Temple run! 10-day food fest pays tribute to temple feasts across India

Illustration Ravi JadhavA sweet touchDid you know that the Chhappan Bhog a feast with 56 varieties offered to Lord Krishna at the popular Shrinathji Temple at Nathdwara in Rajasthan features nonspicy multihued dishes to entice the infant form of the resident deity ldquoThe temple uses saffron sugar ghee and dry fruits in most of the preparations The bhog is simple without any use of spices and we have not tampered with the recipesrdquo informs Apurva Panchal sous chef The Taj Mahal PalaceAloo MethiThe festival will be hosted across the five properties in the city Tuck into Chokki Patta Gobi cabbage tempered with cumin and turmeric Arhar Ki Dal yellow lentil preparation finished with ghee Kesariya Bhaat saffronflavoured rice and Dabka Kadhi tempered yoghurt with lentil dumplings Kurkure Ratalu crispy fried sweet potato a popular streetside snack in the temple town has also made it to the menuKesariya BhaatLove for langarEven if yoursquove never visited Harmandir Sahib Golden Temple in Amritsar yoursquod have heard of its famous tradition of serving langar mdash free piping hot meals to a sea of devotees who swarm the holy shrine So when a group of chefs from the Taj group visited the iconic gurudwara to research for the festival they participated in making rotis and cutting vegetables at the community kitchen and got to savour the famous Langarwali DalDabka KadhiThe mildlyspiced lentil preparation is the star of the temple thali of the North The feast features over 10 varieties including homestyle Aloo Methi and Mutter Paneer offered at the landmark pilgrim shrine of Vaishno Devi in Jammu And Kashmir ldquoWersquove also recreated street fare found in the temple neighbourhoods In Amritsar itrsquos Satpura Samosa a sevenlayered samosa with potato stuffing Wersquove done away with the stuffing to create a flaky layered savoury pastry to be served as farsan in the thalirdquo informs PanchalLangarwali DalOf red pumpkins and spicesThe sacred kitchens at the Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh churn out offerings using tons of vegetables lentils milk and sugar donated by the devotees who throng to seek blessings of its resident Lord VenkateswaraDoi BegunServed as prasad to guests the feast features Milagu Rassam a concoction of pigeon peas and tomato with hint of black pepper Arachu Vita Sambar a traditional TamBrahm lentil preparation with drumsticks and stoneground spices and Red Pumpkin Poriyal where the veggie is tossed in freshly grated coconut and tempered with mustard seeds and curry leafRed Pumpkin PoriyalldquoUsually a poriyal is made with beans or carrot so it was interesting to see how the temple makes Red Pumpkin Poriyalrdquo says Panchal who also replicated the technique of handpounding spices in the rassam and sambar An addition from Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai is Urlai Vatthakal baby potatoes tempered and slowcooked with homemade spicesKhichuri BhogldquoThe food at this temple is spicier with more use of potatordquo he says Common to both temples is Pookose Urlai Kurma cauliflower florets and potato in a light coconut and cashew gravy Thayir Sadham curd rice and Elaneer Payassam a sweet dish comprising chilled tender coconut and condensed milk ldquoThey use shortgrained ponni rice in Thayir SadhamWersquove brought that from the Southrdquo says Panchal The menu also features Vazhapoo vadai crisp galettes of banana blossoms and lentils a street snack in the Tirupati temple neighbourhoodAn OriyaBengal mixApart from its Rath Yatra the Jagannath temple at Puri in Odisha is also famous for its Mahaprasad that includes Khichuri Bhog mdash a mix of rice pulses and vegetables cooked in an earthen pot ldquoIn the temple pots are stacked on top of each other over wood fire and surprisingly the topmost pot cooks first Itrsquos magical and I still havenrsquot figured out how that happensrdquo observes Panchal For the festival the chefs will recreate the dish in an earthen pot using Kolkatarsquos ubiquitous Gobindo Bhog riceHowever it will be cooked over charcoal embers Offerings from Kolkatarsquos Kalighat temple also appear on the menu These include Doi Begun baby brinjals in curd gravy supposed to be served at room temperature Chanar Kalia cottage cheese dumplings in cashew gravy and an innovative raita that features raddish Panch phoron the popular Bengali fivespice mix is also used in temple feasts in East India