Navratri 2024: Look Maa, bhog for you

In the mythological story demon Mahishashur enjoyed Lord Vishnursquos boon of immortality However there was a loophole Only a woman could defeat him When he created havoc in heaven and drove all the gods out Brahma Vishnu and Shiva combined their energies to create Durgamdashthe goddess who would destroy the shapeshifting demon Slay him she didAt the conjunction of Ashtami and Navami eighth and ninth day she defeated him when he turned into a buffalo She earned the title of Mahishasur Mardini Every year during the nine nights of Navratra Durga is worshipped and her victory over evil is celebratedLapsiChef consultant and food historian Pritha Sen clears the air about serving meat to the goddess ldquoDevotees in Bengal would sacrifice a buffalo or goat and the meat cooked sans onion and garlic became prasad This is the reason for the widespread ritual of eating meat on Navami Most have now shifted to sacrificing gourds mounds of sugar or fishrdquo Sen specialises in regional cuisines of eastern India with a special focus on undivided BengalHome chef Somma Ghosh serves her mother khichuri bhaja and chutneyldquoBengalis consume vegetarian and nonvegetarian fare during Navratri as the shastras allow it even while the rest of India sticks to vegetarian farerdquo says Sen explaining that Durga worship sees three main schools of thoughtmdashVaishnav Shakta and Tantra ldquoVaishav sects revere her as the Universal mother and stick to vegetarian food made sans onion and garlic In Shakta school of thought Durga is worshipped as shakti the divine mother with 10 armsmdashDashabhujardquo The other avatars of the Goddess include Jagatdhatri eternal mother Annapurna creator Kali Uma daughter and Sati wife The cuisine incorporates fish and meatSomma Ghosh says bhog preparation is highly sacred After taking a bath cooking is a devotional practice to be done without tasting the food Khichuri is a nutritious onepot meal easy to feed many people PICSSATEJ SHINDEAs per the third school of thought Tantram Durga is Kali or Chamunda associated with black magic ldquoShe is wholeheartedly offered raw meat and liquorrdquo Sen concludes In vegetarian bhog Maa is offered fruits a special khichuri sweets such as rosgulla and pantua elongated variation of gulab jamun made with chenna along with kheer The khichuri is accompanied by labra or a subzi made from cauliflower potato or mixed veggies a side of fried brinjal or potatoes bhaja and tomato khajur chutneyThis year Bombay Durgabari Samiti BDBS which held its first pandal in 1930 will celebrate its 95th Durgautsav ldquoMahishasur Mardini it is said descends on Earth during Navratri with her four childrenrdquo says Susmita Mitra President Bombay Durgabari Samiti ldquoThis is why we make five portions of offerings to her idol This when mixed into the community meal transforms into bhogrdquoBombay Durgabari Samiti members distributing bhog at Kemps Corner last yearHome chef Somma Ghosh who runs Kitchen Tales explains the importance of the offering ldquoBhog preparation is extremely sacred After taking a bath the cooking process is a devotional practice to be done without tasting the food Khichuri is a nutritious onepot meal that is easy to digest Since it takes comparatively less time to cook it became the dish of choice to feed the masses who turn up for the community pujosrdquoAt Malad West Sarbojonin Durgotsav where Ghosh is a founding member khichuri for bhog is assigned for Ashtami the most auspicious day during the Durga Pujo festivities also has the highest footfall ldquoI have been cooking bhog for 11 yearsrdquo says Ghosh Before the COVID19 pandemic all the women would gather to prepare bhog for 100 people at an open venue For the five daysmdashstarting from the sixth day of Navratrimdash Shashti Saptami Ashtami Navami and Dashamimdasha different bhog is prepared each dayrdquoTulja Devi At Smita Deorsquos house the special bhog is made of roath a sweet puri of wheat flour dry ginger powder jaggery and cardamom Nine roaths are topped over each other Over this two regular puris are placed and topped with Channyachi usal Methi chi bhaji and gavhacha sheera The plating looks like a sun Jewellery for the goddess is made with the same doughKhichuri is made from a smallgrained sona moog a dal that grows in Bengal It is mixed with Gobindobhog rice and vegetables such as cauliflower peas potatoes and tomatoes On the side are five types of bhaja Tomato Khejur Chutney and paayesh kheer On other days bhog may include lunches with chola dal cauliflower parwara and aloo subzildquoFor Durga Pujo Lokkhi Pujo and Saraswati Pujo the khichdi is bhuna khichdi dry or normal more watery khichdi It smells aromatic thanks to the Bengali Gawa cow ghee We sprinkle roasted bhaja mashola masala which takes it to the next levelrdquo says Ghosh making our mouths waterPoonam DedhiaWhile Durga Puja is celebrated with much fanfare in Bengal every state has its own traditions too Itrsquos roath puris for Tulja Bhavani says Smitha Deo who hails from Karwar in Karnataka and shares the Maharashtrian tradition in her husbandrsquos side of the family ldquoWe worship the avatar Tuljachi Bhavani The family performs a ghatasthapana in our home on the first day of Navratri The idols of home gods and goddesses are bathed with milk honey attar and dressed in fineriesrdquoThe idols of the gods and goddesses are not moved from their position until the ninth day when they are placed in their asanas ldquoBefore every aartirdquo explains Deo ldquowe dip a flower infused with attar in water and sprinkle it on the idols perform an aarti and offer dry fruits as bhog On the eighth day nine women and nine kumarikas girls below the age of seven are invited home We offer them haldi kumkum flowers and fruits and pray to them as they represent the devi A simple lunch of puri batatayachi aloo bhaji and kheer is served to the children while the ladies are offered sabudana khichdi or sabudana vadasrdquoSmita Deo and Pritha SenOn the cusp of the ninth and tenth day the idols are once again bathed dressed and placed back on their asanas ldquoThis marks a special bhog of nine roaths or sweet purirdquo she continues to elaborate ldquomade from wheat flour dry ginger powder jaggery and cardamom Nine roaths are topped over each other Over this two regular puris are placed and topped with channyachi usal methi chi bhaji and gavhacha wheat sheera The plating looks like the Sun Jewellery for the goddess is made with the same dough In the centre is a wheat flour lamprdquo says Deo adding ldquoOn the day of the Dusserah a bhog of rice and our traditional muttonacha tambda rassa specifically with nalli is offeredrdquo In Gujarat lapsi is a special offering Gautam Purohit of Thakkar Bhojnalay used to serve it at the restaurant ldquoWe stopped because patrons donrsquot eat it nowrdquo he laughs adding ldquoIt is full of gheerdquo But every Navratri the sweet dish made from bulgar or broken wheat is made in his home and offered to the goddessLapsi for Gujarat Chef Poonam Dedhia who recently concluded a Kutchi and Kathiyawadi food popup at Orchid Hotel in Vile Parle East says ldquoGujaratis and Kutchis do the Mata aarti and offer lapsi kansar whole wheat flour or broken wheat sugar and clarified butter and kheer to the goddessrdquo She says one of the wheat varieties Vajiya is rare today ldquoWe used it to make bhog in the early daysThis variety has almost vanished from our crops in Kutch That wheat would be ground for prasad and stored for the entire year Even the kheer we offer is more milky and not as dense as made in North India We make it using fragrant and short rice such as Amba Moharrdquo she concludesIn Kerala nei payasam also called katti payasam is the sweet dish of choice to offer the goddess says Chef Marina Balakrishnan adding ldquoWe also offer aval poha sweetened with coconut and jaggery This is the tradition followed during Saraswati Lakshmi and Durga pujasrdquoThe offerings of bhog vary regionally during Navratri and the variation depends on local produce food habits and religious sects ldquoHindus who originally belonged to the erstwhile East Bengal offer fish because of its abundance This also marks when the last hilsa was traditionally eaten and fishing was stopped only to resume during Saraswati puja four months later to allow renewed breeding Sadly no one follows it now and hence the hilsa is at risk of extinction due to overfishing Some ground rules are followed mdash cooking without onion and garlic is a must even for fish and meatsrdquo Sen saysKhichuriINGREDIENTS1 cup Gobindobhog rice washed and presoaked1 cup sona moog dal1 cup cauliflower florets12 cup peas1 large tomato sliced2 tbsp ginger grated4 green chilliesFor tempering12 tsp cumin seeds3 bay leaves3 red chillies whole2 tbsp cumin powder1 tbsp turmeric powder12 tsp Bengali bhaja moshlaMustard oilCowrsquos ghee Gaoa gheeCumin seeds fried and ground for garnishingMETHODPour mustard oil into a kadhai fry the cauliflower florets and keep aside Add cumin seeds bay leaves and whole red chillies cut into two for tempering Add the grated ginger stir then add moog dal and stir till golden brown Add tomatoes peas cumin and turmeric powder roast well Add rice and salt Pour six cups of hot water and green chillies and shut the lid Allow the khichuri to cook Turn off the flame Sprinkle bhaja moshla add gaoa ghee Serve hotAlso ReadNavratri 2024 Follow these recipes to make unique sweet and savoury dishes during these nine days