Kachya Kelya che Thalipeeth- Plantain Flatbread

Hello Dearies!!! Happy navratri festival to you all. Navratri days are specially fasting days, where you eat only fasting foods for 9 days and break the fast on the 10th day which is Dasserra.  History and story of celebrating Navratri is also interesting. Most Hindu festivals come with a story. Since I am not 100% sure of the story told by my Granny, I seek help from the internet.

" Navratri is a very important Hindu festival celebrated in India, which is devoted to Goddess Durga. The festival is celebrated with great reverence and faith across the country. It stretches over a period of nine days, with each of the nine days being dedicated to one of the nine forms of the Goddess. Talking about the history of Navratri festival, it can be explained through the stories mentioned in the Hindu scriptures.

The legend in North India goes that Mahishasura, the mighty demon, worshipped Lord Shiva and obtained the power of eternity. Soon, he started killing and harassing innocent people and set out to win all the three lokas. The gods in swargaloka appealed to Lord Shiva, to find a way to get rid of the demon. To protect the world from the atrocities of Mahishasura, the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva united their powers and created a divine female warrior, known as Goddess Durga. Mahishasura, when he saw the divine beauty of Goddess Durga, got mesmerized. 

So fascinated was Mahishasura by Goddess Durga's beauty that he approached her with the intention of marriage. The goddess agreed to marry him, but put forth a condition - Mahishasura would have to win over her in a battle. Mahishasura, proud as he was, agreed immediately! The battle continued for 9 nights and at the end of the ninth night, Goddess Durga beheaded Mahishasura. The nine nights came to be known as Navratri, while the tenth day was called Vijayadashmi, the tenth day that brought the triumph of good over evil. 

Yet another legend of Navratri relates to the Hindu epic Ramayana. It goes that Lord Rama worshiped Goddess Durga in nine aspects, for nine days, in order to gather the strength and power to kill Ravana. He wanted to release Sita from the clutches of powerful demon king Ravana, who had abducted her. Those nine nights became to be known as Navratri and the tenth day, on which Lord Rama killed Ravana, came to be called Vijayadashmi or Dusshera, signifying Rama's (good) triumph over Ravana (evil)."

 

 It is  a practice at my moms home to fast for 9 days which I try and follow even in the US. This is something that we do on our own faith. There is no compulsion or rule for fasting. I do the fasts to build refrain from the cravings and as a Detox for the whole system before the big festival of Diwali. Diwali is all about food, snacks and bringing the good in our minds, souls and homes.

I will try and post a fast food recipe a day. Today being Day 1, my meal would be this Kachya kelya che thalipeeth or plantain flatbread. My mom makes this with boiled potatoes. Since it is about Detoxing the system, I opted for a better starch i. e plantain. This tastes amazing when hot, but can be still enjoyed as  a lunch box item.

You will need;
1 big boiled  and mashed Plantain/Raw Banana

Approx 1 cup Water-chestnut flour-Singada Atta
The proportion will depend on how soggy the mushed plantain is, if its less you will require less flour
1 small boiled potato-Optional
2 tbspn roasted peanut powder
1 tbspn Cayenne powder
1 tspn cumin powder
1 tspn Cumin seeds
1 tsp sugar
Salt to taste.
Water if needed to knead into  a pliable dough
Oil for greasing the pan.

In a bowl combine all the ingredients and mix well. Use little water if needed to bind it into a ball. heat the pan and spray it with a non stick spray or use oil whichever you prefer. Press the dough ball into a flat roti and cover with a lid and cook it for about 2-3 minutes. Flip the thalipeeth and repeat the process of covering and cooking.  Enjoy as is or with any sauce/ketchup or green chutney.

This is my Day 1 of the 9 days recipe. I will try and do one recipe each day if its not already here. Wish me luck and strength to complete the 9 days of fasting. I will keep all my friends and well wishers in my prayers.