Chickpea panchakajjaya (Chanedali panchakajjaya)

No pooja is complete without an offering to God according to the Hindu rituals. And panchakajjayas are synonymous with poojas or prayers. Panchakajjayas are essentially a simple and delicious mixture of 5 ingredients served as naivedyam (as an offering) to the Lord while we worship them, whether it is at home or in temples. These panchakajjayas are then served as prasad to people.

Pancha means 5 in Sanskrit, hence panchakajjayas have to be a mixture of 5 (or more) ingredients. 

A variety of pachakajjayas are prepared. Here’s a chickpea panchakajjaya prepared during a number of occasions. It’s called as chanedali panchakkajaya in Konkani, kadale panchakajjaya in Kannada.

We prepare this during Ganesh chaturthi, Krishna Janamastami and during a number of occasions as an offering to God. This panchakajjaya is also served in temples as panchakajjaya/prasad after naivedyam.

This chickpea panchakajjaya is prepared traditionally by grinding whole chickpeas which are then separated from its husk. It's a tedious, time consuming process. When you get dehusked split chickpeas these days, why take the pain to separate chickpeas from its husk? The recipe below is how this panchakajjaya is usually prepared from split chickpeas. You’ll find other easy variations at the bottom of the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chickpeas
• 3/4 cup grated dried coconut
• 3/4 cup powdered jaggery
• 2 teaspoons of cardamom powder
• 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds 
• 3 tablespoons of ghee

Preparation Time: 35 minutes

Preparation Method: 

1. Dry roast split chickpeas in a wok until they start to brown and you get a nice smell of fried chickpeas. Saute them continuously so that they all fry up uniformly. Let them cool completely.
2. Dry roast sesame seeds until they start to splutter and keep them aside.
3. Once the fried chickpeas cool down, grind them into a coarse powder in a blender and keep it aside.
4. Meanwhile add powdered jaggery, 1/2 cup water into a wok. On a medium heat let all the jaggery melt in the water. Then let it boil for 2 minutes.
5. Add cardamom powder, ghee, sesame seeds, dried grated coconut to the jaggery mixture and mix well.
6. Then add powdered chickpea and mix well.
7. Panchakajjaya is ready. They taste great while hot or once they cool. 
8. This panchakajjaya will stay good for 4-5 days. 
9. You can add some more sugar onto top of the panchakajjaya for an extra crunch and sweetness. (optional step) (an option just in case the sweetness of the panchakajjaya is less)
10. Use grated fresh coconut if you can't find dried coconut. But in that case the panchakajjaya will stay good only for a day. It tends to get spoilt because of the fresh coconut.

Easy variations:

1. Mix powdered jaggery with grated fresh coconut (instead of dried coconut), so that it gives out enough mositure content to bind all the ingredients together, instead of the above mentioned steps. Then mix rest of the ingredients with it. 

This is an easier, simpler way of making this panchakajjaya but it'll stay good only for a day. It tends to get spoilt fast due to fresh coconut in it.

2. Instead of jaggery use sugar to make this panchakajjaya. Mix sugar with grated fresh coconut, so that it gives out enough mositure content to bind all the ingredients together. Then mix rest of the ingredients with it. 

This too is an easier, simpler way of making this panchakajjaya but it'll stay good only for a day. It tends to get spoilt fast due to fresh coconut in it.

Tags: Panchakajjaya, chanedali panchakajjaya, chickpeas, naivedyam, festivals, Ganesh festival, chaturthi, kadale panchakajjaya, GSB Konkani recipe, vegan, South Canara Konkani recipe, Konkani cooking, GSB Konkani cuisine, recipe.

Ashtami, chauthi