Vivek Singh’s Indian Festival Feasts

Navratri is one of the largest Hindu festivals and is prevalent throughout India, but it is more prominent in the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra. It takes place at the beginning of October, around harvest time, and is dedicated to the worship of the Hindu deity Durga, who is said to have battled the demon Mahishasura in a battle lasting nine days and nights, a triumph of good over evil. Another legend is that Shiva gave Durga permission to visit her mother for nine days every year, and it is for this reason that the festival is celebrated over nine days, with Durga worshipped as the mother goddess.

The name Navratri comes from the Sanskrit – nav means ‘nine’ and ratri means ‘night’, thus, navratri means ‘nine nights’. During the festival, the nine different forms of the goddess are worshipped, each of which is said to dignify a distinct power.

The number nine is seen in other ways throughout the festival. For example, to celebrate a good harvest women often plant nine different types of grains in small containers, one on each day of the festival, and then offer the young saplings to Durga.

For women, Navratri is a time for shopping for new clothes and new pots. It is an auspicious time to buy gold or jewellery and the gold markets are open late each night. Women dress elaborately each day for the puja or rituals and nightly dances.

With a number of customs and traditions, each region of India has its own unique way of celebrating Navratri, honouring the various forms of Durga with its own rituals and ceremonies. In Gujarat, Navratri is a huge community event, and it is one of the only states in India that erupts into a full nine days of festivities, dance and devotion. In the villages and cities of Gujarat, people gather in large numbers to feast and perform traditional dances, such as the garba, while singing devotional songs. The garba is danced in a circle, with a small shrine to the goddess in the centre, and often begins slowly, speeding up gradually, with everyone moving around the central shrine. It is a time for even the most housebound of women to be out of the house and to join in with the dancing in order to worship Durga.

It is common for people to dress up in traditional costumes as part of the celebrations. In Gujarat painted earthen pots are filled with water with a lamp inside – the pot represents the human body, the flame symbolising the divine power of the goddess and the water representing the body’s transitory nature. Throughout the festival people worship young girls, who represent Durga, and feed them with sweets and different traditional foods.

A priest offers prayers during Navratri at Sangam. (P B Verma/Pacific/Bancroft via Getty)

As well as being seen as a lavish spectacle full of fun and dancing, it is also a time for introspection and purification. Beyond the outward celebrations, Hindus attend temple and prayers are offered for the protection of health and property. Navratri is traditionally an auspicious time for starting new ventures.

Although Navratri is indeed a significant Hindu festival, it also marks a wonderful opportunity for people of various cultures to socialise with each other. One can see the rich culture and tradition of India, especially in Gujarat where the festival is particularly celebrated, blossom in the nine-day long period of Navratri.

Many devotees of Durga observe a fast during the festival, or at least the first and last days. It is often used as an opportunity to detox, and to eat light, nutritious dishes. However, feasts of great variety and delicacy are offered to guests and family during the nine days, and there is a particular focus on vegetarianism.

Girls perform traditional dances during Navratri. Amit K Jaiswal/Hindustan Times via Getty)

During the nine days of Navratri twice a year, my wife, Archana, will religiously observe the rules of Navratri to the best of her ability, and she will insist that we do too. It’s a particularly difficult time in our household as the kitchen will be cleared of all meat, fish, ham and bacon, and all kinds of animal protein, even eggs! For those nine days, we all turn vegetarian (albeit Eshaan, Maya and I do this under duress!). Although it’s only Archana who observes Navratri, we are all expected to ‘do the right thing’.

Chop the tomatoes and place in a pan with the whole green chilli and 475ml of water. Bring to the boil and cook, covered, for 15–20 minutes, then blend to a purée if necessary.

Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat, add the cumin seeds and cook for around 20 seconds or so until they start to crackle, then add the chopped green chilli.

Crush the boiled potatoes roughly and add to the pan. Cook over a high heat for 1–2 minutes, then add the rock salt and mix well. Add the tomato purée and mix while stirring for 1 minute. Reduce the heat and cook for 2–3 minutes or until the curry thickens slightly.

Unlike most other pakodas where different vegetables are finely chopped and then mixed in a chickpea batter, these are much daintier and lighter. Individual spinach leaves are fried and then become the perfect vehicles to carry all the lovely dips, dressings and sauces that pack any chaat full of flavours. You may like to serve these as a base for canapés at a dinner party.

Begin with the batter. Place all the batter ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine well. Add 150ml of water and mix to make a thick batter.

Dip each spinach leaf in batter to coat it evenly. Drop the leaf gently into the hot oil and fry it on a medium heat, turning once or twice until crisp. Remove from the fryer and drain on kitchen paper. Repeat with the remaining spinach leaves.

Sprinkle the fried leaves with chaat masala and serve drizzled with tamarind chutney, green coriander chutney and yoghurt dip to make a chaat.

Top left: Sabudana Vada
Bottom left: Kuttu ke Aatey ka Paratha
Top middle: Tapioca Pearls Khichri
Bottom Middle: Vrat ke Aloo
Top right: Vrat ki Kadhi
Bottom right: Palak Pakoda Chaat

This is a very simple curry with coconut, curry leaves and chilli. You can make it as wet or dry as you like, depending upon your taste. During Navratri in India, which is usually in the autumn, this is one of the several vegetarian dishes that people reach out for to make it through the nine days of abstinence and fasting. In the UK, too, as autumn sets in and pumpkin is plentiful, the spices and coconut combine to make a delightful comfort meal.

1kg pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and seeds discarded, diced into 4cm cubes

Place the pumpkin in a pot with the cinnamon stick, green chillies, 10 curry leaves, fenugreek seeds, turmeric, sugar, salt, red chilli powder and 400ml of water. Bring to the boil, then cook, uncovered, for 12–15 minutes until the pumpkin becomes tender, but not mushy. You should be able to pierce the pumpkin with the tip of a knife or skewer, but it should not fall apart.

Meanwhile, using a blender or food processor, grind together the mustard seeds, peppercorns and 2 tablespoons of the desiccated coconut with the coconut milk. Pour this into the boiled pumpkin and allow it to simmer for a few minutes until the gravy thickens slightly. Taste for salt and turn off the heat.

In a separate small frying pan, heat the oil until smoking, then add the remaining curry leaves. As they turn crisp after about 30 seconds or so, add the chopped onion and fry for 3–4 minutes on a high heat until they turn pink. Add the remaining desiccated coconut and fry until crisp and golden in colour. Sprinkle on top of your curry as a garnish and serve with rice.

Left: Kaddu ki Subzi
Right: Kuttu ke Aatey ka Paratha

These rustic buckwheat flour parathas are a firm favourite during Navratri when most grains aren’t allowed. It is during these nine days of abstinence when all those that observe the fast turn strictly vegetarian, giving up even onion, and garlic. Strict observers will substitute regular sea salt with rock salt.

In a bowl, mix the buckwheat flour with the mashed potatoes, rock salt, coriander, red onion and green chilli, if using. Add 2 tablespoons of the warm water and begin to knead. Keep on adding the rest of the water little by little, kneading until a dough forms and stays together, but don’t overwork the dough or make it too soft. Divide the dough into 50g balls (about 18 in total).

Sprinkle some flour lightly over a clean damp cloth. Place a dough ball on the cloth, fold the cloth over the dough and roll the ball with a rolling pin to get a circle approximately 3mm thick. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.

Remove the cloth from the top of the rolled paratha and place the bread gently in a heated dry frying pan. Peel off the cloth and cook for 2–3 minutes over a medium heat. The bottom side will be partly cooked after 2–3 minutes, when brown spots begin to form on the bottom, so flip and let the other side cook for another 2 minutes or so. Brush ½ teaspoon of ghee or oil on top and then flip again. Cook for a few minutes and brush another ½ teaspoon of ghee or oil on the top. Flip once or twice until the bread has cooked through.

Repeat with the remaining dough balls and serve hot with a side vegetable dish or potato curry.

This is a recipe from Mumbai and Gujarat, and these fritters are often served as a snack during the Navratri melas (fairs). Given that there is no grain involved, this snack is deemed fit for the period of Navratri. Strict observers will use rock salt instead of regular sea/table salt. Peanuts add richness and texture and the green coconut chutney brings zing and freshness to the dish.

Mix together all the ingredients except the peanuts and the oil, and leave the mixture to rest for 30 minutes. The tapioca will soak up some of the moisture from the potato and soften up a little.

Add the crushed peanuts to the mixture and mix well. Grease your palms with a little oil and divide the mixture into 8 portions. Flatten each ball with the palm of your hand to shape them like burgers. Deep fry in hot oil for 3–4 minutes or until crisp and golden on the outside.

Smaller versions of these can be served as canapés or passed around as snacks at parties.

This is another one of the go-to dishes during Navratri, as it is a quick and easy filling dish for when more people than expected turn up.

Soak the tapioca pearls in 950ml warm water for 10–12 minutes, then drain thoroughly and set aside in a bowl.

In a pan, dry roast the peanuts until browned, let them cool, then chop coarsely and set aside.

Heat the oil in a wok, add the cumin seeds and let them crackle for 10 seconds or so. Add the green chilli and curry leaves, if using. Fry for 30 seconds and then add the grated ginger, if using. Stir for 1 minute, then add the diced potato and sauté for 1–2 minutes.

Add the tapioca pearls. Continue cooking for 1–2 minutes, stirring gently, but don’t overcook as they might become starchy and dense. Check the seasoning and adjust as necessary. Sprinkle over the roasted peanuts, coriander and a squeeze of lemon juice, then serve immediately.

This is just like a kadhi or a yoghurt and chickpea soup, but there’s no turmeric being used as this is not allowed during Navratri and the regulation chickpea flour is replaced by amaranth flour. If you can’t find amaranth flour, it is easily substituted with arrowroot flour, water chestnut flour or buckwheat flour.

Add the amaranth flour to the yoghurt, and whisk until smooth, then add 600ml of water. Mix well and check there are no lumps remaining, then set aside.

Heat the ghee or peanut oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds and sauté for 30 seconds until they are fragrant and change colour. Then add the ginger and green chilli pastes and stir for a minute or so (the mixture spits a lot at this stage due to the water in the paste so I suggest using a high-sided pan to avoid getting burnt).

Reduce the heat to medium and add the yoghurt mixture, stirring continuously. Season with the rock salt and sugar, keep stirring until the mixture comes to the boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 3–4 minutes until the kadhi thickens to a soup consistency.

Check the seasoning, finish with the chopped coriander and serve with sabudana vada, kuttu paratha or one of the other Navratri dishes to accompany.

This is a simple yet very effective halwa commonly made during Navratri to serve either as a dessert or sometimes as a fudge for children and adults to snack on at any time of the day or night. I sometimes set this in trays and serve as petits fours at the end of the meal at The Cinnamon Club.

Heat the ghee in a deep, heavy-based pan to medium hot, add the cashew nuts and fry for 30–60 seconds until golden, then remove using a slotted spoon.

In the same pan, add the water chestnut flour and roast over a medium heat for 6–7 minutes, stirring continuously until the flour turns dark brown but not burnt. Add 250ml boiling water to the roasted flour and mix together well, avoiding any lumps. Cook for 2 minutes until mixed evenly, then add the sugar and keep stirring to mix well. The sugar will melt and the mixture will appear runny again, but keep cooking over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes or until the mixture thickens and the ghee begins to separate to the sides of the pan. Sprinkle over the ground cardamom and remove from the heat.

Take a shallow tray or plate deep enough to accommodate the mixture, sprinkle the nuts onto the plate and pour over the halwa. Spread to an even thickness and let it cool. It will set upon cooling; then cut into the desired shapes and serve.

The halwa can be enjoyed cold or warm, reheated for a few seconds in the microwave.

This is a delicious, quick and easy, healthier halwa made using millet and pineapple. It is suitable for phalahaar or a meal made from fruits during Navratri.

Heat the ghee in a pan, add the cashew nuts and stir fry until golden. As they are turning golden, add the raisins and stir until they puff up. Remove using a slotted spoon.

Add the millet to the same pan and stir fry for 4–5 minutes until it gives off a roasted aroma. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place the sugar, saffron and cardamom in a pan with 600ml of water and bring to the boil. Cook for 3–4 minutes until all the sugar has dissolved, stirring now and again. Add the pineapple and cook for 1 minute, then add the roasted millet over a medium-low heat, give it a stir and break up any lumps.

Reduce the heat to its lowest setting and cook for 12 minutes, stirring now and again to avoid it sticking to the base of the pan. Cook until all the water has evaporated and the millet is just cooked. Remove from the heat, cover and rest for 5 minutes. To serve, mix in the roasted cashew nuts and raisins and serve hot.

Musicians celebrate the triumph of Lord Rama over the demon king, Ravana. (Eye Ubiquitous/UIG via Getty)