[sadhuji]

1

This is one aspect of Durga Pujas one sees outside Bengal. While Bengalis of Bengal and Kolkata have innumerable hotels and restaurants to choose their menu for lunch, this is denied to those outside Bengal. Moreover, Bengalis who conduct the pujas outside Bengal are themselves involved in various activities connected to organising a program of such a magnitude. The male members are a handful and their better halves also extend their helping hands. As a result, unless some sort of incentive is provided in the form of community lunch one cannot extract adequate output. Hence, this concept evolved. Its origin is lost in history but the fact remains that khichudi is a must for the three days – saptami, ashtami, navami. This is followed by dinner on the dasami.

From my personal experience I have seen the group of willing men who loved to stay awake the nights so that the others could enjoy their days. The head count could not be known in advance because apart from regulars, there would invariably be present others who could not be wished away. There were friends, colleagues, the locals, the urchins. All of them had some sort of right over the festivities – hence were welcome. Therefore the khichudi that was prepared had to be enough for all. It was a tough task. And, sitting continuously in front of the oven was a torture. But, those who delighted in such activities enjoyed every moment. They had their reasons – they would take an occasional swig or two to maintain the tempo. The menu would be khichudi, labda, tomatoe chutney and payash.

Gone are those golden days. Today’s committees have outsourced the work because the elders have either retired and moved out or are dead or gone back to their original homes in some far off part of the country. But the menu remains - khichudi, plus a concoction of hundreds of vegetable better known as labda, plus tomatoe chutney and payash as dessert. Sometimes a sweet would gets added – provided some person has achieved a recognition or excelled in studies or got married or something similar. The cost of that sweet would be borne by the individual and not passed on to the committee.

2

Once the food items were prepared, a separate group of enthusiastic young men would be made responsible for the proper distribution. This was, like the preparation part, a thankless job. Even after toiling hard throughout the nights, these persons would be criticised for tiny affairs. Like? Well – there was not enough vegetables in the labda, the khichudi was too liquidish or the bottom of the vessel was burnt, hence a burnt smell had invaded what should have been an otherwise tasty product etcetera. There also would be accusing fingers pointed at these volunteers of siphoning away a portion of the basic ingredients. But, come next year, no one would volunteer to take over the thankless job – the same persons would continue and with every passing year they would grow older and spend the nights reminiscing over past experiences.

The distribution part was full of activities. Since these would be community lunches, everyone was required to sit under one roof – initially it used to be on the ground. There would be six or seven rows with seating accommodation of around three hundred in one batch. Once the call was given, the women and children would flock to occupy their places – it was customary to serve them first. Those who did service were kept on their toes – one group would begin from one end and would be followed by others. First there would be salt and lemon slices followed by the khichudi, then would come the labda man and on his heels the chutney-wallah. Things would go like clockwork precision and the volunteers were usually from the young generation – the college going sons or the new recruits to the organization. After the initial flurry, there would be some time gap to allow the meals to be taken. Because, the next item on the list would be the sweet dessert – payash. A thick gravy of raw rice cooked in milk and garnished with cashew nuts, and kish-mish. Once the first batch of women and children was over, the places would be cleaned and the next batch would begin. On some days there would be as many as four to five batches and with every passing batch, the stocks would be checked and alarms sounded, if necessary, so that those at the distribution end took necessary steps to control the issues. Needless to mention, the committee members and those closely linked to the pujas were always the last to take their khichudi and, there could be occasions when they would have to be satisfied with some token meals.

The scene today is once again of outsourcing. The total responsibility is assigned to a caterer who quotes his price. The price is finalised after due negotiations and the package comprises the preparation and distribution. Some committees provide the raw material while others include that also in the package.  A tentative head count is given and the menu. The seating arrangements are today on chairs and the service is on portable tables. Water is available centrally and, for those who would like to have an ice cream to end the feast, there are stalls nearby.

[jyotirmoy]

Sadhuji your posts are like time machines.
Here is my tribute:
Labra
Ingredients:
Vegetables- Kumro(Pumpkin),
Alu(Potato),
Misti Alu (Sweet Potato)
Begun (Brinjal),
Radish,
Jhinge (sponge gourd) chopped into pieces.
Panch Phoron(black mustard seed, onion seed, aniseed, fenugreek and cumin seeds)- Half teaspoon.
Salt and sugar to taste.
Oil- 2 tablespoon
Dry roasted and finely grounded cumin seeds.  

Steps:
-Heat the oil in a pan and fry the panch -phoron in low flame.
Add the vegetables and fry. Add salt and sugar and keep frying in medium heat till the vegetables are cooked. Add water if necessary.
Cover and let it simmer. Sprinkle cumin powder and remove from heat.

[vinayverma]

Oh! you both brought back the old memories. Khichudi used to one of the highlights of the Puja when I was a kid in Calcutta. I remeber as a kid volunteer, we used to get those big utensils filled with hot Khichudi on to the rickshaws and go from home to home distributing it. the distribution was announced loudly over the network of loud speakers and as soon as the rickshaw use to arrive, people would get out of home with bowls of all sizes to get the Khichudi. in the end, as one of the volunteers, I used to get sa much as I want; on these days I use to refuse any food from home and had just Khichudi.
Even today, I drag my kids and family to go for Khichudi hunt and eat it in those leaf plates with my hands.
I'm going to go on Khichudi hunt today So Sadhuji and Jyoti-da, what are my chances of getting one today and what time is the best for this?

thanks

[jyotirmoy]

Visit any of the big Puja Pandals around 1 PM and partake of the Bhog. C.R. Park would be the best place to go.

[dzibead]

I think we need a khichudi recipe, too.

[jyotirmoy]

Here it is Khichuri

250 gms. Basmati rice
100 gms. masoor dal
150 gms. moong dal
150 gms vegetables potato halves, cauliflower florets large
Onions 4 medium sized peeled and not cut or sliced.
2 tablespoon mustard oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1-2 bay leaf
2-3 red dry chili
2 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
salt & sugar according to taste
Preparation:

Dry roast the moong dal on a tava. When it begins to change colour & you get the aroma remove from heat.
Heat the oil in a pan & add cumin seeds, red dry chili, bay leaf,
Then add ginger paste and green chilies.
Add the vegetables & sauté with this spices.
Add the rice and the dals. Mix well and add turmeric, cumin, coriander powder.
Add salt & sugar according to taste.
Add water and pressure cook.
The end result should have the consistency of   porridge.
Serve hot and add a dollop of ghee to each serving. Serve pakodas and pappads with Khichuri.

[Shilpaks]

i mite go to the pandals tonight

[jyotirmoy]

Who was holding you my dear Shilpa last two nights?

[gautam]

Would like to add one more variation on Jyotida's, for puja bhog khichuri

converted or parboiled rice: you may understand for economy'a sake, when feeding several hundred or thousands!! Plus the consistency is very heavy

mung dal only, masoor being non-veg!!   dry-roasted as Jyotida's instructions, then washed, drained set aside

potato, leave whole if smallish, considering the mass of the finished product, and heavier consistency

wet masala: dhoney-jirey-morich: coriander seed 2 part cumin seed 1-11/2 black pepper corn 1/2 part soaked, stone ground; in proportion;

red pepper/chilli paste, scant, turmeric paste; ginger paste with scant green chillies ground in.


Dry Tadka: green cardamom, cassia bark, cassia leaf, clove, scant cumin seed.


Jaggery, cane

Sea salt

Mustard oil

Ghee

Green chillies [long ones for aroma, not heat]


In hot mustard oil or ghee, sizzle the tadka ingredients followed by rice. Stir, to coat, and cook briefly. Add dal, then ginger paste and wet masalas, cook briefly, NOT SMELLING because smelling is half eating!!, add considerable amount  of jaggery, salt. stiriing add hot water [ideally] bring to level,  potatoes, cook, adding some mustard oil halfway when also whole green chillies added to maintain fresh aroma [all relative], then finishing with ghee.

This  takes experience : the aim is to have both the mustard oil flavor and the rich gawa [cow] flavor in juxtaposition, the former muted, especially by the base of the converted rice and the "black" masala, ginger chili paste, and the distinct cane gur flavor, the latter [ghee] providing a brightness, along with the garam masala and the cassia leaf.

Careful about amount/vigor of stirring, how covered: beshi kaathi ditey nei! Note carefully the  relative disintegration of the rice grain; only a little bit should disintegrate when cooking stops, liquid remains, ghee poured on; will congeal/thicken and keep cooking, so be careful. No opportunity to taste, so everything must be done by sight and experience.

This is the khichuri of the puja bhog. Seemingly contradictory spicing, but it does work!  BTW, the amount of oil is not inconsiderable, for once. As also for the labda.

Edited by gautam, 20 October 2007 - 03:47 AM.

[jyotirmoy]

Thank you Bhai Gautam for this "orthodox" recipe. Would you please write about Mahaprasadi Mangsho? Goat meat cooked with out G&O?