Durga Puja 2023: How Mumbai pandals prepare delectable Bengali cuisine for bhog

Celebrations for Durgotsava or Durga Puja have begun in full swing. Mumbaikars have welcomed Ma Durga with much fervour and enthusiasm like every year. The vibrancy of the whole environment during the days of the Durga puja is indeed infectious and makes everyone want to be a part of it.

This year, Durga Puja will be celebrated from October 20 to 24 all across the country. While Kolkata is the best city to truly experience the magic that unravels during this time, Mumbai also celebrates the event with a key focus on the rich Bengali culture. This is done by various puja pandals who conduct cultural events, encourage people to wear Bengali outfits and prepare special Bengali food.

Among many other traditions, Durga puja is incomplete without bhog which is a grand affair in itself. Bhog is the prasad offering to Maa Durga, which is prepared on the sixth(Shasti), seventh(Saptami), eighth(Ashtami), ninth(Navami) and tenth (Bijoyadashami) day of Navratri. Foodies who are always on the lookout to satisfy their taste buds find themselves more invested in the festival than any other individuals.

Also Read: Durga Puja 2023: How to wear a saree? Here are easy tips and tricks for saree draping

How Mumbai pandals prepare bhog
Durga puja pandals in Mumbai brace themselves every year to serve an extensive variety of special Bengali dishes. We spoke to a few in the city who share with us the special preparations they undertake each year to make the Durga puja festival special and memorable for the devotees.

"Bhog prasad is offered to goddess Durga and distributed for three days. On average 3,500 to 5,000 devotees relish the prasad every day at our pandal," says Debashish Roy, organiser of the 94-year-old Bombay Durga Bari Samiti, Tejpal Road, Mumbai.

Bhog preparation at the Bombay Durga Bari Samiti

Krishna Kamble, chief supporter and organiser of another renowned Durga pandal, Shri Anandadhara Durgotsav, Mira Bhayandar, says, "Bhog includes a wide variety of traditional dishes that are offered free of cost to everyone who visits the pandal to seek Ma Durga's blessings. Over 1,000 devotees savour our bhog."

Since the pandal sees over a thousand devotees each day, Kamble says, "We prepare dishes in large quantities to ensure all devotees get to savour the bhog that we prepare with much love. Fortunately, with Ma Durga's blessings, we have never fallen short of food to serve the devotees." The Durga pandal under Shri Anandadhara Cultural and Social Foundation has been celebrating the festival for the last two years.

Another very popular pandal in the city is the North Bombay Sarbojanin Durga Puja Samiti, Juhu, Mumbai which has been conducting Durga puja for the past 76 years. This pandal was established in 1948. The founder members were Shri Sasadhar Mukerji, Ashok Kumar, Kishore Kumar, Bimal Roy, Hemant Kumar, S D. Burman, Joy Mukerji, Pradeep Kumar, Ram Mukerji and many other celebrities.

Sharbani Mukherji, granddaughter of the founders and one of the organisers of the pandal tells us, "What makes our pandal special is the fact that we arrange for the visiting devotees to comfortably sit and relish the bhog in an air-conditioned space."

Mukherji, whose favourite bhog dishes include Roshogolla, brinjal fry and khichdi, adds, "We prepare different dishes on all three days of Saptami, Ashtami and Navami."

She mentions that the khichdi prepared as a part of the bhog is unlike the one we usually eat at home. "This special khichdi tastes completely different and has a variety of flavours that blend perfectly to satiate the taste buds."

Bhog, in most of the pandals, include common dishes like Khichuri, Chorchori, chutney, Beguni or Begun Bhaja, Luchi, Payesh, Mishti Doi, and Roshogolla. Other dishes also include Pulao, Labra, Alur Dom, Cholar Dal, Aloo Phulkopir Dalna, and Chanar Dalna.

Culinary experts behind the flavourful assortments
At Shri Anandadhara Durgotsav, there is a team of 30-35 cooks who are called from the Eastern part of the country. They specialise in the culinary style of Bengali food. However, Kamble says, "The beauty lies in the involvement of all the devotees who come together to make the occasion fun and frolic for the five days of Durga Puja."

Celebrations begin at the Shri Anandadhara Durgotsav pandal

Speaking about how bhog is prepared at the Bombay Durga Bari Samiti, Roy says, "The first bhog prasad is cooked by our lady members. It is after this that our team of over 15 cooks from Kolkata begin with the rest of the preparations. These cooks have been preparing dishes at the pandal for the past five years. We distribute bhog prasad on three days - Saptami, Ashtami and Navami."

Roy further adds, "Before beginning with the cooking process, we also follow certain rituals like performing puja to vessels and ovens to maintain the piousness of the process."

The prasad prepared is first offered to Ma Durga before it is distributed to the devotees. It is served to them in a biodegradable cutlery. "The bhog prasad is distributed by our honourable lady members along with the help of a few volunteers," says Roy.

Ma Durga in all her vigour at the North Bombay Sarbojanin Durga Puja Samiti

At the North Bombay Sarbojanin Durga Puja Samiti, they too have special cooks who prepare the bhog. However, the meat bhog to be offered to goddess Durga is prepared by the women of the committee. Mukherji says, "When the bhog is offered to Ma Durga, she eats her food without anyone noticing it and only after she finishes her meal, we distribute the bhog to all the devotees."

Most pandals in Mumbai besides serving bhog to devotees, also conduct cultural events that include a mix of music dance and drama.

Recipes straight out of the pandal
For those who absolutely love the bhog dishes and have always wanted to try out making a few at home, we share two recipes that are straight out of the pandal. Krishna Kamble of the Shri Anandadhara Durgotsav, Mira Bhayandar shares two exclusive recipes.

Also Read: Navratri 2023: Flaunt your Garba moves in style with these outfit ideas

Bhog special khichdi

Ingredients (quantity for the recipe can be adjusted as per individual's respective requirement)
Gobindobhog rice
Dry roasted moong dal
Chopped potatoes
Large pieces of cauliflower
Peas
Chopped tomato
Chopped bay leaf
Whole dry red chillies
Cinnamon sticks
Green cardamoms
Cloves
Ginger paste
Cumin powder
Roasted green chillies
Turmeric powder
Salt and sugar to taste
Ghee

Method:
1. Take the rice and roasted dal in a container and clean them well in running water. Drain the excess water and set aside.
2. Heat ghee in a kadhai and add bay leaf, red chilli, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and cardamom one by one. Allow them to temper.
3. Now add the chopped potatoes, cauliflower and peas and fry them. Add the ginger paste and chopped tomato to it and allow this mixture to cook well.
4. Add the dal-rice mix and green chillies. Mix everything together. While doing this, add turmeric powder, salt and sugar to it. Fry the whole mix for over 10 minutes on medium flame.
5. Add water to it and cover the kadhai with a lid. Let it take its time to cook.
6. Once the water is soaked and the dal and rice turn fluffy and soft, add the cumin powder and stir.
7. Garnish it with a spoonful of ghee and serve.

Labra (Mixed vegetable)

Ingredients (quantity for the recipe can be adjusted as per individual's respective requirement)
Pumpkin
Brinjal
Ridge gourd
Radish
Carrots
Raw banana
Sweet potato
Potato
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Broad beans
Taro
Spinach
Ginger paste
Turmeric powder
Red chilli powder
Cumin powder
Mustard oil
Dry red chillies

Method:
1. Peel the vegetables and wash them. Then chop the potatoes, sweet potatoes, taro, carrots, radish, brinjal, pumpkin and ridge gourd into large pieces. Chop the cauliflower into large florets and chop the cabbage roughly into medium pieces. Peel the raw bananas carefully and cut them into large pieces. Trim the edges of the broad beans and borboti and cut them into 3-inch pieces. Wash the spinach thoroughly and chop them. Keep all the vegetables aside.
2. Now take a bowl and add ginger paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder and some water into it. Make a paste of the spices and keep it aside.
3. Put a large pan on the flame and allow it to dry completely. Then add mustard oil to the pan to fry the vegetables. Wait until the oil is hot. Add the cauliflower florets into the pan and fry them on high flame for a few minutes until brown spots occur on the body of the florets.
4. Strain the excess oil and transfer the florets to a separate plate. Then add the brinjal pieces into the pan and fry them over medium-high flame for three minutes. Most probably the brinjal will soak most of the oil in the pan. Keep it aside. Add the broad beans into the pan, fry them over high flame for a minute and transfer them to a plate.
5. Add some mustard oil to the same pan and allow the oil to become hot. Add essential spices, bay leaves and dry red chillies into the pan and let them crackle. Add the potatoes and taro pieces into the pan and fry them over high flame for three minutes. Keep stirring this mixture frequently.
6. Then add the carrots and sweet potatoes into the pan and fry them evenly for another three minutes over high flame. Now, add the chopped pumpkin, radish, and cabbage into the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it over a high flame and stir nicely for two minutes.
7. Cover the pan with a lid and reduce the flame to medium. Let the flavours blend for over six minutes. Then add all the fried vegetables into the pan and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it on a medium flame for another 10 minutes. Stir twice in between. Then add the masala paste into the pan and mix it well.
8. Cover the pan again and cook it over low flame for 10 minutes until all the vegetables are cooked. Stir in between. When cooked well, switch off the flame and cover the pan. You can serve the vegetable.

This combination of khichdi and Labra can be enjoyed with a tangy mango chutney.

Innovative bhog recipes by chefs

Semolina and chana bhog
If you have been wanting to make bhog at home, chef Ankur Sharma Raahi Neo Kitchen and Bar in Bengaluru, says you can make the Semolina and chana bhog. He explains, "This combination of black chana and suji halwa creates a unique and delicious dish that can be a special part of your Durga Puja bhog. It offers a wonderful balance of flavours and textures."

Ingredients:

For black chana:
Black chana (black chickpeas), soaked overnight 1 cup
Water, for cooking the chana 3-4 cups
Ghee 2 tbsp

For suji halwa:
Suji (semolina) 1 cup
Ghee (clarified butter) 1/4 cup
Sugar 1 cup
Water 2 cups
Cardamom powder 1/2 tsp
Cashew 10 nos
Almond 10 nos
Pista 10 nos
A handful of chopped nuts (almonds, cashews, and pistachios)

Method:

For black chana:
1. Drain and rinse the soaked black chana.
2. In a pressure cooker, heat ghee, add the soaked and drained black chana, stir for a couple of minutes.
3. Add enough water to cover the chana and close the pressure cooker.
4. Cook the chana for about 4-5 whistles until they are soft and cooked. It may take 20-25 minutes. Once cooked, strain it set aside.

For suji halwa:
1. Heat ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan or kadhai.
2. Add suji and roast it on low-medium heat. Keep stirring continuously to prevent it from burning. Roast until it turns golden brown and emits a nutty aroma. This should take about 8-10 minutes.
3. In a separate pan, heat 2 cups of water and add sugar to make a sugar syrup. Stir until the sugar dissolves completely.
4. Slowly pour the sugar syrup into the roasted suji while continuously stirring to avoid lumps. Be careful as it can splutter.
5. Continue to cook and stir until the halwa thickens and starts to leave the sides of the pan. It should take about 5-7 minutes.
6. Add cardamom powder and mix well.
7. In another pan, heat a little ghee and roast the chopped nuts until they turn golden brown. Then, add these nuts and black chana to the suji halwa.

Assembling the dish:
1. To serve, place a portion of suji halwa on a plate or bowl.
2. Top it with a generous serving of the cooked black chana and dry fruits.
3. Garnish with additional nuts if desired.