Navratri 2022: Easy Recipes to Try at Home this Shardiya Navratri

Try these easy and tasty recipes for Navratri fasting this year.

Navratri has officially begun today! People who celebrate Navratri with all the rituals, also observe a fast on the nine days of Navratri. Few people who cannot observe fast on all nine days, do so on the first and ninth day of Navratri 2022.

A Navratri fast requires certain dietary restrictions to be met. People cannot eat grains, pulses, or meat in any form. Thus, it is important to prepare a diet plan for a Navratri fast so that all dietary rules are followed and a person stays healthy throughout.

People not only avoid eating non-vegetarian food but also avoid eating onion and garlic in their diet during Navratri. So, here are a few recipes for Navratri 2022 fast that can be prepared without any garlic or onion.

Sabudana Khichdi

Sabudana khichdi is a popular dish prepared during fasts for various festivals. It is an easy dish to prepare but a bit tricky. You have to make sure that the tapioca pearls do not stick or become lumpy.

This dish is loaded with carbohydrates and proteins since we use peanuts. Sabudana is rich in carbs and hence it is a filling snack.

• You will have to soak the sabudana overnight or for a few hours depending on the quality. Make sure that the pearls get smashed easily, then you will know that the sabudana is ready to be cooked.

• Make sure that the water drains out well, you can keep it in a thick cloth for an hour or so. This will prevent sabudana khichdi from becoming lumpy.

• You will have to mix the sabudana, peanuts, salt, and chilli powder so that the tapioca pearls are well coated with the masalas.

• Heat the ghee, add cumin seeds, red chilli, and curry leaves in the pan. When the red chillies darken a bit, add the sabudana mixture and let the mixture stay for a bit on the low flame.

• Take it off the heat, add lemon juice, and peanuts and mix them well. Serve the khichdi and garnish it with coriander leaves and green chillies.

Aloo Kadhi

Aloo Kadhi is an easy and quick recipe that is quite light on the digestive system and still filling, for a nice meal. Key ingredients like potatoes, chilies, and singhare ka atta are used in this dish. It makes a great dish for a Navratri fast.

• You will have to mix potatoes, half teaspoon salt, chilli powder, and singhare ka atta into a thick batter.

• Keep one-fourth of the mixture aside so that the rest can be used to make pakoras.

• Heat a pan with oil in it. Then drop the batter into the heated oil with the help of a big spoon, and lower the flame so that the pakoras are evenly cooked and become golden.

• Keep the deep-fried fritters on paper so that the excess oil is soaked by the paper.

• Then add yogurt to the remaining mixture to make a smooth paste and mix in water as well.

• Take a heavy, thick-bottomed pan, reheat the same oil, and add curry leaves, cumin seeds, ginger, and whole red chillies.

• Add the yogurt mixture, salt, and coriander powder. Bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer over low flame so that the mixture thickens. Keep stirring the mixture frequently to avoid burning.

• Now add the pakoras into the mixture, simmer a couple of minutes more, and serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

Makhana Kheer

• Makhana Kheer is a replacement for the normal rice kheer that is specially prepared during fasting days since few people do not eat normal rice on these days.

• You will have to take dry fruits like almonds and cashews, and crush them into small pieces.

• Add some ghee to a pan over medium flame and when the ghee is hot enough, add the lotus seeds along with the crushed dry fruits. Roast them till the lotus seeds turn crispy and the cashews turn golden.

• Then take a pan with a heavy bottom and keep it over medium flame and add milk to it.

• Meanwhile, take the dry fruits that were fried in ghee in a grinder and turn them into a powder.

• When the milk starts boiling, add sugar, cardamom powder, saffron and the powdered mixture to the pan.

• Keep stirring the mixture for a minute and add the rest of the cashews, almonds and lotus seeds as well.

• Stir the mixture until the lotus seed pops turn soft and the rest of the mixture turns thick and creamy. Then, let the mixture simmer for a few minutes.

• Transfer the kheer to a serving bowl and garnish it with almonds or cashews. You can serve it both hot and chilled.

Kuttu Ka Dosa 

• Heat some ghee in a pan, then add the mashed potatoes into the pan and mix in red chili powder, salt, and chopped ginger for taste.

• Saute the potato filling for a while till it becomes golden brown, then take it off the flame.

• Take a bowl and mash some arbi and mix it with flour and salt. Add some water to mix it well.

• Add the ajwain, red chilli powder, ginger and green chillies and mix again.

• Keep adding water and stirring till the batter becomes a smooth consistency.

• Heat a flat pan, then dab a little ghee on it, pour a little batter, and spread it evenly.

• Let the spread cook for a few minutes and keep pouring little ghee from the sides so that the Dosa is cooked evenly and turns crisp.

• Now flip the Dosa over and cook it on the other side.

• Then put some filling on top and fold the Dosa over it.

• Serve it hot with mint and coconut chutney.

Banana Walnut Lassi

You can use a few bananas, walnuts, honey, and yogurt to prepare a creamy and healthy lassi for the summers as well as for the fasting days during Navratri. You can easily prepare this sweet beverage at home.

You will need low-fat yogurt, half a banana, 3 to 4 walnuts, a mixture of flax seeds and sesame seeds, and honey. You can also use brazil nuts, hazelnuts, almonds, and pine.

Pour yogurt, whey powder, flax seed, sesame seeds, walnuts, honey, and bananas into a blender. Make a smooth and creamy mixture and transfer it into a glass and garnish with chopped walnuts. You can serve it immediately since it tastes best when fresh.