Fasting feast

The restrictive list of Navaratras ingredients provides an extraordinary opportunity to experiment with flavours and rediscover the joys of pure vegetarian delicacies

Navaratras, literally ‘nine days’ is, for us, a time to rediscover the joys of pure vegetarian delicacies. The prefix shouldn’t deter you, dear readers; all that it implies is that you are about to break free from the fetters imposed by villainous garlic and onion duo that to our mind makes everything tastes the same. Nor, do you have to necessarily fast to enjoy the feast.

There are those who believe that food during the Navaratras should be prepared only with kosher ingredients: kotu (buckwheat) or singhare (water chestnut) ka atta, sabudana (sago), peanuts, potatoes and sweet potatoes, milk and dairy produce, eschewing refined sugar and salt. Of course, fruits fresh and dried, as well as nuts, along with makahna (lotus puffs) are permitted. Honey or jaggery are preferred sweeteners, and if you are allowing yourself salt than it can only be saindha namak (rock salt). We believe that while one doesn’t have to adopt this strait-jacket approach to prove one’s virtue or earn exceptional merit, the restrictive list of ingredients does provide an extraordinary opportunity to experiment with flavours and please the jaded palate with innovative recipes.

Gravies reclaim their pristine beauty when they part company with tomatoes and find a new base in curd. And, the dry vegetables taste so refreshingly different, when tempered not with the ubiquitousonion or garlic but just cumin or clove. Try giving up red chillies (believed to be a Portuguese import like the potatoes) and add a far more pleasant pungency with peppercorns and pipli.

Navaratra menu

Satvik Chhole

Ingredients
Chhole (white chick peas, 200gm
large sized, soaked overnight)
Chhuhara (dried dates, pitted) 100 g
Makhana (lightly dry roasted) 50 g
Munakka (lightly roasted on tawa) 25 g
Clotted cream 100 g
Bay leaf 1
Cloves 3-4
Black peppercorns 1 tsp
Brown cardamom 2
Cinnamon 1 inch piece
Dhaniya powder 2 tsp
Jeera powder 1 tsp
Dried ginger powder 1 tsp
Haldi powder 1/4 tsp
Dried anardana 1 tbsp
Rock salt to taste
Ghee 3 tbsp

Method: Boil chhole till soft but not mushy. You may use a pressure cooker. Heat ghee in a thick-bottomed pan and add the whole spices. Wait till they change colour, then put in the powdered spices to avoid burning and add salt. Stir-fry for half a minute than add chhole, along with makhana and chhuhara. Mix well and add half a cup of hot water and sprinkle anardana. Simmer for about three minutes then stir in the clotted cream slowly. Top with munakka and enjoy with poori or rice. You may add one cup of curd, stirring it in very slowly to avoid curdling if more gravy is required. In this case, the dish must be simmered for five to seven minutes to ensure that curd is cooked.

Sabudane Nariyal ki Tarkari

Ingredients:
Sabudana (soaked a little, 100g drained and kept overnight)
Singhara (water chestnuts 200 g boiled, pealed and quartered)
Coconut milk 200 ml
Fresh tender coconut 100 g
(soft flesh scooped out, or thinly sliced gola giri if tender coconut isn’t available)
Green ginger 2 inch piece
(scraped and diced) Green cardamom 2-3
Cinnamon 1 inch piece
Saunf powder 1 tsp
White peppercorn 1/2 tsp
powder Green chillies 2 slitted and deseeded
Small carrot or 1 sweet bell pepper for garnish
Rock salt to taste

Method: Heat ghee in a pan and put in green cardamoms and cinnamon in it. After 15 seconds add sabudana, along with the water chestnuts and nariyal in it. Add chopped ginger and pour in coconut milk. Now sprinkle powdered spices, salt and stir. Reduce flame and simmer for about five minutes. For those who prefer stronger spices, may temper the dish with mustard seeds and curry leaves. We are quite happy with the green chilli garnish and at the most a pinch of shahi jeera.





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