|
Navratri is one of the Indian festivals celebrated throughout the country amidst great festivity. The festival of Navratri starts on the first day of the month of Ashwin and continues for 9 days and at the end of the tenth day, the Dusshera is celebrated. The festival generally takes place in Gujrat, different parts of North India. In Bengal, the famous Durga Puja is celebrated during the nine days of Navratri. Starting from the sixth day, the Sasti, Saptami, Astami, and Navmi takes place till the ninth day and on the day of Dusshera, the Dashmi is celebrated. The Navratri comprises an endless array of jubilations and the various forms of delectable form an essential part of it. Umpteen Navratri recipes are prepared in order to provide a sensuous feel to the taste buds.
The ingredients for Navratri recipes are easily available and therefore the different preparation of Navratri recipes is not anyway cumbersome. There are specialized Navratri meals, which are delicious indeed. There is amplitude of dishes that are cooked on account of the festival, but here is a short overview of the most popular delicacies. They are,
- Aloo Khichdi
- Kele Ke Kofte
- Navratri Raita
- Kottu Pakora
- Dal Stuffed Puri
- Gobhi Ke Sabzi
- Singhara Ke Burfee
Aloo Khichdi
Ingredients:
- 1cup rice, mainly the Samwat rice which is also known as Parsai ke chaawal is used.
- 1 large potato
- 2 cloves
- 1 tsp. cumin seeds
- 2 green cardamom
- A small stick of cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. red chilli powder
- 2 tsp. rock salt
- 2 tbsp. Ghee
- Green coriander to garnish
- 3 cups water
Preparation:
The ghee needs to be heated in a pan. Fry the cinnamon, cloves, cumin seeds and cardamom in it till they emit the scent and then add the diced potato and rice into it. Keep on stirring until they turn brown. Put chilli powder, water and rock salt and boil them. Set it at a simmer flame for about 15 minutes. Once it is well cooked, remove from the flame, and garnish with green coriander leaves. Serve it hot.
Navratri Raita
Ingredients:
- 1& 1/2 cups sour yoghurt
- 1 cup Boondi
- A pinch of Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Chili powder
- A pinch of Garam masala
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Preparation:
Soak the boondi in cold water for about 10 minutes. The yougurt needs to be beaten in a bowl and made very smooth. The salt and the chilli powder are to be added and stirred well. Take out the boondi from the water and sqeeze the excess water from it and add to yogurt which is already spiced up. Blend all the ingredients together and refrigerate it. Sprinkle garam masala and paprika on the raita before you serve it.
Dal Stuffed Puri
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup Blackgram or Urad dal
- 1 cup Wheat flour
- 2 nos. Cardamon
- 1/2" piece Cinnamon
- 2 nos. Cloves
- 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
- 2 nos. Red chillies
- Oil To fry
- 1/5th cup Water
- Salt To taste
Preparation:
Make dough of wheat flour by mixing oil and salt to it. Put a little water and knead it favorably soft. Cover the dough with a wet cloth and leave for about 25 minutes. The Urad dal should be soaked in water at least for one hour and then should be ground to a paste. Use very little or absolutely no water in grinding. The cardamom, cinnamon, cumin seeds, cloves and red chilly should also be ground into a paste and kept aside. Put oil in the frying pan. Add the dal paste and the paste of the spices to it and fry, until all the water gets absorbed.. Make small balls with the dough and then fill them with the mixture of the dal. Seal the balls. Deep fry them until they turn golden brown. Drain the excess oil and seve them hot.
Gobi ki Sabji
Ingredients:
- 100 gm chopped tomatoes
- 500 gm cauliflower
- 20 gm chopped ginger and green chillies
- 2 small cardamoms
- 10 gm garam masala powder
- 5 bay leaves
- 4 gm heeng
- 5 cloves
- 2 gm turmeric
- 10 gm cumin
- 100 gm ghee
- Salt to taste
- Freshkly chopped green coriander leaves as garnishing
Preparation:
Grate the cauliflower. Put ghee in a pan, heat it and put the cloves, bay leaves, cardamom, cumin, hing in it. As the spices start splattering, put, green chilly and turmeric and saute for some moments. Set the flame low and add the cauliflower and cook for about 12 – 15 minutes. Add little water and continue cooking for another 7-8 minutes. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Remove from flame, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.
Kele Ke Kofte
Ingredients:
Kofta:
- 6 Raw bananas
- 10 gm chopped Ginger and green chilli
- 5 gm garam masala powder
- 1 gm asafoetida
- 2 gm cumin
- Salt to taste
Gravy:
- 1/4 kg beaten curd
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 gm asafoetida
- 2 gm cumin
- 3 gm clove
- 1.5 gm turmeric
- 5 gm garam masala powder
- 2 gm red chilli powder
- 5 gm ginger and green chilli
- 25 ml oil
- 50 ml water
Garnishing:
5 gm chopped corriander
Preparation:
Peel of the raw bananas, boil them and mash them. Make paste of asfoetida, cumin, and garam masla. Put it into the smashed bananas and also put the chopped ginger and the chilli into it. Mix them wel. Shape the mashed bananas into balls. Deep fry them and keep aside. Then make the gravy. Put oil in the pan, add all the other ingredients and cook till it turns to consistent gravy. Put the fried banana balls or the koftas in the gravy and cook in low flame for few minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.
Kottu ke Pakore
Ingredients:
- 1 cup kotu ka atta or Buckwheat flour
- 3 medium sized Potatoes, boil them till half cooked
- 1/2tbsp. black pepper powder
- 3/4th tsp. baking powder
- Ghee or Vegetable oil for frying
- 1/2tsp. salt
- 1/4th cup finely chopped Coriander leaves
Preparation:
Mix the salt, pepper, and coriander with the flour in a bowl. Add water to turn it to a creamy batter. Keep it apart for about 20 minutes, covering the bowl with a lid. Take the half potato, peel them, and make diagonal slices. Put ghee in the pan. Put the potato slices in the batter, coat them completely, and fry them in the ghee or the oil. Put at a time as many slices, which float in the oil without touching each other. Serve them hot with chutney.
Singhara Ke Burfee
Ingredients:
- 2 cup Singhara flour or waterchestnut flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup Khoya
- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp Ghee
Preparation:
Fry the flour in ghee in a pan stirring evenly and keep it in another vessel when they turns light pink. Then fry the khoya also to a pinkish tint. Make sure that there should not be any lump so keep on stirring. Add the cardamom powder and the flour and leave them to be cool down. Make sugar syrup by boiling water and sugar in a consistent miuxture. If you want to check the perfect consistency then put a drop of it cold water, if it formssoft ball then it is the ideal one. Mix the sugar syrup to the khoya and stirr it to mix well. Grease a plate and put the khoya mixture in it. Spread it evenly and keep it for further cooling. After some time, when the mix becomes cool and hardens then cut it into pieces with a sharp edged knife in the shape of a burfee or a triangle. So the delicious Singhara ki burfee is ready to be served.
Sigi says celebrate this auspiciously joyful event with a platter of exclusive vegetarian delicacies of Navratri.
|
