundi or any condiment of your choice.

2. Postor Bora

Ingredients

½ cup poppy seeds

1 ½ tbsp whole poppy seed for coating

2 tbsp onion, finely chopped

2-3 green chillies, finely chopped

3 tbsp grated coconut

2-3 tbsp rice flour

Salt to taste

3 tbsp mustard oil, for frying

½ cup warm water to soak the poppy seeds

Instructions

1. Soak the poppy seeds in water for half an hour.

2. Drain the excess water with the help of a strainer and transfer it into a grinder.

3. Grind the poppy seeds to a smooth paste. Add very little water, if required. Transfer the paste into a bowl.

4. Add chopped onions, green chillies, grated coconut, salt and rice flour into a bowl. Mix all the ingredients nicely.

5. Transfer the poppy seeds on a dry plate.

6. Take a small portion of the mixture in your hand and make a flat patty. Coat the patty with the poppy seeds. 

7. Take a non-stick pan and add mustard oil. Fry the patties over a medium flame until it turns golden brown.

8. Serve the bora hot on its own or with tamarind chutney.

Mains

1. Basanti Polau

Ingredients

3 cups of basmati rice

1 ½ tbsp ginger paste

4-5 cardamoms

6-7 cloves

2 bay leaves

Cinnamon Stick, 2 inches

3 tbsp raisins

4 tbsp cashew nuts

1 tsp turmeric powder

¼ tsp cardamom powder

1/6 tsp cinnamon powder

15 tsp sugar

3 tsp salt

3 tbsp ghee for cooking

5 ½ cups of water for cooking

Instructions

1. Wash the rice and soak it in water for 30 minutes.

2. Add 2 tablespoons of ghee into the pan. Add in the cashew nuts and raisins into the pan and fry over medium flame for a minute and set aside.

3. Add in another tablespoon of ghee into the same pan and add in the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cardamoms and cloves and wait for them to crackle. Make sure to stir and cover the pan with a lid. Take it off the heat after a minute.

4. Next, cook the ginger paste until fragrant and add in the turmeric powder. Mix well.

5. Fill the pan with water and put the flame on high. Add the salt and sugar into the water and stir well. Reduce the flame to low once the water starts to simmer and add the fried dry fruits, cinnamon and cardamom powder in the water.

6. Add the soaked rice after a minute in the water and stir gently. Cover with a lid and put the flame on medium-high for five minutes.

7. Stir the rice very gently once or twice and cover again with a lid. Cook the rice over lowest flame for eight to 10 minutes. Check the rice after 10 minutes to make sure it has cooked fully.

8. Serve the polau hot.

2. Doi Ilish 

Ingredients

To marinate the fish

1. Ilish mach, 4 large pieces

2. 1 tsp salt

3. 1 tsp turmeric powder 

4. 2 tbsp yogurt, whipped

For gravy

1. 1 cup yogurt, whipped

2. ½ tbsp yellow mustard paste

3. 4-5 green chillies, slitted

4. 1 tsp turmeric powder

5. Salt to taste

6. 1 tsp sugar

7. ½ cup water

8. Mustard oil for cooking

Instructions

1. For the mustard paste, soak the mustard seeds in water for 10 minutes.

2. Put the mustard seeds, green chillies and a bit of water into the blender and blend for a minute or until it becomes a smooth paste.

3. Cut and clean the fish and marinate them with salt, turmeric powder, yogurt and set aside for 10 minutes.

4. Add a cup of yogurt into a large mixing bowl and whip it until it turns smooth and silky. Add in the slit green chillies.

5. Add mustard seeds paste and turmeric powder,salt, sugar, water into a bowl and mix everything gently.

6. Take a wide pan, add two to three tablespoons of mustard oil and let it heat up.

7. Put the flame on low and pour in the yogurt mixture into the pan and mix well with the ghee.

8. Add the fish pieces carefully into the pan, cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes on low flame.

9. Flip the tender fish pieces very carefully and cover the pan again. Cook for another couple of minutes over low flame.

10. Serve it hot with polau or plain rice. 

Desserts

1. Nolen Gur Ice Cream

Ingredients

300 ml double cream

150 grams nolen gur 

150 grams nolen gur shondesh

170 grams evaporated milk

2-3 tbsp water, to melt the nolen gur

Melted nolen gur, for drizzling (1 tsp for each scoop)

Instructions

1. Take a heavy-bottomed non-stick pan and put it over lowest flame and add 150 grams of nolen gur along with three tablespoons of water so the jaggery melts.

2. When the jaggery softens, cut it up into small pieces with a spatula and flip them on regular intervals to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

3. Patiently melt the jaggery completely over the lowest flame. It may take five to six minutes.

4. Transfer the melted jaggery to a bowl immediately and allow it to cool completely.

5. Take a mixing bowl and add 170 grams of evaporated milk and 150 grams of nolen gurer shondesh into it alongside the melted nolen gur.

6. Mix all the ingredients with a hand mixer. Make sure there are small bits of nolen gur shondesh left in the mixture. It will enhance the taste of the ice cream.

7. Cover the mixture and refrigerate for at least half an hour.

8. Meanwhile, take another mixing bowl and pour 300 millilitres of double cream into it. Beat it with a hand mixer at low then slowly increase the speed to medium.

9. Beat the cream until it becomes heavy and stiff peaks form. Do not over beat the cream or it will become grainy.

10. Add in the shondesh mixture into the cream and whisk for two to five seconds to mix everything properly.

11. Transfer the mixture into an airtight container. Do not tap the container after transferring the content.

12. Close the lid of the container and carefully place it in the freezer for at least seven to eight hours.

13. Serve chilled with a drizzle of the molten noleen gur over top.

2. Kalakand

Ingredients

1 litre full cream milk 

1 lemon

100 grams unsweetened evaporated milk

½ cup sugar

¼ tsp cardamom powder

4-5 cashews, finely chopped for garnishing

5-6 pistachios, finely chopped for garnishing

1 pinch of cardamom powder, for garnishing

1 tsp ghee, to grease the tray or plate

Instructions

1. Pour the litre of milk in a heavy bottom pan and boil it over the lowest flame.

2. Squeeze the lemon juice in a bowl. Make sure there are no pulps and seeds in the juice.

3. Slowly add the lemon juice into the milk while stirring slowly for two minutes over the lowest flame. Allow the milk to curdle.

4. Take it off the heat once the milk has separated from the water.

5. Strain the curdled milk carefully with a cheesecloth and stir it gently with a spatula for a minute to cool it off.

6. Hold the chana under cold running water and wash it carefully. This helps to remove the sourness from the chana while cooling it off.

7. Squeeze the excess water and tie up the cloth tightly. Hang the cloth with the chana for 30 minutes so the remaining water drains away.

8. Once the water has drained, the chana should crumble up nicely.

9. Grease a tray or plate with ghee and set aside.

10. Put a non-stick pan over low flame and add the evaporated milk into the pan to warm it up. 

11. Add the crumbled chana into the warm milk and mix well.

12. Cook it over medium-low flame and stir the mixture frequently so the chana does not stick to the pan.

13. Add cardamom powder and sugar. Mix it till the sugar melts. The Kalakand mixture will gradually thicken up.

14. Cook it for 15 minutes until the mixture becomes a thick mass and separates from the sides.

15. Switch off the flame and pour the mixture into the pre-greased tray or plate.

16. Spread the mixture evenly and thinly by tapping and shaking the tray.

17. Sprinkle a pinch of cardamom powder and some finely chopped nuts over the Kalakand.

18. Set the tray aside for an hour and allow it to reach room temperature. Refrigerate it for a couple of hours so it sets.

19. Slice the Kalakand with a knife and serve.