Make This Krishna Bhog with Love

Janmashtami and food have a unique relationship and that can be seen every year on this auspicious day that marks the birth of Lord Krishna. On this day, there are a few signature preparations that are offered to Lord Krishna, keeping his love for milk and milk products in mind. Some devotees also observe a day-long fast and prepare bhog as an offering to the deity. There are just a few ingredients that can be consumed during Janmashtami fasting. For instance, dry fruits, sabudana, Amarnath, makhana, buckwheat and a few more. In the Hindu Holy Book, Bhagavad Gita says that whenever evil predominates and there’s a decline in religion, God himself will reincarnate to kill the evil and restore humanity and goodness. Janmashtami is an example of this saying. During the rule of King Kansa, evil practices were at their extremes. Hence, Vishu (Hindu God) reincarnated as Lord Krishna to destroy the evil from the world and spread the message of love, peace, and harmony.

KUTTU KI PURI
Kuttu puri is super crispy, fluffy, and full of flavours. You can also stuff them with a potato mixture for a more filling meal. To make this, all you need is to prepare the dough by using buckwheat and sendha namak. Roll in a few puris with the help of a rolling pin and fry until crispy.

SABUDANA KHICHDI
In this khichdi recipe, soaked sabudana is stir-fried with peanuts, aloo, jeera and rock salt, making it soothing to the core. Always remember, the only tip to cook perfect sabudana khichdi is to make sure your sabudana pearls are soaked properly.

PANJIRI
Panjiri is considered the most important Prasad of this festival. Made with coriander seed powder, powdered sugar, desi ghee, cashew nuts, almonds, pistachios, mishri, and raisins, this healthy offering is considered good for the gut and is popular in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Punjab regions of the country.

SABUDANA KHEER
For desserts, sabudana kheer is apt to put together this thali. Sabudana kheer is a traditional kheer where rice or seviyan is replaced with sabudana pearls. The rest of the steps and methods for making this kheer are almost the same.

MAAKHAN MISRI
Lord Krishna is very very fond of white butter or ‘maakhan’. There are innumerable stories of little Krishna stealing butter from the pots of Gopis. Hence, he is fondly known as ‘Maakhan Chor’. So the best way to celebrate this festival is to devour a lovely sweet made out of his favourite, maakhan. So, this Janmashtami, do gorge on Maakhan Misri. It’s very easy to prepare. All you have to do is mix sugar with freshly churned butter. You can also add some buts to the creamy mixture. It’s truly yum!

ALOO-PANEER KOFTA
Next up we bring you a quick and easy aloo-paneer kofta recipe that can also be a perfect addition to both your vrat and Prasad menu. All you need to do is prepare a simple dough with potato, paneer, flour and some spices and fry them into crispy kofta balls.