Divine delicacies for Janmashtami

Unconventional sweets and savouries from seven different communities in the city that are sure to keep your festive appetite full and filled this Janmashtami.

Raw banana dahi vada

CHENNAI: Call it Krishna Jayanthi, Gokulashtami or Krishna Janmashtami, the purpose remains the same — celebration of the birth of Lord Krishna. Donning a crown with peacock feather, holding a golden flute with a mischievous smile, exuding a playful charm, soaking in butter — Krishna and his tales have delighted many a heart.

On the day of Krishna Jayanthi, festivities begin before dawn and extend until midnight at the exact moment of Lord Krishna’s birth. Rituals are performed in the evening. Using rice flour paste, Krishna’s feet is traced from the home entrance to the pooja room. Beetle leaves and homemade vennai (butter) are offered to the lord. Traditional delicacies like seedai, murukku, laddoo, appam, and payasam are also offered and devoured later. 

Flaxseed laddoo by Sanjeeta KK (Tamil Nadu)

Ingredients

Almond: 1 cup, flaxseeds: 1/4 cup, golden raisins: 1/4 cup, prunes: 7-8, walnuts: 9-10, honey: 3 tbsp, cardamom powder: 1/2 tsp

Method

• Dry roast almonds for 3 to 4 minutes in a pan on medium heat, take it out on a plate and let it cool.
• Dry roast flaxseeds for three minutes on medium heat and spread on a plate to cool.
• Roughly chop prunes and raisins into small pieces.
•  Grind toasted almonds in a grinder till it becomes a coarse powder. Add almonds in small batches in the grinder for better grinding.
• Grind flaxseeds and walnuts into a coarse powder and take it out in a bowl.
• Add honey, chopped prunes and raisins into the grinder and grind. It will be slightly tough to grind these wet ingredients.
•  Transfer the above ground mixture into a large bowl.
• Add coarsely ground almonds, flaxseeds, walnuts, cardamom powder into the above bowl and combine well.
• Take small portions of the mixture and shape into tight balls using your palm. Moisture present in prunes, raisins and honey should be good enough to bind these into balls.
• Store these healthy laddoos into an airtight container and refrigerate till these last. It stays good for about a month.

Dodhikarma by Neha Biswas (West Bengal)

Ingredients

Popped rice (khoi): 2 cups, ripe banana: 1/4 cup, mishti doi or yogurt: 1/4 cup, coconut shreds: 1/4 cup, batasha (sugar candy)/ sugar: 2 tsp, fresh small cut fruits (apple, pears, grapes, orange) for garnishing, sweet basil leaves for garnishing 

Method

1.  In a big mixing bowl, mash ripe banana to get a paste-like consistency
2.  Add all the remaining ingredients together and mix well.
3. Sprinkle sugar or add broken batasha and give it a light mix for a sweet crunchy texture. 
4. Serve it fresh and cold.
5. Garnish with fresh fruits and two sweet basil leaves.

Raw banana dahi vada by Veena Khemka (Rajasthan)

Ingredients

Boiled and mashed raw banana: 2, paneer: 100 g, salt: 1 tsp, pepper: 1 tsp, chopped green chillies:10, chopped coriander: two sprigs, curd: 250 grams, oil for frying

Method

1. Mix mashed raw banana, paneer, green chillies, salt, pepper and coriander. 
2. Make small, flat vada. 
3. Deep fry in hot oil and let it cool.
4. Whip curd and add little water, salt and pepper.
5. Dip vada and serve cold.

Bisi bele bath masala by Akila Vankalapati (Karnataka)

Ingredients

Chana dal: 1 tsp, urad dal: 1 tsp, coriander seeds: 4 tsp, dry red chillies (according to preference of spice level): 10-12, ground coconut: 3 tbsp, cloves: 3, elachi: 2, cinnamon: 1/2 inch, curry leaves: 2 sprigs
rice: 1 cup, toor dal: 1/2 cup, groundnuts: 1/2 Cup 

Vegetables: potato: 1, carrot: 1, beans: 10, tomato: 1, fresh peas or any vegetables of your choice: 1/2 cup, lemon: 1, tamarind extract: 1 tsp

For tempering: ghee/oil: 2 tbsp, mustard seeds: 1 tsp, chana dal: 1 tsp, urad dal: 1 tsp, hing (asafoetida): 1 pinch, curry leaves, dried red chilli: 1

Method

1.  Dry roast all the masala ingredients and keep it aside.
2.  Add 1 teaspoon oil and roast the red chillies and let it cool.
3.  Grind all dry ingredients into a powder without water.
4.  Boil vegetables and rice in 6 cups of water (1:3 ratio).
5.  Pressure cook up to three whistles.
6. Once the rice is cooked add the tamarind pulp and stir.
7. Next, add the masala powder and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
8. Now, prepare for tempering by heating two tablespoon of ghee.
9. Once the ghee is hot, add mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal, red chilli, hing and curry leaves. Saute and allow to splutter and then pour it over bisi bele bath.
10. Give it a good mix and serve the bisi bele bath with boondi or mixture.

Chocolate butterscotch aval vilayichadhu by Saraswathi N (Kerala)

Ingredients

Aval (beaten brown rice flakes): 1 cup, butterscotch crush: 1 cup, grated coconut: 1 cup, cocoa powder: 2 tbsp, butter: 2 tbsp, grated white chocolate for garnishing

Method

1. Heat a pan and pour butterscotch crush and add grated coconut to it.
2. Cook on low flame till the mixture becomes a semi-dry consistency.
3. Add aval and cocoa powder to the coconut butterscotch mixture. Cook on low flame for 3 to 4 minutes and stir continuously. Remove from fire and keep stirring for two to three minutes. 
4. Transfer it to the serving bowl and garnish it with grated white chocolate.

Jaggery butter balls by Suja Devabhakthuni (Andhra Pradesh)

Ingredients

Rice flour: 1 cup, jaggery: 1 cup,  water: 2 cups, elaichi powder: 1/2 tsp, pepper powder: 1/2 tsp, butter: 2 spoons

Method

1.  Boil one and a half cups of water.
2.  Add one spoon butter, one cup rice flour and mix it well.
3.  Boil half a cup of water, one cup jaggery and mix it well.
4. Make small balls out of rice flour dough.
5.  Add the balls to the jaggery syrup and allow it to boil for two minutes.
6.  Add 1/2 teaspoon elaichi and 1/2 teaspoon pepper powder.
7. Serve it piping hot.

Singhar ji ithai by Esha Nichani (Sindhi)

Ingredients: Unsalted sev: 250 g, unsweetened mawa: 250 g, sugar: 250 g, water: 1 1/2 cup, white rose essence: few drops, yellow food colour: two pinches, almonds for garnishing

Method

1.  In a thick bottomed pan, take one and a half cups of water and add sugar.
2.  Heat it and mix properly until the sugar melts.
3.  Add yellow colour along with sev and mix gently by not mashing the strings.
4.  Add unsweetened mawa and mix again till a thick mixture is formed.
5. Finally, add a few drops of essence, mix and immediately take off from heat.
6. Take a plate with a flat surface and grease it with oil.
7.  Pour the mithai mixture on it and spread out evenly.
8. Use chopped almonds to garnish.
9. Let it cool properly and then cut it into desired shape.