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Navratri is a popular Hindu festival celebrated for nine nights and ten days, where Goddess Durga and her nine incarnations are worshipped and revered. During this auspicious time, devotees observe a fast of nine days to invoke the energy of Goddess Durga and purify the body and mind. The traditions of Navratri differ from culture to culture and region to region. They are quite similar, and the basic premise is that the food they eat should be healthy, fresh, and light. People generally stay away from non-veg and stick to an indigenous cuisine of delicious vegetarian recipes. Here are some tasty and mouth-watering recipes that you can try during this festive season:
1. Kaddu Khus Khus Ka Halwa
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Tasty, healthy, and delicious, this recipe is for all you pumpkin lovers who cannot get enough.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg yellow pumpkin
- 4 tbsp poppy seeds
- Sugar to taste
- 3-4 cardamom (elaichi) seeds
- ½ tbsp saffron
- ¼ cup ghee
- 100-150 grams of khoya
- 1 tbsp chironji
- 1 tbsp raisins
- ½ vark (silver leaf)
- Green pistachios (as required)
How To Prepare:
- Peel and chop the pumpkin into small pieces and place it in a cooker. Add some water and allow it to cook for about two whistles.
- Clean and wash the poppy seeds.
- Place the cooked pumpkin in a kadai and mash it well. Add the cleaned poppy seeds, crushed cardamom seeds, and saffron to it and cook on medium heat until the water evaporates.
- When the pumpkin turns dry, add sugar and stir while cooking until it melts.
- Add ghee to the mix and cook for 10 minutes on low heat until the dish turns brown.
- Grate the khoya and add it to the mix. Also, add raisins and chironji and mix well.
- Garnish with vark and pistachios and serve hot.
2. Kela And Paneer Balls
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Kheema balls are a big no-no, but with this recipe, you will never feel like you’re missing out!
Ingredients:
- 100 grams of paneer
- 1 raw banana
- 1 tsp green chilli paste
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- ½ tsp Himalayan salt
- 3 tsp singhare ka atta
- 2 tsp coarsely powdered peanuts
- 1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves
- Oil to fry
How To Prepare:
- Wash bananas and retain the peel. Microwave them with the peel for 3 minutes. You could also boil them in water.
- Peel the bananas and mash well.
- Put all the ingredients together and mix them well.
- Once a paste is formed, shape them into small balls.
- Deep fry in hot oil until they are golden brown.
- Serve hot with chutney.
3. Raw Papaya & Pineapple Ka Raita
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Here is a fruity twist to your plain curd.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of fresh curd
- 3 slices of freshly cut pineapple
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¼ cup of peeled and grated paw papaya
- ½ tsp rock salt
- 1-2 green chilies crushed to a paste
- ½ tsp salt
How To Prepare:
- Boil the grated papaya in water and cook until it’s a little crunchy. Cool and squeeze out the water.
- Chop and puree the pineapple in ¼ cup of water. Cook the pineapple puree with 1 tsp sugar for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool.
- Add papaya, pineapple puree, and other ingredients to the curd to season. Add sugar if needed and mix well.
- Serve chilled. You can also add some pomegranate to garnish if you wish.
4. Vrat Ki Roti Or Paratha
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Parathas are delicious and if you have not been a fan before, try these and you will be!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup rajgira atta
- 1 medium potato boiled
- ½ tsp salt
How to Prepare:
- Grate potato and mash well.
- Mix the mashed potato with the atta. Add salt and make a dough with water.
- Make four balls. Take one ball and place it in between two sheets of plastic paper. You could also use a polythene bag.
- Roll it out into a slightly thick chapati.
- Heat the tawa and spread a little oil on it. You could also use ghee.
- Place the chapati on it and cook both sides.
- Spread some ghee on the cooked chapati and serve hot.
5. Aloo Ka Halwa
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Potato lovers, we’ve got you covered. Apart from cooking delicious sabzis and curries, your favorite vegetable can also be used to make a mouth-watering sweet.
Ingredients:
- 3 large potatoes
- 1 tbsp ghee
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup milk
- ½ tbsp cashews
- A pinch of cardamom
- ½ tbsp raisins
- ¼ tbsp almonds
How To Prepare:
- Boil the potatoes and peel off the skin. Once it’s cooked, mash them into a fine paste without lumps.
- In a heated pan, pour some ghee and add the mashed potatoes. Let it roast for 1-2 minutes.
- Add milk, sugar and raisins to the roasted potatoes and mix them well.
- Stir frequently and let it cook for another 8-10 minutes.
- Add a pinch of cardamom and stir.
- Chop the almonds and roast them until they are golden brown in a separate pan.
- Garnish the potato with flaked almonds and roasted cashews and serve hot.
We hope we made your day brighter, juicer, and hungrier with our scrumptious recipes. We would love to know if you enjoyed making these dishes and better yet, enjoyed eating them. If you are not good with your hands in the kitchen, share this article with your friends and family so they can cook these recipes for you!
