7 Fasting-Friendly Food To Try As Navratri Begins

Navratri, one of the biggest Indian festivals, is being observed with great fervour across the nation. The 9-day-long festival heightens one's spiritual belief by observing fast and worshipping avatars of Goddess Durga.

In Hinduism, fasting is believed to be a way to pay gratitude to the Goddess and is observed as per their beliefs. Generally, people alter grains, meat, alcohol, onion, garlic and stale foods from their diet and opt for foods like kuttu atta, singhara atta, fresh vegetables, fruit, milk products and dry fruits. Delicacies such as Sabudana khichdi, fruit chaat, kheer and kuttu ki poori are some of the most popular dishes cooked during Navratri. So as you prepare for the nine-day fasting period, here are some quick-to-make and yummy-to-eat recipes.

1. Sabudana Khichdi
Human bodies tend to have low immunity during seasonal changes. So, dishes prepared with Sabudana as a key ingredient could prove to be beneficial as it is a staple food rich in protein and fibre and can also help in improving digestion.

Sabudana khichdi is made with soaked sabudana, potato, ghee, grated coconut, green chillies, roasted peanuts and coriander as the main ingredients. Loaded with carbohydrates, this dish will keep you full for longer and will also give you instant energy. Also sabudana kheer and sabudana vada, also work as great fasting snack.

2. Samak ki Tikki
Along with sabudana, Samak ke chawal, as known as millet are used during fasting days. As recipes with this ingredient is easy to make and its quite versatile. The tikki is made by adding ingredients like cumin seeds, green chillies, washed samak ke chawal, water in a pressure cooker. After one whistle, remove the cooker from heat and let it cool down. Now mix potato, green chillies, roasted peanuts and coriander with rice.
And then refrigerate for some time. Finally, shallow fry the tikkis until it's crisp and turned golden brown. Serve it hot with mint-yoghurt dip.

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3. Millet Uttapam
Next, you can try Uttapam with millet (samak ke chawal ke chawal), this dish can be consumed as a snack due to its crunchy texture. For a tangy twist, you can add chopped tomatoes to the batter and cook it on a hot griddle. Sprinkle chopped coriander and it's ready serve with any dip of your preference.

4. Sama Idli
This savoury rice cake dish is made by steaming a batter consisting of sama rice and spices used during fast. Serve the idlis with coriander chutney and have it as your 'fast food' for dinner or breakfast.

5. Kuttu Dosa
Move over the usual kuttu ki puri and aloo ki sabzi, and rustle up something new this Navratri. A bite of hot crispy dosa filled with potato filling will be enough to satiate the taste buds and your cravings to have something delicious during the fast. The method is the same, just substitute rice flour with kuttu flour. Serve it hot with coriander, coconut or homemade tomato chutney.

6. Vratwale Dhokla
Try this light dhokla recipe during your fasting days. Made with steamed samwat ke chawal, whole red chillies, cumin, ghee and curry leaves. And serve it with mintchutney.

7. Makhana Kheer
Any festival is dull without a dessert and so here we have mentioned the most scrumptious dish to relish during the festivity. This utterly creamy dish is made almost the same way you prepare rice kheer. All you have to do is just substitute the rice with makhana, which is also a great healthy snack to have during the fast as they are low in cholesterol, rich in potassium and hence good to control blood pressure.

Enjoy these yummy recipes. Happy fasting!

(With inputs from ANI)

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