Here are some of our favorites Durga Puja Recipes - "Must haves" during Durga Puja.

Fulko Luchi

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

Ingredients:
500 gms small sized potatoes
1/2 tbl spoon mustard
2 twigs kurry leaves
50 gms tamarind
4-5 green chillies
salt according to taste
1 tbl spoon ginger paste
1 tbl spoon sugar
3-4 tbl spoon refined oil
Boil potatoes and peel them.



Method:
1. Soak tamarind in a cup of water for 10 mins.and strain the juice.
2. Heat oil in pan and fry ginger, mustard, kurry leaves till brown.
3. Then add the boiled potatoes & fry for a minute or two.
4. Then add chillies, sugar & salt & add tamarind juice.
5. Stir & serve hot with luchi.

Cholar Dal

Ingredients:
250 gms chholar dal
3-4 tbl spoon oil
1 tbl spoon jeere
1/2 tbl spoon grated ginger
4-5 tejpata, chopped green chillies,
1/2 cup grated coconut
1/2 tbl spoon termeric
1 tbl spoon sugar
hing
         
Method:
1. Boil 250 gms of chholar dal in 2 cups of water.
2. Heat oil in pan,add hing, jeere, tejpata, grated ginger, chopped chilles, grated coconut, salt, sugar, termeric and fry for sometime.
3. Pour the boiled dal in the pan.
4. Cook for sometime and serve hot.

Payesh

Ingredients:
Milk- 2 liters
Sugar- 4 tablespoons
Rice- 3-4 tablespoons
few raisins, sliced almonds, chopped cashew nuts
         
Method:
1. Wash rice and dry it on a plate and keep aside.
2. Heat milk in a large pan.
3. Simmer until it is reduced to 3 quarters its original volume.Add he washed rice.Add sugar when the rice is tender.Continue cooking until milk is reduced to half and thickens.
4. Add the raisins, almonds and chopped cashew nuts.
5. Remove from heat.Cool and serve.

Kwasha Mangsho

This dish of tender mutton sauted with masala and onions is an eternal favourite of most of us.

Prep: 20 minutes.
Cook: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
· Tender boneless mutton- 500gm, cubed small.
· Yoghurt- 1 cup, plain.
· Salt to taste
· Oil- 2 tablespoon.
· Onions- 2 medium (about 175-200gm), finely sliced.
· Dalchini (cinnamon)- 1 3-inch stick.
· Laung(cloves)- 3 to 4.
· Elaichi (cardamoms)- 5 to 6.
· Red chillies- 2, dried.
· Onions- 2-3 medium-large (about 250gm) onions, ground to paste.
· Ginger-garlic paste- 2 tablespoon.
· Green chillies- 2-3, chopped.
· Haldi (turmeric)- lteaspoon.
· Dhania patta- ¼ cup, chopped.

Method :
1. Knead mutton with yoghurt and salt; set aside for half an hour.
2. Heat oil on medium heat in a non-stick kadhai. Fry onions for about 7-10 minutes, till they turn crisp. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside to drain.
3. Add mutton pieces to the same oil and turn it brown on high heat for about 5 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon; keep to one side.
4. Add whole spices to the same oil. Add crushed onions and ginger-garlic paste, when they begin to sputter and sizzle, cook and stir simultaneously, till onion paste just starts to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in chopped green chillies and haldi; deep-fry for 2-3 minutes.
5. Put in mutton pieces and turn to blend well in masala. Continue to stir-fry on high heat for 5-10 minutes. Lower heat to MEDIUM-HIGH and sprinkle water to prevent sticking. Continue to saute, until meat is done and gravy has dried to a thick coating on the mutton pieces - this should take about 20 minutes. Remember to sprinkle a tablespoon of water simultaneously if it shows a tendency to stick. Stir in the fried onions and season to taste.
6. Garnish with dhania, and serve hot.

NOTE: Eat this with hot bulbous luchi.

Doi Machh

Ingredients:   
• 5 Pieces fish
• 5 tbsp Curd
• 1 Large onion
• 1 Large ginger
• 4 tsp Cardamom powder
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Cumin seed powder
• 2 Green chillies (chopped)
• Oil for frying
• Red chilli and salt to taste

Method:
1. Chop onion and grind it to make a paste.
2. Grind ginger to make a paste.
3. Wash the fish pieces properly.
4. Add salt and turmeric powder to fish pieces.
5. Heat the oil.
6. Fry onion paste, ginger paste, cumin seed powder and cardamom powder.
7. Add fish and fry till it gets cooked.
8. Now mix curd and chopped green chillies.
9. Put it over medium flame till it gets cooked properly.
10. Serve Dahi Mach hot with rice.

Ilish Bhapa (Steamed Hilsa)

Ingredients:
6-8 pieces from a large hilsa fish
1 1/2 tbsp mustard seeds
2-3 green chilies
1/4 grated coconut
A pinch of turmeric
Mustard oil for frying
Coriander leaves for garnishing
Salt to taste.

Method:
1. Mix mustard seeds, green chilies, salt and make into a paste.
2. Mix this paste with mustard oil, and turmeric .
3. Take fish slices and cover them with the above paste.
4. Put them in a greased dish, cover and cook over steam. This procedure can also be done in a pressure cooker.
5. Steam this until mustard gives off a sharp aroma.
6. Remove and sprinkle a little chopped coriander leaves and serve with hot rice.

 Daab chingri

Ingredients:
· Prawns- 750gm, small, peeled (but with tails left on)
· Onions- 2, sliced.
· Salt- ltsp
· Haldi (turmeric)- ½ tsp.
· Green chillies- 3-4, slit.
· Coconut milk- 1 cup.
· Mustard seeds- l tablespoon, soaked overnight and ground to a paste.
· Mustard oil- 2tbsp, sharp.
· Green coconut- 1 tender, top lopped off and water drained.
· Dough- A small ball to support coconut while cooking.

Method:
1. Except for oil and green coconut, mix all ingredients and stuff into the coconut. Drizzle in oil. If top has been chopped off in one piece, you can put it back as a "lid".
2. Set coconut on turntable of microwave oven, supported by dough ring. Cook on Medium (70-80 percent power) for 20 minutes. Let it stand for 5 minutes.
3. Carefully remove the coconut from the dough base and place it on a large serving platter - let it tilt and fall open.
Serve with rice.

NOTE: For an intense flavour without any hint of bitterness, soak yellow mustard seeds overnight and grind to a paste in the morning. For a stronger flavour, use black or brown seeds (Use large - sarson, not rai), but add salt while you crush it to reduce bitterness.

Feel free to suggest a recipe here - you can send your recipe to info@durgapuja-images.com or leave a comment below :)