Celebrate Guru Purnima With These 3 Delectables Dishes

“Guru Brahma Gurur Vishnu, Guru Deva Maheshwar, Guru Saakshaat Param Brahma, Tasmai Shri Gurave Namah”, this Sanskrit shloka is for gurus, as they build and nurture knowledge while eradicating illiteracy from our minds. On this auspicious day, students offer delicious foods to their gurus and mentors. Here are three simple dishes that you can make this year on Guru Purnima for your gurus. 

1. Panchamrit

Panchamrit, or Charnamrita, is a dish used as an offering on the special days of puja or eaten at home. It is made with simple ingredients and is purely a delicacy. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp desi ghee
• 1 tsp honey 
• 1 tbsp thick curd/yoghurt 
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar 
• 1 thinly sliced banana 
• Pinch of cardamom powder 
• Few strands of saffron 

Method:

1. To make this pure panchamrit for your gurus, all you need to take is a bowl. Mix all the ingredients and combine well. 
2. To raise the flavour, you can also add dry nuts and some other fruits according to your taste. 

2. Khichdi

This is a healthy and light dish that you can easily make at home.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rice
• ¾ cup moong dal 
• 1 tbsp ghee 
• 1-2 bay leaf
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 dried red chilli 
• Salt, as per taste 
• 1 tsp turmeric powder 
• ¼ tsp asafoetida 

Method:

1. Take a pressure cooker, add rice and moong dal, salt, turmeric, with 5-6 cups of water. 
2. Give 3-4 whistles. In another saucepan, heat ghee, add cumin, bay leaf, and dried red chilli. Make them slight crackling. 
3. Pour this tempering to the khichdi and mix well. Serve hot with curd or mango pickle.  

3. Sweet Pongal

Make this tasty, delicious dessert and relish your taste buds with it. 

Ingredients:

• ½ cup rice  
• ⅓ cup moong dal 
• 4 cups water 
• 1 cup jaggery 
• 1 cup milk 
• 1 tsp green cardamom powder 

For tempering:

• 6-7 tbsp ghee 
• 10-15 cashews (chopped/ whole)
• 1 tbsp raisins

Method:

1. To make this tradition more memorable, take the pressure cooker, add rice, moong and dry roast them both for a minute. 
2. Then add 4- 5 cups of water with 1 tsp cardamom powder. Pressure cook this for 3-4 whistles.
3. Simultaneously at a different flame, heat a pan, add some ghee, jaggery and dissolve with water. Make a slurrp syrup of jaggery. 
4. Once the rice or dal is cooked, add the jaggery syrup into it. Stir it, and then add milk. 
5. Stir and combine well. Take a saucepan, heat ghee, add nuts and raisins. Little stir it. 
6. Pour on the cooked rice and dal. Your Pongal is ready; garnish it with saffron strands.