Varan Bhaat

The festive month is here in India and everyone has started preparing various types of sweets and savory delicacies. Tomorrow we all will be celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi and all Hindus in Goa will eat pure veg food i.e. food without onion and garlic eg. Varan Bhaat. The otherwise fish eating Goans are very strict when the festivals are celebrated and don’t even consider keeping onions and garlic in the house. Especially during Ganesh Chaturthi, when Lord Ganesha comes home.

Different types of dishes are made and offered to Lord Ganesha as neivedyam. After offering it to the Lord, we all people in the house eat the food which is considered as Prasad or Prasadam. Ganesh Chaturthi is the biggest festival in Goa and people celebrate it very religiously. It starts from the first day i.e. Gauri Pooja and continues till the last day of Ganesh Chaturthi.

Some people keep Ganesha in house for 1 and ½ days, some for 5 days, some keep it for 11 days and finally some keep it till 21 days. Throughout this time, people perform Pooja, sing Aarthis, and offer Neivedyam 2 times a day. People even burst crackers like how they do during Diwali. 1 week before the festival starts, the ladies at home start making sweets like Nevri or Karanji, Modaks ,ladoos,Shankar Pale,Chakri,etc. Pack and send it as vajje to their daughters and sisters homes.

The recipe that I am sharing today “Varan” is an authentic Goan recipe that we make specially during festivals and other special occasions. Not all types of food can be offered as Neivedyam to God. But varan is one such recipe which can be offered as Neivedyam. Some people add curry leaves while tempering, but in my house we don’t add curry leaves to this recipe.