9 Colour-Coded Days of Fasting & Feasting

The much-loved nine-day Navratri festival is here, which means you need to choose your food right, and we tell you how — without compromising on taste.

Fasting foods are typically intended to afford the body a break from grains and richer ingredients while maintaining energy for prayer and revelry. These meals consist of sabudana, makhana, that are singhara atta (flour), kuttu, sweet potato and fresh fruits, as they are sattvik (pure), nourishing and easy to digest. “Fasting makes it a time to detoxify our system and make us think about what we are eating. Each element carries its own symbolic importance — makhana as a sattvik superfood, jaggery as sweetness in life, and milk-based preparations suggesting purity and devotion,” says Ishijyot Surri, Executive Chef and Founder of Mulk, NEWS & SJI Gourmet. Navratri is a festival of purity, balance, and renewal, and food plays a central role in this celebration. “During these nine days, many devotees follow a sattvic (pure and balanced) diet, often avoiding grains, onions, garlic, and certain spices. Fasting during Navratri is not just about abstaining from food but about cleansing the body and mind — preparing oneself spiritually for the divine energy associated with Goddess Durga,” says Bhawar Singh, Executive Chef, Welcom Heritage Cheetahgarh, Jawai.

New Trends

Even with fasting food, there is a superfood integration, with ingredients like makhana, amaranth, and quinoa finding their way into fasting recipes. Kheer with less sugar, baked vrat snacks, and fruit-based puddings are healthy desserts that are becoming popular. Even traditional vrat thalis are being restructured in mini or bite-sized portions and plated to appease a new-age audience. “Premium hotels are also curating refined Navratri thalis, presenting them with artistic flair to elevate the dining experience. Alongside this, there is an increasing demand for sugar-free, baked, or naturally sweetened fasting-friendly sweets. To complement these offerings, modern beverages like fruit-based coolers and yoghurt smoothies are being designed specifically for those observing the fast,” avers Anusree Gupta, Sous Chef, Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn Bengaluru Embassy Manyata Business Park.

Changing Vistas

There is more attention on nutrition, with ingredients like seeds or amaranth being added for extra health benefits. “A growing focus on sustainability and seasonality, where people choose local produce and avoid wastage, is also shaping the way Navratri food is prepared today. These small but meaningful changes show how traditional fasting foods are adapting to modern preferences without losing their original essence,” says Sajid Patel, Executive Chef, Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway. Tarun Sibal, chef & entrepreneur, Street Storyss , adds, “The ceviche replaces the chaat and works so well within the framework of permissible food during Navratras. Dairy has also been a key ingredient, so you will see a lot of Navratri special cream cheese and ricotta versions on menus. Yoghurt and fruit bowls with nuts will be huge. The foxnut will be the favourite snack bowl. Sabudana will also continue to be a major star—not just in khichdi and vada but in newer forms: Thalipeeth, idli, dosa, halwa, khakhra, and pancakes. The use of quinoa might also take a share of the pie.

FAST FUSION

Here are some recipes for you to try:

Kuttu & Sweet Potato Mini Pizzettes

(Courtesy Bhawar Singh, Exe. Chef, WelcomHeritage Cheetahgarh, Jawai)

Ingredients

For Base

• Kuttu Atta (buckwheat flour) 100 grams

• Boiled Sweet Potato 100 grams (mashed)

• Sendha Namak (rock salt) to taste

• Ghee 5 ml

For Topping

• Paneer (crumbled) 50 grams

• Boiled Potato 50 grams (cubed)

• Chopped Green Chillies 1 tsp

• Chopped Fresh Mint & Coriander 1 tbsp

• Fresh Cream 1 tbsp

• Black Pepper Powder a pinch

• Rock salt to taste

  For Garnish

• Pomegranate Seeds 1 tbsp

• A few fresh basil or mint leaves

Method

1. Mix kuttu atta, mashed sweet potato, salt, and a drizzle of ghee into a soft dough (use a little water if required). Roll into small, thick discs (about 2.5–3 inch diameter).

2. Heat a tawa and cook the discs on both sides until golden and slightly crisp.

3. Mix crumbled paneer, boiled potato cubes, green chillies, mint, coriander, cream, black pepper, and salt. Spread topping over each kuttu base.

4. Return to hot tawa, cover, and cook for 2–3 minutes until paneer is warm and flavours meld together.

5. Remove from tawa, sprinkle fresh pomegranate seeds and garnish with basil or mint leaves.

Kuttu ka puri with spiced jeera aloo

(Courtesy Anusree Gupta, sous chef, Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn Bengaluru Embassy Manyata Business Park)

For Kuttu dough

• Kuttu (buckwheat) flour 150 grams

• Sendha namak 3 grams

• Warm water as required

• Ghee 500 ml (for cooking)

For Jeera Aloo

• Potatoes (boiled & cubed) 300 grams

• Ghee 20 ml

• Cumin seeds 4 grams

• Green chilli (chopped) 6 grams

• Sendha namak 4 grams

• Fresh coriander 8 grams

 Method

1. Mix flour and salt. Knead with warm water into soft dough.

2. Roll small discs, and deep fry in ghee/oil.

3. For jeera aloo: Heat ghee, add cumin, and chilli. Toss in potatoes.

4. Season with salt, finish with coriander. Serve with puri.

Shakarkand Sabudana Tikki

(Courtesy Sajid Patel, Exe. Chef, Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway)

Ingredients

• Shakarkand (sweet potato) 500 grams

• Sabudana (Sago) 200 grams

• Roasted peanuts 25 grams

• Green chillies 30 grams

• Ginger 15 grams

• Fresh coriander: 20 grams

• Rock salt (sendha namak) to taste

• Roasted cumin powder 10 grams

• Lemon juice 50 ml

• Ghee 10 ml

Method

1. Mash the boiled Shakarkand while still warm.

2. Add soaked sabudana, crushed peanuts, chopped green chillies, grated ginger, coriander, rock salt, roasted cumin powder, and lemon juice.

3. Mix gently so that the Sabudana pearls remain whole.

4. Grease your palms with ghee, take portions of the mixture, and shape them into round, slightly flattened tikkis.

5. Heat ghee on a flat tawa or non-stick pan.

6. Shallow fry the tikkis on medium flame until crisp and golden on both sides.

7. Serve hot with vrat-friendly coriander-mint chutney or a sweet yoghurt dip.

Makhana Makhani Gravy with Kuttu Paratha

(Courtesy Tarun Sibal, Chef & Entrepreneur, and Street Storyss)

Ingredients

For Makhani Gravy

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 2 cloves

• 1 cardamom

• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds

• ½ teaspoon garam masala powder

• ½ teaspoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

• 1 cup tomato puree

• 1 cup heavy cream

• ½ cup milk

• Salt, to taste

• Roasted makhana

• Fresh cilantro, for garnish

For Kuttu Paratha

• 1 cup kuttu flour (buckwheat flour)

• ½ cup water

• Salt, to taste

• Ghee or oil, for brushing

Method

1. To make the gravy, melt butter in a pan, add cloves, cardamom, and cumin seeds. Sauté until fragrant. Add garam masala powder and kasuri methi. Sauté for one minute.

2. Add tomato puree and cook until the mixture thickens. Stir in heavy cream and milk. Bring to a simmer. Add the roasted makhana into the gravy. Season with salt. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

3. To make the Kuttu Paratha, mix kuttu flour, salt, and water in a bowl to form a soft dough. Divide into equal portions and roll into parathas. Cook on a hot tawa, brushing with ghee or oil, until golden brown on both sides.

Makhana Kheer

(Courtesy Ishijyot Surri, Exe. Chef and Founder of Mulk, NEWS & SJI Gourmet)

Ingredients

• Makhana (fox nuts) 2 cups

• Full cream milk 2 litres

• Ghee 4 tsp

• Jaggery 8 tbsp

• Cardamom powder 1 tsp

• Chopped almonds 2 tbsp

• Chopped cashews 2 tbsp

• 10 saffron strands (soaked in warm milk)

Method

1. Heat ghee in a pan and lightly roast makhanas till crisp. Cool slightly and crush half of

them coarsely.

2. In a heavy-bottomed pan, bring milk to a boil. Lower the flame and simmer for 10–12 minutes.

3. Add both whole and crushed makhanas and cook till they soften and the milk thickens.

4. Stir in jaggery, cardamom powder, and saffron milk. Mix well.

5. Garnish with chopped nuts. Serve warm or chilled.