Navratri 2024: Delicious Vrat Recipes To Keep You Nourished And Energized

Navratri 2024 kicks off on October 3 and continues until October 12. It is one of the most auspicious Hindu festivals and the biggest among all the Navratris.

During these nine days of celebrating and worshipping the nine forms of Goddess Durga, devotees often indulge in fasting.

As you prepare for Navratri 2024, it's essential to eat healthily while you fast to keep your body, mind, and soul energized.

Check out this nutritious recipe to keep you satisfied and fully energized for the upcoming celebrations.

Samak Rice Pulao

Ingredients

To Soak

• 1 cup sama ke chawal or vrat ke chawal or samvat rice or samak rice or barnyard millet
• water as required, for soaking

To Crush In Mortar Pestle

• 1-inch ginger - peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 green chilli - roughly chopped

To Roast

• 2 tablespoons peanuts

More Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons ghee or oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ inch cinnamon stick
• 2 to 3 cloves
• 2 green cardamoms
• 3 to 4 black peppercorns
• 8 to 10 curry leaves
• 1 tablespoon coriander leaves - chopped
• 2 potatoes - medium-sized, peeled and cubed
• 2.5 to 3 cups water or add as needed
• rock salt (edible and food grade) as required (Sendha Namak)

For Garnish

• 1 tablespoon coriander leaves - chopped
• 8 to 10 cashews
• 8 to 10 almonds - sliced
• lemon juice or lemon wedges, as required

Instructions

Preparation

• Rinse the samak rice or barnyard millet a couple of times in water like the way we rinse rice.
• Soak in enough water for 20 to 30 minutes.
• After 20 to 30 minutes, drain all the water and set the soaked barnyard millet aside.
• Dry roast the peanuts in a pan or in the oven till they become crunchy.
• Coarsely powder them in a mortar pestle or in a dry grinder.
• Crush the ginger and green chilli to a paste in a mortar pestle. You can crush it to a semi-fine or a fine paste. 

Make Samak Rice Pulao

• Heat oil or ghee in a 3-litre pressure cooker. Keep the heat to low or medium-low.
• Add all the whole spices - cumin, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and black peppercorns.
• Fry till the oil becomes fragrant and the cumin crackles.
• Add the crushed ginger-green chilli paste and sauté for half a minute on a low heat.
• Add the cubed potatoes, curry leaves, coriander leaves and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes on a low heat.
• Now add the peanuts powder and stir to combine. Keep heat to a low.
• Add the samak rice to the sautéed mixture. Mix and stir very well.
• Add water and salt as required. Pressure cook on medium heat for 4 to 5 whistles or till the water is absorbed and the millet grains are cooked.
• When the pulao is cooking, you can dry roast the chopped cashews and almonds. 
• When serving the Samak Rice Pulao, garnish with the roasted nuts and coriander leaves.
• When serving also sprinkle some lemon juice in the pulao. You can also keep some lemon wedges by the side of the Samvat pulao while serving.

Vrat Wale Aloo

Ingredients

• 3 medium potatoes (aloo)
• 3 medium tomatoes or about 1 cup of chopped tomatoes
• 1 or 2 green chillies, chopped (hari mirch)
• ½ teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds) or cumin seeds (jeera)
• 1.5 to 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoon oil
• rock salt (edible and food grade) or Sendha Namak as required

Instructions

Boiling potatoes:

• Rinse the potatoes very well in freshwater. Then add the potatoes with 3 cups water in the pressure cooker.
• Sprinkle a teaspoon of Sendha Namak.
• Boil the 3 potatoes in the pressure cooker for 4 to 5 whistles, till the potatoes cook and soften.
• Peel and keep them aside.

Making Vrat wale aloo recipe:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan.
• Crackle the 1/2 teaspoon of carom seeds first.
• Now add the 1-2 chopped green chillies.
• Saute for half a minute.
• Add a cup of chopped tomatoes and saute.
• Stir and saute till the oil starts to leave the sides of the mixture.
• The tomatoes would have cooked by now and become soft.
• Continue to stir in between when cooking the tomatoes a couple of times.
• Directly crumble the 3 boiled potatoes in the tomato gravy. Stir and mix well.
• Add 2 cups of water, and stir well. Sprinkle Sendha Namak as required.
• Simmer till the gravy thickens a bit.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve Vrat wale aloo hot. The gravy will thicken as it cools down.
• This Vrat wale aloo goes well with puri or rotis made from Kuttu Ka Atta (buckwheat flour) or Singhare Ka Atta (water chestnut flour).

(Recipe credit: vegrecipesofindia.com)