Maha Shivratri Special: Chefs Share Vrat-Friendly Recipes

Celebrated annually, Maha Shivratri is an auspicious festival that marks the anniversary of the holy matrimony of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. To seek His blessings, the devotees observe a fast, offer Satvik ingredients to Lord Shiva, and abstain from eating grains. But who said your vrat thali has to be bland? 

With a number of millet options available, you can recreate these chef-special recipes to celebrate Maha Shivrtari. After the puja, you can pick your usual ingredients like sabudana, kuttu ka atta, makhana, etc, and make irresistible vrat-friendly dishes.

Dahi Waale Aloo Recipe By Chef Manoj Bisht, Marriott Goa Colva

“It is one of my favourite recipes, and I often make it even when I am not fasting. It goes well with pooris or even chapati,s but when fasting, you can pair it with kuttu ke atte ki poori or chilla. This one is specific to fasting, but you can change it by adding onions or tomatoes, too,” tells the chef.

Ingredients:

  • 3-4 boiled potatoes
  • 1 cup curd 
  • ⅓ teaspoon hing
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ½ teaspoon ginger, finely chopped 
  • 2 green chillies, chopped 
  • 1 teaspoon red chilli powder 
  • 1-1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
  • ½ turmeric powder
  • Salt to taste 
  • ½ tsp powdered saunf 
  • Oil to cook

Instructions:

  1. First, boil the potatoes, chop them and keep them aside. 
  2. Now, take a wok or pan, heat oil and add cumin seeds and hing. As soon as cumin begins to crackle, add finely chopped ginger and green chillies and cook them all together for a few minutes. 
  3. Add the red chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric and cook it. Add a few drops of water so that it doesn’t stick to the pan. 
  4. Now add the potatoes to the masala and mix again till the potatoes are coated nicely.
  5. The next step is to add the beaten curd over the potatoes. Mix well and cook it after covering for a few minutes. Add powdered saunf. 
  6. Once done, turn the heat off, garnish with coriander leaves and serve with vrat waali poori.

Makhana Kheer By Chef Anshul Dhyani, ITC Grand Central, Mumbai

Chef Anshul Dhyani shares an anecdote, “Since I was a child, I have loved Makhana kheer because it is a tasty treat that is created with the simplest ingredients and can produce the most comfortable and healthful results. Nowadays, people are so health-conscious that they enjoy eating this classic food, and we serve this dish to our guests at Hornby’s Pavilion at ITC Grand Central on special request,” 

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Ingredients:  

  • 2 glassed milk
  • 1 cup makhana (foxnuts)
  • 2 tbsp sugar or jaggery 
  • 1 tbsp chopped almonds and cashews 
  • 1 tbsp cardamom powder 
  • 1 tsp ghee  

Instructions:

  1. In a skillet with heated ghee, roast makhana until crisp.
  2. While leaving the remaining makhanas intact, grind half of them into a coarse powder.
  3. Add the whole and powdered makhana to a pan of boiling milk.
  4. Cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens, 5 to 7 minutes.
  5. Include the dry fruits, cardamom powder, and sugar.
  6. You can serve it cold or heated. 

Sabudana Thalipeeth By Chef Manoj Bisht, Marriott Goa Colva

Ingredients:

  • ⅔ cup sabudana (tapioca pearls) 
  • 2 potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed 
  • ½ teaspoon cumin powder 
  • 4 tablespoon peanuts, roasted and coarsely ground 
  • ½ inch ginger, finely chopped or grated 
  • ¼ cup coriander leaves
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice 
  • 1 teaspoon sugar or add as required 
  • Rock salt as required 
  • Ghee as required for pan-frying 

Instructions:

  1. Pick and rinse the sabudana well till you get transparent water. Soak them overnight in enough water in a bowl. 
  2. The next day, drain all the water. Add the mashed potatoes and all the ingredients to the soaked sabudana. Mix well. 
  3. Heat a nonstick frying pan or a well-seasoned cast iron skillet or tawa. 
  4. Spread 1 or 2 teaspoons of peanut oil or ghee on the pan. 
  5. Apply some oil to your palms. Take some portions from the mixture and flatten it with your palms. 
  6. Place the flattened round (thalipeeth) on the frying pan. Keep the heat to medium-low or medium.
  7. Fry till both sides are golden brown and crisp. Repeat. 
  8. If you have a large pan, you can cook 2 to 3 thalipeeth at the same time. 
  9. On fasting days, serve sabudana thalipeeth with any chutney or raita. You can also have it with curd that has been sweetened with some sugar or jaggery.

Kuttu Ki Khichdi By Chef Amandeep Singh, The Westin Mumbai Garden City

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup sama ke chawal
  • ¼ cup kuttu atta
  • 1 boiled potato
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds 
  • 1 green chilli
  • 1 tbsp ghee 
  • 1½ cups water 
  • Rock salt to taste 
  • Fresh coriander for garnish 

Instructions:

  1. Heat ghee in a pan. Add cumin seeds and green chillies. 
  2. Add boiled potatoes and sauté. 
  3. Stir in barnyard millet and cook for 1 minute. 
  4. Add water and rock salt, and let it cook until soft and fluffy. 
  5. Sprinkle buckwheat flour for a nutty flavour, mix well, and serve hot.