5 easy traditional dishes for Chhath Puja 2024

Chhath Puja 2024 will be celebrated on 05 November 2024. Women observing fast during the days of Chhath Puja offer Arghya to the Sun God and worship him. During this festival, women have to wake up early and offer water and flowers to Lord Surya and then observe a fast for the well-being of their children. Many dishes like laddu, thekua and kheer are prepared as prasad on this festival. We have brought for you some traditional foods and their recipes especially from Bihar. These recipes can definitely be made to celebrate the festival of Chhath!

(Also Read: Chhath Puja 2024: Date, puja timings and common food to prepare)

Here are 5 easy traditional recipes for Chhath Puja 2024:

1. Thekua

Thekua is the most popular prasad during Chhath Puja. It is a dry sweet and is made from wheat flour, desiccated coconut, chasni (melted sugar) and ghee. Thekua is mostly made on the second day of Chhath Puja and then it is offered to the Sun God.

Material:

• Whole wheat flour – 1 3/4 cup
• Semolina – 1/4 cup
• Dry coconut – 1/4 cup
• Ghee (clarified butter) – 3 tbsp
• Fennel – 1 tbsp
• Cardamom powder (Elaichi powder) – 1/2 tbsp
• 10-12 cashews, small pieces
• Grated jaggery – 3/4 cup
• Water – 1/2 cup (110 ml)
• Oil for deep frying thekua

Instruction:

1. Put 3/4 cup grated jaggery in a bowl and add 110 ml water to it. Keep stirring it continuously on low flame until the jaggery dissolves in water. Keep the jaggery syrup aside to cool completely before using.
2. Take a large mixing bowl and add 1 and 3/4 cup whole wheat flour, 1/4 cup semolina, 1/4 cup desiccated coconut, 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1/2 tsp cardamom powder, 2 tbsp chopped Add cashews. Mix all the dry ingredients well.
3. Add 3 tablespoons ghee in the bowl and mix well until the dough crumbles.
4. Add jaggery syrup slowly, little by little, into the wheat flour mixture and knead a stiff dough.
5. Cover the dough completely with a wet cloth or cling film and leave it for at least an hour.
6. – Knead the dough once again and take a small portion of the dough in your hand and give it a round shape. Then flatten them by pressing them with your palm. Mark the leaf with the help of a toothpick or you can make any design as per your choice. Repeat the entire process and shape thekua from the remaining dough.
7. – Keep a pan on the flame and let it dry completely. – Add enough oil to fry thekua properly.
8. Heat oil on medium flame.
9. – One by one, put thekua in oil and fry it on medium-low flame. Do not overcrowd the pan.
10. Fry them evenly until they turn golden brown. Keep turning them occasionally to cook them evenly.
11. – Remove excess oil from thekua and keep it in a plate lined with tissue. The tissue will absorb excess oil.
12. – Let the thekua cool completely and store it in an airtight container.

(Also read: 5 things you must know about Thekua – a popular recipe for Chhath)

2. Pumpkin Rice

This wonderful vegetable is most popular during Chhath. It is made with pumpkin/gourd along with Himalayan salt or rock salt and cooked in ghee. This delicious vegetable is paired with fried puri or rice, making it the perfect dish to break the fast.

Material:

• Pumpkin – 500 grams
• Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
• Oil – for frying
• Salt – as per taste
• Coriander Powder – 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/3 tbsp
• Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 tbsp
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tbsp
• Dry mango powder – 1/4 tbsp
• Sugar – 2 tbsp
• Coriander – fresh, finely chopped

Instruction-

1. – Keep a pan on high flame.
2. Add oil.
3. When the oil is hot, slow down the flame and add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, a pinch of asafoetida, turmeric powder, coriander powder, ginger green chilli paste and red chilli powder.
4. Mix them well.
5. Add 1/2 cup water. Mix well and fry for 1/2 minute.
6. Add chopped pumpkin pieces and salt. mix well.
7. Close the lid and cook on medium flame for 8 minutes.
8. Check after 8 minutes by pressing with a spoon. If it is ripe then the pieces will break easily. Mash the pumpkin with light pressure so that it becomes a thick gravy.
9. Add black salt, sugar, mango powder and mix well.
10. Add coriander and mix well. And turn off the flame.
11. Garnish it with coriander leaves and enjoy its delicious taste with rice.

(Also read: Chhath Puja: Make traditional jaggery kheer for Kharna Prasad of Chhath Puja)

3. Green gram

Hara chana (or green gram) is another delicious dish that you will find in a Chhath-special thali. Green gram is soaked in water overnight and then the next day it is prepared in ghee by adding green chillies and cumin seeds.

Material –

• Green gram – 1 cup (150-165 grams)
• Tomato – 1 pc
• Green chilli – 1 pc
• Coriander Powder – 1 tbsp
• Cumin – 1 tbsp
• Ginger- 1 inch
• Rock salt – as per taste
• Turmeric – 1 tbsp
• Ghee – 2 tbsp
• chopped coriander

Instruction-

1. – Heat ghee in a pan.
2. Add cumin seeds, grated ginger and chopped green chillies and stir well on low flame.
3. Add finely chopped tomatoes to it and cook on low flame for 5 minutes.
4. Add turmeric and coriander powder along with rock salt and stir well for 2 minutes.
5. – Add green gram to the pan, stir well and cover the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
6. – Add some water in the pan and cook on low flame for 10 minutes.
7. – Garnish with coriander leaves and it is ready to eat.

4. Rasiyav (rice pudding) with puri/roti

Rasiyav is basically rice pudding, but with jaggery instead of sugar. It is prepared almost like normal kheer with rice, water and milk. This sweet completes the Chhath Puja meal. It is specially offered to the Sun God before serving it for consumption. It is best paired with dal puri/puri/roti.

Material:

• Rice 50 grams (1/4 cup)
• Ghee – 1 tbsp
• Cardamom – 3-4 pcs
• Milk – 1000 ml
• Sugar – 4-5 tbsp. adjust to taste
• Chopped nuts – 3-4 tbsp
• Rose water, saffron and kewda – 1 tbsp (optional)

Instruction-

1. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear.
2. Then soak the rice in enough water for 20 to 30 minutes. Once the 30 minutes are complete, drain the rice using a colander and keep aside.
3. Heat a heavy-bottomed pan on medium flame. Then add 1 spoon ghee in it and then add soaked and filtered rice.
4. Add 3-4 crushed green cardamom pods.
5. Mix the rice with ghee and cardamom for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring continuously, until fragrant.
6. Then add milk in the pan and stir well. Set the heat to medium-high.
7. – Let the milk boil, it will take about 10-12 minutes. Keep stirring occasionally so that the milk does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
8. Once the milk boils, reduce the flame and let the kheer cook on low flame for about 25 minutes. Stir every 2 minutes. – The milk will thicken and the rice will be completely cooked. If you want thicker kheer then cook for 15 more minutes.
9. Add sugar and mix. Additionally, add dry fruits.
10. Cook the kheer for 5 more minutes. The sugar should dissolve completely. If at this time your kheer does not seem very thick then do not worry. It will thicken as it cools.
11. Remove the pan from the flame. Add rose water, kewra and saffron (if using). Garnish with more dry fruits and serve the kheer hot or cold.
12. You can cool it before eating or eat it hot.

(Also read: Chhath Puja: 10 things you should know about this festival)

5. Kasar Laddu

Apart from thekua and rice kheer, another type of sweet is made. It is very easy to make and it is ready in a few minutes. It is made from ground rice, jaggery powder, ghee and fennel. Kasar laddu is a prasad made on Chhath Puja which is made on the day of evening Arghya.

Material –

• Ground rice – 1 kg
• Jaggery powder – 500 grams
• Ghee – 1/2 kg
• Fennel – 1/2 cup

Instruction-

1. Put coarsely ground rice in a large vessel.
2. – Add fennel, jaggery powder and ghee to it and mix all the ingredients well.
3. Take it and press it gently and make small round balls.
4. Your Kasar Laddu is ready.
5. You can eat these laddus for many days.

About the author: Hiranyami Shivani is the co-founder of The Chounk – a cloud-kitchen startup that serves home-cooked Bihari food.

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