Navratri… this Hindu festival is renowned for the nine auspicious nights of devotion and holy invocation of the divine feminine—Goddess Durga and her numerous avatars. Manifested as the season of frolic and fasting, this is the time of the year when you can pamper yourself with soul-refreshing, lightweight, and nutritious food for Navratri fast. Usually cooked without garlic and onion, this festival has its own arsenal of speciality ingredients, coming to us from the pantries of our mothers and grandmothers. From yummy kuttu atta puris to the mandatory sabudana khichdi and makhane ki kheer—many classic dishes dictate the season.
But as much as we like our staple meals for Navratri, doesn't it get a bit boring to repeat the same meal for nine days? Worry not! While everyone’s taste in the family is different, we have compiled some yummy Navratri recipes that you can try and sharel with your loved ones!
1. Aloo ka halwa
Aloo Ka halwa is among the most simple and quick-to-make Navratri dishes. It is considered as a full supper on fasting days and can help you stay energized. This halwa is surely a delicious treat for your taste buds, not just during Navratri—but even later. Let's follow Chef Pankaj Bhadouria’s recipe for this delectable delicacy.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp ghee
- 1 cup potato, boiled & mashed
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp raisins
- 1 tbsp cashew nuts, fried
- 1 tbsp almonds flakes, fried
- Pistachios for garnish
Method
- Heat the ghee in a pan and add the mashed potatoes. Sauté till golden brown.
- Add the sugar and mix it in with the potatoes.
- When the sugar melts, add in the nuts and dry fruits, and mix again.
- Turn off the heat, garnish with sliced pistachios, and serve
2. Sabudana tart
When we think of Vrat recipes, it’s only boiled or fried foods that come to mind. What if we give you a healthy and tasty way out with the magic of baking? Don't believe us...then try this novel and scrumptious baked sabudana tart by Ketan Mahajan.
Ingredients
- 100 gm sabudana, soaked
- 100 gm, kuttu atta
- 2 medium sized potatoes, boiled
- 1 green chilli, chopped
- 1-inch piece ginger, chopped
- Sendha namak to taste
- 3- 4 tsp groundnut oil
Method
- Take a mixing bowl and sieve kuttu atta in it.
- Add the soaked sabudana, boiled potatoes, chopped green chillies and ginger.
- Add sendha namak as per taste and mix well.
- Add groundnut oil and mix again.
- When proper combined, proceed to knead the mixture into a dough. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Roll the dough into half-cm-thick sheet and cut out circle susing a katori or cookie cutter.
- Grease tart moulds with oil and place the sabudana dough in it by pressing gently. Remove the excess dough coming out of the mould.
- Prick the tarts with the help of a fork and place in a preheated oven at 180℃ for 20 minutes.
- Remove tarts from the oven and add any filling of your choice. Tip: Sabudana khichadi and jeera aloo work wonderfully well here.
- Top it with some cheese and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Your sabudana tarts are ready.
- Serve with mint and imli chutney.
3. Singhade ki kheer and malpua
The season isn't complete without some decadentNavratri sweets. So let’s try the sumptuous mix of two desserts as a special treat for this year’s Navratri celebration. Luscious and creamy Singhade ki kheer and flavorful sweet Malpua soaked in ghee and sugar syrup. Follow the super easy steps by Chef Pankaj Bhadouria to prepare this Navratri special food.
Ingredients
For singhade ki kheer
- 1 litre milk
- 3 tbsp singhade ka atta
For Malpua
- ½ cup singhade ka atta
- ¾ cup whole milk powder
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup raisins
- 1 tsp cardamom powder
- 2 tsp ghee
- chopped pistachio for garnish
For chashni
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
Method
- Boil 1 litre milk in a pan and add 3 tbsp singhade ka atta to it. Mix well.
- Add ½ cup sugar and ¼ cup raisins to the kheer and cook.
- Switch off the flame and add 1 tsp cardamom powder. Your singhade ki kheer is ready to serve.
- For the chashni, heat 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in the pan and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Blend ½ cup singhade ka atta, ¾ cup milk powder, and 1 cup milk in a mixer to get a smooth paste. Transfer the batter to a bowl and rest it for 15 minutes.
- Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a pan and add spread 1 tbsp batter. Fry from both sides until done.
- Dip the malpua in the chashni for some time and serve.
Tip: Ladle some kheer on the malpua and enjoy a unique Navaratri dessert.
4. Mewa paag
Mewa Paag is a sweet delicacy made from roasted dry fruits and sugar syrup. It’s another Falhari recipe for the winter that is also served as a treat to children during festivals. This delicious and crunchy treat can also be easily stored by keeping it in an airtight container. We have our very own chef Pankaj Bhadouria to thank for sharing this Navratri vrat food recipe.
Ingredients
For mewa
- 4-5 tbsp ghee
- ¼ cup tragacanth gum
- 18-20 cashew nuts
- 1 cup dates
- 1 cup dried coconut slices
- 2 cups fox nuts
- 2 tsp melon seeds
For chashni
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp milk
- Ghee for greasing
Method
- Heat the ghee in a pan and fry the tragacanth gum, cashew nuts, dates, dried coconut slices, and fox nuts one by one and set aside.
- Dry roast melon seeds and set them aside.
- Heat 2 cups sugar and 1 cup water, and bring it to a boil.
- Add 1 tbsp milk to the chashni mixture.
- Add fried dry fruits, melon seeds, nuts and gum in the chashni and cook.
- Grease a plate with ghee and transfer dry fruits onto it. Spread it evenly.
- Cool the mixture and cut it into small pieces.
5. Vrat ki sev puri
Sev puri is all-time favourite for chat lovers. Then why miss out your favourite chat and rely just on other Navratri food recipes, when you can savour the Vrat ki Sev puri which makes for the perfect snack for Navratri. Add this recipe by Prashant Damle to your thoughtfully-curated Navratri recipes for 9 days menu!
Ingredients
- Coriander
- Green chillies
- 2 boiled potatoes
- 1 cup of Rajgira flour
- Jaggery
- 1 cup curd
- Aloo sev
- Pomegranate seeds
- Chopped cucumber
- Salt to taste
- Lemons
- Tamarind pulp
- Cumin seeds
- Ghee
- Dates, steamed
- Sugar
- Saunf powder
- Dry ginger powder
- Red chilli powder
Method
- Take the rajgira flour in a bowl. Add salt, cumin powder, and water. Knead into a dough. Make puris out of this dough and deep fry them.
- Now, heat ghee in a pan. Add the cumin seeds, boiled potatoes, and salt to taste. Sauté it until well combined. Set aside
- Let’s make the green chutney by grinding the green chilies, coriander, juice of a lemon, salt, and sugar.
- For the sweet red chutney, grind steamed dates, tamarind pulp, saunf powder, red chilli powder, dry ginger powder, and salt.
- Place the puris on a plate, top them with potatoes mixture, green chutney, sweet chutney, chopped cucumber, aloo sev and pomegranate seeds. The sev puri is ready to be served.
6. Kuttu atta cheela
One of the most popular fasting food among Indians, especially during Navratri is kuttu ka atta, also known as buckwheat flour. This falahari food can be used in various ways and one of them is kuttu ka cheela—a classic Navratri vrat recipe by Nisha Madhulika, which is easy to prepare, rich in fiber, as well as gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup kuttu atta (100 gm)
- 100 gm arbi
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander
Method
- Boil the arbi in a cooker.Once cool enough to handle, peel and grate it.
- Sieve kuttu atta in a bowl. Add the arbi and mix it well with the flour, mashing it along the way. Pour little water to make the batter. Stir well to ensure there are no lumps.
- Do not make the batter too thin or thick. Cover the batter and leave for 15 minutes to set.
- Mix the salt, black pepper and chopped coriander leaves into the batter. Mix the ingredients well with the batter.
- Heat a pan and pour 1 tablespoon of the batter on it. Spread the batter evenly on the pan and roast the cheela by pouring a little oil over it. Once it browns a little, flip it and roast the other side until it turns brown.
- Once brown on both sides, your kuttu cheela is ready. Serve it with fried potatoes and curd.
7. Mahkana cutlet
If you are a crispy cutlet lover who prefers yummy snacks with their tea, then this Navratri season skip the usual bread cutlet and try something different instead. A crisp makhana (lotus seeds) cutlet with a potato filling is just the answer to all your cravings. We’re bringing you a recipe by Bhawna Dotania from her YouTube channel, Call of Cravings! So, pin this Navratri vrat ka khana to your Navratri fasting recipes digital cookbook!
Ingredients
For Makhana cutlet
- 1 cup makhana
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts
- 3 boiled potatoes
- 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
- 1 green chilli, chopped
- 1/2 tsp grated ginger
- 1 tsp desi ghee
- 1/2 tsp amchur powder
- 1 tsp rock salt
- Chopped cashews(optional)
Method
- Take a pan, add 1 tsp desi ghee and heat it. Add 1 cup makhana and roast it for around 4 to 5 minutes on medium to high heat.
- Switch off the flame and let the makhana cool.
- Transfer the cooled makhanas to a grinding jar and make a fine powder.
- In a bowl, add the boiled potatoes and mash them.
- Then add the powdered makhana and all the other ingredients except the cashews. Mix them together and make a soft dough.
- Take a small portion from the dough, flatten it, place the cashews, and then make a cutlet shape.
- Take a pan and heat the desi ghee. Fry all the makhana cutlets until golden brown in colour.
- Serve with green chutney and enjoy the makhana cutlets.
This Navratri season, satiate your cravings without compromising your taste buds with these yummy new recipes!
Disclaimer: The details mentioned throughout this blog are sourced from publicly accessible platforms. At Zeezest, we intend to share factual and verified information. Should there be any inconsistencies or variances in the information provided, please understand that these are entirely unintentional and not meant to mislead.