Dasara Recipes

Recipes for Dussehra

Boondi Raita

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup Besan
2. 3 cups Curd
3. 1 Sprig Curry leaves
4. 1/2 tsp Cumin powder
5. 2 tsp Red chilli powder
6. Oil for deep-frying
7. Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Mix the besan and salt in a bowl.
2. Add water to achieve the dropping consistency.
3. Now heat oil in a kadai and pour drops of this mixture with a slotted spoon.
4. Deep fry till the drops become golden brown.
5. Drain to remove excess oil and add to curd taken in a bowl.
6. Add red chilli powder, cumin powder, curry leaves, and salt.
7. Boondi raita is ready.

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Crispy Fried Okra

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 kg Okra (wash, dry, and slice lengthwise.)
2. 1/2 cup Bengal Gram flour (besan)
3. 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
4. 1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder
5. 1 tsp Carom Seeds (ajwain)
6. 4 tsps Chaat Masala
7. Salt to taste
8. 1 Lime (juice)
9. Cooking Oil, for deep frying (Vegetable/ Canola/ Sunflower Oil)

Preparation:

1. In a skillet heat the cooking oil in medium heat.
2. Mix the okra with rest of the ingredients.
3. Season with salt.
4. Deep fry the okra until crisp.
5. Garnish with lime juice.

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Handvo

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups Rice
   
2. 1 cup Toovar Dal (Arhar)
3. 1/4 cup Urad Dal
4. 1/4 cup Split Green Gram (Green Moong Dal)
5. 1/4 cup Split Bengal Gram (Chana Dal)
6. 1/4 cup Wheat (optional)
7. 1 cup Sour Curd
8. 2½ cups White Pumkin (Lauki) (grated)
9. 4 tbsp Oil
10. Juice of 1/2 Lemon
11. 1 tsp Soda-bi-carb
12. 2 tbsp Sugar
13. 1 tsp Chilli Powder
14. 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
15. 3 tbsp Green Chilli-Ginger Paste
16. Salt (to taste)

For Tempering:

1. 2 tsp Mustard Seeds
2. 2 tsp Sesame Seeds (Til)
3. 2 tsp Carom Seeds (Ajwain)
4. 1/2 tsp Asafetida (hing)
5. 4 tbsp Oil

Preparation:

1. Wash rice and all the lentils (dals). Soak them for around 4-5 hours. Now, drain the water and keep them aside. Using the grinder, make a paste of the rice and lentils and pour sour curd into it. Mix well.
2. Keep the mixture overnight, to let it ferment.
3. Now, take a large bowl and put the oil in it. After it gets hot, add green chili-ginger paste and saute it for a few seconds.
4. Add wheat, grated pumpkin, soda bi-carb, chili powder, sugar, lemon juice, salt and turmeric powder to the pan and mix it well.
5. Take a greased thali and pour this batter in it.
6. Now, take a saucepan and heat 4 tbsp oil in it, to prepare tempering.
7. When the oil is hot, put mustard seeds in it and let them crackle.
8. Now, put asafetida, sesame seeds and ajwain and fry them for a few seconds.
9. When the sesame seeds turn brown, pour the mixture over the prepared batter.
10. Bake the dish in a preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes at a temperature of 200 degree C (400 degree F).
11. When the crust turns brown, it means that your handvo is ready to eat.

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Paneer Pakora

Ingredients:

1. 250 gms Paneer
2. 8 tbsp Gram flour
3. 2-1/2 tsp Red chilli powder
4. 1-1/4 tsp Mango powder
5. 1/4 tsp Cooking soda
6. Water as requirement
7. Salt to taste
8. Oil to fry

Preparation:

1. Firstly cut the paneer into thick square pieces.
2. Sprinkle mango powder and red chilli powder on these pieces.
3. Mix the gram flour, red chilli powder, soda and salt in a bowl.
4. Add some water to the mixture to make it thick batter.
5. Dip each piece of the paneer in this batter.
6. Heat the oil in a frying pan.
7. Now put the pieces of paneer in the heated oil.
8. Fry them till they become golden brown.
9. Paneer Pakoras are ready.
10. Serve the Paneer Pakoras with green chutney.

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Spinach and Potato Fry

Ingredients:

1. 800 gms Red Spinach
2. 200 gms Potatoes (peeled and diced)
3. 90 gms Coconut (grated)
4. Salt to taste

For Tempering:

1. 2 tbsp Coconut Oil
2. 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
3. 1 tsp Urad Dal (washed and dried)
4. 1 Onion (sliced)
5. 2 sprigs Curry Leaves
6. 1-inch piece Ginger (julienned)
7. 6 Green Chilies (julienned)

Preparation:

1. Boil the potatoes in salt water.
2. In a skillet, heat the oil and add mustard seeds.
3. When the mustard seeds start to splutter, add the Urad dal and fry until golden brown.
4. Add the onions and fry till translucent.
5. Then add the ginger, green chilies, curry leaves and fry well.
6. Add the spinach and cook till dry.
7. Now, add the potatoes and then cook till the moisture evaporates.
8. Finally, mix in the grated coconut and stir for a minute.
9. Serve hot.

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Khaman Dhokla

Ingredients:

1. 2 Cups Besan
2. 1 tsp Sugar
3. 2 tbsp Lemon juice
4. 2 tbsp Curd
5. 4 Green chillies
6. 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
7. 1/2 tsp Sesame seeds
8. Shredded coconut powder
9. 6 tsp Oil
10. Fresh coriander leaves
11. 1 Pinch soda

Preparation:

1. Mix besan, oil, salt and sugar.
2. Add chilli powder, lemon juice, curd and boiled water to make a paste.
3. Now add soda.
4. Take a container and pour the paste in it.
5. Steam cook it in a pressure cooker it for 15 minutes.
6. Keep it for cooling.
7. Khaman is ready.
8. Heat the oil.
9. Add mustard seeds, sesame seeds and green chillies.
10. Fry it for minutes.
11. Cut the khamman into square pieces.
12. Spread fried green chillies and seeds on pieces.
13. Adorn with shredded coconut powder and coriander leaves.

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Sabudana Khichidi

Ingredients:

1. Sabudana (sago) - 1 cup.
2. Sugar - 1/2 tsp.
3. Green Chillies - 2, finely chopped.
4. Groundnuts - 1/2 cup, finely crushed.
5. Potato - 1, boiled and peeled.
6. Oil - 2 tsp.
7. Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp.
8. Hing (asafoetida) - 1/2 tsp.
9. Coconut - 2 tbsp, fresh & grated.
10. A few coriander leaves.
11. A few curry leaves.
12. Salt to taste
13. Lemons - 1 or 2.

Also needed:

A medium-sized bowl, a big pan and a ladle.

Preparation:

1. Wash the sabudana (sago) well and soak in a medium-sized bowl for about two hours. This will make it light.
2. Dice the potatoes.
3. Mix groundnuts, sugar and salt to the cubed potatoes.
4. Pour oil in a big pan and heat. Add in the mustard seeds and sputter. Toss in cumin seeds, green chillies and curry leaves to the oil.
5. Drop the salted potato cubes into the oil. Using the ladle, stir the mixture well. Fry properly.
6. Rub the fried potatoes with the sabudana mixture and mix well. Fry gently.
7. Sprinkle the grated coconut over the fried potatoes and mix well. Use coriander leaves for garnish.
8. Squeeze the lemons over the potatoes to add a few drops of juice. Serve hot.

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Jalebi

Ingredients:

1. All Purpose Flour - 2 cups.
   
2. Rice flour - 1-1/2 tbsp.
   
3. Baking powder - 1/4th tsp.
   
4. Curd - 2 tbsp.
   
5. Sugar - 3 cups.
   
6. Water - 2 1/2 cups
   
7. Cardamom - 1/2 tsp, formed into powder.
   
8. Ghee/Vegetable oil (to fry)

Also needed:

A big bowl, a heavy bottomed pan/kadhai and a kitchen paper.

Preparation:

1. Pour all purpose flour, rice flour, baking powder and curd in the bowl. Mix well together.
2. Add some water and continue to whisk until the mixture turns smooth.
3. Keep the mixture aside to ferment for about 2-3 hours.
4. When it has fermented, whisk well before using again. Your batter is ready.
5. Add sugar to about 1 1/2 cup water and stir well to form a sweet syrup. Add cardamom powder and stir again.
6. Pour oil in a heavy bottomed pan/kadhai and heat.
7. Pour your batter in a plastic bag and make a small hole below. Squeeze the bag to pour the batter into the kadhai and move your hand to form coil-shaped batter designs. Make about 5 designs.
8. Deep-fry the batter designs for 5-10 mins or until they are golden and crisp.
9. Take away from the pan, drain on kitchen paper and soak in the sugar syrup.
10. Prepare more shapes in a similar way. Leave the batter shapes in the syrup until they absorb the sugar fully well.
11. Remove from the syrup. Your jalebis are ready. Serve hot.

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Papri chat

Ingredients:

1. Flour - 2 cups.
2. Maida - 4 cups.
3. Curd - 6 cups.
4. Potatoes - 4, boiled.
5. Red chilli powder - 4 tsp.
6. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp.
7. Cumin seed powder - 2 tsp.
8. Ajwain powder - 2 tsp.
9. Coriander leaves - 1 Bunch.
10. Coconut - 1 cup grated.
11. Tamarind - 2 tbsp.
12. Dates - A handful (5-6).
13. Green chillies - 2-3.
14. Chat powder - 1 tsp.
15. Curry Leaves - A handful.
16. Salt to taste.
17. Cooking oil.

Preparation:

1. Take a large bowl. Add in flour, maida, ajwain powder, cumin seeds powder, red chilli powder and turmeric powder. 2) Pour water on the contents of the bowl and whisk together to mix well. Form a hard dough.
2. Spread these on a floured surface and form puris from this dough.
3. Pour oil in a pan and heat. Place the doughs one by one and deep fry.
4. Mix the curd well.
5. Again heat oil in a cooking pan. Toss in cumin seeds, mustard seeds and curry leaves into it and sputter for 2 minutes.
6. Pour in the curd and blend it nicely.
7. Mix dates and tamarind.
8. Pour in water and boil until fully cooked.
9. Form a paste of the items by blending them in a mixer.
10. Add red chilli and salt.
11. Squash the potatoes. Mix chaat powder with these.
12. Crush the puris. Add 1 tbsp of mashed potatoes with the crumbled puris.
13. Add 4 tbsp of curd mix over the mixture, followed by 1 tsp of red chutney.
14. Sprinkle 1 tsp chaat powder(for taste) over the mixture. Serve.

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