Navratri Fast Recipes: Rich Foods to eat for a Healthier Body



It’s the much awaited time of the year where the majority of India unites and celebrates the nine nights, or as we call it “Nava-Ratri”, to honour and pray to Goddess Durga or Ambe Maa. Navratri 2022 will be observed starting from September 26 and coming to the end by October 5, on Dussehra. It brings the joy of Garba, Dandiya Raas, and not to forget the fasting season with all the pure and rich foods to eat.

With festive celebrations all across India, from north to south & east to west. It is cherished and celebrated with the same intensity of joy, devotion and our favourite Navratri dishes. Although, people from different parts of the country have their own unique way of worshipping the divine powers of Goddess Durga.

One commonly followed ritual of all ethnicities for this special festival is the Navratri Vrat. Needless to say, it’s not only just these nine nights and days that people worship the Goddess Durga but every single day of the year.

During these fasts, people avoid eating meat, grains, alcohol, onion, garlic etc as it is believed that these foods attract and absorb negative energies. And those who do not wish to fast, follow a purely vegetarian diet avoiding toxic foods to let their body detox.

And as the wish says: 

“May maa Durga empower you and your family With her nine swaroopa of Name, Fame, Health, Wealth, Happiness, Humanity, Education, Bhakti & Shakti” 

Which also wishes you to stay fit and healthy, so it’s not just about fasting. It’s about how to negate the unwanted aspects of your life and focus on purifying your body and soul. To start with, let’s try adapting to unprocessed natural foods to keep our bodies from harmful toxins and strive to be the healthiest version of ourselves.

Quick & Easy to Make Delicious Navratri Fast Recipes

The fasting rules and beliefs vary from community to community, so it’s advisable first to have the surety of vrat food options or vrat recipes you can opt for or need to avoid. However, these six extremely easy-to-make and healthy Navratri recipes that we have specially curated have no such avoidable ingredients. So you can be carefree and solely focus on all your devotion and festive celebrations.

Rajgira Sheera

Make this gluten-free dessert, while you are fasting, to give yourself an energy boost. Because of the Pure Ghee used in it, it will make you feel full and energized. The perfect combination of ghee and flour makes this dessert halwa smooth and less sticky.

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons Desi Ghee
• ½ cup Rajgira ka atta
• 1 ¼ cups Milk
• ⅓ cup White granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon Green cardamom seeds powder
• 1 tablespoon Chopped Almonds & Cashews

Instructions:

• Warm the Milk and sugar at medium heat in a saucepan (Do not boil)
• Heat the Ghee in a pan on medium-low heat
• Later add Rajgira atta and keep the mixture stirring
• Heat the Ghee and atta mixture until it’s roasted
• Then add the warm milk-sugar mixture to it carefully and mix well
• Keep cooking & stirring till the mixture gets thick
• At last add cardamom powder and chopped nuts
• Then mix well and serve

Farali Misal

Top up your energy reserves with one of the best food to eat in Navratri, the all-time favourite snack of Maharashtrians, Misal. Try this Farali Misal which has Chia seeds in it, making it full of taste, nutrients and energy.

Ingredients:

• ¼  cup roasted peanuts
• ¼  cup grated coconut
• ½ cup Seeds of your choice
• ¼  cup chopped coriander
• 2 tsp ghee
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
• ¾ cup boiled potato cubes
• ¾ tsp chilli powder salt to taste
• 4 tbsp readymade farali chivda
• 4 tbsp readymade masala salli

Instructions:

• Mix the peanuts, seeds, coconut, coriander with half a cup of water
• Blend it in a mixture
• Heat the ghee in a non-stick pan
• Then add the cumin seeds and sauté on a medium flame
• Add the potatoes and sauté on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes
• To this, add the blended paste, mix well and cook on a medium flame
• Add the chilli powder, Himalayan salt and 1½ cups of hot water
• Mix well and cook on a medium flame for 6 to 8 minutes, keep stirring
• Top it with 2 tbsp of farali chivda and 2 tbsp of masala salli evenly
• Finally, serve the farali misal immediately and enjoy

Banana Dry Fruit Coconut Smoothie 

This tender coconut drink is packed with nutrients of banana, Dry Fruits & Nuts and coconut, this smoothie, is enough to revitalize and rejuvenate your fasting spirits. 

Ingredients:

• Slices of 1 chopped banana
• 1 cup of tender coconut water
• ½ cup of dry fruits & nuts
• Few basil or mint leaves

Instructions:

• Blend banana slices, coconut water, dry fruits & nuts
• Add your choice of leaves to the blend.
• Voila, your energy drink is ready

Kuttu Ki Puri

Enjoy this crisp and delicious kuttu ki puri made with Kuttu atta or Buckwheat Flour and deep fried in Desi Ghee. The flour of buckwheat is completely gluten-free, which makes this puri gluten-free and vegan too.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Kuttu ka atta (Buckwheat flour)
• ⅓ cup boiled mashed potatoes
• Himalayan rock salt to taste
• ¼ teaspoon Black pepper powder
• 2 tbsp lukewarm water
• Ghee for deep frying

Instructions:

Dough Preparation:

• In a bowl, add buckwheat flour, salt and pepper
• Add mashed potatoes and mix well
• Keep the dough medium soft, cover and let it rest for 15 minutes

Rolling & Frying Poori:

• Make balls of the dough and flatten them
• Roll the flattened balls
• Medium heat the ghee in a pan
• When Ghee is hot, slide the rolled puris and let it puff
• Once puffed, flip the puri and cook the other side
• Remove and keep it on a paper towel plate
• Your delicious puris are ready to serve hot

Quinoa Pulao

An incredibly delicious, protein-packed comfort vrat recipe for this Navratri season. It is so deliciously filling and nutrition-packed that you need to go buy quinoa seeds if you do not have them and try this recipe for the ultimate pulao experience.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Quinoa
• ¾ cup water for cooking
• 1 cup chopped cabbage
• ½ cup chopped carrot
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 to 2 tbsp Ghee
• ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
• ¼ cup Roasted Peanuts
• Curry leaves
• 2 Dry Red Chilli
• Himalayan rock salt to taste
• ¼ tsp Black Pepper Powder
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• ½ cup Coriander Leaves chopped, to garnish

Instructions:

Cook Quinoa

• Rinse quinoa in water 
• Add quinoa, salt, and water in a pan
• Mix it and let it boil
• Simmer & cook till quinoa absorbs water when boiled
• Let it rest for 10 minutes

Quinoa Pulao

• Heat the ghee in a pan
• Add cumin seeds, ginger and saute
• Add curry leaves, peanuts, red chilli and saute again
• Add the chopped veggies, saute this for 5-7 min on medium heat
• Be careful of not overcooking the veggies 
• Later, add the boiled quinoa
• Add himalayan rock salt & bell pepper
• Mix well and let it cook for around 10 minutes on low flame
• When done, add lemon juice and coriander leaves
• Mix well and serve hot

Buckwheat Banana Muffins

You might get bored of eating the usual fast recipes. So, we have added one of the healthiest dessert Navratri dishes, this tasty muffin recipe is gluten-free and packed with crunchy flavour and nutrition to satisfy your taste buds and meet the energy demands of your body.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Kuttu ka atta (Buckwheat flour)
• 1 teaspoon Baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup Ghee
• ½ cup Jaggery Powder
• 1 cup mashed banana
• ¼ cup plain yoghurt
• ⅓ cup almonds & raisins each

Instructions:

• Pre-heat the oven to 180-degree celsius for 10 min
• Take buckwheat flour, baking soda and cinnamon powder in a bowl
• Mix it well & keep aside
• In another bowl, ghee &  add jaggery powder
• Make soft creamy dough of it
• Add mashed banana and yoghurt and mix well
• Add dry flour mixture to this, do not overmix it
• Add almonds and raisins
• Divide the batter in the muffin tray
• Bake in preheated oven for 22-25 minutes
• Remove once done and your muffins are ready to eat

We at Himalayan Natives, take the utmost pride in helping people choose natural and healthy food products, no matter the occasion. We are sure you will love these healthy Navratri fast recipes. As we mentioned above, it is always better to check with your family and elders as to what to eat in Navratri before getting on with the preparations. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Q1) What are the best vrat food options?

Answer: All the above-mentioned recipes are made using the best and healthiest food options that will take you through the nine days of the extensive fasting period. 

Ingredients like kuttu atta, quinoa, fresh vegetables, dairy products like ghee & paneer, dry fruits, nuts and seeds are preferred as they are light on the stomach and can be digested easily. Instead of regular salt, you can use unprocessed Himalayan rock salt.

Also, hang around a bit and give this blog a read too for more food tips: Want a healthy lifestyle? Follow this Healthy Food List.

Q2) How can I stay healthy during Navratri fast?

Answer: To stay healthy and energetic during the nine days of Navratri fasting, make sure you follow these simple rules:

• Stay hydrated
• Drink the right kinds of fluids
• Do not skip breakfast
• Break your fast patiently with fresh juices & dates
• Avoid exposing yourself to too much of Sun
• Keep yourself active & moving

Q3) What can I drink in Navratri?

Try choosing fluids that don't contain caffeine. Drink lots of water as it ensures that your body is hydrated. You should avoid calorie-rich drinks, instead, opt for fresh juices, beverages & soups. The best practice is to drink lukewarm water instead of cold water before breakfast for better digestion.

So, this festive season make sure to keep the above-mentioned nutrient and flavour rich foods to eat in your healthy cart for healthy and delicious Navratri vrat recipes and more.

While you are at it, do not forget to check out our Instagram to get your hands on Natural foods, the ongoing special discounts and food recipe-related information.