Navratri Specialities
During Navratri, many people observe fast and eat only certain kinds of food – phalahaar or non-cereal food. Essentially, this means no lentils or grains. Also salt is restricted to sendha namak or rock salt. As for spices and vegetables, different people follow different set of rules. Broadly speaking, heeng (cardamom), haldi (turmeric) and amchoor (dried mango powder) are avoided.
Again, some people stick to just a few root vegetables like kaddu, aloo and arbi, though a few also eat greens. Milk products are freely consumed – so plenty of curd and paneer is used in these recipes. All kinds of fruits are part of the diet.
Here are a range of Navratri recipes, including regional cuisines like Gujarati Kadhi, Dhokla, Chaat Paapri and Makhane ki Kheer and Singhare ki Barfi and many many more:
Saboodaane ki Khichree
Ingredients:
1 cup saboodaana
1/2 cup peanuts-shelled, roasted, coarsely pounded
2 tbsp ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
3-4 whole red chillies
1 sprig curry leaf
2 tsp rock salt
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp coriander leaves-chopped
1 tsp green chillies-chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
Procedure: Wash saboodana till the water clears. Soak in water to come up about 3 cm above it for about an hour. Drain in a colander, then spread over a thick cloth for about 1 hour. Mix the saboodana, peanuts, salt, chilli powder very well, so that it is fully coated with this mixture.
Heat the ghee, add cumin, red chillies and curry leaves. When the chillies darken a bit, add the saboodana mixture and turn around over low flame till cooked through. Remove from flame, add the lemon juice and mix well. Serve garnished with coriander and green chillies.
Aloo ki Khichree
Ingredients:
1 cup parsai ke chaawal
2 tbsp ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 cloves
2 green cardamoms
cinnamon-broken to pieces
1 large potato-diced small
2 tsp rock salt
1/2 tsp chilli powder
3 cups water
Coriander leaves for garnishing
Procedure: Heat the ghee. Add cumin, cloves, cardamoms and cinnamon. When slightly coloured, add potato and rice. Stir-fry till they look a bit fried. Add salt, chilli powder and water and bring to a boil. Lower the flame and simmer covered for about 15 minutes or till cooked through and the water is absorbed. Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.
Arbi ki Sabzi
Ingredients:
500 gm arbi-chopped
1/4 cup ghee
1 tsp thymol seeds
1 tbsp finely shredded ginger
1/2 cup yoghurt
1/2 tsp ginger powder
2 tsp senda namak-powdered
1/2 tsp chilli powder
Procedure: Heat the ghee, add the thymol seeds and when they begin to splutter add the yoghurt and stir-fry till the ghee separates. Add the ginger powder, salt and chilli powder and stir a few times, till well mixed. Then add the arbi and turn over high heat, till they look slightly fried. Add about 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes till tender. Serve hot with pakories made of kootoo ka aata.
Chaawal ka Kheer
Ingredients:
5 cups full cream milk
1/4 cup parsai ke chaawal-washed
1/2 cup sugar
10-12 raisins
4 green cardamoms
10-12 almonds-blanched, shredded
Procedure: Put rice and milk in a deep pan and bring to a boil. Simmer over low flame, stirring occasionally till the rice is cooked and the milk has thickened. This should take about 25 minutes. When cooked, add sugar, raisins and cardamoms. Stir till sugar is dissolved and 10-15 minutes after that. Transfer onto a serving dish, garnish with almonds. Serve hot or chilled.
Gujarati Kadhi
Ingredients:
2 cups yoghurt
2 tbsp singhare ka atta
4 cups water
1 tbsp rock salt
1 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon-powdered
2-3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp oil
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 sprig curry leaf
3-4 whole red chillies
2 tbsp coriander leaves-chopped
Procedure: Beat the yoghurt and the atta together till smooth. Add salt, chilli powder, cinnamon, sugar and water and mix well. In a heavy-based pan, heat oil, add cumin, curry leaves and red chillies. When the cumin begins to splutter, add the yoghurt mixture, increase the flame and bring to a boil. Leave to simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.
Kele ki Sabzi
Ingredients:
2 raw bananas-peeled and diced
1 tsp thymol seeds
1/4 cup oil
2 whole red chillies
2 tsp rock salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
Procedure: Heat oil in a heavy-based pan. Add thymol seeds and red chillies. Once the chilli darkens a bit, add the banana and turn around over high flame till all the pieces are coated with oil. Lower the heat, add salt, let it cook covered till it turns tender. Should press easily with the back of a spoon. Mix in the lemon juice and serve garnished with coriander leaves.
Khire ke Pakode
Ingredients:
1 cup singhare ka atta
2 tsp rock salt
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tbsp green chillies-finely chopped
2 large khiras-sliced thin
oil for deep frying
Procedure: Mix all ingredients except the khiras and oil and add enough water to make a thick pouring consistency. Heat oil, till a drop of mixture put in, comes up at once. Dip the khira slices into the batter and drop into the hot oil. Turn once and remove from oil. Drain on an absorbent paper, keep aside till ready to serve. To serve, fry in hot oil until golden and crisp.
Kootoo ke Paranthe
Ingredients:
1 cup kootoo ka atta
1 cup singhare ka atta
1/4 kg colacasia-boiled, peeled and mashed
1 tsp senda namak
water to knead dough
ghee for deep frying
dry flour for dusting
Procedure: Mix the two types of flour and the colacasia and knead with the water into a soft pliable dough. Colacasia is added to bind the dough, and can be adjusted according to the desired consistency. Cover the dough and leave to rest for 30 minutes and proceed to make paranthas.
Makhaane ki Kheer
Ingredients:
5 cups milk-full cream
2 tbsp ghee
1 cup lotus seeds
1/2 cup sugar
4 green cardamoms
10-12 almonds-blanched, shredded
Procedure: Heat ghee and over low flame sauté the lotus seeds. When cooled, pound them coarsely. Put the lotus seeds and milk in a deep pan, bring to a boil. Simmer over low flame, stirring occasionally till the lotus seeds get cooked and the milk thickens. When cooked, add sugar and cardamoms. Stir till the sugar is dissolved and then simmer for 10-15 minutes after that. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with almonds. Serve hot or chilled.
Mingi Pak
Ingredients:
1/2 cup melon seeds-dried, peeled
1 tbsp ghee
3/4 cup khoya
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
Procedure: Dry roast the melon seeds, till they get a hint of colour. Keep aside to cool. Add ghee and sauté khoya in the same pan till it becomes smooth and slightly fried. Remove from flame, mix in the melon seeds and keep aside. In another pan, put sugar and water together and dissolve sugar over low flame. Once the sugar dissolves, bring to a boil and let the syrup cook till thick.
Remove pan from flame and mix syrup immediately into the khoya mixture, stirring vigorously to blend well. Transfer to a greased plate, pat to level and leave to cool. When cool and set, cut into pieces, using a sharp knife. Arrange on to a serving dish and serve.
Saboodana Vada
Ingredients:
1 kg potatoes-boiled, peeled, mashed
1 cup saboodana
2 tsp rock salt
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp coriander leaves-chopped
1 tsp green chillies-chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
oil for deep frying
Procedure: Wash the saboodana till the water clears. Soak in water, with water level coming upto 3 cms above the saboodana and leave for an hour and a half. Drain in a colander and mix in potatoes, salt, chilli powder, coriander leaves, green chillies and lemon juice.
Shape the potato mixture into flat, round vadas. Heat the oil for frying. Fry the vadas till they are golden and crisp on both sides and serve hot, with a chutney.
Sabut Aloo
Ingredients:
500 gm potatoes-small, whole, boiled, peeled
1/2 cup yoghurt
2 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp powdered black pepper
1 tbsp rock salt
2-3 green chillies
2 tsp ginger-chopped
2 tbsp ghee
1 sprig curry leaf
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon-broken into pieces
1/2 tsp cardamom seeds
Procedure: Grind together the green chillies and the ginger. Powder together the sugar, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom seeds. Mix together the potatoes, yoghurt, coriander, pepper, green chilli and ginger paste, and the salt. Heat the ghee in a pan, and add the curry leaf and the cumin. When the cumin starts to splutter, add the potato mixture and sauté till the oil separates. Remove from flame and mix in the powdered ingredients and serve immediately.
Shakarkandi ki Chaat
Ingredients:
1/2 kg shakarkandi-boiled, peeled, cubed
1 tsp chaat masala
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin seeds-roasted and powdered
1 tsp rock salt
lemon juice-to taste
2-3 green chillies-finely chopped
Coriander leaves-chopped, to garnish
Procedure: Mix all the ingredients together, adjusting spices according to taste and serve.
Singhare ka Halwa
Ingredients:
1 cup singhare ka atta
1 cup sugar
4 1/2 cups water
6 tbsp ghee
1/2 tsp green cardamoms-powdered
1 tbsp almonds-blanched, shredded
Procedure: Melt the ghee, add the atta and stir-fry over medium flame, taking care to avoid scorching. At the same time, place water and sugar in another pan and dissolve sugar over medium flame. Keep on simmer, until further use.
When the atta mixture has been fried enough, add the sugar solution and cardamom powder and bring to a boil and then simmer till the liquid is absorbed. At this stage, you can stir occasionally. A thin line of melted ghee will form around the edges, when it is cooked enough. This should take 5-7 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with almonds.
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