Navratri Special

USHA ARVIND takes us on a trip around India, introducing us to the special Navratri dishes prepared during the upcoming festive season

With the onset of Navratri, Hindus worldwide prepare for a season of fasting and feasting. It is accompanied by pandal visiting if you belong to Eastern India, golu hopping for those in the south. Dandiya and Garba dominate the evenings in the west; and North India is in the grip of Raam Leela, culminating with Raavan Dahan.

Dedicated to the female pantheon, Navratri is famous for uniquely individual cuisines. Celebrated across the length and breadth of India, each region has its own exotic fare, specially prepared and offered to the deity during the nine days this festival lasts. (The term Navratri itself stands for ‘Nine nights’). Predominantly vegetarian, onion and garlic are taboo during this period. Spices are restricted to red chillies, turmeric and cumin seeds and rock salt is used. This column is devoted exclusively to the festive recipes, each a speciality of its region. Be it crunchy sabudana vada or wholesome sundal, mouth watering rossogollas or sumptuous undhiyo, there is something to suit everyone’s palate. Experiment with India’s multicultural flavours and enjoy…

Singhara Burfi (Water chestnut or is commonly used during Navratri to make delicious sweet and savoury dishes in central and western India)

½ cup singhara flour (water chestnut flour)

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

Stir-fry flour in ghee in a heavy pan to a light pink color over low flame. Transfer immediately to another vessel. Stir-fry khoya in the pan till there are no lumps and it turns golden. Mix cardamom powder and flour to it and cool. Make thick syrup by boiling water and sugar (check for the right consistency dropping it in cold water. It should form a soft ball). Mix syrup to the khoya batter and stir well. Grease a plate and pour mix onto it. Cool slightly and cut into

Mysore Pak

(Decadent gram dal burfi, a speciality of Karnataka)

1 cup gram flour (besan)

1 cup sugar

1 cup ghee

½ tsp cardamom powder

Heat 1 tsp ghee and add gram flour. On a medium flame, fry till it gives out a fragrant aroma and it turns slightly brownish. Take care not to burn. Keep aside. Mix sugar with ½ cup water and bring it to vigorous boil, while stirring.

Add the fried flour to the syrup. Now add 1 tbsp ghee at a time, till all the ghee is used, stirring continuously. Add cardamom and stir well. When the mixture starts leaving edges and looks a bit dry, pour it into a greased plate and cut into diamonds.

Mishti Doi

(Bengali dairy delicacy, particularly for those with an extra sweet tooth)

2¼ litres full fat milk

500 gm sugar

5 gm yogurt

Earthen pot (handi)

Small container/Deep bowl (1.5 kg capacity)

Add 300gms of sugar to the milk and boil on low heat for at least 45 minutes. Stir constantly while boiling. It should thicken and reduce by half and be pale brown in colour. Place the remaining sugar in heavy-bottomed vessel with 50ml of water and melt on low heat till it turns dark in colour. Add this to the milk. Take off heat and beat continuously till lukewarm. Transfer to handi and add yoghurt. Cover and allow to set for 12 hours. Uncover and refrigerate. Serve chilled

Patishapta (Sweet pancakes)

1 cup grated coconut

¼ cup sugar

1 cup maida (flour)

1 ½ cup milk

1 tsp cardamom powder Oil

Make a dosa-like batter using maida and milk. In a wok, put in the grated coconut and cardamom powder and cook till there is no moisture left. Add in the sugar and keep mixing constantly till all the sugar dissolves and the coconut feels slightly sticky. Remove from fire and keep aside to cool. Now make tiny little pancakes (dosa) using the maida batter. Cook lightly, then spread some coconut filling on the open dosa and make a roll.

Bandhakopir Dalna (Spicy cabbage)

1 lb cabbage, sliced finely

2 potatoes, cut in small cubes

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp turmeric

1 ¼ to 2 tsp green chili paste

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 inch ginger, grated

1 tbsp butter

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp garam masala

Salt to taste

Sugar to taste

Fry cubed potatoes in hot oil in a wok, until lightly browned. Remove and keep aside. To the hot oil, add cabbage. Sprinkle with salt. Stir well and cover with a lid. Cook for about 3-4 minutes. Now add turmeric powder, chili paste, cumin, coriander and ginger. Stir and fry until the spices are well. The cabbage should be nearly cooked at this stage. Add ½ cup water, the potatoes, fold in salt and sugar to taste. Simmer over medium heat until potatoes are cooked and there is practically no gravy in the pan. In a frying pan, heat butter. Add the bay leaves and garam masala. Stir fry a couple of minutes and pour over bandhakopir dalna.

Malpua (A Bihari sweet treat)

1 litre milk

¼ cup maida

¼ cup semolina (sooji/rava)

Ghee

Water

Boil the milk till it reduces to

Sundal

(Sundal and golu are synonymous in South India. This nutritious, anytime snack is packed with protein and loaded with flavour. Try a new sundal on each of nine nights)

½ kg black channa

1 ½ tsp. turmeric powder

½ coconut (grated)

Salt to taste

1 tsp. mustard seeds

3 red chillies (broken)

½ tsp. asafoetida powder

6 green chillies (chopped) half its quantity. Roast the rava till light brown. Add to the milk along with maida, stirring continuously so no lumps form and consistency is runny. Heat the ghee. Pour batter in circular movements into the ghee to form a small pan cake. Flip over before it goes crisp. Make sugar syrup of 1 thread consistency. Dip the malpua in the syrup and serve out on a plate.

Saboodana Vadaa (Sago patties, a crunchy treat popular in Maharashtra)

1 cup saboodana

½ cup peanuts (roasted and crushed coarsely)

1 potato (boiled, peeled and mashed)

7-8 green chilies (crushed)

Salt to taste

Oil to deep fry

Wash sago thoroughly and drain excess water. Soak for 2-3 hours. Then, add to it all the other ingredients, except oil. Mix well into a dough.

Heat oil in a deep frying pan. Moisten hands and make small flattened balls.

Fry till they are crisp and light brown in color. Drain and serve with peanut chutney.

Arbi Kele Singhara

Undhiyo (Gujarati staple)

1 cup arbi (peeled and cubed)

1 sweet potato (peeled and cubed)

10 gm ginger, chopped

10 gm green chilies, chopped

2 gm cumin seeds

¼ kg yoghurt, whisked

2 numbers cloves

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 ½ tsp green chilies, chopped

Pinch of turmeric

1 tsp red chilli powder on low heat for 15 minutes till the potatoes are soft. Season with salt. Add fresh coriander and serve hot

Vrat ke Chaaval

(Spicy rice made in North India, specially during Navratri)

2 numbers cloves

1 cinnamon stick

3 cup water

2 cardamoms

30 gm ghee

2 tsp kala namak

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp chilli powder

125 gms samwat ke chaawal

Coriander leaves for garnishing

1 large potato, diced

½ kg arbi

¼ tsp coriander powder

2 tbsp ginger

Boil the arbi. Cool, peel and slice each into two. Heat oil and fry the cut arbi till slightly browned. Heat a kadhai with 1 tsp oil. Make a paste of ginger and green chillies and stir fry in the oil. Add arbi and stir over low flame. Now mix in salt, coriander powder, mango powder, ajwain. Serve hot.

Navratri Raita

1 sweet potato, boiled, chopped

1 potato, boiled, chopped

1 cucumber, chopped

3 sprigs curry leaves (chopped)

3 tbsp. of oil

Clean, wash and soak channa overnight. Pressure cook along with turmeric powder till it turns very soft. Heat oil and add mustard seeds, red chillies and asafoetida powder. When brown, add green chillies and curry leaves. Fry for a minute and add boiled channa and salt. Cook on a low flame till dry.

Add grated coconut, fresh coriander and dash of lime.

1 potato (unpeeled and cubed)

1 raw banana(unpeeled and chopped)

½ cup pumpkin (peeled and chopped)

3-4 water chestnuts (peeled and halved)

2 slices raw papaya (peeled and grated)

Juice of 1 lemon

¼ tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp kuttu or singhare ka atta

¼ tsp cumin seeds

Salt to taste

3-4 tbsp oil

1 cup coconut (grated)

3-4 green chilies

½ cup coriander leaves

¼ cup curry leaves

1” piece ginger (grated)

4 black peppercorns

2 small cardamoms

Take grated papaya in a bowl and add salt and lemon juice to it. Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add cumin seeds and allow it to splutter. Add all the ingredients, except papaya and coriander, to the above. Pour a little water and bring it to a boil. Stir and cover the cooker with lid; allow one whistle. When cooled, add grated papaya and simmer until gravy is thickened. Pour into a serving dish and garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Undhiya is ready to eat.

Serve hot with Kuttu ka paratha

Kache Kele Ke Kofte (Green banana dumpling in gravy)

6 green bananas

1 tsp chopped coriander

Boil and peel bananas and mash them. Add rest of the ingredients and make balls and deep fry. kadhai and then add cloves, bay leaf, cumin, asafoetida, ginger, green chilli, yoghurt, turmeric, red chili powder and water to adjust the consistency. Add the koftas and simmer for a few minutes before serving. Garnish with rogan and chopped coriander.

Khuskhus Alu

3 green chillies

6 potatoes, peeled, cubed

Salt to taste

½ tsp turmeric powder

¼ bunch coriander leaves

3 dry red chillies

2 tbsp khuskhus roasted

3 tbsp oil

½ cup water

Grind the roasted khuskhus along with the green chillies and a few tbsp of water to a very fine paste. Keep aside. Heat up half of the oil in a pot to smoking point. Shallow fry the potatoes in batches on medium heat up till they are lightly browned. Keep aside. Heat up the remaining oil in the same pan. Fry whole dry red chillies and turmeric powder. Add khuskhus paste and fry again on low heat for 5 minutes till the oil has left the sides of the pan. Add potatoes, a little water and cook

Heat up ghee; fry cumin seeds, cloves, cardamoms and cinnamon. Add potato and rice and fry for few minutes. Mix in salt, chilli powder and water, and bring to a boil. Lower the flame and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes or till cooked through and the water is absorbed. Serve hot garnished with fresh coriander.

Makhane Kheer

(Lotus seed pudding, a speciality in the north)

1 litre full cream milk

2 tbsp ghee

50 gm makhaane

½ cup sugar

4 green cardamom

10-12 almonds (chopped)

Heat ghee in a pan and sauté makhaane over a low flame. When sautéed, let them cool and then crush them coarsely. Put makhaanas and milk in a deep pan, and bring the mixture to a boil. Simmer it over low flame, stirring occasionally till makhaanas get cooked and the milk thickens. When cooked, add sugar and cardamom. Stir to dissolve sugar and then simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Fried Arbi

¼ tsp ajwain

Chilli powder to taste

Rock salt to taste

2-3 green chillies

A pinch of mango powder

4-5 water chestnuts (singhara), boiled, peeled and chopped

1 cup thick yoghurt

1 tbsp coriander finely chopped

1 small green chilli finely chopped

1 tbsp whole roasted peanuts

½ tsp cumin seed powder

½ tsp cumin seeds whole

Salt to taste

Sugar to taste

1 tsp oil

Whisk yoghurt 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 kadhai and add cumin seeds, allow to splutter. Pour sizzling tempering over raita. Garnish with chopped coriander.

Spicy Shakarkhandi

(Sweet potato delicacy)

2 tbsp ghee

½ tsp salt

½ tsp sugar

Coriander leaves

3 sweet potatoes

½ tsp red pepper

½ tsp cumin seeds

5 green chillies, chopped and deseeded

Pressure cook the sweet potatoes. Peel and chop. Now heat ghee in a pan. Add cumin seeds and saute. Add green chillies, sweet potato, salt and pepper and fry. Finish with sugar. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Rasgulla

(The ultimate Bengali sweet dumplings)

1/2 litre milk

2 tsp flour (maida)

1/4 tsp lemon juice

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

4-5 drops rosewater essence

Heat milk in a pan and bring it to boil. Remove from heat. Add lemon juice. Stir slowly and gently until white curd (chenna) forms on the surface and separates from whey. Strain thoroughly and knead to a smooth dough. Add flour and knead again. Make small balls of equal size (6-7) of the dough and keep aside. Next make sugar syrup by boiling sugar and water. Add chenna balls and cook covered for 15 minutes. The balls will puff up. Cool and add rose water.