Navratri Recipes
Navratri is one of those special festivals when you love to get together along with your loved ones from far and near to have a splendid time and try your hands on authentic Indian festive cuisine.HolidaySpot presents you with a compilation of festive recipes, ranging from snacks to a full course meal.So if you really want the navratri Dinner to be perfect, then don't miss out on trying out the mouth watering vegetarian dishes.Enjoy!
An all time favorite snack.
Batata Wada
Ingredients:
1 cup
flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp. arrowroot flour
1 tbsp. hot oil
3-4
pinches turmeric powder
salt to taste
water
For
Filling
3 potatoes, boiled &
mashed
3 green chillies finely chopped
2 tbsp. coriander leaves finely chopped
1/2
tsp. cumin seeds
1 tbsp curry leaves finely chopped
1 lemon juice extracted
salt
to taste
1 tbsp. oil
Other ingredients
:
Oil to deep fry
Method
For
Filling:
Heat oil in a pan.
Add
curry leaves, cumin seeds, chillies.
Add potato, lemon juice, salt, coriander,
mix well.
Cool a little, make round balls, keep aside till required.
Preparation.
Heat
oil in frying pan and dip each ball in the batter.Then put them gently into hot
oil.
Fry on medium heat till light golden.
Drain on absorbent paper.
Repeat
for all.
Serve hot with coconut chutney.
Lemon Rice
Ingredient
Basmati
Rice 2 cups
lemon juice 5 tbsp
mustard seeds 2 tsp
Urad daal 2 tsp
Chana
daal 2 tsp
Dried Red chillies 2-3
turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
pinch
of asafoetida (hing)
optional.
A pinch of turmeric
roasted
peanuts 1/2cup
curry leaves 10-12
grated coconut 1 tbsp
salt to taste
vegetable
oil 2 tbsp
Preparation:
Wash
rice well before.then take rice with 3-3/4 cup water and add a little salt to
it.cook it in pressure cooker just the same way as you cook ordinary rice.Once
the rice is cooked keep it aside.
heat oil in a deep frying pan or a kadai
add
asafoetida,dried red chillies cut into two,urad dal and chana
cook untill dals
change color to light brown
add peanuts mustard seeds when the mustard seeds
start to crackle then add curry leaves fry for 10 seconds more
next add turmeric
powder and stir well
add cooked rice,salt and lemon juice.mix well very gently
so that the rice grains does not break
garnish with grated coconut and serve
hot.
Navrati Raita
Ingredient
1
sweet potato, boiled, chopped
1 potato, boiled, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
4-5
waterchestnuts (singhara), boiled, peeled & chopped
1 cup fresh thick curds
1
tbsp. coriander finely chopped
1 small green chilli finely chopped
1 tbsp.
whole roasted peanuts
1/2 tsp. cumin seed powder
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds whole
salt
to taste
sugar to taste
1 tsp. oil
Method
Beat
curds in a deep salad bowl.
Add cumin powder, salt, sugar, chilli, mix well.
Add all prepared vegetables, peanuts, mix to blend well.
Chill well till
required.
Heat oil in a small crucible, or tempering spoon.
Add cumin
seeds, allow to splutter.
Pour sizzling tempering over raitha.
Garnish
with chopped coriander.
Note: To save a lot of time in chilling raithas, chilled
prepared ingredients well ahead of time. Minimum time will be required in then
preparing them for serving.
Sweet Delight for Navratri
Kaju Katli
Ingredients
cashew
nuts 3/4 cup
sugar 3/4 cup
Milk 2 tbsp
Ghee 2 tsp
vanilla essence
1 tbsp
water 1 cup (boiling)
silver leaf 2 sheets
Method:
Soak
the cashew nuts in boiling water for 1 hour.
Combine the sugar, milk and cashew
nut(drained) in a food processor to create a smooth paste.
Heat the ghee in
a large pan, add the cashew nut paste and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly
until the mixture becomes thick.
Then, add vanilla essence and mix thoroughly.
Put this mixture in a greased tray and spread it evenly and press the silver
leaf on the top.
Let it cool. After it is cooled, cut into diamond shaped
pieces.
Motichur Laddoo
Ingredients
Boondi
batter
Bengal gram flour 1 1/2 cup (besan)
semolina 1 1/2 tbsp (rawa)
Sugar
syrup
sugar 1 1/4 cup
milk 1 tbsp
saffron few drops (food color)
saffron
strands
almonds 2 tbsp (chopped)
pistachios 2 tbsp (chopped)
cardamom
powder 1 tsp (elaichi)
rose water 2 tsp
Ghee/butter for deep frying
Edible
silver sheets, for garnishing (optional)
Method:
Sugar
syrup
Combine the sugar and milk
with 1 1/2 cups of water in a bowl and heat while stirring continuously till the
sugar dissolves.
Add the saffron food colour to the syrup and make a syrup
of one string consistency and keep warm.
Boondi
Combine
the gram flour, semolina and 3/4 cup of water and mix well to make a smooth batter.
Heat ghee or butter in a kadhai.
When hot, hold a perforated spoon (boondi
jhara) over the hot ghee and pour a little boondi batter at a time using a ladle
over the perforated spoon.
Spread the batter with the back of a spoon so that
the boondi falls into the ghee.
Fry the boondis over a high flame to a light
golden color, taking care to ensure that they are not very crisp.
Add the
boondis to the warm sugar syrup and mix well so that the boondis soak in the syrup
well.
Wash and dry the perforated spoon (boondi jhara) every time you pour
the boondi batter through it.
Proceed making the boondis with the remaining
batter and immerse them in the sugar syrup immediately after frying.
Allow
the mixture to cool completely.Add 2 tbsps
of hot water, the saffron, chopped almonds, chopped pistachios, powdered cardamom,
rose water and mix well.
Shape the mixture to make laddoos and garnish with
silver sheets (optional).
Gajar Halwa
Ingredients
carrots
6 (grated finely)
milk 3 cups
sugar 1 cup
mawa 1/2 cup (powdered milk)
khoya
3 tsp (ricotta cheese)
almonds 1/8 cup (chopped)
cardamoms 5 (skinned and
crushed fine)
pistachios 2-3 (powdered)
ghee 1/4 cup (clarified butter)
raisins
1 tsp
Method:
Cook
the carrots in the milk in an open pan on a low flame with constant stirring.
When the carrots are done, take them out and drain any excess milk.
Add
the milk powder(mava), the ricotta cheese and the sugar to the carrots.
Heat
the ghee in a frying pan, add the carrot mixture and keep on high flame until
the carrot paste loses the milky texture and becomes golden brown and the sugar
is totally dissolved.
Add the raisins, cardamoms, powdered pistas and the
almonds.
Heat through and serve either hot or cold with cream on the side.
Delicasies for Navratri
Mysore Rasam
Ingredients:
Dhal
well cooked and diluted - 1/4 cup
Tomatoes - 2 medium sized
Tamarind (imli)
- A small lemon size
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Hing - 1/4 teaspoon
Coriander leaves chopped fine - 3 teaspoons
Tomato finely chopped - -
1/2
Ghee - 1 teaspoon
Mustard - 1/2 teaspoon
Dhania - 2 teaspoons
Thur
dhal - 1 teaspoon
Coconut grated - 3 teaspoon
Jeera - 1/4 teaspoon
Black
Pepper - 1/4 teaspoon
Red Chillies - 5 to 6
Method:
Soak
tomatoes in hot water and crush them. Extract the imli pulp adding warm water
and add the crushed tomatoes. Add turmeric powder, salt, hing and the finely grounded
masala paste. Allow the mixture to boil well. Add the diluted dhal and bring to
boil. Add Coriander leaves and a few pieces of finely chopped tomatoes before
removing from fire. Season with ghee and mustard. Serve hot with rice. Vadas can
also be soaked and served as RASAM VADA.
Masala Cauliflower
Ingredients:
Cauliflower
floweres - 4 cups
Potato, peeled and cubed - 1 cup
Onion, grated - 1/2
cup
Tomato, chopped - 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Chopped Green chillies
- 4
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Ginger, garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Red Chilli
powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder (Dhania powder) - 1 tsp
Garam masala
powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt or to taste - 1 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves, chopped
fine - For garnishing
Method:
Roast
cumin seeds till they pop. Add onion and green chillies. Stir on low flame till
light brown. Add cauliflower, potato and 1/2 cup water, Cover and boil for 5 minutes
or till tender. Add rest of the ingredients and let cook for a minute or two.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Paneer Kofta
Ingredients:
Boiled
potatoes - 4 medium sized
Paneer - 150 gms
Chickpea flour - 4 tbsp
Baking
soda - A pinch
Oil - For deep frying
Tomatoes - 2
Onion - 1
Salt
& ginger - According to taste
Chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Corriander powder
- 1 tsp.
garam masala - 1 tsp.
Turmeric - 1 tsp.
Amchoor - 1/2 tsp
Method:
Take the potatoes
and mash them, and it to the panner and the rest of the ingredients (if the paneer
has solidified - crumble it with your hands). Mix all the ingredients to form
a soft dough. Make small balls from this. If the mixture sticks to your hands,
apply some cooking oil on your palms. Heat some oil in a wok or kadhai and deep
fry these balls. the oil should be hot or else the balls will tend to break apart.
Strain them on a paper towel and keep aside. For the Gravy: Take the tomatoes,
onions, ginger and grind them to paste. Take some oil in a deep and broad vessel
and stir fry this paste till the oil starts to separate. then add salt, turmeric,
chilli powder, garam masala and the liquid that was saved after making paneer.
let this simmer for about 15 minutes on medium heat. the gravy is ready. Do not
add the koftas immediately. The koftas are very soft, hence should be added 5
minutes before serving or else they will absorb too much gravy and crumble. I
ususally make them ahead, and then heat the gravy and koftas together in the microwave
just before serving.
Cranberry Chutney
Ingredients:
Cranberry(fresh
or frozen) - 1 cup
Fresh grated coconut - 1 cup
Methi seeds - 1 tsp.
Red
chilli - 3-4
Hing - 1 tsp.
Jagerry - Seedless grape size
Mustard seeds
- For seasoning
Salt - According to your taste
Method:
Mildly
roast methi seeds and red chilli. Mix it with all other ingredients and blend it
in a blender.Take it out to a serving bowl and season it with mustard seeds. This
tastes good with Idli,Dosa, Chapathi, or any thing which needs chutney.
Chili Chana Chutney
Ingredients:
Chowly chana(chola), or use
roasted chana-1 cup(soaked over night)
Red chlli (whole) - 2 (or more)
Cumin
- 1/2 tsp
Tomato - 1 (big)
Coriander - 50 gm
Amchur (powdered) - 1-1/2
tbsp
Green chilli - 2 (or more )
Salt - According to taste
Ginger paste
- 1/2 Tsp
Method:
Soak chana over night remove all water.Grind
all the ingredients to a thick paste by adding water as needed. You can use this
as a vegetable dip or use it as a chutney ,tastes very good with white rice, pakoras,
Poori etc. Try and enjoy.