Best Of India's Navratri Special Recipes Collected In One Place

A woman is a symbol of strength and power. The gentler she is, the stronger she is. Every woman represents Maa Durga, and Navratri is a celebration of this strength and power and the nine days of valour.

It's this auspicious occasion when good wins over evil and is celebrated with different customs yet the same enthusiasm throughout India.

As everyone is busy with festive preparations, we at Hafele thought of compiling Navratri special recipes from all over India in this one article.

Let's start with the eastern part of India; Sundor Bangla, which is considered the primary hub of Navratri Celebrations.

Bhoger Khichuri

This Durga puja bhog recipe from Bengal is both a tasty and healthy treat, especially for special occasions like Navratri.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup husked Moong Dal
• 1 Cup Rice (preferably short-grained)

Vegetables

• 2 medium chopped potatoes
• 1 Cup cauliflower florets
• 1/2 cup green peas
• 1 finely chopped tomato

For Tempering

• 4 tbsp mustard oil
• 3 cups of Water
• Whole Spices
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 6-7 cloves
• ½ inch cinnamon stick
• 3 cardamoms (green)
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 red chillies
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• Salt as per taste

Method:

• Wash rice well and soak it in water for some time. Drain Water and let it strain. Keep aside.
• Take a Kadhai and dry roast the moong dal until the color changes. Keep aside.
• Use Hafele's Vortex 590 gas hob with 5 brass burners, as this recipe takes time, and the vortex series hob will assist you in saving a lot on fuel consumption.

You will need more burners at a time for the preparations, which is why this 5-burner gas hob is a perfect choice.

• In another pot, heat mustard oil till it starts smoking. If you use Hafele's filter-free cooker hood, such as Teresa i-90 Plus, this smoke will be sucked up instantly. Providing a smoke-free kitchen for your convenient cooking.
• Add veggies, potato, and cauliflower and fry until golden brown. Keep aside.
• Add cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, cardamom, and red chillies to the rest of the oil.
• Fry for a few seconds.
• Keep the flame low.
• Now add spice powders, cumin, and red chilli powder. Mix well, and then add ginger.
• Now add tomato and stir-fry for a few more minutes.
• Add the roasted moong dal and mix well.
• Add Water to cook the dal.
• Add the fried cauliflower, potato pieces, and peas as the water simmer.
• Finally, add the rice and some more water to cook the rice and turmeric powder to the mixture.
• Now, let it cook until you get a smooth savoury consistency.
• As it nears cooking, add salt and sugar. Mix well once, and let it rest.

Your first Bengali Navratri bhog is ready to be served.

Now let's move on to the extreme west of India, Gujrat, and check out Sukhadi, a Navratri special traditional sweet.

Gol Papdi/Sukhadi

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of Ghee
• 2/3 cup regular whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup Jaggery or as per your sweetness tolerance
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped dry-fruits

Method

• Grease a plate with ghee that will be used later to set up Sukhadi.
• Grate Jaggery in your Hafele's Klara Highline pro kitchen machine. Its mixer and grinder function that uses its small dry grinder is perfect for grating/shred jaggery
• Now, take a deep non-stick pan and add ghee. Keep the heat low.
• Make sure you use Vortex 470 built-in 4 brass burners gas hob from Hafele's vortex

With its drape effect, the flame rises vertically and drapes itself around the Kadhai giving a direct and focused heat to the Kadhai, preventing food from burning.

• As the ghee melts, add wheat flour and keep stirring constantly. Mix it well until no lumps remain in the mixture.
• As the Atta gets roasted, a roasty aroma starts coming out, changing color.
• Now turn off the flame and add grated Jaggery to the pot. Keep mixing constantly.
• As the Jaggery melts, the mixture will start getting thick.
• As you get a smooth consistency, transfer all the mixture to the greased plate and spread it uniformly throughout the plate with the help of a spatula.
• Cut it into Barfi-like pieces as it's still warm.

Your Sukhadi sweet is ready to be served!

It's time to move northwards. Let's check out Malpua, the famous north Indian sweet served in festivals and during Navratri-like auspicious occasions.

Malpua

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour/Maida
• 1 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
• 4 crushed green cardamoms
• ¼ pinch of baking soda
• Water as required
• ¼ cup Khoya
• ¼ cup Curd
• Ghee for frying

For Sugar Syrup

• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ cup water

Method

• Soak dry fruits like almonds and pistachios in a hot water bowl.
• Blend flour, fennel seeds, cardamom powder, Khoya, and curd into a smooth paste with the help of Klara Pro Kitchen Machine. Add water as needed.
• Our goal is to prepare a thick semi-liquid batter that is smooth in consistency and without any lumps.
• Keep aside covered. Allow it to rest for half an hour
• Meanwhile, let's prepare sugar syrup
• Take a deep pot and add sugar and Water to the pot. Put it on a low flame and allow the mixture to simmer.
• As the sugar gets dissolved, the consistency of this solution will start getting thicker. Take a spoon and dip it into the solution.
• When you remove the spoon, a sticky string of sugar syrup will come along with it. You can confirm the sugar syrup is ready when you get a consistent string.

Now, until you prepare the Malpuas, this sugar syrup must be kept warm. As if it cools, it will get crystallized.

• Place this sugar syrup into Hafele's OLIVIA-G Warming Drawer to keep it warm.

• Now, let's get back to the Malpuas.
• Heat ghee in a frying pan
• Meanwhile, add baking soda to the semi-liquid batter kept aside. Mix well.
• Pour half a cup of batter into the heated ghee, and spread it out gently.
• Fry these Malpuas until golden brown and fry on both sides. It will get a bit crispier.
• Remove from ghee and place on tissue paper to remove all the excess oil from them.
• Place them in the prepared syrup.
• Let the Malpuas get coated thoroughly with the syrup

Garnish with dry fruits. Your mouth-watering Malpuas are ready to be served.

Next, we'll move towards South India and explore some more Navratri special dishes!

Ven Pongal

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons Ghee
• ½ cup rice
• ½ cup Moong Dal
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• Salt as per taste
• 5 cups of Water

For tempering

• 1 tablespoon. ghee
• 2 teaspoon Chana dal
• 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
• 6-7 peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon. ginger paste
• 10/12 chopped cashews
• 2 green chillies
• 10/12 curry leaves
• ½ teaspoon hing

Method

• Wash and then soak the rice for about half an hour
• Take a pan and heat the ghee. As the ghee melts, add Moong dal.
• Sauté for a while on low flame
• Drain the soaked rice and add to the pan
• Stir fry for two more minutes
• Meanwhile, boil 4 cups of Water in Hafele's Queen Kettle.

This kettle comes with removable limescale filters that make it easy to clean. Plus, its non-drip spout and sleek handle make it easy to use.

• While it's boiling, add salt and turmeric powder and let it boil.
• Add this boiled Water to the dal & rice mixture and let the dal & rice cook until a soft and smooth texture
• Add the remaining Water and let it simmer for a few minutes.
• In another small Kadhai, add ghee and all the tempering ingredients in the same order as the list above. Sauté for a while until a rich aroma starts coming.
• Pour this tempering over the cooked rice. Put off the flame

Your Ven Pongal is ready to be served! Have it with mango pickle for a savoury taste.

Paramannam is yet another delicacy from south India and is part of the main Prasadam in Navratris.

Paramannam

Ingredients

• ½ cup Raw Rice
• 2 cups of Milk
• 1 ½ cups Jaggery
• Water as needed
• ¼ teaspoon Cardamom Powder
• 2 tablespoon Ghee
• 12 Cashews
• 10 Raisins

Method

• Wash and drain the rice and keep aside
• Take a deep pot to boil the milk
• Once it comes to a boil, add the rinsed rice and let it simmer
• Keep the flame low and let it cook until the rice is done and gets softer
• As the rice cooks, take another pot and add Jaggery and some water.
• Let the jaggery melt on a low flame.
• Add cardamom powder and turn off the flame as the Jaggery melts, and the solution gets a uniform consistency.
• By this time, our rice is also done, so now is the time to add the jaggery syrup to the rice
• Mix well.
• Heat some ghee, and fry dry fruits, raisins, and cashews until golden brown in a small skillet.
• Add it too to the rice.
• If you think the dish's consistency is too thick, add some warm milk and bring it to a boil.

Your dish is ready to be served!

After roaming all over the country, let's end our food trip in Maharashtra.

Sabudana or sago is commonly found in Maharashtra, and most of the Vrat recipes are with sago.

In Navratri especially, sabudana kheer is a delicacy prepared in most homes.

Sabudana Kheer

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sabudana
• 2 cups whole milk, or as needed
• Water as needed
• Sugar as required
• Chopped cashews and raisins as you like

Method:

• Wash Sabudana thoroughly and keep it aside.
• Soak the rinsed sabudana in some water in the pot for about half an hour
• Place a deep pot over your Hafele's SPREE G01 Gas Hob and start cooking the sabudana

It comes with an anti-corrosive, toughened glass body, making a perfect device to cook this Kheer. Even if some milk spills, the glass hob won't get damaged.

• As the Sabudana is cooking with Water, add warm milk to the pot
• Let it simmer until the sabudana becomes soft, which means it gets properly cooked.
• Add sugar and crushed cardamom powder till the aroma gets blended in the Kheer.

Hafele's gas hobs are best for cooking such dishes as they provide perfect flame consistency to the vessel and ensure the food doesn't get burnt.

Now, as the Kheer is ready, add chopped cashews and raisins to the Kheer

Serve hot!

You can soak sabudana beforehand and store the well-drained Sabudana in your ARG650NF Free Standing Refrigerator for all nine days of Navratri and make this lavish and easy Kheer whenever you wish.

Ending note,

On this occasion, Hafele pledges to innovate more and more technologies and bring the convenience of cooking to your home.

We believe in strengthening today's woman to battle her own struggles and explore the world while Hafele appliances take care of her kitchen needs.

Also, let's not forget that a kitchen is not just "HER" responsibility; everybody is a cook now with Hafele appliances.

know with Hafele appliances.