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Fasting during Navratri is a popular religious practice in India, where devotees abstain from certain foods and ingredients for nine days. Many observe a fast by avoiding grains and sticking to a vrat-friendly diet of mostly fruits, vegetables, nuts and milk. Buckwheat flour presents an interesting option to add variety to the vrat menu.
Known as kuttu ka atta in Hindi, buckwheat flour has a nutty, earthy taste and can be used to make a range of fasting-friendly dishes. It's a good source of protein and fibre.
Adding these tasty buckwheat flour dishes to the vrat menu will add more variety and nutrition to fasting meals during Navratri. The earthy, hearty taste and texture of buckwheat flour make for satisfying fasting-friendly meals.
Here are 7 tasty buckwheat flour recipes to try this Navratri.
Kuttu Ka Paratha
Kuttu ka paratha is a flatbread made with buckwheat flour during Navratri, when only certain ingredients are allowed. To make it, boil and mash the potatoes well. Mix the mashed potatoes with buckwheat flour, coriander, chilli, and sendha salt. Kuttu ka paratha is a flatbread made with buckwheat flour during Navratri, when only certain ingredients are allowed. Knead, adding a little warm water, until a dough forms. Roll into balls and flatten between folds of a moist cloth using a rolling pin to make round parathas. Cook on a hot griddle, applying ghee or oil, until lightly browned on both sides. Serve the unleavened buckwheat parathas hot with curries and sabzis.
Image credit: Freepik
Kuttu Ki Barfi
Making this sweet barfi for fasting is very easy and fun. First, toast the buckwheat flour in hot ghee until fragrant and browned. Separately, cook sugar and water into a syrup, heating until it forms thin, sticky threads when tested. Then, mix the toasted buckwheat flour into the hot syrup until well combined. Pour this mixture into a pan, sprinkle with puffed melon seeds, and let it set. Once firm, cut into squares and enjoy the tasty barfi fresh. The whole process takes about an hour from start to finish, and the barfi tastes best when eaten soon after it's made.
Image credit: Freepik
Kuttu Ki Puri
Kuttu ki puri is often eaten during fasting occasions in India. To make kuttu puri, buckwheat flour is combined with mashed potatoes and sendha salt, then kneaded into a stiff dough and left to rest. The dough is divided into balls, rolled out into rounds, and deep-fried in hot oil until puffed and golden brown. The puris are then drained on paper towels. With its crispy texture and mildly nutty flavour, kuttu puri makes for a tasty fasting-friendly food that can be enjoyed with potato curry and yoghurt.
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Kuttu Ke Pakore
To make these tasty fritters, buckwheat flour and water are combined to form a thick, scoopable batter. Potatoes, sendha salt, cilantro, and green chilies are also mixed in to add flavour and texture. As the pakores fry, they puff up into savoury little fritters that make for a satisfying snack when served with a cooling yoghurt raita or zesty coriander chutney.
Image credit: Freepik
Kuttu Ka Cheela
This healthy and flavourful kuttu ka cheela (buckwheat pancake) is perfect for the Navratri fasting season. Simply mix the ingredients, let the batter rest, and then make thin, golden pancakes on a hot pan. Cook until both sides are nicely browned. Enjoy this easy, quick recipe hot off the griddle with some cooling yoghurt or fresh coriander chutney for a satisfying and tasty fasting treat.
Image credit: Freepik
Kuttu Ka Halwa
This nutritious flour is used to make sweet vrat ka halwa, a dessert that provides sustenance when abstaining from grains during religious observances. The preparation involves dry roasting the buckwheat flour in ghee, then cooking it in hot water to achieve a dough-like consistency. Sugar is added to sweeten the halwa, which is flavoured with cardamom powder and garnished with nuts like almonds and walnuts. The resulting pudding is satisfying and energising.
Kuttu Ka Dosa
To make healthy, tasty Kuttu ka Dosa, first make the filling with fry spices, chillies, and peanuts in ghee. Add mashed potatoes with sendha, salt, pepper, coriander and mango powder. For the dosa batter, mix buckwheat flour with water and sendha salt. Cook the dosa on a medium-hot pan with some ghee or oil. Put the filling in and enjoy this wholesome fasting treat!
