India is known for its diversity in cultures, languages, religions and foods. But there are certain things which are followed by every Indian around the world, in fact every person who believes in the myths and epics of India. Krishnasthami or Krishna janmashtami is one of the few festivals of India that is celebrated all over the world, not only by Indians but also by all the disciples of Lord Krishna. This festival is the annual celebration of the birth of the Hindu deity Krishna, who is believed to be one of the Incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Festivities begin before dawn and extend all day until midnight, the exact moment of the anniversary of Krishna’s appearance. The festival is celebrated with the tradition of Dahi handi, where a human pyramid is formed by a group of people to break an earthen pot ( handi) that is filled with curd (dahi) is tied at a certain height and the topmost person tries to break the pot by hitting it with a stick. Whoever breaks the handi will be rewarded. Eatables along with milk, butter and curd are prepared to make offerings to Lord Krishna to please him with his favorite foods.

 

Lord krishna is known for his generosity, and it is believed that he responds to the distinct feelings and desires of every single worshipper who loves and worship him deeply from the heart. That’s why it is said that whenever we give something to any one, we should say “Krishnaarpanam” that means “I am offering this to Lord Krishna”. I personally like this festival so much, as on this day most of the kids get dressed in the costumes of Lord Krishna and Radha and so do I get a chance to decorate my kids in those costumes. It’s fun to see all the little ones in the colorful costumes. This year for Krishnasthami, I have few recipes in mind to prepare, and Dahi poha is one of them. As Lord Krishna is a huge fan of poha this is perfect as an offering to him on this special day.

Click here to see other recipes of Poha:

 

 

Dahi poha is pressed or flattened rice (poha), soaked and mixed in curd/yogurt and tempered with Indian spices. This is super easy to make and very piquant in its flavors. A perfect dish to prepare on festive days when you are overloaded with work and have too many dishes to prepare in your kitchen. I mostly prepare flavored curd rice (Daddhojanam), as one of the dishes on the festive days when I have to prepare 5 or 9 dishes to offer to God as naivedyam (auspicious offering). And for this festival, I tried Dahi Poha as a substitute for curd rice, that is pressed or flattened rice instead of regular rice and it turned out pretty well and tasted exactly the same. A simple yogurt dish flavored in Indian spices makes it a comfort food to compliment your platter on the special days. My husband is a huge fan of regular curd rice, (in fact for us South Indians, curd rice is a must to complete our meal) but he especially enjoyed this dish to his heart’s content. 😀

 

Click here to see the recipes of desserts that can be prepared on festive days!

 

Dahi Poha Recipe:

 

 

Soak poha in water for 5-10 minutes and wash it till the dirt goes off. Squeeze the poha to remove the absorbed water and keep it aside.

 

 

Add some curd or yogurt to the poha and mix it well. Try to use whole milk yogurt as it enriches the taste of this dish because of its heavy cream consistency. You can also add some milk, if your curd is too sour for your liking. Add some salt to taste.

 

 

Heat oil in a small pan/tempering pan and when the oil is hot enough, add chana dal, urad dal and mustard seeds. Keep the heat in low. When the mustard seeds start crackling, add cashew nuts or peanuts, dry red chilies, curry leaves and asafoetida. When they’re nicely roasted, add finely chopped ginger and green chilies. I also added a pinch of roasted fenugreek powder to the tempering, as it enhances the aroma of this dish. I mostly use the roasted fenugreek powder in my cooking when I prepare Indian dishes; specially for pickles, chutneys, sambar, raitas and some rice dishes. Turn the heat off.

 

 

I used the roasted and salted cashews that I bought from the store. So, I didn’t need to fry the cashews. I just added them on top.

 

 

Add this tempering to the poha that is dipped in yogurt and combine it well.

 

 

Add a 1/4 tsp of ground black pepper and mix it well. Though my kids complain about the taste of black pepper (it’s a bit strong for kids) I always add it to my curd rice because of its beneficial health factors. Transfer it to a serving bowl and garnish it with fresh coriander or pomegranate seeds before you serve. The rich Dahi Poha is tempered with crunchy lentils and spices like chilies and pepper, with aroma of fresh ginger and curry leaves. You get a subtle yet prominent hint of black pepper, that wonderful feeling when you bite into those juicy pomegranates, the creaminess of the dahi poha that perfectly balances the hot, peppery flavors, some lovely cashew goodness– and it all comes together as a heavenly, rustic combination. A very simple comfort food to have on your special days as an accompanying meal along with other dishes. Happy Krishnasthami everyone!

 

Click below to see the recipes of other Rice dishes:

Mango Rice                      Lobia Rice                        Gongura Rice

 

 

 

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