Delectable BIHU Recipes

It's BIHU again-the harvest festival of ASSAM-the time to make merry, the time to feast as the laborious months of harvest is over and one's kitchen is loaded with granaries.

So,here I am re-posting my BIHU recipes once again for my friends and fans all across the globe who can prepare them with the simplest of ingredients and relish them during this festive season.

For me,the usual fanfare associated with any festival is seamless until and unless my kitchen is stuffed with loads of food for feasting.And,Bihu(especially Magh or Bhogali Bihu),a festival celebrated by the Assamese community of the north eastern state of India,to mark the end of the harvesting season,when granaries are full,is the perfect time to indulge in gastronomic delights.

The very word 'Bhogali' relates to eating and feasting and Magh is a winter month in the Assamese calendar.The festival is my favourite as it brings back nostalgic memories when I lent a helping hand to my mom as she prepared several typical Assamese delicacies from days before the festival.

This time,I tried out a few of such cakes(called Pitha in Assamese) and they really turned out well.So,I decided to post the recipes on my site along with a few pictures of my preparation so that you can relish these homemade sweets the next time you celebrate any festival.

The Ingredients for Til(sesame seeds) Pitha are:-

100 gms black sesame seeds-cleaned,roasted and pounded.

150 gms jaggery or sugar

3 cups of glutinous/sticky/botan/waxy/mochi rice-soaked and pounded

Enough water

Method:-

For the stuffing,wash,clean and dry the sesame seeds.Then roast them for a while and pound them in a grinder.Heat a wok or pan,mix jaggery or sugar to the sesame seeds and stir them for a while till the sugar leaves the sides of the pan.

Soak rice overnight in water.Drain and grind in a grinder.Add enough water to make a batter.Heat a girdle or non-stick pan and pour a ladle of batter to make a pancake.As it roasts from below,place some prepared sesame stuffing on the pancake and carefully roll from sides.Let it cool to become firm.Relish your til pitha during Magh Bihu or anytime of the year.

The recipe of Til Ladoo is the most simplest of any sweet made ever.The Ingredients are 250 gms black sesame seeds-cleaned,roasted and pounded coarsely.500 gms jaggery or sugar.

Method:-

Heat a wok.Melt jaggery or prepare a sugar syrup by mixing equal quantities of water and sugar.Add the coarsely pounded sesame seeds and keep stirring till the jaggery or sugar leaves the sides of the pan.Take off from fire. Rub ghee(clarified butter) on both palms and try to make balls while still hot.Be careful,not to burn your hands.Your Til ladoo is ready to store or serve.50 gms of roasted and coarsely pounded peanuts can be optionally added to the sesame mixture.

So get going...Bihu is round the corner....stack up your kitchen shelves with loads of delicacies and enjoy them with your friends and relatives.And don't forget to tell me how do they like it.

Among the dozens of delicacies prepared by my mom during the Bihu festival,Narikol(Coconut) ladoo and Muri(puffed rice) ladoo were top most priority as they are my favourite. My mom's traditional recipes were simple and it was not hard for me to try them out faraway from home.

The ingredients for Narikol(Coconut) Ladoo(balls) are:-

2 medium sized coconut grated

2 cups sugar

camphor or cardamom essence (optional)

Method:-

Heat a heavy bottomed pan.Add the grated coconut and sugar.If you wish to add the essence add it just before taking the preparation off the fire.Keep stirring continuously as it easily gets burnt.As the sugar leaves the sides of the pan,it is an indication that the mixture is ready.Rub ghee(clarified butter) on both palms and make lemon sized balls of the coconut mixture while still hot but be careful not to burn your hands.

Muri or puffed rice balls or ladoos can be easily prepared by any one and stored in an airtight container for several days.The ingredients are:-

100 gms (puffed rice or muri)

200 gms Jaggery

30 gms ghee(clarified butter)

Method:-

Prepare a syrup with jaggery and water and mix in the muri or puffed rice and ghee and stir till the mixture thickens and becomes sticky.Take off from the pan and make lime sized balls.Store them in an air tight container for several days and relish them even after Bihu is over and don't forget to share your experiences.