Arandhan Festival Recipe: Dal Chorchori (Sookhi Dal)
Traditional food practices often carry deep cultural meaning. When studying the food habits of local communities, it is important to avoid imposing modern culinary complexity on simple indigenous cooking methods. Authentic traditional recipes reflect the simplicity and wisdom of the communities that created them.
In West Bengal’s district of 24 Parganas, a traditional festival called Arandhan is observed during the Sankranti of the month of Bhadra. The word “Arandhan” literally means “no cooking”. All the cooking for the feast is completed the night before the festival, and no fresh cooking is done on the festival day.
On this day, families enjoy a grand meal prepared earlier. The food is eaten at room temperature and sometimes includes panta bhaat (fermented rice). Cooking is traditionally done by the women of the household without outside help.
After performing the Brahma Puja or Unun Puja (earthen stove worship), rice is cooled with water. A non-fried fish and a dry preparation of dal chorchori are essential dishes. All items are prepared in dry style and meat is avoided.
Some aristocratic households traditionally prepared as many as thirty-six dishes for relatives and neighbours. This feast is known as Panna.
The same day also coincides with Visvakarma Puja, when workshops and factories remain closed. The sky fills with colourful kites as people celebrate with kite flying competitions.
The air echoes with the shout “Bhokatta!” when a kite is cut loose during a kite fight. Groups of enthusiastic children run across fields trying to capture the fallen kite, turning the day into a lively celebration of food, worship and play.
Bengali Chorchori
The traditional Barendra style chorchori is distinguished by its tempering of bay leaf, red chili and fenugreek instead of the common Bengali five-spice blend. The dish is finished with green chili, mustard paste and a little raw mustard oil.
Vegetables for vegetarian chorchori are cut into long thin pieces. If vegetables are fried too heavily and mixed together, the dish becomes closer to ghonto rather than chorchori.
Sookhi Dal (Dal Chorchori) Recipe
Prep time: 6 hours Cook time: 10 minutes Total time: 6 hours 10 minutes Yield: 1 medium bowl
Serving size: 4–5 portions Calories per serving: ~125
Ingredients
- Yellow pigeon pea or motor dal (মটর ডাল) – 1 cup
- Amaranth stem (কাটোয়ার ডাঁটা), cut into 1-inch pieces – 1 cup
- Water – 2 cups
- Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
- Red chili powder – ¼ tsp
- Salt – 1 tsp
- Sugar – 1 tsp
- Mustard and green chili paste – 1 tbsp
- Bay leaf – 1
- Whole dried red chili – 1
- Fenugreek seeds – ½ tsp
- Ginger paste – ½ tsp
- Mustard oil – 1 tbsp
Directions
- Wash the motor dal and soak it overnight or for 5–6 hours.
- Lightly crush the soaked dal using a mortar and pestle so that it becomes half-broken.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add bay leaf, red chili and fenugreek seeds for tempering.
- Add the soaked dal and fry with turmeric and red chili powder.
- Add salt and 1 cup hot water. Cook on low heat until the dal becomes tender but not mushy.
- Add amaranth stems and cook for 5–7 minutes.
- Add ginger paste and sugar. Stir until excess moisture evaporates.
- Add mustard and green chili paste and cook briefly until the aroma develops.
- Turn off the heat and drizzle 1 teaspoon raw mustard oil.
- Let it rest uncovered before serving.
- This dal is served dry and pairs well with rice, roti or puri.
