Durga Puja Recipes

Vegetarian

Alur dom
Ingredients:
Potatoes(small) - 500 gms
Mustard - 1/2 table spoon
Curry leaves - 8-10 (Small)
Bay leaves - 2
Tamarind - 50 Gms
Chilli Powder - 1/2 table spoon
Chillies (green) - 5
Salt according to taste
Ginger paste - 1 table spoon
Garlic paste - 1/2 table spoon
Sugar - 1 table spoon
Refined oil - 3/4 table spoon

Method:
a. Boil potatoes and peel off the skins.
b. Soak tamarind in a cup of water for 10 mins.and strain the juice.
c. Heat oil in pan and fry ginger, garlic, mustard, bay leaves with some sugar till brown.
d. Then add the boiled potatoes & fry untill the potatoes becomes golden brown.
e. Then add chillies,kurry leaves, salt & add tamarind juice.
f. Stir & serve hot with luchi/puri.

Fulkopir Vada
Ingredients:
Cauliflower - 1.
Besan - 1cup.
Oil-1 teaspoon.
Water.
Posto (poppy seeds)- 1/2 teaspoon.
Chili powder-1/2 teaspoon.
Salt to taste.
Oil for deep-frying.
Baking soda (optional)- a pinch.

Method:

1. Cut the cauliflower into medium sized pieces. Boil them so that they become soft on the exterior but remain hard inside.
2. Pour besan in a large bowl and add 1 teaspoon oil. Mix thoroughly.
3. Add water and make batter with a relatively thick consistency.
4. Add the posto, chili powder and salt and whip batter well.
5. Dip the cauliflower pieces in the batter and deep-fry them.

Luchi/Puri
Ingredients:

Wheat Flour - 500gms
Refined oil or Ghee - 2 table spoon
Salt according to taste
Warm water to knead the flour
Oil to fry

Method:
a. Knead 500gms of flour, 2 tablespoon of oil & salt according to taste with warm water.
b. Make small doughs.
c. Flatten them into round circular form.
d. Fry them one by one. Serve hot with other side dish.

Bhaat
Ingredients:
Long grain or basmati rice - 2 cups
Water - 3 cups
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Wash rice in several changes of water.
2. Place the rice and water in a deep saucepan, put over medium heat and bring to a boil. Cook until rice becomes soft.
3. Drain the water. Serve hot.

Mung Dal
Ingredients:

Mung dal - 200 gms
Small whole pearl onions-10
Green chilies - 4
Milk - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 teaspoons
Salt to taste.
Ghee - 1 table spoon
Bay leaves - 4
Whole cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Method:
a. Fry the dry mung dal in a pan over medium heat until it becomes brown.
b. Wash and put mung dal to boil.
c. Simmer until dal is cooked.
d. In a separate pan, heat ghee and fry the bay leaves, onions and cumin seeds for a few minutes.
e. Pour the dal and simmer for 5 minutes.
f. Add 1/2 cup of milk and sugar.

Boonde
Ingredients:

Besan-250gms
A pinch of bicarbonate of soda
Powdered rice- 50gms
Water-1 and half cup
Oil for deep frying-1 and half cup
Sugar- 4 cups
Water- 4 cups for making syrup

Method:
1. In a pan heat together 4 cups of sugar and water.
2. Let it boil and simmer until the syrup is of medium consistency.
3. Remove from fire and allow it to cool.
4. Blend together besan and 1 and half cup of water.
5. Mix the powdered rice and bicarbonate of soda.
6. Heat oil in a deep pan and pour the besan mixture on the hot oil through a slotted vessel.
7. Fry until crisp.
8. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon. Drain out the oil in a paper. 9. While still hot pour in the prepared syrup. Continue this until the besan mixture is over.
10. After the Bonde is soaked in the syrup remove with a slotted spoon and spread out on a flat dish.

Durga Puja Timing

Durga puja is celebrated in the autumn months of September/October. According to the Hindu solar calendar, it falls on the first nine days of the month of Ashvin. Most of the religions follow either a solar calendar or a lunar calendar. For the Hindus, it is a combination of both. The days are counted on the basis of sun rise and sun set. But timings of all religious functions are based on the lunar month. The lunar month is divided into two halves, the full moon phase and the new moon phase.

Accordingly the religious functions of the Hindu Bengalis are scheduled in sync with the timings of the moon's movement, better known as 'Tithhi'. The schedule of Durga Puja is also framed on the basis of the 'Tithhi'. The Devi Paksha or the fortnight in which the Puja falls sets in with the auspicious of the Mahalaya, which falls on the New moon. Mahalaya heralds the homecoming of the Mother Goddess as the tunes of Agamani fill the air.

The four days of Pujas start from the sixth day of the full moon phase that follows the Mahalaya and ends up with the Dashami or the tenth day. Thus Dashami is four days short of the full moon night, called Kojagori Purnima. For, it is on this pious night the Kojagori Laxmi Puja is performed by most of the Bengali households.

Essentials of Durga Puja

Specific items are needed for each day of Durga Puja. There is a detailed method to worshiping Goddess Durga that are mentioned in the scriptures. Items which are needed for the ritual worship of the goddess should be collected beforehand so that the ritual is performed smoothly. The list of essentials of Durga Puja are:

Items needed for Ashtami Puja of Goddess Durga

Food Offerings : Fruits, items for bhog, items for arati, 40 or 22 bowls of madhupakka, honey, sugar, curd, ghee, 40 or 22 noibiddos, four small noibiddos.

Cloth Offerings : One sari for Durga, new clothes for Lakshmi, Saraswati, Chandi, Kartik, Ganesh, Shiva, Vishnu, nine planets, the peacock, mouse, lion, demon, buffalo, ox, snake, Jaya, Bijoya and Ram.

Puja Items : One dantakashto, 40 or 22 finger rings made of kusha, one nosering, iron, two conch shells, a box of vermillion, flowers, a garland, belpatra garland, one chandmala, one ghoti.

Sandhi Puja - Flowers, gold ring, a bronze bowl for madhupakka, a small sari, main noibiddo, one small noibiddo, one plate, one pitcher, iron, one nosering, one pillow, a mat, a chandmala, 108 earthen lamps, items for bhog, and items for the arati .

Items Needed For Saptami Puja of Goddess Durga

Food Offerings: Sesame seeds, myrobalan, flowers, two earthen bowls full of atop, green coconut with stalk, wood apple leaves, white mustard, madhupakka (40 or 22 bowls), honey, sugar, noibiddos (40 or 22), one main noibiddo, fruits, items for bhog.
Puja Items: Jute ropes, red thread, alta, four finger rings, four yadnyopaveet, a pot, a mirror, a tekatha, sandalwood, mashkolai, hibiscus flower, small noibiddo, one big earthen lamp, panchapallab, pancha ratna, panchashasha, panchaguri, vermillion, items for arati, items for the yadnya - sand, wood, dry khorke grass, cowdung, kusha grass, ghee, 108 bel leaves and a bowl.

Cloth Offerings: Clothes for the Pundit, a piece of cloth, gamcha for arati, 40 or 22 finger rings made of kusha, sari for nabapatrika, one sari for the main puja, saris for Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Chandi, dhoti for Kartik, Ganesh, Shiva, Vishnu, clothes for nine planets, clothes for peacock, mouse, lion, demon, buffalo, ox, snake, chandmala, a nosering, iron, conch shell.

Plants and flowers offerings: Flower garland, belpatra garland, Banana plant, turmeric plant, colacassia plant, wood apple stem, pomegranate stem, a stem of Jayanti plant, arum plant, rice plant, ashoka stem, twigs of white aparajita plant, two banana stems.

Items needed for the Shashthi puja of Goddess Durga

Food Offerings: A stem of wood apple with fruits, green coconut with stalk, an earthen bowl full of atop, three bowls of madhupakka, sesame seeds, curd, honey, clarified butter, sugar, three big noibiddos, one small noibiddo, bhoger drobbadi, aaratir drobbadi, grain, fruits, one dozen bananas with a single stem, white mustard seeds.

Puja Items : A pot, four arrows two ashonanguriuk, panchapallab, pancha ratna, panchashasha, panchagobbo, tekatha, dubba grass, sindur, swastik pituli, conch shell, kajol (corrilium), gorachana, yellow thread, chamor, a fly-whisk made of yak's tail used for fanning, earthen lamps, panch pradip for arati.

Cloth Offerings: Gamcha to cover the pot, a dhoti for the wood apple tree, a sari for bodhon, one sari for amontron.

Decorative Items: Myrobalan, flowers, chandmala, adibas oil, turmeric, soil from the bank of river Ganga, perfume, stone, gold, silver, copper, iron, mirror and alta.

Items needed for Kalparambho, the ritual performed before the commencement of the puja and Mahasna:

Food Offerings : Panchashasha (grains of five types - rice, mung or whole green gram, til or sesame, mashkalai or any variety of whole black leguminous seed, job or millet), panchagobbo (five items obtained from the cow - milk, ghee or clarified butter, curd, cow dung and gomutra ), curd, honey, sugar, three big noibiddos , one small noibiddo, three bowls of madhupakka (a mixture of honey, curd, ghee and sugar for oblation), bhoger drobbadi (items for the feast), aaratir drobbadi mahasnan oil, dantokashtho, sugar cane juice, an earthen bowl of atop (a type of rice), til toilo (sesame oil).

Water Offerings: Ushnodok (lukewarm water), coconut water, sarbooushodhi , mahaoushodhi, water from oceans, rain water, spring water, water containing lotus pollen.

Puja Items: Sindur (vermillion), panchabarner guri (powders of five different colours - turmeric, rice, kusum flowers or red aabir, rice chaff or coconut fibre burnt for the dark colour, bel patra or powdered wood apple leaves), panchapallab (leaves of five trees - mango, pakur or a species of fig, banyan, betal and Joggodumur or fig), pancha ratna (five types of gems - gold, diamond, sapphire, ruby and pearl), panchakoshay (bark of five trees - jaam, shimul, berela, kool, bokul powdered in equal portions and mixed with water), green coconut with stalk, three aashonanguriuk (finger ring made of kusha).

Cloth Offerings: Gamcha or a piece of cloth to cover the pot, a dhoti for Vishnu, a sari each for bodhon and Chandi.

Decorative Items : Ghat or a pot, kundohari , a mirror, four arrows, tekatha or a triangular frame of wood, horitoki flowers (myrobalan), chandmala (garland with circular decorations), aashon (a mattress of jute or hay).

Other Items : Water camphor and perfumed sandal wood paste. soil - extracted from elephant tusks, from the teeth of the pig, from the horns of the ox, from the bank of rivers Ganga and Saraswati, from both the banks of a river, from a place where four roads intersect, from palaces, from the ant hill, from the mountains, Vishnu toilo.