Chaitra Navratri is here, which is the most important holiday of the year. All over the country, Chaitra Navratri is marked with a lot of fanfare every year. Navratri means "nine nights" in English. There are ten days of celebrations called Chaitra Navratri that honour the nine forms of Maa Durga.
Goddess Durga has nine different forms. They are Maa Shailputri, Maa Brahmacharini, Maa Chandraghanta, Maa Kushmanda, Maa Skandamata, Maa Katyayani, Maa Kalaratri, Maa Mahagauri, and Maa Siddhidatri. This year, Chaitra Navratri began on April 9 and will end on April 17.
People pray to Maa Shailputri on the first day of Chaitra Navratri. People who worship Maa Shailputri fast all day to pray to her. People pray to Maa Brahmacharini on the second day of Chaitra Navratri. The person who holds a rudraksha and rosary beads in one hand and a kamandalu in the other is thought to be her. People think that Maa Brahmacharini likes jaggery, so they offer her bhog that has jaggery in it.
We've compiled a simple recipe for preparing Nolen Gur Payesh at home, which may be served to Maa Brahmacharini as bhog.
Ingredients:
½ cup nolen gur
⅓ cup Gobinda Bhog rice, soaked for 30 minutes, drained and dried
1 tsp ghee
¼ cup cashew nuts
5-6 cups full fat milk
1 tbsp raisins, soaked and drained and for garnish
In a pan, heat the ghee and fry the cashew nuts until they reach a golden brown color. Set them aside when the frying process is complete. After that, put the rice in the same pan and let it be sautéed for a while. While the milk is heating up in the same pan, add the rice and continue to cook it over low heat, stirring it occasionally. As soon as the heat is turned off, add the nolen gur and stir it until it melts. Mix add the cashew nuts and raisins once you have finished mixing. After serving, garnish with cashew nuts that have been fried and raisins.
(Recipe source: HT Tapatrisha Das Sanjeev Kapoor, Chef)