Mahavir Jayanti 2023: Get ready to celebrate as the Jain community honors their spiritual leader on Mahavir Jayanti. This special day is recognized as the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavira, the last and 24th Tirthankar and revered teacher whose teachings of non-violence, compassion and self-discipline inspire people all over the world. This day is considered the most auspicious day in the Jain calendar and is celebrated with great enthusiasm and reverence by Jains all over the world. Mahavir Jayanti is not only a day of spiritual significance for the Jain community but also a day of culinary delights, with traditional dishes being an important part of the celebration.
This special day is a time for family and friends to come together and indulge in some mouth-watering delicacies unique to Jain cuisine. Let’s discover some delicious traditional dishes that you can make on this day to make the celebrations more special. (Also read: Mahavir Jayanti 2023: Know Auspicious Timings, Rituals & Puja Method )
Traditional dishes of Mahavir Jayanti:
1. Jain Vegetable Puff
(Recipe by Chef Sanjeev Kapoor)
Ingredients:
1 cup refined flour (maida)
¼ cup rice flour
3 tbsp ghee
1 green chili, chopped
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons butter
4-5 French beans, chopped
¼ cup green peas, blanched
1 medium raw banana, boiled and diced
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander leaves
Oil for deep frying
Method:
1. Put refined flour, two spoons of ghee and salt in a bowl and knead it into a stiff dough with little water. Keep aside for ten to fifteen minutes.
2. Heat butter in a non-stick pan, add green chillies and cook for ten seconds.
3. Add the French beans, green peas and raw banana and mix well.
4. Add salt and garam masala and mix. Add mint leaves and mix again and cook for one to two minutes.
5. Mash the mixture with a masher and cook for a minute. Add coriander leaves, mix well and set aside.
6. Divide the dough into equal portions. Roll each portion into a round as thin as possible. Brush a little ghee on them, dust with rice flour and roll firmly.
7. Heat enough oil in a pan.
8. Cut the rolled dough into one inch pieces, flatten them and roll them into two inch diameter discs.
9. Put some vegetable mixture on one half and fold it into a half-moon shape and seal well.
10. Slide them into hot oil and deep fry, on medium heat, until crisp and golden brown.
11. Drain them on absorbent paper and serve hot.
2. Jain Corn Pakoda
(Recipe by Chef Tarla Dalal)
Ingredients:
1 cup grated sweet corn on the cob
2 tablespoons sweet corn kernels (makai k den)
1/4 cup finely chopped coriander (coriander)
2 tsp green chili paste
2 1/2 teaspoons rice flour (rice flour)
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
Method:
1. To make corn pakoda, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
2. Heat oil in a deep pan, leave a little mixture and deep fry on high flame for 8 to 10 minutes until they turn golden brown on all sides.
3. Repeat step 2 to make more pakodas.
4. Serve the corn pakodas immediately with green chutney and tomato ketchup.
3. Jain Paneer Fried Rice
(Recipe by Chef Ranbir Brar)
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of oil
100 grams of cheese, cut into cubes
1 teaspoon ginger, finely chopped (optional)
½ teaspoon celery, finely chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 fresh red chili, finely chopped
¼ cup green beans, chopped
1/2 cup mixed bell peppers, finely chopped (red, yellow, green)
¼ cup cauliflower, small florets
2 ½ cups rice, cooked
½ teaspoon red chili sauce
½ teaspoon green chili sauce
½ teaspoon soy sauce
¼ teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon white pepper powder
Salt to taste
Method:
1. Heat oil in a deep bottom non-stick kadai, fry paneer cubes till golden brown and keep aside till use.
2. Add ginger and celery to it. Cook until fragrant.
3. Add green and red chilies. Cook until fragrant.
4. Add the vegetables and cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add cooked rice and cook for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add red chili sauce, green chili sauce, soy sauce, vinegar and white pepper powder. Mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes.
7. Add salt and mix well and serve hot.
4. Jain Cholar Purians
(Recipe by Chef Sanjeev Kapoor)
Ingredients:
1 cup chickpeas (kabuli chane), soaked overnight and boiled
1 cup refined flour (maida)
3 tbsp ghee
Salt to taste
4-5 Kashmiri red chillies, soaked
1-2 green chillies
2 tbsp oil + for deep frying
2 teaspoons of cumin
1 tsp dried ginger powder (fine)
1 cup boiled and roughly chopped raw banana
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
1 tsp dried mango powder (amchur)
1 teaspoon dried pomegranate seeds (anardana)
Method:
1. Add refined flour, two spoons of ghee, salt and enough water and knead into a stiff dough. Cover and set aside for fifteen minutes.
2. Put red chillies, green chillies, a spoonful of cumin seeds and ginger powder and grind them in a mixer jar to make a thick paste. Transfer to a bowl.
3. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a non-stick pan, add the remaining cumin seeds and cook until the color changes. Add ground paste and sauté.
4. Add boiled gram, raw banana and quarter cup of water and cook on medium heat for one to two minutes.
5. Add garam masala powder, salt, dried mango powder and dried pomegranate seeds and mix.
5. Mash the mixture with a masher in the pan and continue cooking for two to three minutes.
6. Add remaining ghee and mix well. Turn off the heat and set aside.
7. Heat enough oil in a pan.
8. Knead the dough once again and divide it into eight equal parts. Divide the stuffing into eight equal portions.
9. Roll each dough portion into a thick disk and fill the center with gram flour. Gather the edges and press lightly to seal. More obesity rolls out into poverty.
10. Slide each poori into the hot oil and deep fry until crisp and golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper.
11. Serve hot with green chutney.