Here are a few curated recipes for you to try this Janmashtami.
GopalKala
Courtesy Kapil Dubey, Executive Chef, The Leela Gandhinagar
GopalKala is a traditional dish prepared during Janmashtami. It’s a simple and delicious offering made with yogurt, flattened rice (poha), and various other ingredients. This traditional sweet not only delights with its rich flavor but also carries a beautiful cultural legacy, making it a perfect dish for Janmashtami celebrations.
Rinse the poha under running water until it becomes soft. Drain the excess water and keep it aside.
In a mixing bowl, add the softened poha, yogurt, grated coconut, chopped cucumber, green chilies, and coriander leaves. Add salt and a little sugar to taste. Mix everything well.
Heat ghee in a small pan. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
Add cumin seeds and curry leaves. Sauté for a few seconds until aromatic.
Pour the tempering over the poha mixture and mix well.
Optionally, you can add finely chopped fresh fruits for extra flavor and nutrition.
Garnish with more coriander leaves if desired.
Besan Laddu
Courtesy Subhankar Chitrakar, Bakery Chef, Taj Holiday Village Resort & Spa
Besan Laddu: (Photo courtesy Subhankar Chitrakar, Bakery Chef, Taj Holiday Village Resort & Spa )
Ladoo is more than a sweet; it is a celebration of flavors and textures. A good laddu is like a warm hug for the soul, reminding me of my mother. What better dish to prepare on Janmashtami, when lord Krishna was born and we witnessed the motherly love of Yashoda?
Ingredients
Chana Besan 500 grams (the grainy variety)
Sugar 500 grams
Ghee 400 grams
Milk ½ tbsp
Water 150 ml
Cashews 50 grams
A dash of rose water
Method
Melt sugar 150 ml in about a cup of water. After it boils over, add the milk and clear off the scum that surfaces.
Keep stirring and cooking the sugar mixture till it becomes very thick and starts to stick on the sides of the pan.
After the sugar mixture is very thick (the water evaporates almost completely) add one tsp of ghee and remove from the cooktop. Keep stirring it while it cools completely.
After the sugar cools down, you will get a thick powdery sugar mixture.
Break cashews into small pieces. Each cashew should be broken into 6-7 pieces or more.
Heat the remaining ghee in a thick-bottomed wok and roast the besan on a very low flame till it turns brown and gives a pleasant aroma.
Add about a tablespoon of water after the besan gets brown and mix it well. Keep roasting it. The sprinkling of water will give a good texture to the laddus. After the besan is well roasted, switch off the stove.
Add sugar mixture and cashew nuts to the still-warm besan and mix well with the dash of rose water. Apply ghee on your hands and make laddus of even sizes.
Spiced Sago Pops
Courtesy Ranjan Pandey, Executive Chef, Pride Plaza Ahmedabad
Spiced Sago Pops: (Photo courtesy: Ranjan Pandey, Executive Chef, Pride Plaza Ahmedabad)
This dish is a fusion of sabudana (tapioca pearls) and sweet potatoes, staple ingredients in Indian cuisine during fasting. The sabudana brings a soft, chewy texture, while the sweet potato adds natural sweetness and richness, making it a perfect blend of flavor and nutrition. Shaped like fun and playful lollipops, these bite-sized treats are lightly spiced with fasting-friendly seasonings and fried to golden perfection.
Ingredients
For the lollipop
Sabudana (Tapioca Pearls) 100 grams
Boiled Sweet Potato 50 grams
Crushed Roasted Peanuts 25 grams
Chopped Green Chili 10 grams
Chopped Ginger 10 grams
Red Chili Powder 5 grams
Garam Masala Powder 5 grams
Chat Masala 5 grams
Green Coriander Leaves 10 grams
Rock Salt to taste
Cooking Oil (for frying) 200 ml
For the dip
Fresh Curd (Yogurt) 200 grams
Roasted Cumin Powder 1 tsp
Black Salt ½ tsp
Finely chopped Mint Leaves 1 tbsp
Finely chopped Coriander Leaves 1 tbsp
Finely chopped Green Chili ½ tsp
Chaat Masala ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Honey (optional) 1 tsp
Method
Wash the sabudana thoroughly twice to remove excess starch. Soak the sabudana in enough water for 2-3 hours until it doubles in size. Check the readiness by pressing a pearl between your fingers—it should mash easily.
Peel the boiled sweet potato and grate it finely.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the soaked sabudana and grated sweet potato.
Add chopped green chili, chopped ginger, and mix the ingredients well.
Sprinkle in red chili powder, garam masala powder, chat masala, chopped green coriander leaves, and black salt.
Mix everything until the spices are evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
Make some lollypop sticks and shape the mixture around the sticks to form small lollipops.
Heat the cooking oil in a deep frying pan. Once the oil is hot, carefully deep-fry the lollipops until they are golden and crispy on all sides. Remove the lollipops from the oil and place them on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.
To make the dip, in a bowl, whisk the fresh curd until it becomes smooth and creamy. Mix in the roasted cumin powder, black salt, regular salt, and chaat masala. Stir in the finely chopped mint leaves, coriander leaves, and green chili. These herbs will bring a fresh and tangy flavor to the dip. If you like a subtle sweetness to balance the spice, add a teaspoon of honey and mix well. Let the dip chill in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes before serving to enhance the flavors.
Serve the hot Spiced Sago Pops with mint coriander curd dip on the side.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Comments / 0