Vrat-Friendly Dishes For Navratri: Try These Millet Recipes

Chaitra Navratri 2025, which began on the 30th of March and will commence on the 7th of April, is a time of sheer devotion where devotees pray to Goddess Durga and observe a fast. Since Navratri is a nine-day long Hindu festival, you would need recipes to add to your vrat vali thali each day. If you want to explore dishes other than traditional, like sabudana khichdi or samak pulao, why don’t you try millet recipes?

For instance, instead of making the usual kuttu poori, you can make ragi roti. To make the most of shifting to a satvik diet, here are some fast-friendly millet recipes curated by chefs all across India. Why don’t you recreate these easy-to-follow recipes at home and make your Navratri thali healthier?

Ragi Roti By Sajid Patel, Executive Chef At Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup ragi flour
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1/2 tsp of salt
  • 1 tsp of any cooking oil
  • 2 tbsps. of pudhina, coriander leaves, and curry leaves each
  • 3 chopped green chillies
  • 1/2 tsp of crushed Jeera, white sesame seeds, and omam/ajwain

Instructions:

  1. In a 2 ltr pressure cooker, combine salt, water, and cooking oil. Close and cook with high pressure for one whistle, then switch off.
  2. Manually relieve the pressure straight away with great care.
  3. Combine the ragi flour well and thoroughly so that no dry flour remains.
  4. Leave the lid down under the weight for 15 minutes.
  5. Open and add the spices, slice the vegetables and knead a soft dough by rubbing your hand.
  6. Pat rotis on a banana leaf/alu foil, put them on the tawa and fry both sides with minimal oil.
  7. Serve with curd.

Ragi Delight With Jaggery & Coconut By Mrs Shilpa Kumar, In-House Organic Recipe Curator At Akshayakalpa Organic

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (300g) whole ragi
  • ½ cup (200g) (½ shell) fresh coconut
  • ½ cup (200g) jaggery
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 tsp cardamom powder
  • 1 tbsp chocolate powder
  • 3 strawberries (optional)
  • 2-3 cloves
  • 2 tbsp ghee
  • 1 tbsp roasted dry fruits

Instructions:

  1. Wash the ragi 4-5 times until the water runs clear, and soak overnight or for at least 8 hours.
  2. Grind the soaked ragi with some water and strain through a clean cotton cloth to extract the ragi milk.
  3. Grind the remaining husk with more water and strain again to extract all the ragi milk.
  4. Grate the coconut and blend it with strawberries and cloves to extract the coconut milk, using the same straining process as ragi milk. Keep aside.
  5. In a thick-bottomed vessel, melt the jaggery with the extracted ragi milk and coconut milk over medium flame, stirring continuously to prevent lumps.
  6. Add 1 spoon of ghee and keep stirring until the mixture thickens to a jelly-like consistency.
  7. Remove from heat and mix in the cardamom powder.
  8. Spread the mixture evenly on a tray or a ghee-greased plate and allow it to cool completely.
  9. Drizzle chocolate powder using a sieve.
  10. Cut into desired shapes and garnish with raisins, cashews, almonds, or walnuts. Optionally, add a few drops of honey.
  11. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Five Grain Halwa Berry Tart by Anuj Mathur, Executive Chef, Taj Surajkund Resort & Spa, Delhi NCR

Ingredients:

  • 200 gms five-grain flour
  • 200 gms A2 cow ghee
  • 150 gms khaand
  • 15 gms broken cashew nuts
  • 15 gms raisins
  • 15 gms sunflower seeds
  • 15 gms pumpkin seeds
  • 10 gms flax seeds
  • 200 ml water
  • 10 gms edible gum (Goond)
  • 20 gms blueberries
  • 15 gms red currants
  • 1 strawberry
  • 1 mulberry
  • 2 tart shells

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Instructions:

  1. In a heavy-bottom non-stick pan, heat the A2 cow ghee.
  2. Add the broken cashew nuts, raisins, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, and edible gum. 
  3. Sauté the mixture on medium heat until everything turns golden brown. Set this mixture aside.
  4. In the same pan, add the five-grain flour and roast it on low heat until it releases a rich, nutty aroma.
  5. Add the khaand (natural unrefined sugar) and water to the flour mixture. Cook well, stirring continuously to avoid lumps.
  6. Once the mixture thickens, add the previously sautéed nuts, seeds, and edible gum. Continue to cook until the halwa starts leaving the sides of the pan.
  7. Mix in the blueberries, red currants, and other berries. Spoon the halwa into the tart shells and press gently to set.
  8. Garnish the tart with fresh strawberry, mulberry, and more berries as desired, as shown in the image.