Bihu is a festival which is celebrated with high spirits in Assam (State in North East
India) and Assamese people celebrate it with pomp and show. It has a special place in the Assamese society as it is above any divides like class, religion, gender etc. which the society follows. There are a number of things associated with Bihu that makes it complete and without these Bihu seems imperfect. A few of these things are
Bihu dance, the traditional attire everyone adorns on the day of the festival, the traditional instruments, the traditional food and sweets related to the festival, etc. The main sweets and dishes without which the festival will lose its charm are Coconut Laddoo, Til Pitha, Ghila Pitha, Fish Pitika and Bengena Khar. If you are doubtful of your culinary skills then let us give you recipes of a few dishes.
Traditional Bihu Recipes
Coconut Laddoo: Bihu Recipes [1]
Ingredients:
- 3 cups Dry Coconut (shredded)
- 1 cup Milk
- 2 cups Sugar
Preparation:
- Boil the milk in a pan.
- When it starts boiling, add 2 cups shredded coconut and mix well.
- When the milk gets absorbed in coconut, add the sugar.
- Stir continuously on medium flame until the mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan.
- Remove and make small balls.
- Take the remaining coconut on a plate.
- Roll the balls in shredded coconut to make laddoos.
- Coconut laddoos are ready to serve.
Til Pitha: Bihu Recipes [2]
Ingredients:
- 2 cups Glutinous Rice
- 100 gm Jaggery
- 80 gm Black Sesame Seeds
- 4 cups Water
Preparation:
- Soak the rice overnight in water.
- Drain excess water and grind it carefully.
- Roast sesame seeds and pound them to remove their outer shell.
- Cut jaggery into small chips and combine the sesame seeds with it.
- Heat the griddle and spread the rice batter over it to the size of Puri with the help of a ladle.
- While it is being roasted, put the stuffing of jaggery and sesame mixture in its middle.
- As and when the rice batter gets firm, fold its sides to cover the stuffing.
- Turn it over and heat lightly before taking it off from the fire. Ensure that jaggery doesn’t melt and flow out.
Ghila Pitha: Bihu Recipes [3]
Ingredients:
- 1 kg Rice Flour (sieved)
- ½ kg Jaggery (grated)
- 200 g of Cooking Oil
- 1 cup of Warm Water
Preparation:
- Add jaggery to a cup of warm water and mix well.
- Let it stand for some time.
- Fold the rice flour into the jaggery water.
- Now knead well till the dough is smooth.
- Keep it covered aside for 10 minutes.
- Divide the dough into equal portions and make small balls.
- Flatten them into half-inch thick rounds.
- Finally, fry them on a medium flame till they are brown on both sides.
Fish Pitika: Bihu Non-vegetarian Recipes [4]
Ingredients:
- 500 gms Rohu Fish
- 2 tsp Mustard paste
- 6-8 Pods of Garlic
- 2 tsp Lemon Juice
- 2 Chopped Green Chillies
- 2 tbsp Mustard oil
- 1 Banana Leaf (washed and lightly brushed with oil)
Preparation:
- Remove the peel of garlic and crush.
- Wrap the fish in banana leaf and keep it in water for steaming until cooked. Put off the flame.
- Remove the skin and bones.
- Mash the fish and add salt. Mix well and keep it aside.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add garlic and mustard paste to it.
- Fry on a low flame for about one minute.
- Mix this with the mashed fish.
- Also add chopped green chillies and lemon juice. Mix properly.
- Fish Pitika is ready to serve.
Bengena Khar: Bihu Main Dish Recipe [5]
Ingredients:
- 2 Small Eggplants / Brinjal
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- Little amount of Khar
- Rohu Machor Petu
- 1 Chopped Onion
- Oil
- Salt to taste
Preparation:
- Cut the eggplants into small pieces.
- Clean the Rohu fish (machor) petu and wash thoroughly.
- Heat some oil in a pan and add the garlic and chopped onions and fry for several minutes and then add the petu.
- Add salt to taste.
- After few minutes add the eggplants / brinjal (chopped) and then cook for few minutes and then finally add the khar and allow it to cook for few minutes.
- Serve hot with rice.
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