My husband always says, “the Puja Khichudi & Labra (Bhoger Khichudi) has something magical in it. You prepare the same dish any other day, you wont get the same feeling and the same satisfaction that you generally derive from, after having Bhoger Khichudi”.
Honestly, deep inside me, I also experience the same level of satisfaction when I have Bhoger Khichudi (the dal & rice dish offered to God). The fun of pushing others to grab the seat, as if this is the last Khichudi plate in the entire world, and then somehow resting one part of buttock to some place (the other part will occupy the place quietly), is something worth cherishing. Even the thought of khichdi and labra at home made by my mother during Saraswati Puja, brings the long lost happy smile on my face. When I think of the aroma, taste and more importantly lots of happy memories attached with it.
Might be what my husband is saying is right. Might be God himself or herself is a big-time foodie. And when, someone considers to invite God for lunch, God takes out some time and secretly comes to our kitchen and weaves the secret magic that takes the dish to the next level.
This is the reason, I have made a deal with the Almighty, ummm, well myself – for any Puja that falls on Sunday, I will try my hand on preparing Bhoger Khichudi and experience the magical realism. As I have mentioned earlier, Bhoger Khichudi and Labra tastes magical😊
Now, as the festive season is ending and after re-living those enchanting experience recently, I could not stop myself, but, share my own way of creating the epic ‘Bhoger Khichudi & Dalna’.
Recipe: Bengali Style Bhoger Khichudi & Labra Recipe
Preparation Time: Around 20 minutes altogether Cooking Time: Around 1 hour 20 minutes altogether Yield: Serves 5 Equipment used: A pressure cooker, 2 pans and a turner, knife, peeler, grater
For Khichudi
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of split moong dal
- 1 and ½ cup basmati rice
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon kachi ghani mustard oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 dry red chilli
- ¼ teaspoon dry coconut powder
- Half of 3 cm X 3.5 cm crushed ginger
- ¼ teaspoon paanch phoron (Indian 5 spice blend)
- 6 cups water
- 1 tablespoon ghee/clarified butter
Method:
- Heat a pan and roast the split moong dal/pulses on low flame for 2-3 minutes (till you feel the aroma of roasted dal)
- Remove from heat and wash the roasted pulses with basmati rice
- Pressure cook rice and dal after adding 6 cups water, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon mustard oil, ½ teaspoon salt, till 1 whistle
- Once the rice and dal are cooked, temper 2 tablespoon mustard oil with 1 bay leaf, 1 dry chilli, ¼ teaspoon dry coconut powder, ¼ teaspoon paanch phoron and crushed ginger
- Add the tempered oil into the pressure cooker and keep the pressure cooker covered for 2 minutes
- Open the pressure cooker and add 1 tablespoon of ghee and spread the ghee across the khichdi with a spoon
Roast the split moong dal.
Wash the roasted pulses with basmati rice.
Pressure cook rice and dal.
Once the rice & dal are cooked, temper hot oil with 1 bay leaf, 1 dry chilli, ¼ teaspoon dry coconut powder, ¼ teaspoon paanch phoron and crushed ginger.
Add tempered oil into the pressure cooker and keep the pressure cooker covered for 2 minutes.
Add ghee and spread it across.
For Labra
Ingredients:
- 1/3 pumpkin
- 1 potato
- ½ raw papaya
- 1 cucumber
- 1 raddish
- Half of 3 cm X 3.5 cm crushed ginger
- 3 tablespoon mustard oil
- ¼ teaspoon paanch phoron
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 slit green chilli optional
Method:
- Rinse the vegetables properly, peel them and cut them into cubes
- Heat a pan and add 3 tablespoon oil
- Once the oil is hot, temper the hot oil with 1 bay leaf, ¼ teaspoon paanch phoron
- Add vegetables into the pan, followed by ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- Mix them well and cover the pan
- Leave the vegetables to cook on low flame for approximately half an hour
- Once the vegetables are tender, add crushed ginger, followed by salt, sugar and green chilli
- Mix them well and remove the pan from heat
- Enjoy the labra with piping hot khichdi
Cut the vegetable into cubes.
Heat oil in a pan and add bay leaf and paanch phoron.
Add vegetables followed by turmeric powder.
Cover the pan and let the vegetables get cooked for half an hour on low flame.
Add crushed ginger, salt, sugar and green chilli, once the vegetable pieces are tender and mix them well.
Tips:
- In case you are using non-stick pan, heat the pan on low flame
- While boiling dal, pressure cook the dal on high flame till first whistle. Reduce the heat to sim for second and third whistle.
- For labra, you can add more variety of vegetables like, ritch gourd, brinjal, cauliflower, cabbage, etc.
- For Khichudi, rice should always be in less proportion than dal
- For labra, add sugar basis the sweetness of pumpkin. You may not have to add sugar at all, if the pumpkin is sufficiently sweet
- Compared to other mixed vegetable preparation, the labra should taste little sweeter
- Be generous in adding ghee
