Chhath Puja is an ancient Hindu festival celebrated in the Mithila region of Nepal and some parts of India. It is a four-day festival where the Sun god and his sister Chhathi Maiya are worshipped.
According to the belief, the sun is the god of energy, and honouring him will make your family prosperous and happy. Chhath puja emphasises consuming delectable cuisine, as is the case with all Nepalese occasions. There are specific Chhath Puja foods that are prepared during this festival and served to the family as well as offered as an offering to the Sun god. To make your Chhath feast even more remarkable, Nepal Traveller suggests a few scrumptious treats.
Kasar
Kasar is the most well-known sweet dish, made of rice flour, sugar, dry fruits, ghee, jaggery, and coconut and can be prepared in a matter of minutes. The roasted rice flour is combined with the other ingredients to form a tight dough, then rolled into small or medium balls of bliss. The use of ghee adds richness to the flavour of these sweets. The combination of powdered rice and jaggery keeps the body warm during the winter.
Kaddu Bhaat
The sight of pumpkins may put you off, but this curry is a popular Chhath Puja delicacy. It is made with Kaddu/Lauki (Bottle Gourd) and cooked in ghee with Himalayan or sendha salt. This dish is a staple of the festive thali and can be served with pooris or bhaat. This marks the purification of the body for the extensive festival.
Rasiyaw (Rice Kheer) with Puri/Roti
Any festivity is incomplete without a rice pudding in the Nepalese community. Likewise, Rasiyaw is also a kheer, but in place of sugar, it has jaggery (or gur). It is like the regular kheer with rice, water, and milk. This sweet dish is offered to Lord Surya in the evening, along with puri or roti. People break their fast with kheer and puri, and it is customary to invite family and friends to enjoy the Prasad, which is thought to help the body prepare for the weather change.
Thekuwa
Thekuwa is one of the signature delicacies of the Chhath festival. It is offered to the sun god and Shashthi Chatiya Maiya during Chhath puja and then eaten as ‘prasad’ by the devotees. It is made from wheat flour, ghee, sugar, and dried fruits. A tight dough is made from the above ingredients, which is then shaped into small/medium tikkis and deep-fried in pure ghee.
Hara Chana
Hara Chana is just another savoury dish served in the Chhath special thali. This simple recipe is prepared after soaking green chana overnight. Then, the soaked chana is sautéed in ghee with cumin seeds and green chillies. In some regions, they are offered raw with puris/rotis after soaking overnight.
(Photo Credit: Slurrp, NDTV FOOD Eng, EastMojo)
Penned By: Utsav Pun
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