Teej is a festival celebrated in Rajasthan during July or August, and it marks the onset of monsoon season. It is one of the most vibrant festivals. It holds cultural significance for married women, as they pray for the well-being and longevity of their husbands. The celebration last for two days, and the first and second day are called Hariyali Teej and Kajari Teej respectively. Below are some of the traditional Rajasthani treats one can enjoy in Teej.
1.Ghevar
In a bowl, mix all-purpose flour, ghee, and water to make the batter. Heat oil or ghee in a pan and drizzle a dollop of batter into the oil. Make a hole at the center of the ghevar using the back of a spoon. Fry it on medium heat until it turns golden and crispy. Ready the sugar syrup in a saucepan by boiling water and sugar together, until the sugar dissolves entirely and the syrup thickens. Blend saffron milk and cardamon powder to the syrup and mix. Pout the syrup over the fried ghevar and allow it to soak the syrup for a few minutes.
2.Mirchi Vada
Wash the green chilies, dry and make a slit lengthwise to remove the seeds and membranes. Heat oil in a pan. Blend cumin seeds, mustards seeds and fennel seeds and let them splutter. Blend mashed potatoes, turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala, dry mango powder, chaat masala, and salt and mix well. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Take the slit chilies and stuff them with the potato filling. To prepare the batter, mix gram flour, turmeric powder, red chili powder, baking soda and salt in bowl and whip with water. Warm oil in a pan, drop each stuffed chili into the batter, and then pour into the oil. Fry the chilies until golden brown and crispy.
3.Dal Bati Churma
In a pressure cooker, blend water-soaked dals, turmeric powder, and water. Pressure cook until the dal is soft and cooked. Heat oil and blend cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and asafoetida to let them splutter. Blend chopped onions, garlic, ginger, and green chilies, and saute until the onions are golden brown. Blend chopped tomatoes and cook until soft. Blend red chili powder and salt and mix the ingredients. Blend dal to the pan, mix and simmer for 15 minutes. In second bowl, mix whole wheat flour, semolina, salt, and carom seeds. Blend melted ghee and water and kneed into a dough. Divide the dough into equal sized balls and shape them into round batis. Heat the oven initially to 180°C and bake the batis for 20 minutes until golden brown. Dip the batis in ghee and serve. To make churma, in a bowl, mix whole wheat flour, ghee and semolina, and mix well. Blend water and make it into a dough. Heat ghee in a frying pan and deep fry the dough balls on medium heat until golden brown. Crush the fried balls into powder and blend sugar, cardamom powder. Mix everything.
4.Moong Dal Halwa
Rinse and soak the moong dal in water for at least 4 hours. Grind the dal to a coarse, grainy paste. In a pot, boil 4 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar. Let the sugar completely dissolve to make a sugar syrup. Heat a cup of ghee in a kadhai over medium heat and blend the moong dal paste. Start stirring. Keep roasting for about 30 minutes until the dal is golden brown. Once the dal is roasted, blend half cup milk to the pan and stir. Blend the sugar syrup and stir. Cook everything until the halwa starts to thicken. Blend cardamom powder, milk and soaked saffron strands to the halwa and mix well.
5.Aloo Tikki
Boil the potatoes and mash them. Blend finely chopped green chilies, grated ginger, cumin seeds, red chili powder, garam masala, amchur powder, chat masala, coriander leaves and salt. Mix everything. Take a small portion of the mixture and shape it into a ball. Flatten the ball to form a patty. For extra crisp, coat the patties with breadcrumbs or cornflour. Heat oil in a pan over medium hit and place the tikkis in the pan. Fry until they are golden brown and crispy.
6.Methi Bajra Poori
In a bowl, mix bajra flour, whole wheat flour, chopped methi leaves, ajwain, sesame seeds, red chili powder, turmeric powder, two tablespoons oil and salt. Mix everything. Make a stiff dough by blending water. Divide the dough into small balls. Flatten the balls between your palms and then roll it out with a rolling pin. Heat oil in a kadhai and carefully slide rolled poori into the hot oil. Fry them until golden brown on both sides.
7.Mawa Kachori
In a bowl, mix all-purpose flour, salt, and ghee. Blend water and make a dough. Heat a pan and blend crumbled mawa. Stir and cook until it turns light golden brown. Let the mawa cool and blend powdered sugar, chopped dry fruits, and cardamom powder. Mix well. In a saucepan, mix sugar-water and heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves. Blend saffron strands and cardamom powder to the syrup. Boil the syrup and keep it warm. Make small dough balls and roll out each into a small circle. Put the mawa inside the rolled dough and gather the edges to seal them tightly. Flatten the dough balls to form kachoris. Heat oil and carefully slide in the kachoris. Fry the kachoris until crispy and golden brown. Once fried, dip them into the sugar syrup.
8.Rajasthani Kadhi
In a bowl, whip the yogurt till its smooth. Blend gram flour and whip again. Blend turmeric powder, red chili powder, and salt to the mixture. Gradually blend water while whiping continuously to avoid lumps. Pour the mixture into a kadhai and boil it over medium heat. Once it starts boiling, let it simmer for 20 minutes. Heat ghee or oil in a pan and blend cumin and mustard seeds to let them splutter. Blend asafoetida, red chilies, curry leaves and fenugreek seeds and saute them for few seconds. Blend chopped ginger, garlic, and slit green chilies. Saute until garlic turns golden brown. Pour the mixture into the kadhi and mix well. Let the kadhi simmer for 10 minutes and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
9.Besan Chilla
In a bowl, blend 1 cup of gram flour, finely chopped onion, tomato, green chilies, red chili powder, turmeric powder, cumin seeds, carom seeds, asafoetida, finely chopped coriander leaves and salt. Blend water to the mixture, stirring continuously. Heat a tawa over medium heat and blend a few drops of oil or ghee. Drop a ladleful of batter onto the tawa and spread it out in a circular motion to form a thin pancake. Cook the chilla on medium heat until golden brown and cooked through.
10.Papad Ki Sabji
Fry the papads until crisp, and then break them into medium sized pieces and set aside. In a bowl, whip the yogurt and blend turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, and salt. Mix everything. Heat oil and blend cumin and mustard seeds. Blend asafoetida and green chilies and saute for a few seconds. Blend chopped onions and cook until golden brown. Blend ginger garlic paste and saute for a few seconds. Blend chopped tomatoes and cook until soft. Blend the whip yogurt mixture to the pan and stir continuously. Cook until the gravy thickens. Blend the broken papad pieces to the gravy and gently mix everything. Sprinkle garam masala over the sabji and mix well.
11.Kesar Pista Kulfi
Soak saffron strands in warm milk. In a pan, boil the milk over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer. Blend condensed milk and sugar to the warm milk and mix well. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes. Blend the saffron milk and cardamom powder to the mixture. Stir well. In a bowl, dissolve cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of water to make a smooth slurry. Blend it to the milk mixture while stirring continuously to avoid lumps. Stir the chopped pistachios and let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes until it thickens. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool. Once cool, pour it into kulfi mold or small cups. Wrap the molds with aluminium foil and put in an ice cream stick at the center. Place the mold in the freezer for at least 6 hours until all set. To unmould, dip the mold in slightly hot water and then gently pull out the kulfi using the stick.
12.Mango Lassi
Peel and chop mangoes into small pieces. In a blender, blend the chopped mango pieces, plain yogurt, sugar, cardamom powder and saffron milk. Blend until smooth and creamy. Adjust sugar according to your preference. Garnish with soft pistachios or almonds.
13.Poha
Rinse the poha and allow it to drain completely. Heat oil in a kadhai and blend mustard seeds to let them splutter. Blend cumin seeds, chopped onions, curry leaves and green chili. Saute until onions are golden brown. Blend diced potatoes and cook until crispy. Blend turmeric powder, red chili powder and garam masala, and saute for a mixture. Blend the drained poha to the pan. Mix everything and blend salt to taste. Cook for another 5 minutes until the poha is cooked. Blend lemon juice and mix well. Blend roasted peanuts and mix.
14.Churma Ladoo
In a bowl, blend whole wheat flour, half cup warm ghee and semolina, and mix well. Blend warm water and knee into a dough. Divide the dough into small portions and shape them into medium-sized balls. Heat ghee in a deep-frying pan over medium heat and fry the dough balls until golden brown. Cool the balls and break them into small pieces. Grind them. Transfer the churma in to a mixing bowl, and blend powdered jaggery, cardamon powder, chopped nuts and grated coconut. Mix everything. Heat a few tablespoons of ghee and blend it to the churma mixture. Take small portions of the mixture and shape them into round ladoos.
15.Bajra Khichdi
Clean and wash bajra thoroughly. Wash moong dal. Drain the bajra and coarsely grind it in a blender. In a pressure cooker, blend the ground bajra, washed moong dal, salt, turmeric powder, and 4 cups of water. Pressure cook for about 4-5 whistles. Heat oil and blend cumin seeds to let them crackle. Blend chopped onions and saute until golden brown. Blend grated ginger and chopped green chilies. Blend chopped tomatoes and cook until soft. Once the pressure cooker has released the pressure, check the consistency of the khichdi. Blend the cooked bajra and dal mixture to the pan with the tempering. Mix well. Blend turmeric powder, red chili powder, and salt. Stir everything and let it simmer for a few minutes.
16.Methi Mathri
In a bowl, mix all-purpose flour, semolina, dried fenugreek leaves, carom seeds, cumin seeds, baking powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder, black pepper powder, ghee or oil, and salt. Mix everything and gradually blend water to make dough. Divide the dough into small equal-sized balls and roll each ball into a small disc. Prick each mathri with a fork to prevent from puffing up during frying. Heat oil in a pan and drop the mathris. Fry until golden brown and crispy.
17.Mohanthal
Heat ghee in a kadhai. Blend gram flour to it and stir. Roast the mixture until golden brown. Blend milk to the roasted mixture and mix well. Cook for 5 minutes until it thickens. In another pan, mix sugar and water and heat it until the sugar dissolves completely. Blend saffron and cardamom powder to the syrup and mix well. Gradually pour the hot syrup into the roasted mixture, and mix thoroughly to combine. Put ghee in a tray and pour the mohanthal mixture into it and spread evenly using a spatula. Sprinkle chopped almonds and pistachios on top, pressing lightly into the mixture. Allow the mohanthal to cool at room temperature and once set, cut it into square or diamond-like pieces.
18.Baati Chokha
In a bowl, mix whole wheat flour, semolina, carom seeds, baking powder, ghee, and salt. Mix everything. Blend water and knead it into a dough. Preheat oven to 200°C. Shape each ball into a smooth round bati and place them on a baking tray Bake them for 30 minutes until golden brown. Once cooked, take the batis out and brush them with melted ghee. For chokha, roast eggplants and tomatoes directly on an open flame. Peel the charred skins and mash the vegetables in a bowl. Mash boiled potatoes and mix it with mashed eggplant and tomatoes. Blend finely chopped green chilies, onions, garlic, ginger and fresh coriander leaves. Mix mustard oil, red chili powder, roasted cumin powder, salt and lemon juice. Mix everything.
19.Gujia
In a bowl, combine all-purpose flour, salt, and ghee, and mix. Blend water and knead into a dough. In a pan, dry roast the crumbled khoya over low heat until golden. Blend powdered sugar, desiccated coconut, chopped nuts, raisins, cardamom powder and saffron strands. Mix everything. Make small dough balls and roll them into a small disc. Place a spoonful of the filling at the center of each disc and fold the edges. Press the edges firmly. Heat oil and slide in the gujias. Fry until golden brown and crisp.
20.Pithla
In a bowl, mix gram flour, yogurt and water. Heat oil and blend mustard seeds and cumin seeds to let them crackle. Blend asafoetida, chopped onions, green chilies, and coriander powder. Saute until the onions are golden brown. Blend turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder, and mix well. Drip the gram flour mixture and stir. Blend salt to taste. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Once the pithla is cooked and has thickened, blend garam masala and mix well. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves.
