When it comes to celebrating Vasant Panchami, there is never a lack of fervour and more importantly a hearty food platter. Different communities in India have their own diverse ways of welcoming the spring season. Bengalis, among people in other states in the eastern part of the country, offer their prayers to goddess Saraswati on the special day of Vasant Panchami.
As the festival is just a week away, the preliminary preparations for the occasion have already begun. The preparations have a lot of nostalgic memories associated with them - from going to the market to buy yellow clothes to preparing ber pickle for the bhog.
Needless to say, the thing that appealed to me the most was food. The assortment of yellow eatables synonymous with the festival was enough to make me drool for days. However, if I have to pick one food item from the platter that I can eat every day of the week, it is the khichdi or as the Bengalis call it, khichuri. After having a Bengali neighbour for about seven years, my mother had learned how to make authentic Bengali-style khichuri. The gooey, aromatic and decadent rice dish was enough to fill our tummies and soothe our souls to the core. Are you also planning to make the Bengali-style khichuri this Vasant Panchami? Here are some tips you can bookmark:
1. The choice of rice is one of the most important aspects that affect the aroma and flavour of the khichuri. For the authentic Bengali khichuri, use Gobinda Bhog rice.
2. Slow roast the lentils till they attain a uniform golden brown colour. Don’t forget to rinse them under running water after roasting.
3. Roast the whole garam masalas until they crackle and become fragrant.
4. After you’re done with cooking, add a generous amount of ghee to the khichuri to make it fragrant and add flavours.
5. Add a pinch of sugar to the khichuri to add a sweet flavour note to it.
We hope these tips will help you make a flavourful and authentic Bengali-style khichuri at home this year. Do let us know how you like it.
