Dussehra is a popular Indian festival, which is very meaningful in the current time. As Dussehra signifies the victory of truth over evil and inspires everyone to follow the path of truth, righteousness and dharma. It reminds us that in the end truth always wins.

Dussehra festival is celebrated all over India with different names and rituals to mark the defeat of the demon king Ravan by Bhagwan Ram. Other names of Dussehra festival are dashahara, dasara, vijayadashami or durgotsav.

The word ‘Dussehra’ is derived from the sanskrit word ‘Dasha-hara” which literally means “removal of ten”. Demon king Ravan had 10 heads and so the word Dussehra refers to Bhagwan Ram victory over the ten-headed demon king Ravan.

Also since this victory happened on the 10th lunar day of the Hindu calendar month, it is also known by the name ‘Vijayadashami’. (vijay means victory and dashami means on the tenth).

A bit about Dussehra recipes: this is a day of celebration and festivity. There are no set or defined recipes that have to be made on this day. So you can make any recipe which you are fond of. 

The popular sweets which are made during this festival are rasgulla in Bengal, gulab jamun, rabri, malpua and jalebi in North India, mysore pak in Karnataka and Murukku and payasams in South India.

In Gujarat, during Dussehra festival fafda along with papaya chutney, fafda chutney and jalebi is sold like hot cakes

Although the festival is celebrated with different rituals and names all over India. But the Dussehra celebrations which happen in Mysore (Karnataka) and Kullu valley (Himachal Pradesh) are very famous. In Kullu region, the Dussehra celebration lasts for seven days.

This year Dussehra festival will fall on 15th October – 2021 and Diwali festival is on 4th November 2021.

You can also check collection of 80 Diwali snacks recipes and 121 Diwali sweets recipes.

In this post, I am sharing recipes from the blog which can be made during Dussehra or dasara festival.

Dussehra snacks recipes

• Fafda recipe – a fried crispy crunchy tasty snack made with besan. fafda served with Papaya sambharo and Besan chutney is an awesome combination and is one of the most popular snack eaten during Dussehra festival in Gujarat.
• Hara bhara kabab – are healthy, flavorful, savory pan-fried patties loaded with spinach, green peas and potatoes. My recipe is easy to make and suitable for both vegans and vegetarians alike. .
• Matar kachori – flaky & crisp Indian pastries stuffed with spiced & mashed peas.
• Khaman dhokla – Khaman is a healthy savory-sweet snack that’s perfect to enjoy anytime of the day.
• Rava dhokla – steamed, soft and fluffy cakes made from rava or semolina.
• Chana dal vada – popular crispy & crunchy fried snack made from chana dal, onions and spices-herbs.
• Aloo pakora – crisp golden batter coated fried potato slices.
• Bread pakora with stuffed potatoes – popular snack of bread pakoda stuffed with spiced mashed potatoes.
• Aloo tikki – An Aloo Tikki recipe that is crispy, crusty and tastes so good.
• Veg momo – steamed dumplings stuffed with a lightly spiced vegetable filling. A popular tibetan recipe.
• Veg manchurian – spicy, sweet and tangy dry veg manchurian recipe.
• Veg spring rolls – a popular Chinese snack of vegetable spring rolls.
• Chilli paneer – dry version of spicy chili paneer recipe from Indo Chinese cuisine.
• Gobi manchurian – Indo Chinese recipe of pan fried cauliflower florets coated with a spicy sauce.
• Gobi 65 – spicy starter snack of fried cauliflower florets.
• Dahi vada – popular North Indian street food snack made of lentil dumplings in yogurt , spiced with chutneys and spice powders.
• Mumbai pav bhaji – popular street food from Mumbai consisting of spiced smooth mashed mix vegetables, served with lightly roasted buttered bread.
• Pani puri – a popular street food of India, where crisp fried dough balls are stuffed with potatoes, sprouts, spicy tangy water or sweet chutney.
• Besan chilla – spiced savory gram flour pancakes. Easy breakfast or snack idea.
• Veg cutlet – These vegetable cutlet are crisp, savory, tender patties made with a mix of hearty veggies, savory spices, fresh herbs and crispy breadcrumbs.
• Veg puffs – delicious bakery style recipe of veg puffs.

Breakfast recipes for Dussehra festival

• Aloo poori – traditional Punjabi spiced potato curry served with pooris.
• Chole bhature – spicy chickpeas curry served with leavened fried bread. Popular in Punjab and parts of north India.
• Aloo kulcha – crisp and soft leavened flat breads stuffed with a spiced potato stuffing.
• Sindhi dal pakwan – one of the popular sindhi breakfast recipe. It is basically chana dal (bengal gram) served with pakwan (crisp fried Indian bread).
• Aloo paratha – popular Indian breakfast of unleavened whole wheat flat bread stuffed with a spiced potato stuffing.
• Gobi paratha – popular unleavened whole wheat flat bread stuffed with a spiced cauliflower stuffing.
• Batata poha – easy to make and a popular breakfast dish from maharashtra.
• Soft idlis – recipe to make soft and fluffy idlis at home.
• Rava idli – quick and easy idlis made with sooji or semolina. Requires no grinding and fermentation.
• Masala dosa – This classic Masala dosa recipe makes perfectly light, soft and crispy crepes stuffed with a savory, wonderfully spiced potato and onion filling.
• Misal pav – a popular Mumbai street food of usal (sprouts curry) topped with onions, tomatoes, farsan (fried savory mixture), lemon juice and served with pav.
• Onion rava dosa – easy lacy dosa made with semolina, rice flour, onions and all purpose flour. A quick breakfast option.
• Ven Pongal – popular South Indian breakfast made with rice and yellow moong lentils.
• Sweet Pongal – sweet festive dish made with rice and mung lentils, flavored with cardamoms, dry fruits & ghee.
• South Indian upma recipe – savory South Indian breakfast dish made with cream of wheat.
• Veg sandwich –  easy to prepare Mumbai style veg sandwich recipe.
• Paneer bread rolls – quick baked snack of bread rolls stuffed with a spiced paneer stuffing. No onion no garlic recipe. Tofu can be substituted instead of paneer.
• Set dosa – very soft, light and spongy dosa.
• Poha idli – soft, light and fluffy idlis made with poha (flattened rice), idli rice and urad dal.

Main course recipes for Dussehra festival

• Paneer butter masala – This recipe with Indian cottage cheese cubes in a creamy tomato sauce is one that I have been making for a long time.
• Kadai paneer – restaurant style semi dry curry made with cottage cheese, capsicum/green bell peppers and Indian spices.
• Hyderabadi veg biryani – a vegetable biryani recipe from the land of the nawabs -Hyderabad. The Hyderabadi vegetable biryani recipe is light, a bit spiced, aromatic and deliciously yum.
• Punjab rajma – simple and easy one pot Punjabi rajma masala or kidney beans curry.
• Punjabi chole masala – chole is a popular North Indian curry. Chole goes well with poori, bhatura, roti, naan or rice.
• Shahi paneer – This Shahi Paneer is deliciously rich and creamy, making it one of the most popular recipes in Mughlai cuisine. Fresh, unmelting cheese is married with a creamy gravy, perfect for serving with naan or roti.
• Malai kofta – potato and paneer koftas in a creamy, rich, mild and lightly sweet gravy.
• Matar paneer – spiced and creamy curry with peas and cottage cheese. A family recipe.
• Vegetable pulao in pressure cooker – easy and tasty veg pulao recipe made in pressure cooker.
• Udipi sambar – lightly sweet, semi spiced, tangy and a flavorful sambar made with pigeon pea lentils and mixed vegetables.
• Dal tadka – smooth and creamy dal tempered with Indian spices with a smoky charcoal flavor.
• Dal fry – Relish this mouthwatering, mildly-spiced, creamy lentil dish with roti, naan or your favorite steamed rice.
• Dal makhani – This Dal Makhani recipe is a restaurant style version with subtle smoky flavors and creaminess of the lentils. If you love authentic Punjabi food then you are going to love this Dal Makhani even more.
• Bhindi masala – a semi dry lightly spiced North Indian curry made with okra.
• Mushroom masala – easy recipe of white button mushrooms in an onion-tomato based medium spiced gravy.
• Tawa paneer masala – a semi dry curry with capsicum/bell pepper, onions, tomatoes and paneer cubes cooked on tawa or a griddle. A popular restaurant side dish.
• Palak paneer  – one of the most popular Indian dishes. Soft paneer cubes cooked in a smooth spinach curry.
• Veg biryani in pressure cooker – easy recipe method of a biryani made in pressure cooker. No pre cooking of veggies and rice.
• Litti chokha – rustic and traditional dish of stuffed whole wheat dough balls, where the stuffing is a spiced mix of roasted gram flour or sattu.
• Paneer lababdar – easy to prepare restaurant style gravy of paneer lababdar.

Dussehra special sweets recipes

• Jalebi – crisp, crunchy, syrupy jalebi recipe. Traditional method.
• Gulab jamun – an easy recipe of gulab jamun made with khoya or evaporated milk, paneer and all purpose flour.
• Besan ladoo – a popular ladoo made from gram flour, powdered sugar and ghee.
• Coconut ladoo – melt in the mouth ladoos made with desiccated coconut.
• Badam halwa – rich South Indian style halwa made with blanched almonds, ghee and sugar.
• Seviyan kheer – vermicelli kheer also known as seviyan kheer is often served during festival or any occasion of celebration.
• Rice kheer – A Rice Kheer recipe that is a keeper and my family’s heirloom recipe that you will love for its deliciousness.
• Sheer khurma – a rich sweet dessert made with vermicelli, milk, dates, dry fruits and ghee.
• Paal payasam – simple South Indian kheer made with rice and milk.
• Gajar ka halwa – a traditional slow cooked recipe of carrot halwa with just carrots, milk, ghee, sugar and a few dry fruits.
• Rava kesari – sweet South Indian dessert made with semolina, ghee, dry fruits and saffron.
• Sooji halwa – classic Indian semolina pudding made with ghee and dry fruits.
• Kaju katli – It is a traditional Indian cashew fudge candy that’s terrifically smooth, thin, and melts in your mouth.
• Rasgulla – soft and spongy milk based sweet soaked in sugar syrup. One of the most popular Indian sweet.
• Motichoor ladoo – These are soft, delish melt in the mouth ladoo made mainly with gram flour, sugar, and spices.
• Rasmalai – cottage cheese balls soaked in thickened, sweetened and flavored milk. A popular Indian sweet.
• Malpua rabdi – popular Indian sweet of fried fluffy pancakes dipped in sugar syrup and served with rabdi or sweetened thickened milk.
• Kalakand – moist, granular two ingredient kalakand recipe in 15 minutes. Made with paneer and sweetened condensed milk.
• Shahi tukda – rich, royal mughali dessert of fried sugar syrup coated bread topped and soaked with fragrant creamy sweet thickened milk or rabri and garnished with dry fruits.
• Coconut barfi – an easy step by step recipe of coconut barfi made with condensed milk.
• Pressure cooker cake recipe – spongy and a soft, light textured delicious cake made in pressure cooker.

Beverages for dusshera festival:

• Dry fruits milkshake – healthy and easy to make milkshake with dry fruits.
• Sweet lassi – sweet Punjabi lassi flavored with cardamom powder and saffron.
• Jal jeera – It is a very popular cooling drink from north India. Apart from cooling properties jal jeera is also used as an appetizer because of its digestive properties.
• Filter coffee – easy to prepare and popular South Indian filter coffee recipe.
• Masala chai – Indian spiced tea or chai made with whole spices.

Wishing happy Dussehra festival to all the readers.

This Dussehra Recipes post from the archives (September 2013) has been updated and republished on 15 October 2021.