Navratri is a time for festive cooking, traditional flavours and a renewed focus on the ingredients that make their way into everyday meals. While some households follow strict fasting rules over the nine
days, others use the occasion to explore lighter home-cooked dishes and experiment with familiar ingredients in new ways.
Millets such as barnyard millet, ragi and amaranth offer plenty of scope for variety, from crisp tikkis to savoury pancakes. Milk flavoured with nuts and spices is another option for those who include dairy in their fasting menu. For cooks looking beyond conventional festive dishes, fusion preparations offer a different way to bring Indian ingredients to the table.
Samak And Sweet Potato Tikki
Recipe by: Sagarika Garg, Nutritionist at Soulfull, Tata Consumer Products
Barnyard millet, also known as samak, is a familiar ingredient in many Navratri kitchens. Paired with mashed sweet potato, roasted peanut powder and cumin, it makes a satisfying base for shallow-fried tikkis. Serve them warm with a chutney or plain curd, depending on your fasting rules.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2–3
Ingredients
1 cup cooked barnyard millet (samak)
1 medium sweet potato, boiled and mashed
1 tablespoon roasted peanut powder
½ teaspoon cumin powder
Rock salt, to taste
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh coriander, if permitted
1–2 teaspoons ghee or oil, for shallow-frying
Green chilli, optional and as permitted
Method
Rinse the barnyard millet and cook until tender. Allow it to cool slightly.
Boil or steam the sweet potato until soft, then peel and mash it.
In a mixing bowl, combine the cooked millet, mashed sweet potato, roasted peanut powder, cumin powder, rock salt and coriander, if using.
Mix well and shape the mixture into small, flat patties. If it feels too soft, allow it to cool further before shaping.
Heat a non-stick pan and lightly grease it with ghee or oil.
Place the tikkis in the pan and cook over medium-low heat until golden and crisp on both sides.
Serve warm with fresh coriander chutney or plain curd, if permitted during your fast.
Apple Cinnamon Millet Smoothie
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15–20 minutes for the millet
Serves: 2
A creamy, naturally sweet smoothie made with cooked millet, fresh apple, milk, cinnamon and nuts. This recipe combines whole-grain nutrition with the familiar flavours of apple pie, without needing added sugar.
Ingredients
● ½ cup cooked foxtail millet or ragi
● 1 medium apple, washed, cored and chopped
● 1 cup milk (dairy or unsweetened fortified plant milk)
● ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder
● 2 walnuts or 4 almonds, optional
● 2–3 ice cubes, optional
● 2–3 tablespoons chilled water, as needed for consistency
● 1–2 dates, optional, for additional sweetness
Method
Cook the millet: Rinse the millet thoroughly and cook it in water until soft. For foxtail millet, this usually takes around 15–20 minutes, depending on the variety. Drain any excess water and allow it to cool completely.
Prepare the apple: Wash, core and chop the apple. You may peel it for a smoother texture, but keeping the peel adds fibre.
Blend the ingredients: Add the cooled millet, chopped apple, milk, cinnamon and nuts to a blender.
Adjust the consistency: Blend until smooth and creamy. Add a little chilled water if needed.
Taste and serve: Add dates only if extra sweetness is required. Blend again briefly and serve immediately, with a light dusting of cinnamon.
Ragi Tacos With Spiced Pumpkin And Black-Eyed Beans
Recipe by: Chef Vikas Seth, Culinary Director, Embassy Leisure
Ragi is commonly used in Indian staples, but it can also form the base of a fusion dish. Chef Vikas Seth uses finger millet flour to prepare taco shells, which are topped with spiced pumpkin, black-eyed beans, roasted tomato salsa and dairy-free sour cream. Popped amaranth adds a final garnish.
Yield: 8 tacos
Ingredients
8 ragi tacos, prepared using the recipe below
200 g black-eyed bean filling
200 g spiced pumpkin
80 g roasted tomato salsa
Dairy-free sour cream, as needed
1 tablespoon popped amaranth (ramdana)
A few edible flowers, optional, for garnish
Method
Sprinkle a little water over the ragi tacos and warm them on a griddle or in a non-stick pan.
Spoon the black-eyed bean filling onto each taco and top with roasted tomato salsa.
Drizzle with dairy-free sour cream and arrange the spiced pumpkin on top.
Serve on a banana leaf.
Garnish with popped amaranth and edible flowers, if using.
How To Make Ragi Tacos
Ingredients
100 g ragi flour
120 ml water
½ teaspoon roasted cumin seeds
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
½ teaspoon finely chopped green chilli
A pinch of salt
20 ml refined oil, divided
Method
Bring the water to a boil. Add the onion, green chilli, cumin, salt and half the oil.
Add the ragi flour and stir with a wooden spoon until a dough forms.
Transfer the dough to a clean surface and knead lightly. Keep it warm under a damp kitchen towel.
Divide the dough into eight balls of approximately 20–25 g each. Place each ball between two sheets of plastic and press into a 3–4-inch round.
Carefully remove each round from the plastic. Cook lightly on a griddle or non-stick pan, brushing with a little of the remaining oil.
Cover the cooked tacos with a clean cloth and set aside.
How To Make Spiced Pumpkin
Ingredients
200 g baby pumpkin, skin on
2 tablespoons oil
A pinch of asafoetida
A pinch of turmeric
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon crushed coriander seeds
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon chopped green chilli
1 teaspoon curry leaves
Salt, to taste
1 teaspoon grated jaggery
2 teaspoons tamarind pulp
Water, as needed
Method
Wash the pumpkin. Remove the seeds and soft, fibrous centre, then cut it into eight fingers or wedges, keeping the skin on.
Heat the oil in a pan. Add the asafoetida, turmeric, cumin, coriander, fennel, green chilli and curry leaves.
Add the pumpkin and sauté. Season with salt and sprinkle in the jaggery. Cover and cook over a low flame.
After about 10 minutes, check whether the pumpkin is tender. Add the tamarind pulp and a little water if needed. Cook until soft, then remove from the heat.
How To Make Black-Eyed Bean Filling
Ingredients for cooking the beans
100 g dried black-eyed beans
400 ml water, or as needed
1 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
Ingredients to finish the filling
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
2 teaspoons chopped green chilli
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon roasted cumin seeds
100 g chopped tomato
About 200 g cooked black-eyed beans
Reserved bean-cooking liquid, as needed
1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
Salt, to taste
Method
Wash and soak the beans for five hours. Drain, then place them in a pot with the bay leaf, salt and enough water to cover. Cook until tender, reserving some of the cooking liquid.
Heat the oil in a pan. Add the cumin, garlic, onion, green chilli and turmeric. Sauté, then add the tomato and cook until softened.
Add the cooked beans and a little of the reserved cooking liquid. Lightly mash some of the beans, leaving the rest whole.
Adjust the seasoning, stir in the coriander leaves and remove from the heat.
How To Make Roasted Tomato Salsa
Ingredients
100 g tomato
20 g onion
5 g garlic
1 green chilli
1 teaspoon refined oil
Salt, to taste
Method
Wash the tomato and green chilli. Peel the onion and garlic.
Roast the ingredients in an oven or on a pan until cooked and lightly charred. Add the oil.
Blend to a coarse purée or crush in a molcajete.
Season with salt and set aside.
How To Make Dairy-Free Sour Cream
Ingredients
40 g cashews
1 cup water
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon sugar syrup
Salt, to taste
Method
Bring the water to a boil and add the cashews.
Simmer for 5–7 minutes, until the cashews are soft.
Let them cool slightly, then blend with some of the cooking water to make a smooth paste.
Add the sugar syrup, lime juice and salt. Adjust the seasoning.
Transfer to a squeeze bottle and refrigerate until needed.
How To Make Popped Amaranth
Ingredient
1 tablespoon amaranth seeds (ramdana)
Method
Heat a clean, dry saucepan over high heat until very hot.
Add the amaranth seeds, cover with a lid and shake the pan.
The seeds should pop within 5–10 seconds. Remove them from the pan immediately and set aside to cool.
