Navratri 2021: These 9 vrat-friendly recipes will brighten up your fasting days

This year, Shardiya Navratri is being celebrated in India from October 7 to October 14 and today marks day 2 of the Hindu festival. During this time, Hindu devotees will worship Maa Durga and commemorate the victory of good over evil.

All through these nine days, devotees worship nine avatars of Durga, namely Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skanda Mata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri and Siddhidatri. A fast is also kept by the devotees, either on all the nine days or in joda, the first two or the last two days of the Navratri, to please and seek blessings of Durga.

Health experts believe it is good to fast during this week to let the liver rest and rejuvenate but it is important to do it right. Since packed or processed food during Navratri are a big no, diet namkeens or chips are off the charts and also typical snack foods like fried items, food that has high-calorie content and even those with high sodium.

If you are fasting this Navratri, here are 9 vrat-friendly recipes that will instantly brighten up your fasting days. Chefs in Delhi, Lucknow and Indore specially curated these 9 droolworthy recipes for Navratri 2021 to satiate your hunger pangs with these tasty treats during the fasting days.

1. Roast pumpkin with samac rice, kaffir lime coconut broth and ghee roast makhan (Serves – 1, Cooking time – 1 hour)

 

 

Ingredients:

100 gms pumpkin dice

50ml Butter

50ml samac rice

100ml coconut milk

3 leaves Kaffirlime leaves

10gms Butter

1tsp turmeric powder

1 no lemon juice

2 gms ginger

6 pcs makhana

10 gms pumpkin seed

Garnish – coriander leaves

sendha namak

Method:

Cut your pumpkin the shape you want and marinate with butter, kaffir lime and sendha namak.

Cook in pre heat oven for about 15 minutes at 160 temperatures. Now boil your samak rice and strain keep them a side

For Sauce:

For sauce take a pan and heat with some butter and ginger and then add coconut milk, kaffir lime along with some water.

Cook sauce for about 10 minute at slow temperature and finish with sendha namak and lemon juice.

For plating:

Season your boil samak rice and place on the plate. Place pumpkin dice on top of samac rice and then pour sauce by side.

Add the rinsed sabudana pearls and water in the pan. Put toasted makhana on top of dice pumpkin and garnish with fresh coriander leaves

Put toasted makhana on top of dice pumpkin and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

2. Sago Kheer (Serves – 2, Cooking time – 50 minutes)

 

 

Ingredients:

½ cup sabudana or sago (tapioca pearls) – for a thicker kheer, you can add ⅔ sabudana

2 cups whole milk

2 cups water

4 to 5 tablespoons sugar or raw sugar – add as required

½-teaspoon cardamom powder or 4 to 5 green cardamoms crushed in a mortar-pestle

2 tablespoon chopped cashews

½-tablespoon raisins

3 to 4 saffron strands for garnish – optional

Gold Leaf for garnish – optional

50 grams dates

Soaking Sago:

Rinse the sabudana pearls until the water runs clear of the starch.

Take a thick-bottomed pan or saucepan in which you will be making the kheer.

Add the rinsed sabudana pearls and water in the pan.

Cover and let the pearls get soaked in the water for 15 to 20 minutes.

Method:

Later keep this pan on the stovetop and begin to cook the sabudana pearls.

Meanwhile heat or warm the milk too. No need to boil the milk.

After 4 to 5 minutes, add the milk to the pan and continue to cook.

Add sugar and cardamom powder and simmer until the sabudana have cooked well for about 20 to 25 minutes on a low to medium flame.

Keep on stirring often so that the kheer or the cooked sabudana does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

Switch off the heat and add cashews and raisins.

Garnish with saffron strands and gold leaf.

Serve sabudana kheer hot or warm or chilled.

3. Sweet potato and fruit chaat (Serves – 2, Cooking time – 20 minutes)

 

Ingredients:

One no. apple slices

One no. kiwi slices

One no. banana slices

One grape fruit segments

One orange segments

2 tbsp. pomegranate seeds

Two sweet potato medium size

Mint leaves for garnish

2 tablespoon yogurt

Condiments:

1 tsp Lemon juice

Spices:

1/4 tsp black pepper powder

1 rock salt

Oils and vinegars:

Olive oil

Method:

Mix all the fruits in a large bowl and add black pepper, rock salt, olive oil and mix well without mashing the fruits.

Then add 1 tsp lemon juice and mix well.

Plate it as shown in the pictures.

(Recipes by Chef Amit Kumar, Executive Chef, Aloft New Delhi Aerocity)

4. Gulkand Lassi (Rose Lassi)

 

Ingredients:

1.5 cups chilled greek yogurt

1/2 cup chilled milk

1 tablespoon rose water

1/8 cup gulkand

1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder (elaichi powder)

1 tablespoon chopped pistachios and cashews

1 teaspoon edible dried rose petals

Method:

Put chilled yogurt, chilled milk, gulkand, rose water and cardamom to a blender.

Blend for about 2 minutes

Pour lassi into glasses

Sprinkle with some dried rose petals, chopped cashews, and pistachios

5. Aloo Motia Tikki

 

Ingredients:

½ cup Sabudana

1 cup grated potatoes (boiled)

½ teaspoon chopped green chillies

1 teaspoon chopped ginger

½ cup chopped coriander root

10 to 12 peanuts (chopped) or 4 tablespoons chopped peanuts

½ tablespoon chopped raisins

½ teaspoon cumin powder

edible rock salt (sendha namak) as required

2 tablespoon peanut oil

Method:

Rinse and then soak sabudana pearls in water covering them above from 1 to 2 inches, for 5 to 6 hours or overnight. Depending on the quality of sabudana you can even soak for 2 to 3 hours. Then drain the soaked sago pearls very well in a strainer

Now mix all the ingredients well.

Then form flat patties from the mixture. Keep the width of the patties to ⅓ inch as when cooking, patties cook quickly from outside. We need to keep the patties thin as we are pan-frying them and not deep frying.

Heat oil in a frying pan. Place 4 to 5 sabudana tikki in the pan and fry on medium heat

When the base is lightly browned, flip using a spatula and pan-fry the other side. If needed you can add 1 to 2 tablespoons more oil.

Flip again when the second side is golden. Flip a couple of times more, until the sabudana cutlets are crisp and golden from both sides.

Place the pan-fried sabudana tikki on kitchen paper towels to remove any extra oil. Serve sabudana tikki hot or warm with a satvik coconut chutney.

6. Makhana Kheer

 

Ingredients:

1 cup makhana (foxnuts or phool makhana)

2 cups full fat milk

2 teaspoon green cardamom powder

10-12 cashews or 10-12 almonds and pistachios – blanched and sliced

1 tablespoon golden raisins

3.5 to 4 tablespoon sugar or as required

1 pinch saffron

2 to 3 teaspoons Ghee (clarified butter)

Method for roasting makhana and cashews:

Heat ghee in a pan.

Add the phool makhana and cashews. On a low heat, roast the makhana and cashews in ghee till the makhanas become crunchy. The cashews will also get golden. Stir often while roasting them.

Then remove them in a plate and keep aside. However, keep the cashews separate from the makhana as we will be making a powder of the roasted makhana.

Making Makhane Ki Kheer:

Heat whole milk in a sauce pan or a thick bottomed pan on medium-low to medium heat. Stir at intervals so that the milk does not scorch from bottom.

Let the milk come to a boil.

While the milk is getting heated up, reserve ⅓ cup of the roasted makhana and add the remaining in a grinder or blender jar. Add cardamom powder along with a pinch of saffron strands.

Grind or blend to a fine powder. When the milk comes to a boil, then add sugar. Add the ground powdered makhana. Also add the reserved ⅓ cup makhana.

Mix very well. Simmer till the makhane softens and the milk thickens a bit. About 9 to 10 minutes on a low to medium heat.

Scrape the evaporated milk solids from sides of the pan and add to the milk.

Lastly add the golden cashews, pistachios and raisins. If using blanched and sliced almonds, then you can add at this step.

Stir and simmer the kheer for a minute. Serve makhane ki kheer hot or warm or cold.

(Recipes by Chef Rahul Singh, Junior Sous Chef at Renaissance Lucknow)

7. Carom seeds jam stuffed Quinoa and moth bean shami

 

Ingredients:

60gms of Black quinoa

100gms of Moth dal

30gms Salt

10gms of Black pepper

5gms garam masala

10gms Green chili

15gms Watermelon skin

5gms Peppermint leaf

100ml Honey

5gms Star anise

50gms Mint

4ogms Cow ghee

30gm Beetroot

100gms Curd

5gms Microgreens

5gms Edible flower

15gms Amchur powder

10gms Black salt

5gms Cumin seed

20gms Lemon

50gms Cashew nut

60gms Almond powder

5gms Carom seed

10gms deggi mirch

20ml Sunflower oil

15gms Feta cheese

30gms Coriander leaves

3gm Nigella seeds

3gm Turmeric powder

Method for Shammi:

Boil quinoa and moth dal then tempered both the grains with cumin seed, chopped green chili.

After roasting both the grain well, mash the mixture with ladle.

Add salt, crushed cashew and almond powder, mix well and keep a side for mixture to get cool.

Now make a patty out of the mixture and feta cheese in it.

Method for peppermint chutney:

Take peppermint, mint, coriander, green chili and amchur powder grind all to make sauce. Finished with lemon juice and black salt.

Method for hang curd sauce:

Take a bowl add hung curd, cream and black salt. Mix well and use for plating.

Method for beet root relish:

Sliced Beet root cooked in honey with salt and star anise.

Method for watermelon relish:

Sliced white part of watermelon skin cooked in honey with salt, red chili, turmeric powder and nigella seed.

Pan seared the patty assemble them on plate and garnish it with edible flowers, microgreens and served with pepper mint chutney

8. Spinach and vegetable dolma with lazzat e taam gravy and multigrain pukhasta crisp

 

Ingredients:

100gm Peas

100gm Spinach

30gm Salt

5gm Green chili

5gm Cumin seed

100gm Tomato

5gm Bay leaf

5gm Paan kijad

5gm Khash ki jad

10gm Rose patels

10gm Black cardamom

15gm Green cardamom

3gm Chandan powder

5gm Whole red chili

5gm Pipali

1gm Saffron

8gm Cinnamon stick

50gm Almond

50gm Cashwnut

20gm Degi mirch powder

50gm Wheat flour

15gm Multi grains

5gm Sugar

30gm Cow fat (ghee)

5gm Micro greens

5gm Addible flower

5 gm Turmeric powder

15 ml Cooking cream

8 gm Carrot

5 gm Beet root

Gold leaf to garnish

Method for Lazzat-e-taam masala:

Grind all masala - Bay leaf, paan ki jad, Khash ki jad, rose patels, Black cardamom, Green cardamom, Chandan powder, whole red chili, pipali, Saffron, Cinnamon stick to make dry powder.

Method for Lazzat-e-taam gravy: 

Take a pan, add ghee tempered with cumin seed, add turmeric powder, deggi mirch powder, fresh tomato puree, brown cashew and almond paste cook all ingredients until oil released. Finished with cream.

Method for Dolma:

Take a pan, add ghee tempered with cumin seed and chopped green chili after little sautéing add crushed boiled green pea, cashew, almond and cooked till dry thick paste consistency form.

Take the mixture of 40 gm and give a cylindrical shape then wrap with blanched spinach leave.

Method for making multigrain Pukhasta crisp:

Make a tight dough with atta and multigrain seeds, ghee, salt, sugar, and water and cooked on griddle until get crisp.

Method for assembling:

Take a plate, pour sauce on it and add dolmas and place pukhasta crisp on side, garnish it with gold leaves, soaked almonds and salad crisps

9. Texture of coconut and purple yam with chia seed and jaggery

 

Ingredients:

50gm Yam

20gm Sugar

10gm Mawa

20 ml Milk

5 gm Basil seed

20ml Coconut milk

15gm Jaggery

5 gm Maida

5 gm Caster sugar

5 gm Butter

8 gm Whipped cream

2 gm Milk powder

2 gm Agar agar

Method for Textured Yam:

Boil Grated yam till get tender then strain to remove water.

Cook boiled yam in milk with sugar and mawa till it get thick consistency.

Place this mixture in mold and freeze it to set.

Method for cookie crumb:

Make the cookie crumb with refined flour, butter and caster sugar. Bake in oven for 10 munities on 180 degrees.

Method for coconut log:

Boil coconut milk and agar agar add jaggery and basil seed in it then freeze it in calendrical mold.

Garnish with whipped cream edible flower and fruit caviar.

(Recipes by Gurneet Grover, Executive Chef at Sheraton Grand Palace Indore)

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