Navratri is here.. It is that time of the year when devotees worship nine different avatars of Maa Durga during the nine-day festival. Many people also fast for the nine days.
During these fasts people avoid eating meat, whole grains, alcohol, onion, garlic etc. It’s said that these foods attract negative energies and should be avoided during a seasonal change as our bodies tend to have low immunity around this time. Navratri festivities bring you back to your roots and deviate from the day-to-day mundane affairs of life..
Navratri comes with it’s own rituals, festivities and so much more. Everyone has their own set of rules and beliefs! There is no approved or written norm on what all to eat and what to avoid. People follow as per their own beliefs, borrowed from their parents or community. Navratri is more about about abstinence and detoxification. Fasting for 9 days is suppose to be therapuetic. It is the time to give up things that we crave and desire and reinforce our faith in the Almighty.
When you start fasting there is always this question in mind what to eat during Indian navratri fasting/vrat. So there is no rule book. If you ask 10 people you will get 10 different advices as to what to eat or what to avoid during Navratri fast. REMEMBER the ideas behind fasting is to detox the body and cleanse Body and Mind both. It is more about our connection with the God Almighty rather than the foods that we consume. Mata Rani will accept all only our conscience should be clear and clean.
This Navratri ditch your aluminium pressure cooker and get a Stainless Steel cooker in your kitchen. Aluminium pressure cooker reacts with the acidic foods during cooking and can have bad effect on you and your family’s health.
Hawkins 3.5 Litre Contura Pressure Cooker, Stainless Steel
100 % Stainless Steel : Stay Cool Handles : Pressure Locked Lids for extra safety : Base always remin flat : Works on gas, electric, & induction cooktops : Good for 4 – 5 people
There are 2 ways to Fast:
- Falahar Vrat (Only fruits, dry fruits, milk, coconut and No Salt)
- Salt Diet (Special flours, limited spices, few vegetables and no processed and refined food items)
Food to avoid during Navratri fast
- Grains (Whole Wheat Flour, Besan, Sooji, Rice)
- Onion and Garlic
- Alcohol
- Legumes / Pulses
- Meat Products (Eggs, Chicken, Lamb)
- Processed Food (including regular salt)
- Turmeric (Haldi)
- Hing (Asafoetida)
- Garam Masala
List of allowed Navratri Foods Items
1. Flour – Kuttu Atta, Singhare Ka Atta, Sama Chawal, Sago (Sabudana), Amaranth (Rajgira), Fox Nut Flour
2. Spices – Rock Salt (Sendha Namak), Kali Mirch (Black Pepper Powder), Jeera (Cumin Seeds), Green Cardamom (Chotti Elaichi), Amchoor Powder (Mango Powder), Cloves (laung)
3. Milk Products – Milk, Curd, Buttermilk, Malai, Khoya, Cream, Ghee.
4. Nuts – Peanuts (Moongphali), Makhana (Foxnuts ), Cashew Nuts, Almonds, Pistachio, Walnuts, Pine Nuts, Sunflower Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Watermelon Seeds.
5. Fruits – All fresh fruits, Coconut Water
6. Root Vegetables – Poatoes (Aloo), Colocasia (Arbi), Sweet Potato (Shakarkhand), Raw Banana, Kaddu (Yellow Pumpkin), Raw Green Papaya, Cucmber, Ginger (Adrak)
7. Vegetables – Green chilli, Lemons (Neeboo), Hara dhaniya, Lauki (Bottle Gourd)
8. Cooking Oil– Ghee or Peanut Oil (Avoid refined oils).
Those who do not wish to fast they can follow a Vegetarian / Satvik diet where ingredients like garlic and onions are avoided as they produce a lot of heat in the body and allow your body to detox.
The idea behind fasting is to consume healthy foods with healhty thoughts. Detox your mind and your body. If Navratri fasting is done rightly it can have amazing health benefits.
Jai Mata Di !!
List of dishes that can be eaten during Navratri:
- Sabudana kheer
- Malai Kofta For Navratri
- Sabudana Aloo Moongfali Tikki (Cutlet)(Vada)
- Vrat Ke Aloo
- Vrat Ki Arbi
- Falhari Paneer Ki Sabzi
- Shakarkandi Ki Chaat
- Vrat Wale Dahi Ke Aloo
- Lauki Ki Kheer
- Singhare Ke Pakore
- Fruit Salad
- Fruit Raita
- Aloo Tikki
- Samak Rice
- Singhara Atta Kadhi
- Aloo Halwa
- Fried Aloo With Dahi
- Sabudana Khichdhi
- Sama Rice Pulao
- Sama Dosa with allu, singdana and green chutney
- Makhana Dahi Wada
- Kuttu Atta Poori with Aloo
- Kuttu Pakore
- Dry Fruit Kheer
- Kaddu Ki Sabji
- Kuttu Singhare ke atte ka dhokla
- Lauki Ka Raita
- Phirni
- Dahi Ke Aloo
- Vrat Ke Aloo
- Aloo Tamatar ki sabji
- Coconut Almond Burfi
- Crispy Arbi
- Arbi Rassewale
- Sama Chawal Kheer
- Carrot Kheer
- Carrot Vadai
- Carrot Halwa
- Carrot Burfi
- Kaju Katli
Cutting vegetables needs lots of time and effort. Here we have found a perfect solution to this boring task. Now you can slice, dice, chop, make jullienes and matchstick in a jiffy. Check out this Mandoline Vegetable chopper. You can thank me later.
RYLAN Mandoline Vegetable Chopper with Spring Slicer
5 in 1 mandoline slicer – Slice, Strip, Dice & Julienne vegetables : Simple easy to use : Buil Quality is very good : Blades are sharp : Price is also reasonable.