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Holi is the festival of colours celebrated across India, but the commemoration in Uttar Pradesh is one-of-a-kind. In Vrindavan and Mathura (Braj region), there is phoolon ki Holi, rango ki Holi, and latth maar Holi. In Kanpur, people celebrate keechad ki Holi, and in Varanasi, ascetics celebrate Masan ki Holi.
Video Credit: Kunal Kapur/ YouTube
It’s a community festival. People visit each other’s homes, apply gulal, share sweets, and invite friends and family members for a feast, along with glasses of thandai mixed with bhaang (wink! wink!). Ask travellers, and they will tell you that one must experience Holi of Uttar Pradesh once in their lifetime, but when it comes to festive bites, you must explore Bihar, Punjab, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and other states as well.
In most North Indian households, Holi staples include Gujiya, Mathri, Sev, chivda, kadhi chawal, kanji vada, dahi vada, and thandai. But when you cross state boundaries, slight variations are introduced in the festive spread. Slurrp brings you these unique dishes and memories associated with them. The author connected with chefs and home chefs to introduce you to delightful bites across West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra.
Joyadrita Ragavendran Chatterjee On Holi Dishes From West Bengal
Speaking about Holi celebrations in West Bengal, Joyadrita Ragavendran Chatterjee, a Bengali home chef, shared, “Dol Purnima at my place was usually preceded by ‘Nyara Pora’ akin to ‘Holika Dahan’ is when tree branches and dead plants burnt signifying the victory of good over evil. Apart from welcoming the fresh produce at that time, one often refrains from doing anything that’s negative as the burning of old branches, wood pieces, and other old articles symbolises that you give up all your negative emotions.”
In the morning, Bengalis offer colour to all the deities, of which Radha and Krishna are celebrated the most. The bhog thali includes organic colours, staple dishes, and two primary sweets - kodma and math apart from ‘but kalai’ or Bengal gram coated in sugar and homemade malpua. A few other dishes added to the menu are narkol naaru (coconut-jaggery Laddoos), nimki (namak paare) and rosho bora (urad dal fritters soaked in sugar syrup).
“Lunch would always be vegetarian and it would have a khichuri platter while dinner often meant luchi accompanied with aloor (potato) torkari and sujir (sooji) halwa,” she added.
Nilesh Pramod Vaidya On Holi Dishes From Maharashtra
Nilesh Pramod Vaidya, Executive Sous Chef at JW Marriott Pune, talks about rice flour panagya. Speaking about this unique preparation during Holi, he said, “This dish is made with great passion and love in my native village of Usgaon, near Dapoli, Maharashtra. Made with locally grown rice flour, which is more aromatic and flavorful than regular rice flour, a sweet jaggery mixture is stuffed inside the dough which is later steamed or grilled while wrapped in turmeric leaves, imparting a unique flavour. These leaves not only enhance the taste but also add antibiotic properties to the dish. It's traditionally eaten with green chilli pickle.”
Remembering the first time he tasted the dish, Chef Nilesh said that he was 10 years old in 1998. His father prepared it, and now, it is a tradition to include it in the feast of the Maghi Ganesh Festival and Holi.
Shivangi Dubey On Holi Dishes From Bihar
Shivangi Dubey is a content creator, and she shared that pua and kadhi badi are unique dishes often prepared in Bihar during Holi celebrations. "Pua is often confused with malpua that’s dunked into sugar syrup and it’s quite delicious. But my taste buds crave the crispy yet soft puas, a rare sight beyond Bihari households, that I grew up eating and this one time I requested my pg aunty to try it and everyone loved it."
Pua is not soaked in any syrup and is milder in sweetness compared to malpua and it is thin on the edges and crisp, often enjoyed warm. Shivangi moved out of Bihar quite early, but she always missed relishing kadhi badi, another famous Bihari delight, around Holi. "Kadhi badi was specifically made one day before Holi and that was my first stint with elaborate festive cooking. I remember jumping with joy after making perfect fluffy badis as if I had accomplished some culinary feat which objectively speaking, I did. Those badis are tricky to get right. Kadhi badi is Bihar’s version of kadhi pakora that’s made with freshly ground chana dal. The recipe has no onion or garlic, yet it is packed with an earthy punch."
Chef Yashraj Ranade On Holi Dishes From Maharashtra
"Ras shirwale is a traditional dish made in the villages of Konkan. It’s rice noodles with jaggery-flavored coconut milk. And making the shirwale is a culinary art," shared Chef Yashraj Ranade, Chef De Cuisine at Dashanzi, JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu.
The 28-year-old chef explained that his grandmother used to prepare puran poli battered with ras shirwale which has a cooling effect in the hot weather. "My grandmother and I used to wake up at 6 am to prepare the dish, and I believe that is when I became interested in cooking and pursuing it as a career," he added while reminiscing his childhood. It is one of the few dishes that has been through generations in his family, and he will make it this Holi.
