 A sago preparation much like a pulao or pilaf
Preparation time: 4 hrs Cooking time: 15 mins Recipe Ingredients: 1 cup Saboodana (sago) 1 medium sized potato 1 cup chopped tomatoes ¼ cup peanuts 1tbsp chopped coriander 1tsp chopped green chilies ½ tsp cumin seeds (jeera) Rock salt (sendha namak) 1tbsp desi ghee Recipe Method: Soak the saboodana for 2 hrs. wash the saboodana well in running water till all the starch is washed off. Strain in a sieve and set aside for 2 hrs. for all the water to drain away. Peel the potato and cut into small dices. Heat the ghee in a pan and add the jeera. Allow the jeera to splutter and add the green chilies. Saute for10 seconds and add the potatoes fry the potatoes and cook till half done and add the peanuts. Saute till the peanut is also done. Add the tomates and cover and cook f04 5 minutes till the tomatoes are cooked. Add the drained saboodana and salt and toss well till the sabodana turns transparent (almost 4-5 mins.) Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander.  Samai rice and dry fruit kheer served in earthen bowls.
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes Serves: 6 Recipe ingredients: 1liter milk 100g sugar 2tbsp samai rice ½ cup mixed dry fruits sliced pistachios and a few rose petals for garnish 1tsp elaichi powder 6 kulhad (earthen bowls) Recipe Method: Wash and soak the kulhad. Wash the samai rice soak in water. Soak the dry fruits in water. Bring the milk to a boil. Cook the milk till the milk thickens a little. Add the rice and cook on slow fire till the kheer thickens. Add the sugar and cook till it thickens stirring constantly to avoid burning. Add the dry fruits and elaichi powder and remove from fire. Remove to individual kulhads and allow to cool. Decorate with rose petals and sliced pistachios and serve.  Coconut balls with condensed milk
Cooking Time : 10-15 minutes Makes 20 Laddoos Recipe Ingredients: 1tin (400g) condensed milk 3 ½ cup-4 cups Desiccated coconut powder Recipe Method: Keep aside 50 gm coconut powder. Add remaining coconut powder to condensed milk and cook on a slow fire till the mixture leaves the sides of pan (approx 5 minutes). Cool and roll into small laddoos with buttered (oiled) hands. Roll in coconut powder and serve. Motia pulao Samai rice with pearl shaped balls.
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes Recipe Ingredients: 2 cups sama ka chawal 1 large red tomato 2 green chilies 2tsp chopped green coriander 1 cup paneer ½ cup khoya 2tbsp singhada ka atta 4tbsp peanut oil or desi ghee sendha namak to taste Recipe method: Heat one tbsp. ghee or oil. Add the sama ka chawal and sauté a little till lightly colored and well coated with oil. Add the sendha namak to taste and 2 cup water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cook till almost done. Remove from heat and cover and set aside covered for 10-12 minutes or till all the moisture is absorbed. Fluff up using a fork. Deseed the tomato and chop into dices. Finely chop the green chilies and the coriander. Mash the khoya, 1tbsp singhada ka atta and paneer well till smooth as a dough. Make small marble sized balls. Roll the balls in singhada ka atta and roll again between palms.(you can also roll the balls in some samai rice). Heat the remaining ghee or oil and deep fry the balls till golden in colour. Add the ball, the chopped tomatoes, the chopped chilies and coriander leaves to the fluffed rice and mix lightly. Serve hot with cucumber raita. 
Navratri Fasting (Vrat/Upwas) recipes or Navratri fasting food (vrat ka khana) and fasting rules or guidelines (Navratri Vrat Vidhi), I am compiling here for easy access of vrat or fasting recipes and general rules. Navratri festival celebrated across India in different forms and durga pooja, dandiya/garba and kolu is famous among navratri customs. Nav means nine so it's 9 days of celebration and worship of Durga (Shaki/Devi) in different avatars.
Nine forms of Shaki or Durga are Bhadrakali, Jagadamba, Annapoorna Devi, Sarvamangala, Bhairavi, Chandika, Lalita, Bhavani and Mookambika. In most part of North and Western India fast or Vrat/Upvas is observed during Navratri, in this period or in-general during fasting there are few rules observed though some of the rules differs in each household but general guidelines remains same even in other festival like Janmashtami, Shiv Ratri, Ekadashi etc. Guidelines for Navratri Fasting (Vrat/Upwas)
Food not allowed in Navratri Fasting or Vrat
Food Allowed in Fasting/Vrat or Upwas
Disclaimer - I have tried to include everything to best of my knowledge, consulting with family and friends but as mentioned rules differs in each household so in your home if something is avoided or included do follow that and treat this as a general guidelines. If you think I should add something to this list do let me know. And if you try any of the recipe do share a recipe picture with me :) Note - Avoid turmeric powder, salt and anything that's used in any of below recipes. Use the guidelines as mentioned above. 
Ingredients:
Idli Rice or Boiled Rice - 3 Cups Whole White Urad Dal - 1 Cup Fenugreek Seeds/Methidana - 1/2 tsp Water - 2-3 Cups Soda-bi-Card - 1/2 tsp Salt - As needed, I add 1 tsp Method: 0. Before we move on to the post here is picture of idli rice and white urad dal that we should use. 1. Wash 4-5 idli rice and urad dal and soak idli rice and urad dal with fenugreek seeds separately with ample of water (I normally add water covering 3-4 inches above rice and dal) for 5-6 hours. Soaking with enough water ensures dal and rice both gets double in quantity. You can keep the water will be useful for grinding. ~ Normally I will soak rice and dal around 4pm while making tea and grind teh batter 9 or 10 pm and let it get fermented overnight. 2. Use large jar to grind batter, in jar add soaked dal and fenugreek seeds add 1/2 cup of water and grind in high speed for a minute, add 1/4 - 1/2 cup of water again and grind until smooth. If your mixer start making noise add more water. 3. Urad dal batter will be soft, fluffy and smooth if grind properly with enough water. Always remember to add water, if you don't add enough water your mixie will start making noise so that's a hint for you to add water. 4. Transfer batter to a large container that you wish to store batter in. It has to be large as the batter will double after fermentation. 5. Now in the same jar add half of rice (I normally grind rice in 2 batches, you can do the same in 3 batches too), 1/2-3/4 cup of water and grind for 2-3 minutes in high speed. After each minute stop the mixie and check if more water is needed. 6. If more water is need add 1/8 to 1/4 cup of water and grind again. Idli batter will have slight grainy texture (more like texture of super fine semolina). 7. Transfer batter to the container we transfer urad dal batter. Now add remaining rice and water same like in step 6, 7 and grind. 8. In a small bowl dissolve soda with 2-3 tbsp water, add this water to prepared batter (you can also add salt now) and mix gently to combine everything together, using hand is best option. 9. Cover and let it ferment for over night or 8 hours. If your weather conditions is cold it might required another 1-2 extra to ferment. When the batter gets double means it's fermented well. 10. To make idli, take required amount of batter in another container add salt (if not added before) and stir gently, do not over mix. Grease idli plate with oil well or lay wet cloth or use wet muslin cloth, fill each impression with a ladle ful of batter or until 3/4. 11. Meanwhile add water in steamer or pressure cooker and let it start to steam, place idli plates stand close steamer or cooker (don't use cooker weight ) and steam for 10-12 minutes. Off flame and allow it to cool, take out the idli stand and sprinkle little water on each plate, use a spoon to scoop out idli. If using cloth then gently invert the cloth to remove idli. Serve hot with chutney, sambar of your choice. Notes
I cooked mango with skin separately and added to the cooked dhal. Method: Wash thuvar dhal and put it in a pressure cooker. Add a teaspoon of oil, turmeric powder and 3 cups of water and pressure cook it till soft. Wash and cut the mango with skin into medium size pieces. Put it in a vessel and add a pinch of turmeric, one teaspoon sambar powder, little salt and enough water to cover the mango pieces. Cook on moderate heat till the mango pieces are soft. Remove and slightly mash it. Mix both the cooked dhal and mashed mango together and keep it on the stove. If necessary add little water and make it semi-liquid. Add salt and allow to boil. In a kadai put the oil. When it is hot add mustard. When it pops up, add urad dhal, jeeragam (cumin) and fry till urad dhal become light brown. Add chopped onion, green and red chillies, curry leaves and garlic flakes (just crush it and add). Fry for few seconds. Add this seasoning to the boiling dhal. Stir well and remove from stove. Can be taken with hot rice mixed with little ghee or gingelly oil. Serve with fried papad or sago vadam. 
Method: Soak rice and dhals together in water for 3 to 4 hours. Wash well, drain the water completely. Put it in a mixie or in wet grinder. Add red chillies and salt. Grind it to a coarse paste. In a kadai put the oil. When it is hot add mustard. When it pops up add bengal gram dhal, urad dhal and frew till it become light brown. Add cashew nuts (break it into small bits), asafoetida powder and fry for a second. Crush pepper and jeera coarsely and add to the seasoning. Then add chopped onion and curry leaves. Fry till onions turn glossy. Add this seasoning to the batter. Mix well. Batter should be thick. Heat a tawa and grease it. Pour a laddle of batter and slightly spread it. Pour a teaspoon of oil around it. Cook for few minutes and flip it over. Cook till it become crisp and remove. You can eat this as it is or serve with butter and jaggery. Or with aviyal. 
The nine day festival of Navaratri, season of rejoicing and celebration, is a combination of many concepts, but the most common theme is the victory of good over evil. This year the festival starts on October 5th and ends on October 13th 2013. 
The most significant part of Navaratri is the setting up of “Kolu” or “Golu”. Dolls (mostly of various gods and goddesses in Hindu pantheon) are arranged in wooden steps (now available in steel also) in a prescribed order. The number of steps depends on the availability of the dolls and space available. The maximum number is nine – representing the nine days of Navaratri . Usually, the steps erected are in odd numbers – 3, 5, 7 or 9. Now it is more creative than religious and people arrange “Theme Kolu”, “Modern Kolu” etc., where electronic items also find a place. Whatever way we celebrate “Kolu”, it is time for enjoyment and get together.
Navaratri is never complete without the different kinds of sundal made every evening. 
Cook the double beans till soft and keep aside. Chop onion finely. In a small kadai put the khus khus and dry fry for few seconds. Then put few drops of oil and fry asafoetida, bengal gram dhal, urad dhal, coriander seeds and red chillies. Cool it and grind it along with fried khus khus and a pinch of salt to a fine powder. Now in a kadai put the oil. When it is hot add mustard. When it pops up add chopped onion and curry leaves and fry till it become transparent. Add cooked double beans along with a pinch of salt, turmeric powder and the ground powder. Mix well. Finally add cooked rice and salt. Mix everything well. Before removing, if yu wish, add a teaspoon of ghee and remove. Serve with chips/raita. |
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