5 Easy Traditional Recipes for Chhath Puja 2022

Chhath Puja 2022 is being celebrated today (October 30, 2022). Women observing fast on the day of Chhath Puja worship and worship the Sun God. During this festival, women should wake up early to offer water and flowers to Lord Surya and then observe a fast for the well being of their children. Various dishes like Laddu, Thekua and Kheer are prepared as prasad for this festival. We bring to you some traditional food items from Bihar specially with their delicacies. These recipes can definitely be made to celebrate the festival of Chhath!

(Also read: Chhath Puja 2022: Date, Puja Timings and Common Meals to Prepare,

Here are 5 easy traditional recipes for Chhath Puja 2022:

1. Thekua

Thekua is the most popular offering during Chhath Puja. It is dry sweet and is made from wheat flour, dry coconut, chasni (melted sugar) and ghee. Thekua is mostly prepared on the second day of Chhath Puja and then it is offered to the Sun God.

material:

• Whole wheat flour – 1 3/4 cups
• Semolina – 1/4 cup
• Dry Coconut – 1/4 cup
• Ghee (butter) – 3 tbsp
• Saunf (Saunf) – 1 tbsp
• Cardamom Powder – 1/2 tbsp
• 10-12 cashew nuts, small pieces
• Grated Jaggery – 3/4 cup
• Water – 1/2 cup (110 ml)
• Oil for frying thekua

Instructions:

1. Put 3/4 cup grated jaggery in a bowl and add 110 ml water to it. Keep stirring it on low flame till the jaggery dissolves in the water. Keep the jaggery syrup aside to cool completely before using.
2. Take a large mixing bowl and add 1 and 3/4 cup wheat flour, 1/4 cup semolina, 1/4 cup dry coconut, 1 tsp fennel, 1/2 tsp cardamom powder, 2 tbsp chopped cashews . Mix all the dry ingredients well.
3. Add 3 tablespoons of ghee to the bowl and keep mixing it evenly till the powder is covered in the bowl.
4. Add jaggery syrup to the wheat flour mixture gradually, little by little and knead into a stiff dough.
5. Cover the dough completely with a wet cloth or cling film and leave it for at least an hour.
6. Knead the dough once again and take a little dough in your hand and give it a round shape. Then flatten them by pressing them with the palm. Mark the leaf with the help of a toothpick or you can make any design you like. Repeat the whole process and make thekua shape with the rest of the dough.
7. Put a pan on the fire and let it dry completely. Add enough oil to deep fry the thekua well.
8. Heat the oil on medium heat.
9. Drop thekuas one by one into the oil and fry them on medium-low flame. Don’t overheat the pan.
10. Fry them evenly till they turn golden brown. Keep turning them from time to time so that they get cooked evenly.
11. Drain off the excess oil from the thekua and keep it in a tissue-lined plate. The tissue will absorb the excess oil.
12. Allow thekua to cool completely and store in an airtight container.

(Also read: 5 things you must know about Thekua – a popular Chhath recipe,

2. Pumpkin Bhati

This wonderful vegetable is most liked in Chhath. It is made with kaddu/lauki (bottle gourd) with Himalayan salt or rock salt and cooked in ghee. This delicious curry is served with fried poori or rice, making it the perfect dish to break the fast.

material:

• Pumpkin – 500 grams
• Red chili powder – 1 tbsp
• oil for frying
• salt – as per taste
• Coriander Powder – 1 tbsp
• Turmeric Powder – 1/3 tbsp
• Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 tbsp
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tbsp
• Dry mango powder – 1/4 tbsp
• Sugar – 2 tbsp
• Coriander leaves – fresh, finely chopped

Instructions-

1. Keep a pan on high flame.
2. Pour oil
3. When the oil is hot, reduce the gas and add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and a pinch of asafoetida, turmeric powder, coriander powder, ginger green chili paste and red chili powder.
4. Mix them well.
5. Add 1/2 cup water. Mix them well and fry for 1/2 minute.
6. Add chopped pumpkin pieces and salt. Mix well.
7. Close the lid and cook on medium flame for 8 minutes.
8. Check after 8 minutes by pressing it with a spoon. The pieces will break easily if it is over cooked. Grate the pumpkin by pressing lightly so that the gravy becomes thick.
9. Add black salt, sugar, mango powder and mix well.
10. Add coriander leaves and mix well. And turn off the flame.
11. Garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy the delicious taste with rice.

(Also read: Chhath Puja: Make Traditional Jaggery Kheer for Chhath Puja Kharna Prasad,

3. Green gram

Hara chana (or green gram) is another delicious dish that you will find in a Chhath-special thali. Green gram soaked in water overnight and then prepared the next day Ghee Along with some green chilies and cumin.

material –

• Green gram – 1 cup (150-165 grams)
• Tomato – 1 pc
• Green chili – 1 pc
• Coriander Powder – 1 tbsp
• Cumin – 1 tbsp
• Ginger (1 inch
• Rock salt – as per taste
• Turmeric – 1 tbsp
• Ghee – 2 tbsp
• chopped coriander leaves

Instructions-

1. Heat ghee in a pan.
2. Add cumin seeds, grated ginger and chopped green chillies and stir well on low flame
3. Add finely chopped tomatoes and cook on low flame for 5 minutes.
4. Add turmeric and coriander powder along with rock salt and mix well for 2 minutes.
5. Put green gram in the pan, cover the pan while stirring it well. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
6. Add some water to the pan and cook on low flame for another 10 minutes.
7. It is ready to eat garnished with green coriander.

4. Rasiyav (Rice Kheer) with Puri/Roti (Chapati)

rasiyaav Basically rice kheer, but instead of sugar, it contains jaggery (or jaggery). It is prepared almost like regular kheer with rice, water and milk. This sweet completes the Chhath Puja meal. It is specially offered to the Sun God before serving for consumption. It is best paired with dal puri/puri/roti.

material:

• Rice 50 grams (1/4 cup)
• Ghee – 1 tbsp
• cardamom – 3-4 pcs
• Milk – 1000 ml
• Sugar – 4-5 tbsp. adjust to taste
• Chopped nuts – 3-4 tbsp
• Rose water, saffron and kewra – 1 tbsp (optional)

Instructions-

1. Wash the rice until the water runs clear.
2. Then soak the rice in enough water for 20 to 30 minutes. Once 30 minutes is done, drain the rice using a colander and keep aside.
3. Heat a heavy bottom pan on medium heat. Then add 1 teaspoon ghee to it and then add soaked rice.
4. Add 3-4 crushed green cardamom pods.
5. Fry the rice with ghee and cardamom, stirring continuously for 1 to 2 minutes, till the aroma comes.
6. Then add milk to the pan and mix well. Set the heat to medium-high.
7. Let the milk come to a boil, it will take about 10-12 minutes. Keep stirring occasionally so that the milk does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
8. After the milk comes to a boil, reduce the flame and let the kheer cook on low flame for about 25 minutes. Stir every 2 minutes. The milk will thicken and the rice will be completely cooked. If you want thicker kheer then cook it for 15 more minutes at the same time.
9. Pour in sugar and mix. Also add nuts as well.
10. Cook the kheer for another 5 minutes. The sugar should dissolve completely. Don’t worry if your kheer is not looking very thick at this time. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
11. Remove pan from heat. Stir in rose water, kewra, and saffron (if using). Garnish with more dry fruits and serve the kheer hot or cold.
12. You can also cool it before eating or eat it hot.

(Also Read: Chhath Puja: 10 things you should know about this festival,

5. Kasar Ke Laddu

except thekua And rice kheer, another type of sweet is made. It is very easy to make and it is ready in few minutes. This powder is made from rice, jaggery powder, ghee and fennel. Kasar Ke Laddu is one such prasad made on Chhath Puja which is made on the day of Sandhya Arghya.

material –

• Powdered rice – 1 kg
• Jaggery powder – 500 grams
• Ghee – 1/2 kg
• Fennel – 1/2 cup

Instructions-

1. Put coarsely ground rice in a large pot.
2. Add fennel, jaggery powder and ghee to it and mix all the ingredients well.
3. Take it by pressing lightly with your hands and make small round balls out of it.
4. Your Kasar Ke Laddu is ready.
5. You can eat this laddu for many days.

About the author: Hiranyami Shivani is the co-founder of Chhonk – a cloud-kitchen startup that serves home-cooked Bihari food.

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