Navratri Food Recipes: Flavorful Dishes Including Amrakhand and Rajgira Halwa

When trying to come up with dish ideas for Navratri prasad for nine days, it is important to keep in mind that for centuries, they have been lovingly prepared and consumed by primarily Hindus all over the world. These festive dishes comprise a delightful blend of different kinds of sattvic (fresh, clean) ingredients. In fact, these dishes also include a plethora of Dussehra sweets as well. So, this festive season, you can make your days sweeter with these delicious Navratri food recipes that are traditional in nature but are also rather easy to whip up.

Amrakhand (Mango Yogurt Dessert):

Ingredients:

• 501 gm yogurt
• 252 gm mango
• 103 gm sugar
• 54 gm pistachios
• 2 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp saffron

Method:

1. For the first step, you need to take a bowl, and in it, add the mango puree, cardamom powder, yogurt, and sugar. Make sure to mix everything well.
2. After that, you need to put this mixture into the refrigerator and let it sit for at least one hour.
3. During this time, you can roast some pistachios and chop them up finely.
4. Once the dessert has cooled down in the refrigerator, you should take it out, and top it with the finely chopped pistachios.
5. While serving, it is advised that you drizzle some cardamom powder for its beautiful fragrance and taste.

Rajgira Halwa (Amaranth Flour Pudding):

Ingredients:

• 201 gm rajgira flour
• 502 ml milk
• 203 gm sugar
• 54 gm ghee
• 2 tsp cardamom

Method:

1. For this dessert, you first have to add the milk and rajgira flour together, and put the mixture on low flame while letting it cook for at least 20 minutes.
2. Once it's cooked, you can add the cardamom, sugar and ghee, and stir everything together.
3. This one is a super simple recipe and will take about half an hour for the halwa to become thick in texture. Once thickened, it will be ready to be taken off the heat.
4. Once you have removed the dessert from the heat, you must let it cool down to room temperature.
5. Before serving, please make sure to garnish the dish with chopped nuts and raisins or any other fruits of your choice, to give it an extra nutritional value.

Shakarkandi Ka Halwa (Sweet Potato Pudding):

This delicious dessert uses one of the most unlikely vegetables, the sweet potato, and transforms it into a beautiful, sweet dish that you can easily make at home.

Ingredients:

• 1 sweet potato
• 502 ml milk
• 203 gm sugar
• 504 gm ghee
• 1 tsp cardamom

Method:

1. You first have to boil the sweet potatoes properly, peel them, and then mash them using a masher.
2. After that, you need to add some milk to a saucepan and let it boil well.
3. To the boiled milk, you need to add some sugar, sweet potato and ghee, and give everything a good stir.
4. You can adjust the amount of sweetness you want in this dish, but you must make sure to keep stirring this concoction until it is thick.
5. After that, you can take it off the heat and let it cool down.
6. Once cooled, it is advisable to garnish it with some chopped dry fruits before serving.

Makhana Kheer (Fox Nut Pudding):

This is a nutrient-rich dessert that has been a part of Indian traditional sweetmeats for several generations.

Ingredients:

• 201 gm makhana
• 2 liter milk
• 203 gm sugar
• 54 gm ghee
• 2 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp saffron

Method:

1. You can start by giving the fox nuts a really good roast in your regular non-stick pan.
2. After that, you need to bring the milk to a boil and to it, add some sugar, makana and ghee.
3. You need to keep stirring this combination until the entire milky liquid starts to become slightly thick.
4. Now, you can add saffron and cardamom, and keep stirring the liquid until it forms a thicker consistency.
5. After that, you need to let it cool down a bit , and refrigerate it for a few hours before serving in fancy dessert bowls.

If you are lactose intolerant, you can easily use coconut milk or almond milk for these Navratri food recipes. Using fresh fruits or even dried fruits will amp up the flavor profiles of these desserts to a large extent. If you are in the mood to experiment, you can try out flavors like kewda or rose water.

These desserts are sure to make your celebrations more enjoyable and add a super delectable touch to your otherwise vibrant Puja days.