6 Easy Vrat Recipes One Should Try This Navratri Season!

Navratri Vrat Recipes by Maharaj Jodharam Choudhary, Corporate Chef, Khandani Rajdhani

  The most-awaited nine days of fun, food and festivities are here. Navratri is undoubtedly one of the biggest festivals of India with people of each community celebrating it in their own way. While South Indians love keeping ‘dolls’ for Dasara, how can anyone miss out of the ‘Ram Leela’ organized by the North Indians? Then there is the grand Durga Puja celebrated by the Bengalis.   While Navratri is all about the victory of good over evil, the season is also associated with fasting. Although many people abstain themselves from even drinking water, some whip up delicious and healthy Navratri ‘vrat’ recipes that can be enjoyed by even those who aren’t fasting. Like every year, Khandani Rajdhani, a chain of vegetarian restaurants spread across the country, has come up with a delectable Navratri ‘vrat thali’ and you can make some of these dishes in the comfort of your own home. Wondering how? Well, here are some Navratri recipes shared by Maharaj Jodharam Choudhary, Corporate Chef, Khandani Rajdhani.  

Sabudana Vada:

  Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Sabudana (soaked)
• 1/2 Cup Peanuts (grounded)
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Red chili powder
• 1 Cup Potatoes (boiled)
• 1 Tbsp Coriander leaves
• To serve along Curd

Sabudana Wada   Method:

1. Take soaked Sabudana in a bowl.
2. Add ground peanuts to it, along with, salt, red chili powder, boiled potatoes, coriander leaves.
3. Mash and mix the ingredients thoroughly to make a thick mixture
4. Make small, round, Tikki like balls of the mixture
5. Put these balls in hot oil for deep frying
6. Fry them until golden brown.
7. Serve Sabudana Vada along with curd.

 

Shakarkandi Halwa (Sweet Potato Halwa):

  Ingredients:

• 2 cups boiled, peeled and mashed sweet potatoes
• a few saffron (kesar) strands strands
• 1 tbsp warm milk
• 1 tsp ghee
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp 
• cardamom (elaichi) powder
• 2 tbsp chopped mixed nuts

  Shakarkandi Halwa   Method:

1. Combine the saffron and warm milk in a small bowl, mix well and keep aside.
2. Heat the ghee in a deep non-stick pan, add the sweet potatoes and sauté on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add the milk, ½ cup of water, sugar and cardamom powder and mix well. Cook on a slow flam for 2 to 3 minutes or till the mixture has little liquid remaining and not completely dry, while stirring continuously.
4. Switch off the flam, add the saffron-milk mixture and mixed nuts and mix well.
5. Serve immediately.

 

Tomato Dal:

  Ingredients:

• 1 ½ tablespoons Oil or Ghee
• ¼ teaspoon Mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
• 2 small Green chilies slit
• 5-6 Curry leaves
• 2 small or 1 ¼ cups Tomato chopped, keep few for garnishing
• Salt to taste
• ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• ½ cup Water
• 1 tablespoon Cilantro or coriander leaves chopped finely

  Method:

1. Heat the oil or ghee in a pan on medium heat.
2. Once hot add mustard seeds, let them pop. Then add cumin seeds and let them sizzle.
3. Add ginger paste, garlic paste, and slit green chilies. Mix and cook for about a minute.
4. Now add chopped tomatoes and curry leaves. Mix well, add remaining salt.
5. Cook for few minutes or till tomatoes gets soft. Few will get mushy and few will hold their shape. That is perfect.
6. Add water to make dal consistency. Water quantity may vary depending on your liking consistency.
7. Mix well and let it simmer for 5-6 minutes.
8. Add finely chopped coriander leaves.
9. Stir it well and turn off the stove.
10. The dal is ready to be served

  Samo Rice and Tomato Dal  

Samo Rice:

  Ingredients:

• 1 cup Samo rice
• 2 1/4 cups water
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 green chili
• 2 tbsp scrapped fresh coconut (optional)
• 1/2 tbsp oil 
• Rock salt to taste

  Method

1. Dry roast samo rice till turns light brown. 
2. Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, green chili and scrapped coconut. Saute for one minute. 
3. Add samo, rock salt and mix well. Add 2 1/4 of hot water and mix well. 
4. Cover and on lower the gas.
5. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes or till all the water is absorbed and rice becomes soft. 
6. Serve hot with yogurt.

 

 

Farali Pattice:

  Ingredients:

• Potatoes boiled, peeled and grated 3-4
• Fresh coconut scraped 1/4 cup
• Cashewnuts chopped 1 tablespoon
• Peanuts roasted and crushed 1 tablespoon
• Raisins 1/2 tablespoon
• Rock salt (sendha namak) to taste
• Sugar 1/4 teaspoon
• Lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon
• Ginger-green chili paste 1/2 teaspoon
• Fresh coriander leaves chopped 1 tablespoon
• Arrowroot powder 1 tablespoon + for coating
• Oil for greasing and deep-frying

  Farali Pattice   Method: Step 1 To make stuffing, combine coconut, cashew nuts, peanuts, raisins, rock salt, sugar, lemon juice, ginger-green chili paste and chopped coriander in a bowl and mix well. Step 2 Heat sufficient oil in a kadai. Step 3 Combine potatoes, arrowroot powder and rock salt in another bowl and mix well. Step 4 Grease your palms with some oil. Spread some arrowroot powder on a plate. Step 5 Divide the potato mixture into equal portions, make a dent in the center and fill it with a portion of the stuffing. Coat it with arrowroot powder. Step 6 Deep-fry pattice in hot oil till golden and crisp. Drain on absorbent paper. Step 7 Serve hot.  

 

Fruit Shrikhand:

  Ingredients:

• 2 cups Plain yogurt(NOT sour, use fresh)
• ¼ cup Sugar powdered into blender or grinder
• few strands Saffron crushed into mortar and pestle
• 1 teaspoon Milk
• ¼ teaspoon Green cardamom seeds powder
• 4-5 Cashew nuts chopped finely
• 4-5 Almonds chopped finely
• 4-5 Pistachios chopped finely, optional

  Fruit Shrikhand   Method:

1. First let’s prepare for hung curd.
2. Take a deep bowl and a strainer. Select the bowl or mug which is deep, so the strainer is not touching the collected liquid in the bowl.
3. Put the muslin cloth or man’s handkerchief or clean, pure cotton cloth over the strainer.
4. Add plain yogurt into the prepared strainer.
5. Gather the cloth edges and if you squeeze it lightly, tie the edges of the cloth.
6. Now keep this whole thing into the refrigerator for at least 4-5 hours. You can keep it overnight too.
7. After 5 hours, all the liquid/whey has been drained out. You will leave with very thick yogurt aka hung curd or chakka.
8. Now crush the saffron in mortar and pestle.
9. Also, warm up the milk in a microwave for a few seconds.
10. Add crushed saffron into the warm milk and stir.
11. Take hung curd into a bowl.
12. Add powdered sugar and saffron milk.
13. Stir it well using spoon till everything is incorporated well. Make sure there are no lumps. Do not whisk or stir vigorously otherwise you will end up with runny and thin consistency.
14. Now add cardamom powder, chopped nuts. Stir well to combine.
15. It is ready. Keep in the fridge

 

Kuttu Ki Puri:

  Ingredients:

• 240 Gram Kuttu ka atta
• 125 Gram Potatoes (peeled and mashed smooth), boiled
• 1 tsp Sendha namak (rock salt)
• To knead Water
• For deep frying Ghee
• For dusting Dry flour

  Method:

1. Mix atta, potatoes, and salt together and knead into a stiff dough, with the water. Cover and leave to rest, for at least 30 minutes.
2. Break the dough into 10-12 pieces, and shape each into round, smooth balls, smearing your hands with some ghee, if it sticks.
3. Take a ball, and with a rolling pin, roll into a thin round. Roll all the balls, and keep ready for frying.
4. Heat the ghee in a `kadai' or frying pan, and when a small piece of dough comes up at once, put the rolled `puri' into the oil.
5. Press gently with a slotted spoon in the center, so that it puffs up. Turn it over and fry till a little darker on both sides.
6. Remove from the fat with the slotted spoon, drain, and place on an absorbent paper, before transferring on to a serving dish

  Rajgiri Puri, Kuttu Puru, Kele ki Sabzi and Paneer Vatana

 

 

Rajgira Puri:

  Ingredients:

• Rajgira flour 1 cup
• Potatoes boiled and peeled 2-3 medium
• Ginger-green chili paste 3 teaspoon
• Fresh coriander leaves chopped 1 tablespoon
• Rock salt (sendha namak) to taste
• Ghee 2 tablespoons + to deep fry

  Method: Step 1 Grate potatoes into a bowl. Add ginger-green chili paste, coriander leaves, and rock salt and mix well. Add rajgira flour, little by little, mix and knead into a stiff dough. Add ghee and knead again. Set aside for 10-15 minutes. Step 2 Heat sufficient ghee in a kadai. Step 3 Divide the dough into small equal portions and roll into balls. Place each ball on a greased plastic sheet and gently pat into a puri. Step 4 Deep-fry puris in hot oil, one by one, till puffed up and golden. Drain on absorbent paper. Step 5 Serve hot.   Get ready for Navratri with these easy and healthy vrat recipes!   For more interesting content and interviews, follow our online digital magazine BananiVista. You can also “Like” and “Follow us” on Facebook.