Navratri, a significant Hindu festival celebrated twice a year, is a time for devotees to worship Goddess Durga’s various avatars for nine days. Many observe fasts during this period, abstaining from foods like meat, grains, alcohol, onion, garlic, and more, believed to attract negative energies during the seasonal change when immunity tends to be lower.

To make it easier to deviate from your regular diet and embrace ingredients suitable for Navratri, we’ve got two ‘licious and fast-approved recipes for you, courtesy of Anand Rawat, corporate executive chef at Noormahal Palace, Karnal.

Khajur Gud ke Rasgulle: A Sweet Delight

Ingredients:

• 1 litre full-fat milk or whole milk
• 3 tablespoons of vinegar or lime juice (add more or less)
• 1 teaspoon milk powder
• 1 cup date palm jaggery (grated)
• ½ cup sugar
• 4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon cardamom powder

Method:

Making Chenna for Rasgulla:

1. Heat the milk in a pan and bring it to a boil.
2. Once the milk starts boiling, reduce the flame and add 1 teaspoon of vinegar at a time and stir. Repeat the process until the milk curdles, and the whey separates.
3. Strain it with muslin cloth and rinse under running water to remove any sourness from the vinegar or lime juice.
4. Squeeze gently to remove excess water and place it under a heavy object for 5 to 10 minutes. The chenna should not be too dry.

Making Chenna Balls:

1. Knead the chenna with milk powder by mashing it with your hands until you get a smooth dough, or your hands become slightly greasy. This takes around 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Divide the dough into equal portions and make small, round balls. Ensure they are crack-free, or they might break while cooking.

Making Jaggery Syrup:

1. In a wide-bottomed pan, heat water and add sugar, khajur jaggery, and cardamom powder.
2. Bring them to a boil until the khajur jaggery melts. The syrup should be of a runny consistency, so no need to make one or two strings.

Making Jaggery Rasgulla:

1. Slowly add the chenna balls one by one to the bubbling syrup. Cover and let them cook for 8 to 10 minutes over a high flame.
2. Remove the lid, and you’ll see the balls have increased in size. Now, slowly turn each of them around once and cook again over a high flame for 3 minutes.
3. Once done, reduce the flame to low or medium, cover, and cook for another 15 minutes. Check in between and turn them around twice.
4. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl with the syrup. Allow them to rest for 4-5 hours. The rasgullas must be soaked in the syrup to maintain their shape.

Your delicious jaggery rasgullas are ready to serve!

Shakarkandi Galouti Kebabs: A Spicy Delight

Ingredients:

For Pressure Cooking:

• 100 grams boiled shakarkandi (sweet potato)
• 4 cups water
• ½ tsp senda namak (rock salt)

For Masala Paste:

• 10 whole fried cashews (soaked for 10 minutes)
• 1-2 green chilies, finely chopped
• 2 cardamom pods (elaichi)
• 2 tsp coriander
• Pinch of saffron

Other Ingredients:

• ¼ tsp sendha namak (rock salt)
• ½ tsp rose water
• ½ tsp kewra water
• 1-2 tsp ghee (clarified butter/brown butter)
• ¼ cup singhade ka atta (water chestnut flour)
• Desi ghee for roasting

Method:

1. In a small blender, take 10 whole cashews (soaked in warm water for 10 minutes) and blend them into a smooth paste, adding 1 chilli, 2 cardamom pods, and a pinch of saffron.
2. Transfer the masala paste to the shakarkandi paste.
3. Add all the spices, 1 tsp ghee, and ¼ cup singhade ka atta, and combine well to ensure the spices are thoroughly mixed.
4. Grease your hands with oil and shape small ball-sized mixtures, then roast them on a tawa.
5. Heat the small balls with 2 tbsp ghee on both sides until the galouti kebabs turn golden and crisp.

Enjoy the shakarkandi galouti kebabs with coriander chutney! These fast-approved recipes are perfect for your Navratri celebrations.