Navratri fasting is nothing short of a feasting experience because you savour sabudana tikki, sabudana khichdi, sattvik pakoras, puri, makhana kheer, paneer gravy, and several other delicacies. During the nine-day celebration, many people abstain from eating rice, wheat, table salt, grains, and tamasic foods but continue to eat ghee-rich dishes.
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Whether you observe fasting for nine days or on the first and the last days, meal prep can help you make fasting a hassle-free experience. Preparing meals in advance or keeping things ready prior can help you enjoy festivities to the fullest. Take a look at a few ideas.
Keep Boiled Potatoes In Refrigerator
Always keep boiled potatoes and sweet potatoes in the refrigerator throughout Navratri. Whether you are craving chaat, masala aloo, or making aloo sabzi with kuttu puri, boiled potatoes will decrease your task and shorten the turnaround time to cook a dish. No matter how many people come to your home, you can use the vegetable in various ways to serve delicious delicacies.
Sabudana Khichdi
Do you know that sabudana khichdi has a shelf life of 4-5 days? You can prepare this healthy dish in advance and store it in an airtight container. Make sure to make it using ghee and keep roasted peanuts in another jar. Whenever you are hungry, you can reheat a small batch, top it with peanuts, and enjoy it with a curd or milk-based beverage on the side.
Kuttu Batter
Kuttu flour can be used as a replacement for besan and wheat to whip up several snacks, including chilla, dosa, and whatnot. You can prepare a versatile batch of batter and store in the fridge for at least 3 days. If you want to make dosa, you use the same batter. For preparing savoury pancakes, add mashed potatoes, cumin powder, chopped green chillies, and fresh coriander to the batter before dropping on a hot skillet.
Rajgira Upma
Unlike sooji upma, rajgira upma has a longer shelf life of three days if prepared without onion and garlic. During Navratri, you can prepare a large batch with a mix of vegetables like peas, carrots, and beans. Add a tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves, ghee, rock salt, dry red chilli, and water. You can enjoy it in the upcoming days and not worry about what to cook for breakfast.
Makhana Mix
Makhana is the ultimate food to consume while fasting. It is a superfood loaded with essential nutrients and potential to curb your cravings while satisfying your hunger. Saute 7-8 cups of fox nuts in a heavy-bottom kadhai with rock salt, black pepper, and red chilli powder. Once the nuts are crispy, turn off the flame, and stock them up in an airtight container. They have a shelf life of at least 10 days or more.
Peanut Chikki
Peanuts are healthy and fulfilling but you cannot consume them with chaat masala while fasting. However, you can make protein-rich bars with them. Start by roasting peanuts in a kadhai and remove their skin. Melt jaggery in the same cookware, add peanuts, and spread the mixture on an aluminium tray. Once this mixture solidifies and cools off, cut it into rectangular or square shapes.
Millet Ladoo
Sweets satisfy your cravings fast and keep you full for a long time. Therefore, delectables stacked in your pantry are a must during Navratri. Rajgir or kuttu flour can be the star ingredient while preparing wholesome and healthy laddus. You can elevate the flavours by adding a teaspoon of cardamom powder and a pinch of black pepper. You can enjoy these delights for at least 10 days.