Navratri Recipes, Navratri Vrat Recipes, Navratri Food

Navratri Recipes, Navratri Vrat Recipes, Navratri Food recipes: Navratri, the nine days when India and Indian souls across the world are charged with spiritual fervour is a time for worship, festivities, fasting and spiritual enhancement. There are two Navratris. One occurs in March-April, and the other in September-October.

Faraali Pahadi Tikka

The first is called as Vasantha Navratri while the other is called Sharadha Navratri in the South and Dusshera in the North. In South India, the festival celebrates the victory of Shakthi over the demon Mahishasura, while North India celebrates the victory of Rama over Ravana. In either case, it is clearly the victory of good over evil.

South Indian Navratri is a total gala celebration spanning nine days, the first three days glorifying Durga, then Lakshmi and finally Saraswati, the three key forms of the Goddess. The tenth day denotes the unification of the three forms into one primordial force that vanquishes evil. Many families have a practice of keeping a doll display at home, while others focus on pujas alone. In either case, South Indians generally invite other women to their homes and honour them by giving them haldi and kumkum.

 Layered Handva, Farali Handvo Recipe, Fasting Recipe, Vrat Recipe

The guests are served sundal (a dish of boiled pulses tempered traditionally and garnished with coconut) and some sweets too. Elaborate pujas are held every day, in the mornings and evenings, at homes, and in temples and other community centres.

In North Indian Navratri, people perform pujas and observe fasts during the initial days of Navratri, while the last few days are celebrated as a community event culminating in the burning of Ravana’s effigy on the last day. Durga Puja of Bengal requires no introduction as it is a grand event that has gained international fame. People come from across the world to witness the grandeur with which Maa Durga is worshipped there.

Kand Aloo Pakoda

All over India, Navratri is a busy time. Women, especially, have multiple dimensions to handle, from the pujas and religious activities to social gatherings and of course, fasting too! Like feasting, fasting is an art too.

While fasting properly is a great way to cleanse your body and tone your soul, doing it wrong can make you tired and irritable. Nothing can be worse than doing it wrong for nine days at a stretch!

Buckwheat Khichdi, Farali Kutto Khichdi Recipe

So, we dedicate this section to fasting recipes, which will ensure that you stick to all the religious guidelines while still supplying your body the required energy and nutrition to go about its activities robustly. Once you know which ingredients are to be avoided, you can comfortably replace them with permitted ingredients and prepare tasty foods, ranging from snacks and sweets to one-pot meals.

Walnut Sheera

Foods avoided during Navratri

1. Other grains and flours like wheat flour, jowar flour, besan, rice flour etc.
2. Dals and pulses.
3. Green leafy veggies with coriander and mint as exception.
4. All other veggies than the ones mentioned in allowed list.

Kand Tikki

Foods preferred during Navratri

1. Rajgira flour
2. Arrowroot flour
3. Waterchestnut flour (singhada ka atta)
4. Buckwheat
5. Sabudana
6. Sanwa millet
7. Milk
8. Curd
9. Paneer
10. Mawa
11. Potatoes
12. Sweet Potatoes
13. Purple Yam
14. Yam
15. Most fruits
16. Veggies like carrot and bootle gourd
17. Some include coriander and mint leaves
18. Coconut and other nuts like almonds, cashew nut etc.
19. Sugar
20. Salt or sendha namak is your choice.

Upvaas Thalipeeth

Several interesting dishes can also be prepared with these ingredients. This section provides an appropriate selection of khichdi (one-pot meal), thalipeeth, pancakes and kadhi recipes for you to fast healthily. Try them out, to make fasting more enjoyable this Navratri.

Sweet Faraali Pancakes ( Faraal Recipe)

Indian Snack Recipes for Navratri

While the festival is all about fasting, there is usually no limit to the number of meals one can opt for. So snacks play a very important role during this festival. Widen up your culinary skills and you will realise that you can cook a variety of sumptuous meals during Navratri.

Sabudana Vada, is of course, the most traditional fasting snack from the land of Maharashtra. However, this delicacy now features on the most other menus. This recipe needs 4 to 5 hours of soaking, so plan it in advance. The crunchy peanuts that punctuate every bite are something that you will surely enjoy.

Sabudana Vada

The famous South Indian dosa also find place in this Navratri menu. Rice and urad dal have been replaced with rajgira and sanwa millet and is made in the traditional way by soaking in sour buttermilk for 2 hours and fermenting for 8 hours to make Farali Dosa.

Farali Dosa, Faral Foods Recipe

Further we have a Peanut Curd Chutney as a surprise to complete his snack.

 Peanut Curd Chutney, Faral Chutney

Crisp yet soft, savoury to the core, the Kand Puri is a mouth-watering way to satiate your hunger on fasting days. Since there is no wheat flour used in the recipe, rolling them is an art. These are rolled and shaped between palms. But remember these do not turn very crispy and are not a jar snack. You need to serve them immediately.

Sweet Kand Puri, Maharashtrian Upwas Recipe

Gujarati’s have their own way of enjoying snacks during the festival of Navratri. Soft stuffed Farali Pattice is the most common in their households. Senior citizens who often choose to fast can also enjoy this snack. Being made with potatoes and arrowroot flour, stuffed with coconut and finally deep fried it is very satiating.

Farali Pattice ( Mumbai Roadside Recipes )

For Dry snacks, you can try Kand Wafers and Yellow Banana Wafers.

Kand Wafers

These crispy snacks can find a place anytime between meals.

Yellow Banana Chips

Indian Main Course Recipes for Navratri

What is the staple diet in India? Roti, sabzi, khichdi and kadhi. You can make all of this for fasting. Try Rajgira Paneer Paratha which has a succulent mixture of grated paneer perked up with green chillies, lemon juice and coriander. Make small parathas as rolling them big isn’t easy.

 Rajgira Paneer Paratha ( Faraal Recipe)

Aloo Kand Rasawala Shaak is made with potatoes and purple yam simmered in a curd based gravy.

Aloo and Kand Rasawala Shaak, Faraal Recipe

This pairs well with Banana and Rajgira Puri.

Banana and Rajgira Puri, Upvaas Recipe

Khichdis also are found made in a variety of ways during this festival. Popular during fasts, it's also well known as Sabudana Khichdi as faraal food. It is mostly had during fasting days like Navratri, Ekadashi and Mahashivratri. It also falls under the category of Maharashtrian street food.

Sabudana Khichdi

Sama Khichdi is yet another yummy delicacy to be enjoyed during fasting days. The best part of this khichdi is that it needs no soaking. Ready in 20 minutes, it is great substitute to other grain and millet based khichdis.

Samo Khichdi

Rajgira Kadhi is one of the best to accompaniments these khichdis and make a complete enjoyable meal. This is quite similar to regular Gujarati Kadhi, only difference is that the curd is thickened with rajgira flour instead of besan. Only cumin seeds are used for tempering and sendha namak is used instead of salt.

 Rajgira ki Kadhi

Indian Mithai Recipes for Navratri

No meal is complete without sweets. It is also a tradition to offer sweets to “devi maa” during this auspicious festival.

Quick Kalakand or instant klalkand is a very popular Indian mithai. This version will help you work out the same magic in your own kitchen albeit consuming much less of your time and effort. The key to this quick but tasty version is the right ingredients in the right proportions, cooked for just the right time. You must however allow for a few hours’ setting time.

 Quick Kalakand

Nut Khoya Ladoo are simple to make and yet fascinatingly rich. Mixed nuts, khoya and cardamom powder altogether make a truly irresistible sweet. Perk up your festive mood with this flavour and colourful mithai.

Kesar Elaichi Srikhand is yet another mouth-watering dessert which shows on fasting menus. Served with aloo ki sabzi and farali puri, it is very simple to make. Its richness is personified by the addition of saffron. Cardamom powder makes it further more flavourful and aromatic.

Shrikhand, Kesar Elaichi Shrikhand

Finally, the garnish of nuts gives this sweet a desirable crunch. If you have some alphonso mago pulp stored, you can also the famous Aamrakhand.

Mango Shrikhand, Aamrakhand

The famous Bengali Rasgulla can also be a part of Navratri menu. It is made with milk or paneer and sweetened with sugar syrup. When time permits make this mithai at home rather than store bought option. Follow the instructions and you will get soft, milky white rasgullas which you are sure to fall in love with.

Rasgulla

Shakarkand ka Halwa is another jhat-pat mithai for Navratri. This unique halwa made using sweet potatoes is flavoured with cardamom powder and saffron and enriched with nuts to keep your energy levels high. Serving it immediately is very important, else it will turn dry.

Shakarkand Ka Halwa

Pedas and Barfi are yet another Indian sweet offered to God on most occasions. How about trying Kesar Peda this Navratri? It has a characteristic opulence about it, with the dominant flavours of saffron and cardamom lacing the intense richness of mawa.

 Kesar Peda

You can also try Malai Peda, which has a slightly grainy texture as compared to the smooth finish of Kesar Peda.

Malai Peda

The rich Quick Cashew Barfi is an all-time favourite, be it kids, adults of senior citizens. It can be made in a jiffy and tastes just as awesome as the original, you will never again think of buying cashew barfi from the stores.

Quick Cashew Barfi

Indian Drinks Recipes for Navratri

Vrat to some is abstaining from food totally. While others, love to indulge into rich food allowed in fasting. On days you don’t feel like eating but yet want a satiating drink, try Dry Fruit Milkshake. A blend of dates, nuts and milk is truly tempting.

Dry Fruit Milkshake

Gujarati Piyush is also a faral recipe. If you love shrikhand, you are sure to be in love with this drink too. This features on most restaurant menus in Gujarat. It’s a quick fix ready in 5 minutes. A glass of this drink will keep you full for hours.

Piyush, Faral Piyush Recipe

Navratri Recipes, Navratri Vrat Recipes, Navratri Food recipes, Try our other festival recipes.

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Happy Cooking!