NagPanchami or the festival of snakes is a Hindu festival celebrated in July or August in India. According to Marathi calendar , it falls on shravana shukla panchami.On this day snake Kalia was defeated by Lord Krishna. Milk and silver jewelry is offered to the Cobras so that they will safeguard them from all evils.
Nagpanchmi special menu in Maharashtra is 'Gavhachi Kheer and Kanavale' means 'Cracked Wheat Kheer with Steamed Chapathi's'.
Cracked wheat is nothing but Dalia which we get in market very easily. I have prepared Dalia lot of times for my infants. Because Dalia is supposed to be very nice baby food for babies 6 months older.
My mother and grandmother used to make cracked wheat at home in their times. They used to clean and wash whole wheat three to four times and soak it for 9-10 hours or Over night. Then, drain and grind them a little, so that they are just broken and not paste.
1 cup cracked wheat/Dalia
1 1/2 cups grated Jaggery/sugar
1/2 cup fresh grated coconut
3-4 cardamom pods
3-4 strands of saffron
2-3 tsp. ghee (optional)
1 cup water
2 cups milk
some almonds, cashews and pistachio chunks to garnish
1.Cook cracked wheat with 1 cup of water in pressure cooker for 1 whistle.
2.Heat ghee in pan and roast grated coconut in the same ghee till it gets little golden color. Roast some cashew pieces with coconut till golden color.
3.Add cooked Dalia/cracked wheat along with its water into pan and mix it well.
4.Add warm milk into this mixture and then add Jaggery or sugar. Jaggery tastes very nice and very healthy too. Add cardamom pods and saffron.
5.Let the kheer boil on slow flame and put off the heat once boiled.
6.Garnish with some almonds, cashews and pistachio chunks.
We can have Gavhachi Kheer with puri , roti or just like any dessert pudding. I am serving Gavhachi Kheer with Kanavale-Steamed chapathi , which is Nagpanchmi special menu in Maharashtra.
