Celebrate Durga Puja with a delicious Maha Shashti Special Bengali Thali featuring fragrant Basanti Pulao, flavourful Aloo Dum, Mouri Malai Paneer, sweet and tangy Tomato-Khejur Chutney, and creamy Mishti Payesh. This festive vegetarian menu is perfect for a special Durga Puja lunch with family.
Follow this step-by-step BengaliPaakshala recipe to prepare a complete vegetarian Bengali thali at home.
1. Basanti Pulao
Ingredients
- 500 g Gobindobhog rice
- 2 cups rice and 4 cups hot water, using the same measuring cup
- 1 tbsp ghee for mixing with the rice, plus 2 tbsp for cooking
- A little turmeric powder
- Cashews and raisins, as required
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- Green cardamom, cloves and cinnamon
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp sugar
- Salt, to taste
- A little freshly grated nutmeg
Method
- Wash the Gobindobhog rice once or twice, drain it well and leave it in a strainer for around 15 minutes.
- Mix the rice gently with 1 tbsp ghee and a little turmeric powder.
- Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a pan. Fry the cashews first, then add the raisins briefly. Remove and keep aside.
- Add cumin seeds, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon to the same ghee. Once fragrant, add the grated ginger and cook over low heat.
- Add the rice and gently fry for 2–3 minutes without breaking the grains.
- Pour in four cups of hot water for the two cups of rice. Add the bay leaves, cover and cook for around five minutes.
- Add sugar, salt, fried cashews and raisins. Mix gently and cook covered for another 2–3 minutes, or until the rice is cooked and fluffy.
- Finish with freshly grated nutmeg, mix gently, cover and let it rest for 1–2 minutes.
2. Special Niramish Aloo Dum
Ingredients
- Medium-sized potatoes, as required
- White cooking oil
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds (mouri)
- Ginger and green chilli
- Tomato
- Cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 dried red chilli
- 1 tsp hing (asafoetida)
- Turmeric powder
- Kashmiri red chilli powder
- Coriander powder
- Cumin powder
- Salt and a little sugar
- Cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon for roasted masala
- 1 tbsp kasuri methi
- 1 tbsp ghee
Method
- Cut medium potatoes in half. If using large potatoes, cut them into quarters.
- Heat oil and fry the potatoes until approximately 60% cooked. Add turmeric and salt near the end, then remove them.
- Grind ginger, green chilli and fennel seeds into a smooth paste.
- Separately mix turmeric, Kashmiri chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder with a little water.
- Heat fresh oil in the pan. Add cumin seeds, bay leaf, broken dried red chilli, hing and a little sugar.
- Add chopped tomato and the ginger-fennel-green chilli paste. Cover and cook for around two minutes.
- Add the prepared powdered-spice mixture and cook thoroughly until aromatic.
- Return the fried potatoes to the pan and coat them with the masala.
- Add water as needed, cover and cook until the potatoes become soft. Adjust salt and sugar.
- Dry-roast cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and kasuri methi. Grind into a powder.
- Add this roasted masala and ghee to the Aloo Dum. Mix, cover briefly and serve.
3. Mouri Malai Paneer
Ingredients
- 500 g paneer
- White cooking oil
- ½ tsp fennel seeds (mouri) for tempering
- 1 dried red chilli
- 1 tomato
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
- Ginger and green chilli
- Cashews
- A few pieces of paneer for the paste
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup water
- Salt, to taste
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds for roasting and grinding
Method
- Cut the paneer into large cubes and lightly fry until pale golden. Remove and set aside.
- Grind ginger, green chilli, cashews and a few paneer pieces with a little water to make a smooth paste.
- In the same pan, add fennel seeds and a broken dried red chilli.
- Add the chopped tomato and a little salt. Cook until the tomato softens and its raw smell disappears.
- Add cumin powder, coriander powder, Kashmiri chilli powder and salt. Cook until the masala releases oil.
- Add the prepared ginger-cashew-paneer paste. Cook over low heat until the raw smell disappears and oil begins to separate.
- Pour in one cup of milk and half a cup of water. Bring the gravy to a gentle boil.
- Add the fried paneer cubes and mix carefully. Cover and cook until the flavours are absorbed.
- Dry-roast one tablespoon of fennel seeds, grind them into a powder and add to the paneer.
- Cover for two minutes, switch off the heat and serve.
The distinctive sweet aroma of fennel is the highlight of this Mouri Malai Paneer recipe, so no ghee or garam masala is added.
4. Special Tomato-Khejur Chutney
Ingredients
- Tomatoes, chopped
- Dates
- Apple, chopped
- Grapes
- Cashews and raisins
- 1 dried red chilli
- Panch phoron
- Mustard oil
- Approximately ½ cup water
- Red batasha sweets, or sugar as an alternative
- Salt, to taste
Method
- Heat mustard oil in a pan. Add the dried red chilli and panch phoron and fry briefly.
- Add chopped tomatoes and a little salt. Cover and cook until the tomatoes are around 40% softened.
- Add the dates and chopped apple. Pour in approximately half a cup of water.
- Cover and cook for 5–7 minutes, until the tomatoes and apples soften.
- Add grapes, cashews, raisins and red batasha. You can use sugar if batasha is unavailable.
- Mix gently and cook until the chutney reaches your preferred consistency.
5. White Mishti Payesh
Ingredients
- 1 litre milk
- 50 g Gobindobhog rice
- 1 tbsp ghee
- Mishri (rock sugar), to taste
- Cashews and raisins, fried
- A few cardamom seeds
Method
- Wash the Gobindobhog rice and drain the water thoroughly.
- Mix the rice with 1 tbsp ghee.
- Heat the milk in a saucepan. Once warm, add the rice and stir gently.
- Cook over low to medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the rice becomes soft and the milk thickens.
- Add mishri and cook until it dissolves completely. Sugar can be used instead, but mishri is the preferred choice in this recipe.
- Add the fried cashews, raisins and cardamom seeds.
- Mix well, cover briefly and serve.
Slow cooking helps develop the creamy texture and delicate flavour of this traditional Bengali payesh.
How to Arrange the Maha Shashti Special Thali
Serve the freshly prepared Basanti Pulao with Niramish Aloo Dum and Mouri Malai Paneer. Add a serving of Tomato-Khejur Chutney and finish the meal with fragrant white Mishti Payesh.
This vegetarian Bengali thali brings together sweet, savoury, creamy and aromatic flavours for a festive Durga Puja meal.
Celebrate Durga Puja with BengaliPaakshala
Try this Maha Shashti Special Bengali Thali at home and make your Puja lunch memorable. For more Bengali recipes, traditional dishes and festive cooking ideas, like, share and subscribe to BengaliPaakshala.
