Chhath Puja 2019: Thekua And More; 5 Traditional Recipes To Celebrate The Festival With

Chhath Puja 2019: Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar are immersed in festive vibes as the 4-day festival of Chhath Puja has already begun. The main Chhath Puja will be observed today that is November 2nd, 2019. The Hindu festival, also known as Surya Shashti, Chhath Parv, Dala Puja and Dala Chhath, pays homage to the God Sun, 'Surya Devta', to seek protection and prosperity for all. The God Sun's sister, 'Chhathi Maiya', is also worshipped during the festival. Chhath Puja is celebrated twice a year. 'Chaiti Chhath' is celebrated during early summers and 'Kartik Chhath' is observed on the sixth day of the month of 'Kartik' (as per the Hindu calendar), which falls somewhere during the months of October or November later in the year. The rituals involve fasting, taking a dip in the holy river and offering prayers to the rising and setting Sun.

Just like any other festival, Chhath Puja too is celebrated with some traditional festive-special foods. The offering to Sun God - Chhath Prasad - includes sweets like thekua, kheer, rice ladoo and fruits. The meals prepared for Chhath Puja is strictly vegetarian without common salt, onions or garlic. Usually, poori with sabzi is eaten to break the fast, and of course, sweets made of powdered rice, jaggery, saunf, and ghee are savoured at the end of the meal.

Here Are 5 Traditional Meal Recipes For Chhath Puja:

1. Thekua

Thekua (or khajuria or thikari) is a must-have sweet in the Chhath Prasad. It is a tikki made of wheat flour, sugar or jaggery, coconut and dry fruits, which is deep-fried in ghee. Thekua is mostly prepared on the second day of Chhath Puja to be offered to the Sun God.

(Also Read: Find The Detailed Recipe Of Chhath Puja-Special Thekua Here)

^{Chhath Puja 2019: Thekua is an important part of chhath prasad}

2. Poori

For the chhath meal, poori is made to go with different sabzis like kaddu ki sabzi (bottle gourd sabzi) and hara chana. The poori is made with atta (wheat flour) and fried in pure ghee.

3. Kaddu Ki Sabzi

This savoury sabzi is most popular in Chhath ka khana. It is made with kaddu or bottle gourd with rock salt or sendha namak and cooked in ghee. This delicious sabzi is paired with fried poori and makes for the perfect dish to break the fast with.

4. Hara Chana

Hara chana (or green chana) is another dish you'll find in Chhath-special thali. Green chana is soaked in water overnight and prepared the next day in ghee along with cumin seeds and green chillies. It is served with poori, kaddu ki sabzi and a dessert.

5. Rasiyaw

Rasiyaw is basically rice kheer, except it has jaggery (or gur) in place of sugar. It is prepared almost like we make our regular kheer with rice, water and milk. This dessert completes the chhath puja meal and is offered to Surya Devta before serving it for consumption.

(Also Read: Chhath Puja: 10 Things You Should Know About This Festival)

^{Chhath Puja 2019: Rice kheer is offered to Sun God for Chhath Puja}

Although there are many other dishes that you can prepare for the food fiesta during Chhath Puja, these five dishes remain quintessential delicacies you must include in your meal or prasad.

Happy Chhath Puja 2019!