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Maharashtrian cuisine reflects the state's heritage and essence with the use of regional ingredients and spices. There are hundreds of dishes in Maharashtrian cuisine that vary from region to region and are popular throughout India. Some know Maharashtra for its spicy gravies and smoky curries while others identify it with its irresistible desserts like basundi and shrikhand. But among all these flavorful delicacies, there’s also an array of fasting treats unique to Maharashtra that uses regional ingredients and makes up for a satisfying sativic treat.
From the use of grains like barnyard millet (samak rice), buckwheat (kootu), and rajgira to tubers like water chestnut (singhara), Mahashrtra truly uses the abundant supply of regional ingredients for making fast-friendly delicacies. While many rely on sabudana and potatoes for their fasting meals, Maharashtra goes all out to make a remarkable feast out of these amazing ingredients, making hundreds of delicious recipes that you can never forget after trying once.
This Navratri, flavour up your fasting platter with these amazing dishes from Maharashtra and make your feast satisfying and wholesome.
1) Samak Rice Pulao
Made with barnyard millet or samak rice, this wholesome pulao incorporates vrat-friendly and wholesome ingredients like carrot, potatoes, peanuts, cashews, fox nuts and coconut. All these ingredients enhance the flavour while adding their unique touch and colour to the blank canvas of samak rice, adding to the appearance, texture and flavour.
2) Singhara Aloo Vada
This vrat-friendly version of aloo vada uses singhara flour batter and vrat wale masala aloo as the centre. Masala aloo is mashed entirely and converted to small balls. Then it's coated with singhara flour batter and fried to crispy perfection, resulting in a delightful and fulfilling vrat snack. As an alternative cooking method for deep-frying, you can bake or even air fry these delicious vada to make it guilt-free.
3) Rajgira Ladoo
Sweet, crispy and delightful, rajgira ladoo is one of the specialty vrat desserts of Maharashtra. With just two ingredients, you can make these ladoos at home with ease. Just melt jaggery and add rajgira or amaranth in it. Then bind it into balls while it's still warm and serve right away or store upto a week. Homemade rajgira ladoo will give you assurity that it's made with real ingredients without artificial flavours and preservatives.
4) Vrat Ki Thalipeeth
You can use any vrat-friendly flour to make this delightful vrat wala thalipeeth. Add mashed boiled potatoes to the flour along with roasted peanuts, grated ginger, finely chopped green chillies, coriander and sendha namak. Mix all the ingredients and make a dough, then flatten it out and cook on a griddle with ghee until it's golden brown and crispy.
5) Sabudana Vada
Originated in Maharashtra, sabudana vada is one of the most popular dishes made with sabudana for fasting. Soaked sabudana is mixed with mashed potatoes, ground roasted peanuts, chopped green chillies, coriander, cumin seeds and cumin powder. All the ingredients are turned into a dough and shaped into small patties then fried crispy and golden brown. Its simplicity and deliciousness has made it one of the most popular vrat delicacies throughout India.
From crispy snacks to wholesome meals, Mahashtrian vrat cuisine has everything for you. Make these delicious vrat dishes from Maharashtra this Navratri and fill your vrat platter with flavours.
