Basant Panchami or Vasant Panchami is a Hindu spring festival which falls on the fifth day of the month of Magh according to the hindu traditional calendar. It usually falls in the month of January or February. It marks the end of winter season and the onset of spring.
Basant Panchami is celebrated in different ways in different regions. In many regions goddess Saraswati the Hindu deity of arts and music is worshipped.
People wear yellow clothes and prepare yellow dishes like kesar halwa, besan ladoo, boondi ladoo, kesari bhaat and many more as an offering on this special day. Yellow signifies vibrancy and the bloom of mustard flowers during this period.
Sweet rice, kesari bhaat or meethe chawal as I call it since childhood is a kind of sweet rice which is cooked with saffron, cardamom and dry fruits.
Every year on Basant Panchami this used to be a special dish which my mother used to make and it was the first thing that I used to eat after coming back from school.
To get the yellow colour mostly saffron (kesar) is used, hence the name kesari bhaat. It gives a nice flavor and fragrance to the rice. If you don't have saffron, a drop of yellow colour can also be used.
My mother sometimes makes them white in colour too which is without saffron or colour and trust me they taste equally well.
I made it in very less quantity as you will be able to see in the pictures, you can double or triple the quantity as per your requirement.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup basmati rice
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar (adjust the sugar as per your taste)
2-3 table spoons ghee
few strands of kesar (saffron)
1/2 tea spoon powdered elaichi (green cardamom)
8-10 almonds and cashews chopped or sliced
12 - 15 raisins
METHOD
1. Wash the rice very well and soak it for 20-25 minutes.
2. In a pan heat the ghee and add the almonds and cashews and fry till light brown. Remove and keep aside. Now add the raisins in the same ghee and remove them as soon as they fluff up . Keep aside.
3. Soak the kesar (saffron) in warm milk and keep aside. Drain the water from the rice.
4. Switch on the gas. In a kadai, add 1 cup of water add the soaked and drained rice. You can add the powdered cardamom here itself. I have not added it.
5. Add the kesar milk. Add 1 table spoon of ghee.
6. Add the sugar.
7. Cook the rice till all the water dries up and check if it is done.
8. Add the fried almonds, cashews and raisins. Serve hot.
PICTORIAL GUIDE
1. Wash the rice very well and soak it for 20-25 minutes.
2. In a pan heat the ghee and add the almonds and cashews and fry till light brown. Remove and keep aside. Now add the raisins in the same ghee and remove them as soon as they fluff up . Keep aside.
3. Soak the kesar (saffron) in warm milk and keep aside. Drain the water from the rice.
4. Switch on the gas. In a kadai, add 1 cup of water add the soaked and drained rice. You can add the powdered cardamom here itself. I have not added it.
5. Add the kesar milk. Add 1 table spoon of ghee.
6. Add the sugar.
7. Cook the rice till all the water dries up and check if it is done.
8. Add the fried almonds, cashews and raisins. Serve hot.
HAPPY BASANT PANCHAMI!!
HAPPY COOKING!! 😊
