Gopalkala /Janmashtami special Recipe

Gopalkala is a healthy and delicious dish from Maharashtrian Cuisine. It is popular as an offering to lord Krishna on Janmastami festival as Lord Krishna is known for his sweet tooth and love for milk products. Gopal Kala is basically dahi poha, savory mixture of flattened rice (poha) and curd with cucumber, pomegranate, peanuts and coconut. This mixture is then ghee tempered with curry leaves and green chilies making it all the more flavorful. One can have this nutritious, low-calorie dish at breakfast or offer to kids as an after school snack.

Govinda Ala Re Ala... Yes the most awaited annual festival Janmashtami  has arrived !! Happy Janmashtami to all those who celebrate! Janmashtami / Gokulashtami  is a two day festivity to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna. On the first day of the festivity, Hindu devotees observe fasting and stay awake until midnight , singing and chanting mantras , and cooking special food to be offered to Lord Krishna. On the second day , in many parts of Maharashtra, a tradition of " Dahi handi " is followed in which earthen pots filled with curd / buttermilk are hung up in air at considerable height and Dahi handi participants called Govinda's make human pyramid and the Govinda on the top breaks the handi with coconut spilling the curd over the entire group . This event is based on the legend of the child-god Krishna stealing butter.
                                       

I look forward to Janmastami as much as i do for the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. I keep fast on the first day of Janmastami festival and have only milk and fruits. In the evening a jhaki is prepared and baby Krishna idol is placed in cradle, thereafter Vishnu Sahasranaam is chanted .This picture below is my last year pooja pic. Scrumptious dishes are prepared for Kanha's bhog, most of them with milk and milk products. Some of this dishes that i prepare every year for Janmastami are Mohanthal, Makhane Ki Kheer, Narayani Sheera, Instant Peanut Coconut Ladoo, Dates and Nuts Ladoo, Dhaniya Panjiri , Panchamrut this Gopal Kala and the off course Makhan Mishri which is Kanha's favourite food.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 2 minutes
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup flattened rice (Poha)
• 1 cup plain curd 
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cucumber 
• 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds 
• 2 tablespoon scrapped fresh coconut
• 2 teaspoon sugar 
• Salt to taste
• Few curry leaves
• 2  green chilies , finely chopped 
• 2 teaspoon peanuts 
• 1 teaspoon ghee 
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 

 Method:

• Wash the flattened rice (poha) under running water and allow to drain in a colander. In a big mixing bowl take this drained poha and mix with chopped cucumber, scrapped coconut, pomegranate seeds, chopped green chilies, curd, salt and sugar.

2. Heat up a small pan on medium heat and melt the ghee. Add cumin seeds, curry leaves and peanuts. Stir fry for a minute and pour this tempering over the poha and mix well . Serve !

Recipe Notes:

• Fruits like Apple and banana can also be added to this Gopalkala to make it more wholesome.
• Soak the poha well in water before adding it to the curd, or else it will soak the curd and the gopalkala will be dry.
• Do not skip peanuts as they lend a lovely crunch to the gopalkala.
• You may skip green chilies if serving to small kids. 

This is an old post which i have updated with the new pics and written content. I am sharing this post with a Facebook group, Foodies_RedoingOldPost which i have recently joined. This group is an initiative my friend and fellow blogger Renu who blogs at Cookwithrenu. In this group, bloggers update their old posts with new pics or contents every 2 weeks. I loved this concept, as bloggers we grow each day, our photography gets better and when we revisit our old post, we feel the photography could be better. Also many a time we make changes in our recipe which needs to be updated. I have many such posts which need to be updated and hope this group gives me the needed motivation for it. This is my fourth entry in this event (23rd August). 

                                        

If you ever try this recipe, do share your feedback with us in the comment section below. 

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For more Janmastami Special recipes, check out the following from this blog

• Mohanthal 

                               

• Makhane Ki Kheer

                               

• Narayani Sheera

                               

• Instant Peanut Coconut Ladoo

                               

• Dates and Nuts Ladoo

                               

• Dhaniya Panjiri

                               

• Mishti Doi

                               

• Panchamrut