Bhaja Khichuri / Dala Khechedi

 

There is something about the rains that can turn anyone into a hopeless romantic.
One look outside the window, with some time at hand, and you are sure to write verses.
Dreamy, cloudy skies. The persistent screen of rain. The breeze ... somewhere balmy; somewhere cold.
A fluttering curtain. A twirl of smoke above a cup.
Fresh green everywhere.

And ....
The smell of ghee, roasted dal and jeera wafting from the kitchen.
Khichuri!
That aroma itself can turn a Bengali into a poet.

There is something that binds the khichuri and the rains and a Bengali together.
If it is raining, it has to be khichuri on the day's menu. There may or may not be a maach bhaja on the side; even better if it is an Ilish maach bhaja.
But other wise, khichuri has a lot of other accompaniments go with it. Most of them will be deep fried bhajas or boras.
Then there will be the labra or a mix vegetable on the side.
Followed by the tomato chaatni and Papor(papad) bhaja.

I had made this khichuri a few days back when an old friend, D, had dropped in to watch the Ratha yatra on the telly with me. She does have a telly at home, but wanted to be with me this year when I will be watching the rath without getting Bapi's call in the morning ... "Tv ta chaala .... roth shuru hoye jabe je!!"

There was no fish at home. And somehow this niramish khichuri seemed apt on this auspicious day when Lord Jagannath sets off for a vacation to his aunt's place.
D watched with amusement as I quickly lay the table and arranged this cluster to click a few snaps.
I was in such a hurry that none of the photos came out well .... the sun played spoilsport too and it was very cloudy.
But that will make no difference to the taste or the flavour of this beautiful khichuri.

This is also called the Dala khechedi in Oriya.
Very different from the Bengali dhala ( of pouring consistency) khichuri, this khichuri is very dry and the grains of the rice and the dal are not cooked into much. Rather, they will stay whole and just done.

I love coconut .... so added it.
You may skip it in this khichuri.

Here is a closer look at the texture.

Need :

Yellow moong dal - 1 cup
( The traditional Oriya Dala khechedi has moong dal with the skin on )
Rice - ½ cup
Jeera - 1 tsp
Tej pata - 1
Whole red chillies - 2, broken
Black cardamom - 1, broken
Cinnamon - 1 small piece
Grated or chopped ginger - 1 tbsp
Haldi powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Roasted jeera powder - 1 tsp
Grated coconut ( optional ) - 5 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp + 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Sugar - to taste
Salt - to taste
Hot water - around 4 cups

How to :

Dry roast the dal in a thick bottomed, heavy kadahi, on low heat.
Stir constantly. Do not brown.
Roast only till you get the nutty aroma of roasted dal.

If you have a kitchen exhaust, I suggest you keep it switched off now ... you may not get the aroma; a major part.

Wash the rice and the dal and keep aside.

Heat oil +  ghee in the same heavy kadahi.
Add jeera +  tej patta + whole red chillies + black cardamom + cinnamon.

Add the chopped ginger.
Fry well.

Add the haldi powder + red chilli powder + the rice and dal.

Mix around well and keep stirring on low heat till everything is dryish.
This will take around 5 to 7 minutes.

Raise heat and add the hot water + salt + sugar + roasted jeera powder + 1 tsp ghee.

Cover and cook till rice is just done.
Do check for water in between ... but do not add too much.

When the rice is not too soft but done, switch off heat and let it stand covered for 5 more minutes.

After 5 minutes, remove cover and fluff it lightly with a spoon or fork.

Serve hot.

I had made the Ramrochak tarkari instead of the labra .... to give a feel of Odiya food.
And the Tomato chaatni with khejur / dates .... the quintessential Bengali as well as Odiya favourite to go with the khichuri.
And of course papor bhaja.

You can pair it with fried vegetables like the brinjal, pumpkin or the parwal too.
My home made Aamer achar came to join the band too.

All in all .... had a good time with good friend, good food and reliving memories.
No complaints there ... not even to Jagannath too.

Enjoy!!

Narkel Kumro / Pumpkin with Coconut

I am dead tired these days. The house is perpetually filled with people.
A hectic birthday .... that did nothing more than remind me that I am aging ... a fact that has long been affirmed by the mirror that reflected the shiny strands with much impudence ... and then rejoiced at my inability to indulge in my only poison ... a Black forest cake.
I do not mind a luchi and mangsho menu. But a birthday without a Black forest cake is no birthday at all.
And no ... a Chinese dinner at the Hyatt did not console me.

I am not very forgiving ... and have resolved to make it up to myself in every possible way .... one day.
One day when I have a whole day to myself, when I can cook only for myself, listen only to Jagjit Singh and not someone screaming "Aaj blue hai pani pani pani".
One day when I will have my house back to myself, my favourite chair at my favourite place, the rugs not trampled upon, the beds do not look like being walked over by a thousand elephants.
One day. Surely.
I live in hope.

Until then I will take some time out for myself to make some quick blog posts.
After all, I need to breathe too.

Most times, the food that I cook is from memories. Rather, for memories.
Most times, I try to recreate a dish that I might have tasted somewhere and liked.
Given our numerous travels as well as our hunt for good quality food, I often come across that one dish or snack or street food that I want to hold on to .... its taste, its flavours and the memories along with it.

Like the plain Ghugni that we had at Konark, the Ramrochak tarkari of Jagannath, the prasadwali Khichdi that we had at a temple, the Dal Bati from our Rajasthan trips, the Jailsalmeri chana at Jaisalmer, ... the list goes on and on.

And then there is the nostalgia of holding on to the memories of food cooked by my loved ones ... Thamma, Kakima, Jethima, Boro Ma .... and many more.  My blog is full of them.

It was this same nostalgia and craving that made me cook this simple dish that I had at the Jagannath temple at Puri once. It came along with the Abhada Bhoga / prasad . And like every dish from the prasad, it was heavenly.
Lightly sweet, it had the flavour of ghee and a light pungency of mustard paste.
Very very simple, I had fallen in love with it that very day.
And have made it again and again at home .... mostly as an accompaniment to Khichuri or Luchi.

This time, when I made it, I decided to click some pictures and make a post after all.

Need : 

Pumpkin - grated, 1 big cupful
Coconut - grated, 5 tbsp (more if you like) ( Fresher the coconut, better the taste )
Mustard paste - 1 tsp
( I use the yellow mustard seeds that are not too strong; make sure you soak them well before making the paste.
Also I do not add salt or green chillies when grinding them. )
Ginger - grated, 1 tsp
Jeera / Cumin seeds - ¼ tsp
Haldi / Turmeric powder - ½ tsp 
Whole dry red chilli  - 1, broken
Cooking oil - 1 tsp
Ghee - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste ( for Jagannath prasad, they use jaggery)

How to :

Heat the oil and the ghee in a heavy bottomed kadahi or pan.

Add the jeera.
When it starts to splutter, add the broken red chillies.
Add the grated ginger and the haldi powder.
Fry for a while, but not for too long.
Just give a few stirs and add the pumpkin.

Stir well and add the coconut.

Fry well.
Add salt and cover.

Cook till the pumpkin is done, but there is still some moisture left.
Remove cover and add the mustard paste and sugar.
Stir well and cover.
Cook for five more minutes.

Remove cover and wait till all moisture dries up.
The whole thing will turn into mush.

Serve hot with a little more sprinkle of ghee, if you want to.

This is great with Luchis, Parathas or Khichuri.
At the Jagannath temple, this is served with rice though. Or Khichdi.

Enjoy!!

Ramrochak Tarkari / A simple prasad made of Moong dal vadas

Rath yatra is on.

On Jyestha Purnima or Snan purnima, Lord Jagannath, along with Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra are brought out on the snan mandap and there, they take a good, long bath.
Before that, for 21 days, they have indulged in various water sports and other activities in the Narendra pokhari/pond, including an evening cruise, every evening.

On Snan purnima, one hundred and eight pots of water, which is brought from the sacred well of Goddess Shitala, and has sandalwood paste mixed in, is poured on them. After that they don the Ganesha vesha and are offered bhog. Then they return to the sanctum sanctorum.
And promptly fall ill.
No wonder here ... anybody would ... if 108 potsful of water were poured on them.

So the gods fall ill and retire into the confines of the mandir for a good fifteen days. They are looked after by the Daitas/sevakas  and fed plain, boiled  food during this time.
After fifteen days, they feel better but not too great. So they decide to take a small vacation and go visit their Mausi/Aunt at Gundicha mandir.
This travel, or yatra, from the holy abode to the mausi mandir, in which the vehicle is a rath, is called the Rath yatra.
There are numerous stories associated with Rath yatra, each one more interesting than the other.

For us children, Rath yatra was a time of fun.
And fear.
The fear part first.

This festival falls during the monsoons. While the wind howled and it rained cats and dogs and elephants outside, we kids suffered from a deep fear, that started much before the monsoons started.
Since it was the perfect time for infections to spread ... and stay ... the whole adult world would deem it upon themselves to protect us ... the young. Our small town would be teeming with uncounted number of people coming from far and near ... bringing with them as many viruses and diseases.
So ... the children needed to be kept safe. And how?
The only answer was vaccination.

Every single day at school was a nightmare ... yes, in broad daylight.
Every kid was haunted by that  known fear  ... every moment spent in agony ... dreading that single circular that the office help would bring to the class. And the Sister present would read it out.
"Vaccinations will be done tomorrow. The Doctor will be present in the infirmary from 9:00 am. Class teachers are requested to see that the children get the shots and maintain discipline while standing in the waiting line."
Or something like that.
To us, it sounded more like a death knell.

On the day of the vaccinations, there would be a mad scramble for red pens. Somehow, we believed that that one single dot of red on our shirt sleeves will convince our Sisters that we have already got the shot.
And should be sent home immediately. Which was unlikely as the gate keepers, on that single day, would assume that they are mightier than all asuras put together. Nobody could pass through the gates until the school bus leaves.

For me, it was doubly painful.
Since Ranga kaku/uncle is a doctor, it was his job of vaccinating the whole family. Posted elsewhere, he would come down for a few days every year during Rath yatra.
And it was this visit that we dreaded. Every morning the whole brood would sit down for breakfast with our small hearts going pit pat, pit pat. And quietly eat, almost holding our breath ... stealing glances at Dadu from under quiet, bent heads. If he finishes breakfast and gets up, we all heave a sigh of relief.
No news! Saved for one more day!
Till the day Dadu declares kaku's homecoming news.

On day one, the children get the shots.
Day two and three ... gap. The children would fall ill, fever, cranky, etc.
The adults, especially the moms would be needed around them.
So the women ... not all but half the number, got vaccinated on day four. And some of the male members too. Again a gap of two days. And then the rest of the lot.
Finally the helping hands, the cook, the gardener, etc.

What miserable days they used to be!

But a week later, all would be forgotten and the fun part started.
 Rath yatra!
Mela hopping, visiting the mandirs, climbing up on the raths to offer puja ... everything was so much fun.
Every evening we children would get loaded into the family cars ... Dadu seriously objected to letting loose the cars amongst the uncouth crowds, but had no option ... and with a couple of adults accompanying us, would walk down the big road where the mela/fair is held.
Stalls upon stalls would be set up in rows. All kinds of noises filled the air ... a child beating a just bought, new drum ... whistles, songs playing on the loud speaker somewhere, announcements in between ... of a child lost, a purse found.
The sound of bells, drums , knaasor and chanting from the main mandir along with kirtans and a whoop of "Hari Bol!!!" once in a while.
A balloon bursts somewhere. A group of giggling girls. A bunch of young boys, dapper in their new clothes, walking around with an air of confidence ... they are no less good looking that the prevalent hindi movie's hero.

Rath yatra meant good food too!
All kinds of Oriya pitha preparations ... especially those favourite to Lord Jagannath, would be prepared by our cook. On some days, usually Tuesdays, prasad would be ordered from the Radhamohan mandir and that would be our lunch.
Jagannath's prasad means a whole range of dishes.
Arisa pitha is common.

So is the Poda pitha, the Lord's favourite, a must ... and is usually prepared on the first day of Rath yatra.

I made this Ramrochak Tarkari to celebrate Rath yatra memories.... and some childhood memories too.

This is not a part of  Baripada Jagannath temple prasad ... as it's is mistakenly thought of. It is a prasad of the Radhamohan mandir on Bada bazaar road.

It has potatoes as an ingredient, which is a prohibited ingredient for Jagannath temple prasad.

Need :

For the vadas :

Spilt green Moong dal - 1 cup (washed and soaked overnight)
Whole jeera/cumin - 1/2 tsp
Fresh green chillies - 2 ( more if you like it spicy)
Salt - to taste
Oil to deep fry

For the tarkari/curry :

Ghee - 1 tbsp, 1 tbsp for adding fresh
Whole jeera/cumin - 1 tsp
Whole red chillies - 2
Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Haldi/turmeric powder
Salt - to taste
Roasted jeera powder - 1 tbsp
Potato - 1, peeled and cubed
Brinjal - 1, cubed


How to :
The moong dal vadas/ boras :

Grind everything, except the oil, to a coarse paste.
Heat oil. Sccop out small vadas and deep fry.
Remove and keep aside.

The tarkari :

Heat ghee in a kadahi. Add jeera + whole red chillies + ginger paste.
Stir a little and add the potatoes and brinjals.
Add haldi, salt and water.
Cover and cook till the vegetables are done.
(They should be overdone, actually, and the curry should be slightly mushy ... I was in a hurry, so my curry stayed soupy and the vegetables, just done. )
After the vegetables are done, add the vadas and cover and simmer for 5 more minutes.
Check water ... the vadas will soak up a lot of water ... so add accordingly.

Remove cover and add ghee and roasted jeera powder.
Cover and simmer for some more time.
Remove from heat, cover and let it stand for some time. The vadas will soak up the flavours meanwhile.

 Enjoy this simple dish on the side with this dryish khichdi.
Paired with some papad, makes for a wonderfully perfect monsoon meal!
And ... in case you are wondering ... no ... I'm not from Puri. :-)

May Lord Jagannath bless you with peace, happiness and goodwill!