One of the most awaited festivals, Janmashtami, will be celebrated on August 19. Also known as Krishna Janmashtami or Gokulashtami, people celebrate this day to mark the birth of Lord Krishna. Devotees dance, sing, eat delicious food, and re-enact Lord Krishna’s life in a play. Some of them keep day-long fast and prepare bhog (special food) for Lord Krishna. That’s not all, people decorate their houses for the festival. If you are also planning to cook a three-course meal but are not sure where to start, fret not. We have curated three special festive vegetarian spreads to help you out. Take a look:
Recipes by Chef Gagandeep Bedi, Executive Chef, Roseate House New Delhi
Gopalkala
Ingredients:
Poha – 80 grams
Yoghurt – 60 grams
Chopped cucumbers – 30 grams
Fresh coconut (grated) – 15 grams
Pomegranate – 2 tablespoons
Castor sugar – 5 grams
Roasted chana – 5gms
Chopped coriander
Desi Ghee – 10 grams
Cumin seeds – 4 grams
Chopped ginger – 5 grams
Chopped green chili – 5 grams
Asafoetida – A pinch
Salt to taste
Method:
Wash poha under running water in a colander and drain the water completely. Keep it aside for a few minutes.
Add yogurt, chopped cucumber, roasted gram, pomegranate, salt, sugar, and fresh coconut to a mixing bowl.
Mix everything well.
Heat ghee in a pan. Add cumin seeds and let them crackle.
Add the finely chopped ginger, green chilies, and asafoetida to it and sauté for a few seconds.
Turn off the flame and pour the tempered ingredients over the prepared poha-yogurt mixture.
Combine until well combined.
Serve as a side dish
Kuttu ki Khichdi
Ingredients:
Broken buckwheat/Kuttu daliya – 70 grams
Potato – 1
Chopped green chili – 5 grams
Chopped ginger – 5 grams
Cumin seeds – 4 grams
Asafoetida – a pinch
Desi Ghee – 8 grams
Salt – As per taste
Lemon juice – 1 teaspoon
Chopped coriander – For garnish
Method:
Wash and soak kuttu daliya in water for 30 minutes.
Peel and chop potato into small pieces.
Now drain the water from the kuttu daliya and keep it aside.
Heat ghee in the vessel and then add cumin seeds, let it crackle.
Then add chopped potatoes, green chilies, and ginger and give a stir.
Now add the soaked kuttu daliya and stir for a few seconds.
Add 1.5 cups water, add salt, and mix.
Cover the vessel and cook on medium heat for 20-25 mins.
Ensure the grain is cooked properly and there is no water in the vessel. The method is similar to cooking pulao.
Add lemon juice and chopped coriander and a tsp of ghee. Mix it and serve with some curd.
Walnut Peda
Ingredients:
Khoya – 200 grams
Castor sugar – 200 grams
Ghee – 3 tablespoons
Green cardamom powder – 10 grams
Crushed walnuts – 70 grams
Rose essence – Few drops
Method:
Take a heavy bottom kadhai (wok). Place it over medium-low flame andmelt the ghee.
Add khoya and cook until khoya turns into brown colour. Stir it continuously to avoid sticking at the bottom.
When khoya turns brown, switch off the flame and let it come to room temperature.
Now add sugar, crushed walnuts, cardamom powder, and rose essence to the mix. Rub the mixture with your hands to combine it well till it forms into a soft dough consistency.
Turn them into traditional spherical shapes or even you can use designer moulds to give them certain shapes.
Cool it in the refrigerator for an hour so that the peda holds the shape.
Enjoy with friends and family!
Recipes by Palash Ghosh, executive chef, Taj Hotel and Convention Centre Agra
Sabudana tikki
Ingredients:
Sabudana (sago) – 150 grams
Potato – boiled, peeled and mashed – 130 grams
Green chili – 1
Chasewnut chopped coarsely crushed – 50 grams
Chopped – 8 to 9 raisins
Cumin powder – 5 grams
Dry mango (amchur) – 10 grams
Rock salt (sendha namak) – 5 grams
Oil for pan frying
Method:
Firstly, take soaked sabudana in large mixing bowl
Add in 1 large boiled and grated potato.
Also add crushed chasewnut, ginger, chilli, coriander leaves, cumin powder, aamchur and salt to taste.
Combine, mix and mash well with your hand.
Now, prepare small flat patties.
Roast the sabudana tikki (patties) on medium hot tawa.
Spread a few tsp of oil, for even roasting.
Flip over once one side turns golden brown.
Spread oil again, and roast both sides to golden and crisp.
Finally, serve sabudana tikki with green chutney.
Maakhan Mishri
Ingredient:
Ghee – 350 grams
Ice cubes – 6
Mishri – 100 grams
Method:
Add ice cubes to a bowl.
Now add ghee to the bowl and use a whisker to quickly whisk it.
Within a minute of whisking, you will notice that makhan will start forming.
Keep whisking for a few minutes to prepare a smooth mixture.
Once makhan is formed, take out the ice cubes from the bowl.
Now add mishri to the bowl and again mix well.
Recipes by Chef Kuldip Singh, Executive Chef at Renest Gandhidham
Papaya Halwa
Ingredients:
Ghee – 2 tablespoons
Papaya semi-ripe, grated – 1 large
Sugar – ¼ cup
Almond powder – 3 tablespoons
Green cardamom powder – 1 teaspoon
Khoya/mawa crumbled – 3 tablespoons
Almonds sliced – 6-7
Method:
Heat 2 spoons of desi ghee in a non-stick pan.
Add 1 large papaya and cook on low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring continuously.
Add 1/4 sugar, mix and cook for 5-10 or till the papaya is fully done.
Add 3 spoons of almond powder and cardamom powder and mix well.
Add 3 spoons of khoya and mix well.
Serve hot garnished with almonds.
Rajgira Poori with paneer bhurjee
Ingredients:
Rajgira Atta/ Amaranth Flour – 2 cups
Large Potato, boiled and peeled
Baking Soda – ½ teaspoon
Sendha namak to taste
Oil, for deep frying
Method:
In a mixing bowl, mash the boiled large potato.
Add 2 cups rajgira flour,1/2 baking soda, and salt. Start kneading it.
Add a tsp of water to knead. Do not use a lot of water. The dough should be soft.
Heat oil in a Kadai for deep frying.
Divide the dough into small equal portions. Roll them like pooris.
Deep fry the pooris in oil till golden brown in colour.
Serve hot with paneer bhurjee
Paneer Bhurjee
Ingredients:
Oil – 2 spoons
Cumin – 1 teaspoon
Green chili and ginger – 1
Add ½ teaspoon red chili powder, ¼ teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon garam masala powder, and salt to taste
Paneer 2 cups
Kasuri methi and coriander leaves – 1 spoon
Method:
Firstly, in a large kadai heat oil and sauté 1 tablespoon of cumin seeds till they turn aromatic.
Further, add 1 green chili and ginger.
Saute well till the onions turn slightly golden brown.
Now add tomatoes and saute till they turn soft and mushy.
Additionally, add ½ teaspoon red chili powder, ¼ teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon garam masala powder, and salt to taste.
Roast the spices on low flame for a minute.
Furthermore, add crumbled paneer/cottage cheese and mix well.
Mix gently without mashing out paneer.
Cover and simmer for 3 minutes till the 2 cups of paneer get cooked well. Do not overcook the paneer, as it tends to turn hard and chewy.
Also, add crushed kasuri methi and coriander leaves.
Mix gently, making sure everything is combined well.
Finally, serve paneer bhurjee with poori