The Modern Vrat Kitchen
Fasting during Sawan involves following a sattvik diet, which is simple, pure, and light on the body. This typically means avoiding grains like wheat and rice, regular salt, onions, and garlic. While the intention is to eat light, many popular fasting
snacks—like sabudana vadas and kuttu ke pakore—are traditionally deep-fried, which can make them heavy and oily. This is where the air fryer has revolutionised the modern vrat kitchen. By circulating hot air, it achieves a crispy, golden-brown texture with a fraction of the oil or ghee, aligning perfectly with the light-eating philosophy of fasting. It allows devotees to enjoy their favourite snacks without feeling sluggish, making the fasting period more comfortable and sustainable.
Air-Fried Sabudana Vada
Sabudana vada is arguably the king of fasting snacks. The good news is that it adapts beautifully to the air fryer. The key to a perfect air-fried vada is getting the mixture right. Ensure your soaked sabudana is soft and well-drained. Mix it with boiled, mashed potatoes, coarsely crushed roasted peanuts, green chillies, and sendha namak (rock salt). To prevent the vadas from breaking, the mixture should be firm. Some find that refrigerating the shaped patties for about 20-30 minutes helps them hold their form. Before cooking, preheat your air fryer to around 180-200°C. Brush the vadas lightly with ghee or oil and place them in a single layer, ensuring they aren't overcrowded. Air fry for about 12-15 minutes, flipping them halfway through to ensure they are evenly crisp and golden on both sides.
Crispy Kuttu and Singhara Pakodis
Pakodis made from vrat-approved flours like kuttu (buckwheat) or singhara (water chestnut) are another monsoon favourite. Instead of dropping them into a kadhai of hot oil, you can make them startlingly crisp in an air fryer. Prepare a thick batter using the flour, water, sendha namak, and spices like black pepper or cumin. You can add boiled, mashed potatoes or grated paneer to the batter for extra texture and flavour. Drop spoonfuls of the batter onto a parchment-lined air fryer basket. Unlike deep-frying, where the batter spreads naturally, you may need to flatten them slightly. Brush them with a little ghee and air fry at around 190°C for 12-14 minutes, flipping once midway. The result is a crunchy, satisfying pakodi without the excess grease.
Roasted Root Vegetables and Chips
For a simpler, fibre-rich snack, root vegetables are an excellent choice. Sweet potatoes (shakarkandi) and taro root (arbi) become wonderfully tender and slightly charred in the air fryer. Simply cut them into wedges or fries, toss them with a minimal amount of ghee, sendha namak, and perhaps some roasted cumin powder. Air fry at 180°C for 15-20 minutes, shaking the basket occasionally for even cooking. You can also make your own vrat-friendly chips. Thinly sliced raw bananas or potatoes, seasoned with rock salt and pepper, can be transformed into crispy chips in the air fryer at around 160°C in about 15 minutes. This is a much healthier alternative to store-bought packaged chips.
Creative Air-Fried Vrat Ideas
Your air fryer opens the door to more than just vadas and pakodis. Try making farali pattice, a popular Gujarati snack where potato patties are stuffed with a sweet and spicy mixture of coconut, nuts, and raisins before being air-fried. You can also make paneer fingers by coating them in kuttu or singhara flour and air-frying until golden for a protein-packed snack. Even roasted makhana (fox nuts) can be prepared in an air fryer in minutes; just toss them with a little ghee and sendha namak for a light and crunchy treat that is perfect for any time of day during your fast.
