Wednesday, October 09, 2013

To Cook or Not to Cook during Durga Pujo

It is fun making menus when you don't have to cook them.

Of course it is more fun when you also get to eat them. And at times it is also fun to cook them.

But today when I decided to draw up menus for the three days of Pujo, it was with a feeling of liberation and lightheartedness, the kind that comes with "thinking of doing fanciful things" without actually doing any. Of course there are people who get no such feeling from "thinking and not doing" but fortunately I don't belong there. I am the one who "thinks-fancy-worries-a-lot-and-does-nothing". That gives me peace. Amen.

You, my dear friend, are very welcome to cook any or multiple of these to make the three days of Durga Pujo isspecial.You can also choose to not cook and have an eat out session instead. Makes it as special.



Saptami
******
Start the morning with some Kolkata Egg Roll from book

Lunch with
Rice
Cholar Dal (another version in book)
Oven baked Begun Bhaja
Doi Dharosh
Chicken in Mint, Coriander, Coconut gravy
Rui Maacher Dumpukht
Cranberry Relish

Snack with Chicken Keemar Chop

Dinner eat out

Ashtami
*******

Start with Hing er Kochuri and Alur Tarkari

Lunch with
Bhoger Khichuri
Niramish Aloor Dom
Paneer Korma
Anarosher Chaatni
Homemade Sondesh

Snack with some Bhejetebil Chop or Beguni from book

Dinner at Pujo Bari



Nabami
*******

Start the day with Keema stuffed Tomatoes

Lunch with
Rice
Bengali Fish Fry
Chingri Dhan Dhana Dhan
Halka Mangshor Jhol or Railway Mutton Curry
Tomato Khejur Chaatni from book
Narkel Naru


Dinner == Eno




দূর্গা পুজোর শুভেচ্ছা


Wish you all joy, peace and happiness of the season and don't forget the giveaway in my last post.

Devapriya Roy; famous author, Keo-karpin girl, scholar and lovely lovely person is also doing a giveaway of two of my books on her Heat and Dust project page. Statistically your chance of winning now is more.

12 comments:

  1. Happy festival thanks for sharing this fab post :)

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  2. আমি এর একটাও রাঁধব কি না সে কথা দিতে পারছি না বং মম, কিন্তু পড়েই যে পেট ভরে যাচ্ছে সেটাও সত্যি। আমার তরফ থেকে অনেক শারদীয়া শুভকামনা রইল।

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  3. A very Happy Puja to you too!
    Your menu is very similar to what I have planned, except for the non-veg part, and pairing Hing-er Kachuri with Kaanchkolar Kofta from your book (I hope it works well!). But I've started from Panchami itself, being the non-Bong that I am! The Bangla parivar is pretty happy as they get the best of both worlds- my two pseudo-Bong SILs are pretty surprised that there are more dishes in their cuisine than words in their dictionary and my gourmet food loving husband is in a blissful state since he gets to enjoy goodies from North India as well as his own "desh" (not that he's very fussy if anything is being fried/decked with sorshe tel or sugar!!!).
    All thanks to you! Your book's been quite a boon!

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  4. Khub Bhalo PUJO katuk sobar ei kamona kori.... Sandeepa tumio khub valo kore Pujo katao!

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  5. I'll choose 'not to cook' strategy for the next three days. I made niramish mangsho and that's it. May be a dashami thandai.

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  6. Yummy inspiring menu to pull me out of depression...but loved 'dinner=Eno'...ha hahaHappyPujo

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  7. What a menu! Very helpful....

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  8. Navami dinner: Eno... ROFL!
    Subho Bijoyar priti o subhechha niyo, Sandeepa! Bought and read your book. As yummy as your recipes!

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  9. Can I just put in a request for that Chingri Dhan Dhana Dhan, please? If we ever meet.
    I could even travel for it.

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  10. Oh ! Slurpy slurp ! You are making me miss Kolkata even more ....

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  11. Haha.. my kinda thinking! I like menus, elaborate ones at that and very happy to have someone else cook those up for me :) I had some family over the past week and am all cooked out. Kitchen closed for the next one more week at least! :) Hope you had a good Dashera, San.

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  12. Hey Sandeepa, You have been unusually quiet past few days. Hope things are well. Happy Diwali!

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