Religiosity aside, a major perk of the nine-day Hindu festival Navratri is the seemingly never-ending buffet of scrumptious dishes to gorge on, despite it being a period of ‘fasting’ or vrat. If you find yourself confused as to what you could eat during this festive period, we’ve curated nine Navratri recipes to help you get started and sail through each of the nine days. By Bayar Jain
Day One
Dish: Sabudana Khichdi
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Ingredients
- 1 cup sabudana (tapioca pearls)
- 2 potatoes
- ½ cup roasted peanuts
- 8-10 curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 green chilli
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ¼ cup grated coconut
- 3 tablespoon ghee
- Sugar, lemon juice and salt as per taste
Preparation
- Rinse and soak sabudana in water overnight or till the pearls soften. Set aside.
- Boil, peel and chop the potatoes.
- Dry roast the peanuts and grind them into a coarse powder once cooled.
- Mix the soaked sabudana, peanut powder, salt and sugar.
Method
- In a pan, heat ghee and fry the cumin till it starts to crackle.
- Next, add curry leaves and green chilli, and fry for a few seconds.
- Add the grated ginger and sauté well.
- Next, add potatoes and sauté.
- Add sabudana to the pan, and cook till the pearls become translucent.
- Switch off the flame and mix lemon juice and chopped coriander into the pan.
- Transfer to a plate and garnish with coriander leaves, lemon juice, and grated coconut as per taste.
Day Two
Dish: Singhare ka halwa
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Ingredients
- 1 cup singhare ka aata (water chestnut flour)
- 3 ½ tablespoons ghee
- 3 cups boiling water
- ½ cup of sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon green cardamom powder
- 2 tablespoons chopped dry fruits
Method
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Heat ghee in a pan and add water chestnut flour to it.
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Roast for five to six minutes, stirring continuously to ensure even roasting.
- Next, add dry fruits, sugar and green cardamom powder. Stir well till the sugar melts.
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Add hot water and stir till the water is absorbed.
- Transfer to a plate and garnish with chopped dry fruits.
Day Three
Dish: Makhane ki kheer
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Ingredients
- 1 cup makhane (foxnuts)
- 2 cups of milk
- 4 pods of green cardamom
- 10-12 cashews
- 1 tablespoon golden raisins
- 1 pinch saffron
- 3 teaspoons ghee
- Sugar as per taste
Preparation
- Heat ghee in a pan. Add makhane and cashews to it.
- Roast on low flame till the makhane become crunchy.
- Segregate into two parts: ⅓ cup and ⅔ cup, and set aside.
Method
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In a pan, heat milk till it boils. Keep stirring to avoid scorching.
- Meanwhile, in a blender, grind ⅔ cup of makhane, cardamom pods, and saffron strands till it becomes a powder.
- Once the milk boils, add sugar, powdered makhane powder, and 1/3 un-powdered makhane.
- Keep stirring on low to medium flame till the makhane soften and milk thickens.
- Add cashews and golden raisins and let simmer.
Day Four
Dish: Kuttu ke atte ka malpua
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Ingredients
For the batter
- 1 cup kuttu ka atta (buckwheat flour)
- 1 teaspoon fennel powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 4 teaspoons jaggery
- Ghee
For sugar syrup
- 2 cups of sugar
- 1 cup of water
- 10-12 strands of saffron
Preparation
For the batter
- Add kuttu ka atta, fennel seed powder, baking powder, jaggery and water in a bowl to make the batter.
For the sugar syrup
- In a pan, add sugar and cook on a medium flame for 10 minutes or till a thread-like consistency is formed.
- Next, add 2 teaspoons of water and saffron strands in a bowl. Add the sugar syrup in this and mix well.
Method
- In a pan, heat ghee on medium flame.
- Once warm, spread the batter on the pan using a tablespoon to form a circular shape.
- Cook evenly on both sides till it turns golden brown.
- Transfer to the sugar syrup and let soak for 10 minutes.
Day Five
Dish: Banana walnut lassi
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Ingredients
- 1 cup yoghurt
- ½ banana
- 4 Walnuts
- 1 teaspoon mix of flax seeds and sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon Honey
Method
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In a food processor, add yoghurt, walnuts, seeds, honey, and bananas. Blend until it becomes smooth and creamy.
- Transfer to a glass and garnish with chopped walnuts.
Day Six
Dish: Kebab-e-Kela
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Ingredients
- 250-gram raw bananas
- 1 black cardamom
- ¼ cup kuttu ka atta (buckwheat flour)
- 2 teaspoon white rock salt
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon chilli powder
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 green chilli
- 2 tablespoon coriander
- Ghee
Method
- Steam the bananas, ginger and black cardamom till the bananas are cooked. Let it cool.
- Next, mash the bananas and mix it with kuttu ka atta, salt, coriander seeds, chilli powder, lemon juice and chopped chilli to form a dough.
- Shape the dough and dust it with kuttu ka atta.
- Fry these kebabs in ghee on medium heat till it turns browns on both sides.
Day Seven
Dish: Sabudana kheer
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Ingredients
- ½ cup sabudana (tapioca pearls)
- 2 cups of milk
- 2 cups of water
- 5 tablespoon sugar
- 5 green cardamoms (powdered)
- 2 tablespoons cashews (chopped)
- ½ tablespoon raisins
- 4 strands saffron (optional)
Preparation
- Rinse and soak sabudana in water till it softens.
Method
- In a pan, add the soaked sabudana and milk and cook for five minutes.
- Next, add sugar and cardamom powder, and cook on low to medium flame till the pearls have cooked through. Stir occasionally.
- Transfer to a bowl, mix cashews and raisins and garnish with saffron strands to serve.
Day Eight
Dish: Coconut barfi
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Ingredients
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 cup of water
- 1 ½ cup grated coconut
- 1 tablespoon khoya
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
- 5 almonds (chopped)
- 7 pistachios (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon ghee
Method
- In a pan, dissolve sugar and water to make a sugar syrup.
- Next, add grated coconut and mix. Let it reduce on slow heat.
- Add khoya and green cardamom. Mix well.
- Grease a tray with ghee and sprinkle chopped almonds and pistachios.
- Add the mixture and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Cut into squares and serve cold.
Day Nine
Dish: Sooji ka halwa
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Ingredients
- 1 cup sooji (semolina)
- 3/4 cup ghee
- 1 ⅕ cup sugar
- ½ cup almonds
- 3 cups of water
- 1 cup milk
- 3 green cardamoms
- Few strands of saffron
Method
- In a pan, melt butter and crushed green cardamoms.
- Next, add sooji and start roasting it on medium heat till it turns golden brown.
- Add sugar, milk and water. Keep stirring till the liquids start to dry up and the sooji thickens.
- Transfer to a plate, garnish with saffron and almonds.
Related: Take With Us A Trip Through India To Taste The Best Of Festive Food!
Written By
Bayar Jain
Senior Content ManagerEquipped with a degree in Sociology (Honours) from the University of Delhi and a postgraduate diploma in English Journalism and Mass Communication from Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai, Bayar enjoys sharing stories of people, places, and different cultures. When not typing her travel tales, you can catch the hobbyist photographer capturing ..Read More
