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.

sabudana vada recipe | Maharashtrian sabudana vada | how to make crispy sabudana vada | sago vada 

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.

farali handvo recipe | kand potato handvo for vrat | aloo kand handvo with paneer stuffing | 

 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 recipe | navratri, vrat ka khana | upvas aloo kand pakora | aloo bhajiya for fasting | 

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 recipe | kutto khichdi | farali kutto khichdi | healthy kutto khichdi | 

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 recipe | akhrot ka halwa | walnut halwa | quick akhrot ka sheera |

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 recipe | Indian style kand ki pattice | purple yam tikki | vrat ki tikki | faraali kand ki 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.

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.

upvaas thalipeeth recipe | rajgira faraali thalipeeth | Maharashtrian upvaas thalipeeth |

kuttu paratha recipe | kuttu roti recipe | buckwheat paratha for vrat, fasting |

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 recipe | faral dosa | sama rajgira dosa | rajgira dosa | 

For Dry snacks

farali potato wafers recipe | fasting potato chips | vrat potato chips | 

Indian Main Course Recipes for Navratri

farali pancakes recipe | sweet farali pancake | buckwheat pancake for upvas | kuttu ka cheela - navratri, vrat 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 | maharashtrian sabudana khichdi | sago 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 recipe | farali kadhi | vrat 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.

shakarkand ka halwa recipe | faral sweet potato halwa | navratri vrat ka halwa | upvas ka halwa |

shrikhand recipe 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 recipe | keasr elaichi shrikhand recipe | 

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 fruits milkshake recipe | Indian dry fruit milkshake | healthy dry fruits nuts 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 recipe | homemade Gujarati piyush |how to make traditional Maharashtrian piyush at home | piyush drink | 

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Happy Cooking!