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 most auspicious Hindu festivals and biggest among all Navratris.

During se nine days of celebrating and worshipping 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 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 d as needed
• rock salt (edible and food gre) 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 samak rice or barnyard millet a couple of times in water like way we rinse rice.
• Soak in enough water for 20 to 30 minutes.
• After 20 to 30 minutes, drain all water and set soaked barnyard millet aside.
• Dry roast peanuts in a pan or in oven till y become crunchy.
• Coarsely powder m in a mortar pestle or in a dry grinder.
• Crush 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 heat to low or medium-low.
• d all whole spices - cumin, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and black peppercorns.
• Fry till oil becomes fragrant and cumin crackles.
• d crushed ginger-green chilli paste and sauté for half a minute on a low heat.
• d cubed potatoes, curry leaves, coriander leaves and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes on a low heat.
• Now d peanuts powder and stir to combine. Keep heat to a low.
• d samak rice to sautéed mixture. Mix and stir very well.
• d water and salt as required. Pressure cook on medium heat for 4 to 5 whistles or till water is absorbed and millet grains are cooked.
• When pulao is cooking, you can dry roast chopped cashews and almonds. 
• When serving Samak Rice Pulao, garnish with roasted nuts and coriander leaves.
• When serving also sprinkle some lemon juice in pulao. You can also keep some lemon wedges by side of 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 gre) or Sendha Namak as required

Instructions

Boiling potatoes:

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

Making Vrat wale aloo recipe:

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

(Recipe credit: vegrecipesofindia.com)