Chorchori, Bhaja Muger Chichi, Tomato Chutney and Chanar Rasagulla
The vegetarian component of the Bengali thali becomes more interesting during the Durga Pooja festival, where the traditional ‘bhog’ has delicious dishes like Chorchori, Bhaja Muger Chichi, Tomato Chutney and Chanar Rasgulla. Traditionally, these dishes are offered as prashad to the goddess and are then distributed to all present for the occasion. Don’t miss the opportunity to try these dishes at home during the auspicious occasion of Durga Puja.
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- Duration:30 minutes
- Serves:2 to 4 people
Authenticity Slice
The key to this Khichdi’s uniqueness is in the special fragrant rice used in it - it is called ‘Govind Bhog’. However, if it is not available, you can use another rice variety as well. To get a porridge-like consistency, you can also pour in a little extra water while boiling it.
Ingredients
- Govind Bhog rice (1 cup)
- Green gram (moong dal) (1 cup)
- Ginger (adrak), grated (1)
- Tomato (2)
- MTR Haldi Turmeric Powder (½ tsp)
- MTR Lal Mirch Red Chilli Powder (½ tsp)
- Green chillies (hari mirch), finely cut (1)
- Potato (2, small)
- Green peas (matar) (½ cup)
- Asafoetida (hing) (a pinch)
- Cinnamon (dalchini) powder (a pinch)
- Green cardamom (hari elaichi) (2)
- Clove (laung) (3)
- Bay leaf (tejpatta) (1)
- Cumin seeds (jeera) (½ tsp)
- Ghee (2 tbsp)
- Sugar (¼ tsp)
- Water (-)
- Rock salt (sendha namak) (to taste)
Method
- Dry-roast the dal in a kadhai for 3 to 4 minutes, or till it has started letting off a heady aroma and has turned light golden brown in colour.
- Next, wash the dal and keep aside.
- Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Then, add in the paanch phoran (dalchini, elaichi, laung, tejpatta, jeera) and let them crackle. Once the crackling has stopped, add in the hing, ginger paste and green chillies and keep sautéing over low heat for about half-a-minute.
- Then, add in the tomatoes, the MTR Haldi/Turmeric Powder, and the MTR Lal Mirch/Red Chilli Powder. Mix well, pour in about a quarter-cup of water and continue cooking for another minute.
- Once done, mix in the potatoes, matar, roasted dal and rice. Season with salt as per taste. Pour in enough water to cook the Khichdi.
- Stir and then pressure-cook the mix on a medium flame, timing it to 4 to 5 whistles, before turning off the flame.
- Let the pressure settle down.
- Serve the Bengali Khichdi with baigan bhaja or curd and some roasted papads on the side.
- Duration:30 minutes
- Serves:4 people
Authenticity Slice
The chorchori has a slightly pungent taste from the use of mustard oil and it is always cooked in a single pot. To bring out that unique Bengali flavour, whole spices like bay leaf, dry red chillies along with panch phoron and mustard oil must be added to the vegetables.
Ingredients
- Yellow pumpkin, cubed (1/4 cup)
- Brinjals (baingan), chopped (1/4 cup)
- Potatoes (aloo), cubed (1/4 cup)
- Cauliflower (phoolgobi), chopped into florets (1/4 cup)
- Carrot (gajar), cubed (1/4 cup)
- French beans, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
- Green chillies (hari mirch), slit length wise (2–3)
- MTR Haldi/Turmeric Powder (1/4 tsp)
- MTR Lal Mirch/Red Chilli Powder ( 1/4 tsp)
- Sugar (1/2 tsp)
- label (For tempering)
- Mustard (sarson) oil ( 1 tbsp)
- Panch phoran (Bengali spice blend) ( 1 tsp)
- Salt (to taste)
- label (For garnishing)
- Coriander (dhaniya) (finely chopped )
Method
- Heat oil in a wide pan and temper it with panch phoron.
- When the seeds start to splutter, add all vegetables.
- Sprinkle MTR Haldi/Turmeric Powder, MTR Lal Mirch/Red Chilli Powder, salt and cook covered till the vegetables are tender, you can add 1/4 cup of water. It will take approximately 7–8 mins.
- Add sugar, cook over high flame for one minute and then switch off the flame.
- Garnish with coriander and serve along with rice or roti.
- Duration:90 minutes
- Serves:4–6 people
Authenticity Slice
Channar rasgulla has a sweet, melt in your mouth texture. For perfect and traditional taste, use fresh chenna or paneer and knead it till it is soft and pliable. This is the most important step while making rasgulla. Furthermore, for juicy rasgullas, cover and cook them in sugar syrup, over high heat.
Ingredients
- Cornflour/arrowroot powder (2 tsp)
- Homemade cottage cheese (chenna/paneer) (200 gms )
- label (For the sugar syrup)
- Sugar (1 cup)
- Water (1/2 cup)
Method
- Learn how to make homemade chenna, here. You will need 1 litre of milk for about 200 gms of chenna.
- Add cornflour or arrowroot powder to this chenna and knead it for 5–10 mins or till the time you get soft pliable dough.
- Pinch small pieces out of the dough and roll them into small pedas (balls).
- Heat a thick wide-bottomed pan over low flame, add sugar and water to it. Allow the sugar to completely melt.
- When the sugar syrup starts to boil, add the rolled dough pedas to the syrup.
- Cook covered on high flame for 20 mins, stirring intermittently and adding few drops of water whenever the sugar syrup thickens.
- The rasgullas will double in size. Allow them to rest for 6–10 hrs and then refrigerate till you serve. The rasgullas stay good for up to 10 days when stored chilled.
- Sugar sweet rasgullas are now ready to be gobbled down.
- Duration:
- Serves: people
Authenticity Slice
This chutney has a tangy and spicy-sweet flavour. Aside from using whole spices in the chutney to flavour it, make sure you fry the chopped tomatoes over the stovetop and crush them over low flame to give the chutney its authentic flavour.
Ingredients
- Tomatoes, finely chopped (6)
- Sugar (2 tbsp)
- Salt (to taste)
- label (For tempering)
- Mustard (sarson) oil (1 tbsp)
- Panch phoran (Bengali spice blend) (1 tsp)
- Bay leaf (tej patta) (1)
- MTR Haldi/Turmeric Powder (1/4 tsp)
- MTR Lal Mirch/Red Chilli Powder (2 tsp)
Method
- Heat oil in a kadhai over low flame and temper with the ingredients given under ‘for tempering’.
- Add in tomatoes, sugar, salt and mix well.
- Cover and cook them over low flame till the excess moisture is absorbed and the oil separates from the sides of the pan.
- The Bong-style tomato chutney is ready to be served
