Dussehra Feast: Main course for lunch and dinner of Sasti
Sasti or the sixth day lunch and dinner of Dussehra festival mainly comprises of traditional fish curry, coconut and lentil soup, curried lentil cakes, eggplant curry paired alongside sweet tomato and mango chutney and sweet curd. The recipes are as follows:
1. Recipe of Pabda Maacher Jhol (Curried Indian Butter Fish)
Ingredients
Cleaned and gutted Pabda Fish
Slitted Green chilies
Ginger-Garlic Paste
Green Chili Paste
Paste of Mustard Seeds
Turmeric Powder
Black Cumin Seeds
Mustard Oil
Salt
Method
1. Marinate pabda fish in turmeric and salt for an hour.
2. Shallow fry the fishes on both the sides until brown. Keep aside.
3. In a pan heat oil and splutter black cumin seeds and green chilies.
4. To this add ginger-garlic paste, paste of mustard seeds and green chilies paste. Fry stirring continuously for 15 minutes.
5. Add salt and water to make gravy.
6. Stir the gravy properly and add fish pieces.
7. Simmer the fishes for 10 minutes and garnish it with coriander leaves.
2. Narkel Dal (Lentils with coconut)
Ingredients
Yellow Lentils
Chopped and fried coconut
Whole Cloves
Whole Cardamom
Whole Cinnamon
Turmeric Powder
Bay Leaf
Slitted Green Chilies
1 teaspoon Sugar
Ginger Paste
Raisins
Salt
Clarified Butter (Ghee)
Method
1. Boil yellow lentils with turmeric powder, green chilies, whole cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and salt.
2. In clarified butter add bay leaves, raisins and ginger paste. Fry for sometime.
3. Add the boiled yellow lentils, sugar and half of fried coconut.
4. Simmer it for 10 minutes and garnish it with rest of fried coconut.
3. Recipe of Dhoka Dalna(Lentils Cake simmered in gravy)
Ingredients
Bengal Gram(Soaked and ground to paste)
Cooking Soda
Grated Ginger
Grated Green Chilies
Grated Coriander leaves
1/2 Cup Yogurt
Paste of cumin seeds
Paste of coriander Seeds
Turmeric Powder
Red Chili Powder
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt
Oil
Method
1. Line a baking tray with oil and spread the ground lentil paste mixed with grated ginger, grated chilies, grated coriander leaves, cooking soda and salt.
2. Steam this mixture in a steamer and cut the steamed lentil mixture into cubes.
3. Deep-fry these cubes in oil until brown. Keep Aside.
4. In a separate wok fry cumin, coriander seeds paste, turmeric powder, red chili powder and fry it stirring continuously until fat leaves the sides.
5. Add yogurt, salt, sugar and water. Stir it thoroughly and add the fried lentil cubes.
6. Simmer it for 10 minutes and garnish it with coriander leaves.
4. Recipe of Eggplant curry with Mustard seeds and Yogurt
Ingredients
Cubed Eggplants
Fennel Seeds
Black cumin Seeds
Mustard Seeds
Fenugreek Seeds
Slitted Green Chilies
Black Mustard Seeds (Powdered in a coffee grinder)
Salt
Yogurt
Cardamom Powder
Black Pepper
Water
Mustard Oil
Method
1. Soak black mustard and green chilies in water.
2. In a wok heat mustard oil and add all the black cumin, mustard, fennel, fenugreek seeds.
3. To this add blackmustard/chilies water, followed by cubed eggplants.
4. To this add salt, yogurt and black pepper and cardamom powder.
5. Stir and heat this. (Do not Boil)
