In India, every festival is a celebration of food as well as customs. Around Dussehra (Vijayadashami), each region of the nation has created its own unique cuisine over the centuries, featuring sweets, savoury dishes, and festive feasts that stand for triumph, wealth, and unity. However, many of these festive dishes have become less popular in today's fast-paced world due to the popularity of packaged snacks, fusion mithai, and quick recipes.

Let's bring back those lost festive flavours this Dussehra 2025—recipes that were once a staple of temple offerings, family thalis, and festive get-togethers but are now hard to find. Every dish has a backstory of custom, devotion, and cultural heritage, from the rustic kitchens of Bihar to the confectioneries of Karnataka.

Forgotten Festive Recipes Worth Reviving

1. Khaja Recipe – Bihar’s Forgotten Festive Sweet

Ingredients for Khaja Recipe

• 2 cups refined flour (maida)
• ¼ cup ghee
• 1 pinch salt
• Water (as required)
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup water (for syrup)
• Oil/ghee for frying

Method for Khaja Recipe

1. In a bowl, mix maida, ghee, and salt to form a crumbly texture.
2. Add water gradually to knead into a stiff dough. Rest for 20 minutes.
3. Roll out small discs, layer 3-4 together, fold, and roll again for flakiness.
4. Cut into rectangles, fry until golden and crisp.
5. Prepare a sugar syrup of one-string consistency.
6. Dip fried khaja into syrup and let it set.
7. Serve the crunchy khaja recipe as a Dussehra special sweet.

2. Obbattu / Holige Recipe – Karnataka’s Festive Flatbread

Ingredients for Obbattu Recipe

• 2 cups chana dal
• 1 ½ cups jaggery (grated)
• 2 cups whole wheat flour (for dough)
• 2 tbsp ghee
• ½ tsp cardamom powder
• Oil/ghee for cooking

Method for Obbattu Recipe

1. Cook chana dal until soft, and drain excess water.
2. Mash dal, mix with jaggery and cardamom powder → stuffing ready.
3. Knead wheat flour with water and ghee to make soft dough.
4. Divide the dough, stuff with dal-jaggery mixture, and roll into discs.
5. Cook each obbattu on a tawa with ghee until golden spots appear.
6. Serve warm with a drizzle of ghee — a traditional obbattu recipe enjoyed during Dussehra.

3. Churma Ladoo Recipe – Rajasthan’s Festive Energy Sweet

Ingredients for Churma Ladoo Recipe

• 2 cups wheat flour
• ½ cup ghee
• 1 cup jaggery (grated) or sugar
• ¼ cup chopped dry fruits (cashew, almonds, raisins)
• 1 tsp cardamom powder

Method for Churma Ladoo Recipe

1. Mix wheat flour with ghee, knead stiff dough, and make small balls.
2. Deep-fry balls in ghee till golden brown.
3. Crush fried balls into coarse powder (churma).
4. Add melted jaggery, cardamom, and dry fruits.
5. Mix well and shape into ladoos.
6. Enjoy the churma ladoo recipe as a festive sweet during Dussehra.

4. Sundal Recipe – Tamil Nadu’s Festive Prasad

Ingredients for Sundal Recipe

• 1 cup white chickpeas (soaked overnight)
• 2 tsp coconut (grated)
• 2 tsp oil
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp urad dal
• 1 dry red chilli
• 1 sprig of curry leaves
• Salt to taste

Method for Sundal Recipe

1. Pressure cook the soaked chickpeas until soft. Drain.
2. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, urad dal, red chilli, and curry leaves.
3. Add cooked chickpeas, salt, and toss well.
4. Garnish with grated coconut.
5. Serve the sundal recipe as a healthy Dussehra prasad.

5. Bhutte Ka Kees Recipe – Madhya Pradesh’s Corn Delight

Ingredients for Bhutte Ka Kees Recipe

• 2 fresh corncobs (grated)
• ½ cup milk
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 green chilli (chopped)
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• Salt to taste
• Fresh coriander for garnish

Method for Bhutte Ka Kees Recipe

1. Heat ghee, add cumin seeds and green chilli.
2. Add grated corn, cook for 5 minutes.
3. Pour in milk, turmeric, and salt. Stir and cook till thick.
4. Garnish with coriander and serve hot.
5. Bhutte ka kees recipe is a forgotten Indore speciality once common during Dussehra melas.

6. Shakarkandi Halwa Recipe – North India’s Sweet Potato Dessert

Ingredients for Shakarkandi Halwa Recipe

• 2 medium sweet potatoes (boiled & mashed)
• 2 tbsp ghee
• ½ cup sugar or jaggery
• ½ tsp cardamom powder
• 2 tbsp chopped dry fruits

Method for Shakarkandi Halwa Recipe

1. Heat ghee in a pan, and add mashed shakarkandi.
2. Sauté until golden and aromatic.
3. Add sugar/jaggery, mix till dissolved.
4. Sprinkle cardamom and dry fruits.
5. Serve warm shakarkandi halwa recipe as a satvik Dussehra sweet.

7. Patoleo Recipe – Goa’s Festive Rice Sweet

Ingredients for Patoleo Recipe

• 2 cups rice (soaked & ground to paste)
• ½ cup grated coconut
• ½ cup jaggery
• ½ tsp cardamom powder
• Fresh turmeric leaves (or banana leaves)

Method for Patoleo Recipe

1. Clean and wash turmeric leaves.
2. Spread rice paste thinly on each leaf.
3. Fill with the coconut, jaggery, and cardamom mixture.
4. Fold the leaves and steam for 15–20 minutes.
5. Peel off the leaf before eating.
6. Patoleo recipe is a forgotten Goan delicacy, once common in festive feasts.

8. Phirni Recipe – Kashmir’s Festive Rice Pudding

Ingredients for Phirni Recipe

• ½ cup basmati rice (soaked & ground)
• 1 litre of milk
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ tsp cardamom powder
• Saffron strands
• Chopped nuts for garnish

Method for Phirni Recipe

1. Heat milk, bring to a boil.
2. Add ground rice paste, stir continuously to avoid lumps.
3. Cook on a low flame till creamy.
4. Add sugar, cardamom, and saffron.
5. Pour into earthen bowls, garnish with nuts.
6. Chill before serving.
7. Phirni recipe was once a traditional Dussehra dessert in northern India, now overshadowed by kheer.

The Cultural Symbolism Behind These Dishes

Every forgotten dish has meaning in addition to taste:

• Victory over evil: Prosperous, decadent treats like ladoos represent success and wealth.
• Seasonal connection: Local harvests are reflected in sweet potatoes, corn, and legumes.
• Community building: To share with neighbours and visitors, large quantities of churma ladoo, khaja, and sundal were prepared.
• Spiritual offerings: Before being eaten, a lot of these foods were first prepared as naivedyam, or offerings to the gods.

Try preparing at least one of these forgotten festive recipes at home while gourmet boxes and fusion mithai are making their way to parties. Because sometimes reviving the flavours we nearly lost is the sweetest way to celebrate success. Download Foodism and share your creations now!