The wait for Navratri is finally over. The nine days of fasting begins today (September 26) and will continue until October 4. During this festive time, worshippers observe fasts and each day is assigned to a Hindu goddess. Along with its religious significance, it is the special food prepared during this time that is the highlight.
While regular grains and cereals cannot be consumed, dairy-based products like milk, ghee, and curd are commonly eaten. Fresh fruits and vegetables are also emphasised during this time and there are a variety of substitutes that are included in one’s diet. Kuttu, amaranth, and sabudana are commonly used for making pooris, khichdis, and other dishes. However, when it’s time to snack, one craves something chatpata and yummy.
How about making some vrat-friendly chaats this Navratri? Chef Naresh Kotwal - Executive Chef with The GT Road - shares two refreshing chaat recipes that you can try at home this year.
Papdi Chaat
Ingredients:
For papdi dough:
• 1 cup kuttu
• ½ cup amaranth flour
• Salt to taste
• ½ tsp carom seeds
• ⅓ cup ghee
• Cold water as required
For topping:
• Prepared papdi
• ½ cup boiled potatoes (mixed with chaat masala and red chilli powder)
• A few mint leaves, chopped
• A few coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 big tomato, chopped
• ¼ cup brown chana and green moong, boiled
• 1 cup curd
• ¼ cup sweet and& sour chutney
• ¼ cup green chutney
• 1 tbsp chaat masala
• 2 fresh green chillies
For green chutney:
• 1 cup coriander leaves
• ½ cup mint leaves
• 1 inch ginger, chopped
• 1 fresh green chilli
• Salt, to taste
• 2-3 ice cubes
• 1 tbsp oil
Method:
For papdi dough and frying:
• In a bowl add maida, wheat flour, gram flour, salt, carom seeds, and ghee.
• Mix properly until bread crumbs consistency.
• Now, add water little by little and knead medium hard dough.
• Cover and keep aside at least for 15-20 minutes.
• After it’s well rested properly, make proper portions of the dough and roll it thin but little thicker than roti.
• Then, cut it in small rounds with any round thing and prick it with a fork.
• Fry them in medium hot oil until golden brown and crispy.
• Remove on the absorbent paper and keep aside for further use.
For papdi chaat:
• In a serving plate, place the prepared papdi and place the potatoes mixed with chaat masala and red chilli powder.
• After that, add chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves.
• Now, add chopped tomatoes and a mixture of boiled brown chana and moong.
• Add some curd to it and then add both green chutney and sweet and sour chutney.
• Then sprinkle some dal mouth minutes or sev, a pinch crushed roasted cumin seeds and chaat masala.
• Serve.
Dahi Bhalla
Ingredients:
• 1½ cup split black gram skinless (dhuli urad dal)
• 6-7 cups yoghurt
• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 15-20 raisins
• Oil for deep-frying
• 1 tsp rock salt (sendha namak)
• Mint chutney, to taste
• Sweet date and tamarind chutney, to taste
• Chopped fresh coriander leaves
• 1-inch piece ginger cut into thin strips
• 2 chopped green chilli
Method:
• Wash and soak dal in three cups of cold water overnight.
• Drain off excess water the following day.
• Grind dal to a smooth paste.
• Whisk half a teaspoon of salt, half a teaspoon of red chilli powder and raisins into the batter.
• Heat sufficient oil in a kadai. Drop batter in a tablespoon full in it and fry until light golden.
• Drain onto an absorbent paper. These are now called bhallas or vadas.
• Put bhallas in sufficient quantities of hot water. Leave for two minutes.
• Squeeze between your palms to drain out water.
• Whisk yoghurt well with rock salt (kala namak) and salt to taste.
• Place bhallas on a plate and cover with yoghurt.
• Add mint chutney and tamarind chutney.
• Sprinkle red chilli powder and roasted cumin powder.
• Garnish with coriander leaves, ginger julienne and chopped green chillies and serve immediately.
