Mahaparva Chhath Puja is a major festival dedicated to Sun God and Chhathi Maiya, which is celebrated with great enthusiasm, especially in Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern Uttar Pradesh. This festival is a symbol of faith and devotion. Traditional dishes and prasad of various things are offered in Chhath Puja. The aroma of traditional dishes made during the festival is also a feature of Chhath Puja. Special attention is paid to purity and satvikta in the prasad of Chhath Puja. In this article, five major traditional dishes made on the auspicious occasion of Chhath Puja are being told.

Thekua
Thekua is the most important prasad of Chhath Puja. It is made from wheat flour, jaggery, and ghee. It is tasty as well as nutritious.

Method of making Thekua
Jaggery water is prepared. Add ghee to wheat flour and mix it and then a hard dough is kneaded with jaggery water. Then small balls are made. These balls can be shaped as Thekua or shaped using a mold and fried well in ghee or oil.

Kaddu Bhaat

Kaddu Bhaat has a special place in Chhath Puja. It is mainly made on the first day of the Puja i.e. on the day of Nahai-Khaai. It is prepared with Arwa rice, pumpkin (lauki), and chana dal. Kaddu Bhaat is cooked in ghee, which enhances its taste even more. It is considered a satvik food and it represents simple but tasty food during the Puja.

Rasiyaav

Rasiyaav is also known as jaggery rice. This is another important dish of Chhath Puja. It is specially made on the day of Kharna. It is prepared with rice and jaggery and its sweet taste is very much liked among the devotees. Made with the sweetness of jaggery and softness of rice, the taste of this dish is quite unique and it is offered in the Puja as prasad.

Kasar (Laddu)
Kasar is a popular Laddu made during Chhath Puja. It is made with wheat flour, rice flour, or sattu. Laddus are made by mixing jaggery, fennel, and ghee in the flour. This laddu is easy to make and has a special taste. Kasar Laddu is offered in the puja and distributed as prasad. It is a dish that symbolizes purity and Latvia.

Green gram
Green gram is a delicious dish included in the special thali of Chhath Puja. To make it, green gram is soaked in water overnight. The next day it is cooked on low flame with ghee, cumin seeds, and some green chilies. Finely chopped tomatoes, turmeric, coriander powder, and rock salt are added to it. To melt the gram, water is added to the pan and cooked on low flame for a few minutes.

(PC: Adobe stock)