You know you have crossed half of the year 2019 when the pious month of Shravan arrives. Being the fifth and the most auspicious month of Hindu calendar, this month comprises of practicing heart-felt devotion towards The Destroyer – Lord Shiva and fasting regularly.
According to the Vedas, practicing prescribed customs and fasting regularly can keep you away from the harmful diseases which are quite prevalent in the monsoon season. But who says that fasting in Shravan means one has to eat boring food? Well, check out these recipes which are tasty enough to tickle your taste buds!
1. Farali Vada
Farali vadas are one of the most favourite fasting snacks of Gujarat. Along with the other ingredients, they contain spices such as amchur powder, black pepper, and cumin seeds which make this dish flavourful even if it is eaten during the fasting days. Being vadas, they are easy to eat as well! Here’s how you can make it.
Ingredients:
○ For potato stuffing:
- 3 medium potatoes
- 10 cashews (chopped)
- 2 teaspoons Raisins (chopped)
- ½ teaspoon amchur powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- Sendha namak (farali salt powder) as required
○ For batata vada batter:
- 1 cup rajgira flour
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- Sendha namak (farali salt powder) as required
- Oil for frying
- Water as required
Method:
○ For potato stuffing:
- Boil 3 medium sized potatoes. Let them cool. Peel off the skin.
- Mash the potatoes with the help of a masher or use your hands to do so.
- To the mashed potatoes, add black pepper powder, amchur powder, chopped cashews, chopped raisins, and sendha namak or farali salt powder.
- Mix the mixture well. Make sure that all the ingredients have mixed evenly.
- Now make medium-sized balls using that mixture and flatten them slightly. This will help you to coat them with batter easily.
○ For batata vada batter:
- Take Rajgira flour in a bowl.
- Add cumin seeds and sendha namak or farali salt powder. Addition of cumin seeds makes the dish healthy for digestion. Mix well.
- Now, add water as required to make a slightly thick batter.
- Make sure that there are no lumps in the batter. If there are lumps, your Farali Vada won’t turn out good.
○ Frying Farali Vada:
- Heat oil in a kadhai on a medium flame. Check if the oil is heated well before frying Farali Vada.
- Now, dip the potato stuffing in the batata vada batter. Coat the batter well.
- Fry it in the oil till the vadas turn golden brown.
- Remove the vadas and serve it with tamarind chutney.
2. Potato chivda
Fasting in the months of Shravan can be difficult if you eat once a day only, especially for beginners. Hence, instead of eating only once a day, you can eat some fresh home-made potato chivda which are not only fit for fasting days but also is quite tasty as well.
The best part, making home-made potato chivda is super-easy! Just fry the potatoes and add red chilli powder to it. You can also add in some dry fruits to enhance the taste.
Ingredients:
- 2 mediumsized potato
- 1 cup of peanuts, cashews, almonds, raisins
- ½ teaspoon of red chilli powder
- Sendha namak (Farali salt powder) as required
- Powdered sugar as required
- Oil for frying
Method:
- Wash the potatoes well and grate them with the help of a grater.
- Wash the grated potatoes for at least 2-3 times till the potatoes are not starchy.
- Pat it dry using a cloth.
- Further, heat oil in a kadhai and fry these grated potatoes until they turn golden in colour.
- In a similar way, fry peanuts, cashews, almonds, raisins till they turn crisp.
- Now, take a large bowl. Add the fried potatoes, peanuts, cashews, almonds, and raisins to it.
- Furthermore, add red chilli powder, cumin powder, sendha namak or farali salt powder, and powdered sugar in the bowl.
- Toss it so that everything mixes well.
- Store it in an airtight container for regular use.
3. Aloo ki Sabji
Simple yet packed with the nutty flavour of cumin powder, this Aloo ki sabji is for those Shravan days when you are in a hurry. Just eat with some hot Rajgira puris and you are good to have another successful fasting day.
Ingredients:
- 3 medium sized potatoes (boiled)
- 2 finely chopped green chillies
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 cup peanuts
- 3 tablespoons cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon cumin powder
- 1 cup coriander leaves
- 3 cloves
- Sendha namak (Farali salt powder) as required
Method:
- Take medium sized boiled potatoes and cut them in the shape of tiny blocks.
- Now, take a pan and heat some oil in it.
- Add cumin seeds and cloves and cook for 30 seconds or so. Let cumin seeds and cloves release their flavour in the oil.
- Once they release their flavour, add ginger paste and chopped green chillies. Cook till the raw flavour of the ginger goes off.
- Further, add the potatoes and mix well. You can also toss them to ease the mixing process.
- Add a few peanuts to give the sabji a crunchy texture. Cook for a minute or two.
- Lastly, add some salt and cumin powder. Toss well. The cumin powder will give the sabji a fresh nutty taste.
- Serve it with hot rajgira puris.
4. Kala Chana Sundal
Minimalist yet mouth-watering, this dish is quite cherished during the fast days. The coconut present in this dish makes it quite simple whereas the basic spices like mustard seeds and Hing present in this dish add a flavour which is quite soothing. For those who want to enjoy their Shravan in a simple way, this dish is a good way to begin.
While people in some places eat kala chana for Shravan fast, some people don't. So, make sure you know your stand before you make this recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup kala chana or black gram
- ½ teaspoon urad daal
- ½ cup grated coconut
- 10 to 12 curry leaves
- 1 green chilli (chopped)
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 red chillies
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- A pinch of Hing
- Sendha namak (Farali salt powder) as required
- 1 teaspoon ghee
- 3 cups of water
Method:
- Soak the kala chana or black gram for about 6 hours prior to using it.
- After 6 hours, drain them and cook them in a pressure cooker with water. Wait at least till 3-4 whistles blow.
- Once it is done, switch off the flame and let it cool down.
- Meanwhile, heat ghee in a kadhai.
- Add mustard seeds and urad dal to it and let it splutter.
- Now, add curry leaves, red chillies, and Hing. Fry for a while.
- Add the cooked kala chana, green chilli and mix well.
- Cook for about 4-5 minutes.
- Add grated coconut, lemon juice, and sendha namak or farali salt powder. Mix well.
- Cook for another 5-6 minutes.
- Later, switch off the flame and serve with hot rajgira puris.
5. Sabudana Vada
No one should miss eating hot Sabudana vadas in the pious month of Shravan. Well, this is month when they are regularly made at home right? So, gorge on this favourite delicacy and enjoy a perfectly balanced mix of flavours of ginger, lime juice, green chillies, and cumin seeds.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Sabudana
- 4 medium-sized potatoes
- 2 green chillies (finely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- ½ cup peanuts
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- Sendha namak (Farali salt powder) as required
Method:
- Soak sabudana for at least 5 hours before making sabudana vadas. This will help them to become soft.
- After 5 hours, drain them and keep them aside.
- Boil the potaotes, cool them and peel. After peeling, mash them with the help of a masher or use your hands to do the same.
- In a pan, roast the peanuts slightly till they become crunchy.
- Cool the peanuts and make a coarse powder in a mixer.
- Now, take the sabudana and add finely the coarse peanut powder, chopped ginger, green chillies, lemon juice, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, sugar, and sendha namak or farali salt powder to it. The cumin seeds give a nice texture to the mixture.
- Mix the mixture well.
- Take some mixture in your hands and shape them like flat vadas.
- Further, heat oil in a kadhai.
- Gently place the sabudana vadas in the oil and fry till they turn golden brown.
- As these vadas are quite sensitive, make sure that you are gentle while handling them.
- Serve hot with green chutney.
With these delicious delicacies on your plate, your fasting days won’t be difficult anymore. Just hold your faith and enjoy these dishes, and have a prosperous Shravan. Also, enhance the purity of this pious month with pure range of Indian spices from Vasant Masala.