6 October
|| শুঠমহালয়া ||
Subho Mahalaya to all my readers!
We are just days away from the biggest festival of Bengalis - Durga Pujo. I was expecting a crystal clear Shorot er akash but all I got was a rain cloud dotted sky. It didn't rain today but it was quite windy. Weird weather in the month of October. By now the air usually smells like Durga Puja with all the shiuli flowers ground around. that's right even if I am in Pune we do have a few homes in the vicinity who have Shiuli flowers blossoming in their courtyards at this time of the air.
To remind us of the victory of Goddess Durga over the evil Mahishashur, we celebrate the auspicious day of ‘Mahalaya’. Not only does this annual festivity hold a religious and spiritual significance, it also reminds us of the power of truth, of courage and of the universal fact that in the end, good will always triumph over evil.
On this day, Goddess Durga officially begins her journey from Mount Kailash — where she resides with her husband Lord Shiva — to her maternal home on Earth. Goddess Durga to Bengalis is like a daughter and hence to welcome her home the Bengalis make a plethora of delicious veg and non veg dishes. That is also the reason why non veg is made during the Durga Pujas in Bengali homes.
Celebrating the day with one of the favorite Bengali snacks - Vegetable chop or vegetable croquettes. Made with a medley of veggies like beetroot, carrot and potatoes, the signature aroma of a vegetable chop comes from the freshly roasted bajha moshla, crunch from coconut chunks and toasted halved peanuts. Who can not fall in love with these chops when u have it with a dash of kashundi and tomato sauce on the side. It is one of the most loved snacks for a Bengali.
- Beetroot - 2 medium sized
- Carrot - 2
- Potato - 2 medium sized
- Green Chilli - 2
- Ginger Paste - 2 tbsp
- Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
- Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
- Corriander seeds - 1/2 tsp
- Clove - 6
- Green Elaichi - 3
- Cinnamon - 1/2" stick
- Peppercorn - 12
- Red chili - 2-3
- Bay leaf - 1
- Amchur Powder - 1/4 tsp
- Peanuts - 1/4th cup , halved
- Panch Foron (Bengali 5 spice mix) - 1/4 tsp
- Coconut pieces - 1/4 cup, chopped into small pieces
- Ghee
- Salt - as per taste
- Sugar - as per taste
- All Purpose Flour
- Egg wash - 2 eggs beaten with a pinch of salt and a tsp of water
- Bread crumbs
- Kadai
- Skillet
- Mixer Grinder
- Masher
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