Basant Panchami: Mark The Vibrancy Of Spring Festival With These 5 Traditional Yet Healthy Dishes

Basant Panchami marks the end of the cold-ruthless winters and the start of warm-pleasant spring.
Basant stands for spring! The occasion is associated with the colour yellow which represents spirituality.
Yellow symbolizes & embodies the bright sunshine, the brilliance of nature and life’s most illustrious period.
As per traditional customs and celebrations, the food cooked is added with food items that impart yellow color and these are offered to God worshipped.

Let’s take a look at 5 healthy dishes we can eat during spring –

1- Khichdi – A dish made of lentils with rice. It is light, easy to digest and can be made nutritious by adding a few vegetables or eating with it.

It is used as an offering to God during the festival. It is also known as bhog in parts of Bihar, Assam, Orissa, and West Bengal.

2- Kesari Chawal – It is also commonly known as sweet rice. It is the staple food in the parts of Punjab and Chandigarh. The rice is generally boiled in the presence of saffron which imparts its characteristic flavor and color along with little sweetness. It is very easy to prepare and used in processions to give to the underprivileged and participants.

3- Kanchipuram Idli – These are also made and offered to Gods in the southern part of the country. Made of rice, blended with various spices for different flavors it is accessible to the vast majority. Steamed in bamboo baskets lined with leaves of bauhinia or mandharai for the authentic taste and aroma. It is served with characteristic sambar or in some cases tomato chutney.

4- Khaman dhokla – Popularised in the state of Gujarat and now eaten all over the country, Dhokla is a snack known to everyone along with being one of the healthiest dishes to eat during Basant Panchami.

It is made of fermented gram flour and yogurt batter steamed till it’s soft and light to eat like cotton candy. It is then garnished with mustard seeds, coconut scraping and coriander.

Generally eaten along with sweet or sour chutney, green chilies, or papaya salad.

5- Moong Dal Halwa- It is a traditional Indian dish that is served in India on special occasions, what they have is coarsely grounded moong dal, which is turned into a halwa.

The amount of oil required for this recipe is minimal and therefore is a healthier option compared to other sweet dishes.

The requirements for this recipe are yellow moong dal, ghee, jaggery, water, milk, almonds and saffron.

Footnote

Vasant Panchmi is an auspicious festival in India. Have fun during this yellow spring festival with these healthy traditional recipes.