Janmashtami Prasad Thali / Meva Paag Recipe

Meva Paag, a delectable dry fruit fudge is a part of the Chappan Bhog Thali that is made for Janmashtami festival. Today I am here, with a Janmashtami Prasad Thali that you can offer to Lord Krishna on his birthday. My Gokulashtami Naivedhyam thali comprises of easy to make dishes, that serve both as an offering to the deity and also as fasting food for the vrat. I have included lord Krishna's favourite dishes like Makhana Kheer (Fox nut pudding), Peanut Coconut Ladoo, Charnamrut/Panchamrut, Makhan Mishri, Meva Paag (dry fruit fudge), Dhaniya Panjiri and Kheera (Cucumber)in my thali.

Janmashtami or Gokulasthami is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Lord Vishnu. This year, the festival will be celebrated on 30th August. Krishna devotees all around the world celebrate this festival with great joy and enthusiasm. Most of the devotees keep fast from sunrise on the day of Janmashtami. Fasting is accompanied with singing devotional songs and chanting mantras. Various dishes are made on this day to offer to the deity. Those fasting on Janmashtami break the fast at midnight after the birth of Lord Krishna with the food that was offered to the deity.

                                 

Checkout the Short Video for Janmashtami  Prasad Thali

                       

Let's checkout the recipes of all the dishes included in this Janmashtami Prasad/Bhog Thali one by one.

• Meva Paag: Meva Paag is a very healthy and delicious dessert made with dry fruits and nuts especially as a fasting food and offering to Lord Krishna on Janmashtami festival. It is also a part of chappan bhog made for Lord Krishna. This fudge is usually made with sugar syrup and nuts. I am sharing the recipe which replaces sugar with jaggery, so it is all the more nutritious and guilt-free. Meva Paag can be served at breakfast with milk to kick start a day, or packed in kid's school snack box. Makes a perfect mid day or after school snack. It has a good shelf life of 8-10 days at room temperature, so makes a great travel food as well. Meva paag makes an excellent winter food  for all ages as all the ingredients used in this fudge gives warmth and energy to our body. The recipe is very simple and you actually do not have to look for correct syrup consistency in this case where we are going to use jaggery.

Preparation Time:  15 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 10-12 fudge pieces

Ingredients: 1 cup = 240 ml

• 1 1/4th  cup Jaggery powder
• 1/2 cup Makhana / Fox nut
• 1/2 cup grated dry Coconut
• 3 tablespoon ghee
• 2 tablespoon melon seeds
• 2 tablespoon raisins
• 8-10 almonds
• 8-10 Cashew nuts
• 1 tablespoon edible gum / goand
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1 teaspoon dry ginger / saunth
• 1/2 teaspoon green cardamom powder

Method:

1. Heat 1 teaspoon ghee in a pan over medium heat. Fry the cashew and almonds in it until golden brown on low flame. Remove it in a plate.
2. To the same pan add makhana and roast for 2-3 minutes or until crispy on low flame. Remove onto a plate and allow to cool down.
3. Add 1 teaspoon ghee to the pan and tip in edible gum to it. Fry the edible gum in the hot ghee. You we see the edible gum will puff after frying and become double to tipple in size. Remove the edible gum in another plate and allow it to cool down.
4. Now roast the poppy seeds for few seconds. Add melon seeds to it and roast until the seeds pop. Remove the poppy and melon seeds on to a plate.
5. Add grated dry coconut to the pan and roast on low flame for around a minute.
6. Chop the raisins with a sharp knife.
7. Add the roasted makhana to a grinder jar and grind it coarsely. Remove it a a plate.
8.  Next, aadd roasted cashew and almonds and grind it coarsely. Remove it to the plate we added ground makhana.
9. Add the puffed edible gum to the same jar and grind the edible gum finely.
10. Add remaining ghee to the pan and add jaggery powder to it. Keep stirring and allow the jaggery to melt on low flame. When it starts bubbling, add only 2-3 tablespoon of water, so that it does not catch the bottom.
11. Add the roasted coconut, powdered makhana, almonds , cashew, powdered edible gum, chopped raisins, roasted poppy seeds and melon seeds. Give it a good mix. 
12. Withing 3-4 minutes of cooking the mixture further, you will see the mix, leaving the sides of the pan. Put off the flame. Add dry ginger powder and green cardamom powder and quick a quick mix. 
13. Immediately pour the mixture in a greased tray and level it with the back of the spatula.
14. Once the mix sets a bit, cut it into desired shape.
15. Allow the fudge to set for at least 2 hours at room temperature before de-molding it.
16. Store the completely cooled meva paag in air tight container. It stays good for around 10 days at room temperature.

• Maakhan Mishri / Navneet /Loni : Lord Krishna is also known as Makhan Chor. He was very fond of butter, so make sure you keep maakhan mishri for offering (bhog ) for Kanhaji. Homemade unsalted butter prepared by churning milk cream is called makkhan. It is topped with rock sugar (mishri) and saffrom strands and then offered to Lord Krishna.

• Makhane ki Kheer : Makhane ki kheer is basically a sweet pudding in which lotus seeds roasted in little ghee are added to sweetened reduced milk. Makhane ki kheer has a rich creamy texture and is very delicious. A very simple and easy preparation that can be made under 15 minutes and taste great both hot or chilled. This kheer can be had as a fasting food (food for vrat or upvas) and is generally served as naivedhyam (offering to God) to lord Krishna on Janmashtami.

• Dhaniya Panjiri : Dhaniya Panjiri is an aromatic and delicious dish that is offered to Lord Krishna on the auspicious occasion of Janmashtami. This traditional naivedhyam is prepared using powdered coriander seeds, dry fruits and is sweetened with jaggery. The devotees fasting on Janmashtami, break the fast at midnight after the birth of lord Krishna with this Dhaniya Panjiri. This preparation is very nutritious and healthy and is ready within 15 minutes with the ingredients that are almost always present in an Indian pantry.

• Charnamrut / North Indian Panchamrit : Charnamrut or Panchamrut is a holy Indian concoction that is an integral part of any religious occasion. Panchamrut that is offered as naivedhyam to the deity or used for Abhishek and distributed as pasad (blessed food) after any pooja pr prayer in temples or at home is referred to as Charnamrit as it is bestowed at the feet of the deity. Panchamrut translates to 5 amrut (nectar). It is essentially made from 5 holy ingredients.
  

                                         

• Instant Peanut Coconut Ladoo : Insyant peanut coconut ladoo is a quick, fasting recipe with just 3 ingredients! The recipe calls for use of scrapped fresh coconut , roasted peanut powder and powdered sugar. Just blend these 3 ingredients and bind them into ball shape. If you have roasted peanuts ready at hand, then this is a no cook recipe. These peanut coconut ladoo are not only very easy to make but they are filling and can be made in a jiffy.          

You may also want to check out some more recipes, that can be served as naivedhyam for the janmashtami festival. Check out Kalkandu Pongal Recipe from my friend Narmadha's space, a creamy and delicious sweet made with moong dal, milk and kallakandu (rock sugar candy) 

Recipe Notes:

• Always place holy basil leaves while offering bhog to lord Krishna.
• Make sure you do nit taste any of the dishes that are been offered as bhog to the deity.
• Make sure the prasad is handled with dignity, not spilled or wasted at any cost.
• It is customary that the person who cooks the bhog maintains personal hygiene and does not eat while preparing bhog.
• Most of all cook the bhog with love and devotion and not for the sake of doing a task that is being assigned to you by someone.

Would love to hear from you !

I hope you would love trying out this healthy and delicious Meva paag recipe and Janmashtami bhog thali. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with us in the form of likes and comments in the section below this post.

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See you soon with yet another healthy and delicious creation from my Kitchen. Until then Stay safe and eat right !

 

Happy Cooking !

Happy Eating !

 

Regards

Poonam Bachhav 

Do check out the following post for more Janmashtami special recipes.

• Chappan Bhog for Lord Krishna

• Mohanthal

• Gopalkala

• Narayani Sheera

• Panchamrut

• Badam Katli