Khichuri-Labra-Chutney-Payesh

We make both bhuna khichuri and the regular runny khichuri in our house on Lokkhi Pujo. This is the only day in the year we get to eat bhuna khichuri so that's always extra-special.

We buy vegetables for labra and prep them with much fanfare in our house. An alternative to labra is, of course, a simpler (but no less delicious) panchmishali torkari with panch phoron. Saptarshi's mum also makes a rather lovely phulkopir dalna with small cubes of paneer! It is in many ways a combination of our paneerer dalna and phulkopir dalna recipes, but made richer for the occasion.

We cut all the vegetables for bhaja and marinate them with salt and turmeric together in large bowl. For kumro bhaja, do see the cutting technique in our video to get rounded corners so that the pumpkin doesn't burn!

This time of year, with chalta and jolpai both being in season, jolpai diye chaltar chutney is a Lokkhi Pujo staple in our house. There will be plenty of opportunities through the winter months for tomato chutney, but still linking it here for anyone who does not have access to chalta and jolpai.

It's too early in the year for nolen gur, so we follow this exact recipe for payesh, only replacing the gur with an equal amount of michhri (rock candy). With luchi, yum!