Navratri 2022: Pumpkin Pakore For Vrat-Friendly Snacking

Shardiya Navratri is here once more. The nine-day Hindu festival begins on the 26th of November and culminates on the 5th of October with Dussehra. In honour of Maa Durga, devotees observe a strict diet and fast during this period. During this time, followers abstain from everyday grains like wheat but things like fruit, nuts, dairy, and some vegetables like potato, sweet potato and pumpkin. Regular table salt is also avoided during these fasts but Sendha Namak (sea salt) is permitted and some spices like cloves, cinnamon and cumin can be used to flavour the food.

Though the rules surrounding Vrat food can be complicated, there is a slew of delicious and innovative recipes that come about during this festival that you might want to eat all year round and this Pumpkin Pakora recipe made with earthy buckwheat flour might be one of them.

Crunchy and crisp, these flavourful bites pair perfectly with your afternoon tea. The mix of spices along with the natural sweetness of the pumpkin makes for the perfect ingredient to keep you healthy and happy during your fasting. 

Also Read: What? Pakoras Were The Inspiration Behind Japanese Tempura?

Ingredients

• 1.5 cup Kuttu aata/ Buckwheat flour
• 1 cup Potatoes chopped
• 1 cup Yellow Pumpkin /kaddu/kashiphal chopped
• 2 tsp Green Chillies / Hari Mirch chopped
• 2 tbsp Fresh Coriander / Cilantro / Hara Dhaniya chopped
• 2 tsp Dried Pomegranate seeds powder/anardana powder
• Pinch Asafoetida / Hing powder
• ¾ tsp Pepper Powder / Kali Mirch
• 1.5 tsp Cumin Seeds / Sabut Jeera
• Salt / Namak to taste

Method:

• Chop potato and pumpkin into small and thin pieces, like we do to make poha.
• In a bowl add chopped potato, pumpkin, green chillies, fresh coriander and all the spices.
• Mix and add kuttu atta and mix all together.
• Add just enough water (approx 1 and ¼ cup) to make a medium-thick batter.
• Mix it well, it would be a slightly sticky batter.
• Now heat enough oil in a deep and broad pan.
• Drop a spoon full of batter in the hot oil or use your fingers to drop the batter.
• Deep fry the fritters on medium heat to a nice golden colour.
• Repeat the process with the remaining batter.
• Drain the fried kuttu pakoras on a paper napkin and serve hot.