Choose from the dishes to prepare your Vrat dishes for the day.

1. Rajgira pooris
Ingredients.

1 cup rajgira flour
1/2 cup boiled mashed potatoes.
2 tbsp arrow root flour
1 tbsp hot oil
sendha namak ( rock salt )
ghee or oil for deep frying.
Method

Mix all ingredients to make a smooth poori dough. Meanwhile keep oil/ ghee to heat to a medium .
Make small balls of dough for poris.
Roll out each poori into a medium size approx 80 mm and deep fry .
Enjoy delicious Rajgira pooris with dahi wale aaloo ki sabzi.

2. Dry fruits and nuts ladoo.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pistachios
32 tbsp of cashew nuts
3 tbsp raisins
2 tbsp of dates deseeded
3 tbsp of chopped dried figs
4 dried apricots
3 tbsp of dried coconut flakes .

Method:

Pulse all the ingredients except the dried coconut flakes in a blender till coarsely ground but not too fine.
The mixture will resemble like a sticky mass and little dry and that is the texture we need to make the balls.

Place the ground mass of mixture in a bowl and make small balls with a tight fist. The ball will form nicely as it has sufficient stickiness owing to the addition of dates, figs and apricots.

Roll the balls in dried coconut flakes which is optional but will taste great and also the bite will not be sticky. They are ready and you can store in the refrigerator which will harden them a bit.

Suggestions:

Use your own dry fruit/nut combinations and use your imagination.
Dry fruits like cranberries , dried prunes may also be added

3. Raw banana paneer tikkis

Ingredients:

1 cup peeled cubed raw plantain
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp green chillies paste or finely chopped green chillies.
rock salt as per taste ( sendha namak)
1/2 cup finely crumbled home made paneer
3 tsp roughly broken roasted peanuts.
oil for roasting on a pan.

Method

In a bowl add the mashed cooked raw plantain pieces, add the crumbled paneer and other ingredients except rajgira flour.
Make a smooth light dough of it..Shape in to round tikkis. Dip , roll it the flour to coat lightly. keep a tava ready , heat it medium and place the round tikkis around , add oil around edges, flip when the sides turn brown and crisp.
2 tsp rajgira atta to coat the tikis while roasting on a tava.

Serve hot with green coriander chutney or sweet vrat chutney.


4. Aaloo Raita

Ingredients:

1 cup peeled cubed cooked potatoes.
1 green chilli
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 cup chilled fresh yogurt.
1 tsp green chilli paste
Pinch of rock salt ( sendha namak)

Method.

Cook the potatoes till very soft.
Take a bowl ,place the potatoes, mash a bit with a ladle.Pour the whisked fresh yogurt , add other ingredients, stir gently. Refrigerate till serving time.

5. Dhaniya chutney

Ingredients:

1 big bunch of fresh coriander leaves.
1 tbsp lime juice.
A very small pinch of rock salt ( sendha namak)
1 tsp cumin seeds.
2-3 green chillies depending on how spicy you want your chutney.

3 tsp roasted peanuts ( optional )

Method.

Wash and clean the coriander leaves, remove the stalks. Chop them fine for easy grinding.
Grind everything in the mixie without adding to much water, just sprinkles will do. Add the lime juice, salt and mix well.

Store in a clean dry jar , stays good in fridge upto a week.
Left over chutney can be used to make sabzis..

6. Vrat Rice/ Vrat ka chawal

Ingredients:

1 cup samwat chawal
1 tbp chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp cracked pepper
Rock salt ( sendha namak)
1 small cooked potato
1 tbsp ghee
3 cups water to cook

Method

• Heat a pan,add the ghee, add cumin seeds, pepper, add potato chunks, salt, sate for 3 minutes, 

• add some water and add the samvat rice, allow to cook till soft .

• Serve hot with fraali sambar , faraali rasam or faraali potatoes ki sabjis.Green dhaniya chutney and peanut curd raita will also give a great accompaniment. 

  7.Pumpkin Halwa

Ingredients:

3 cups of peeled white pumpkins chunks.
Grate them and drain the water, saving some water to help cooking process..
I decided on a short cut by cutting them to small chunks, cooking in a rice cooker till the water drained well.
3/4 cup sugar
saffron strands
2 tbsp ghee/melted butter
some toasted cashew nuts.
3/4 cup milk powder
1/2 cup full cream milk

Method:

In a deep heavy bottomed vessel or pan ,add the grated pumpkin, thick milk and cook on a slow flame .

When the water is almost dried out, add the sugar, saffron strands, toasted cashew nuts and stir well.

Add the milk powder , mix well till the halva is thickened .

Delicious pumpkin halwais ready.

Add 2-3 tbsp of ghee at the end , stir well and allow halwa to cool. Serve chilled or warm.

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