savouries, like gujia, anarsa and ladoo. One sweet always associated with Diwali is Cheeni ke Khilone. Chhath Puja It is the largest festival of this region. It is celebrated 4 consecutive days. On first day "Nahay Khay", after the holy bath in river, boiled small grain "arwa chawal/sama ke chawal" is eaten with lauki ki sabzi (bottlegourd sautéd in ghee and li'l rock salt is added and cooked till done) and "Chane ki dal". On second day "Kharna", people take dip in holy Ganges and take the water home to cook Rasiyaao and Roti. And is eaten as Prasad at night. Next day on "Dala Chhath", Thekua, Kasar, Belgrami, Poori, etc. are prepared by the women who are on fasting. After both the "Arghyas", on the fourth day, these sweets along with several fruits and dry fruits are served as Prasad. And is eaten for several days. Dishes Some dishes popular in Bhojpuri cuisine include: Channa and Chhole (chickpeas cooked in spicy gravy) Rajma (red kidney beans cooked in mildly spicy and creamy gravy ) Lobiya (black eyed bean cooked in lightly spicy gravy) Dal makhani Dal maharani Dum Aloo (Potatoes cooked in spicy gravy with Benarasi Dum technique) Pitha Urad ka daal Chokha (roasted tomatoes, roasted aubergine roasted potatoes, roasted brinjals mixed with garlic chilly and raw mustard oil) Raita (yoghurt dips) Kofta (meat/vegetable/paneer balls cooked in spicy gravy) Maakuni (Paratha stuffed with cooked potatoes or yellow/green peas or sattu) Aloo mutter Kadhi-Bari (fried chickpea flour dumplings cooked in spicy yoghurt) Mutton Biryani (long grain basmati rice cooked with mutton or chicken) Bihari kebab (pieces of meat marinated in onion, garlic and salt then skewered in seekh and then grilled over charcoal) Gulab jamun Pua (sweetened wheat flour batter with nuts and raisins poured in a karahi of hot oil and fried) Petha (locally called Bhatuapag, is a sweet white flavoured candy made up of ash gourd) Murabba (pickled fruits) Mardua and Thekua (fried biscuits of wheat flour flavoured with aniseed) Anarsa Dalpoori (poori stuffed with boiled and mashed dal) [[litti chokha]] (Bati-stffed with sattu) Nimona (made of green peas) Ghugni (pan fried and seasoned green peas or sprouted black gram) Dahi chooda (Curd and chooda) Daal pithouri (wheatflour stiffly kneaded and rolled thick and then cut into different shapes, though flower shape is common then cooked with dal and seasoned with salt and pepper also called Dalpiththee) Gojha