Mouth-watering fasting food recipes 

Food has always connected people. All of us love to check out the new restaurant in the city or a new cuisine while travelling. Our body accepts all and ensures that we function well. But there are times when we need to give our system the much-needed rest. And fasting is, undoubtedly, the best way to call it a break.   

Fasting has been a tried and tested way to give some respite to our digestive system. In ancient times, attachment to fasting was with religious sentiments. But today, when science also proves the benefits of fasting, people have become more health-conscious and taken fasting seriously.   

Recipes for Vegetarian Toppings 

Amaranth and nuts granola bar

Cook time: 10 mins + 20 mins setting time  

Serve: 4 per 

Type: Snack 

Ingredients: 

Amaranth (Rajgira): 1 cup 

Honey: ½ cup 

Sugar: ¼ cup 

Ghee: ¾ cup 

Mixed fruits and nuts: 1 cup (finely chopped) 

Sendha Namak: a pinch 

Method: 

1. Before beginning with the energy bar, one should ensure to prepare a tin for the bar to set. Take a square shallow bottom tray. Line the tray with parchment paper. Now that your tin is prepared, the energy bar to be relished during fasting days is all set to roll.  
2. For the amaranth granola bar take a deep bottom kadhai. Roast amaranth/rajgira on a slow flame. Roast them in small quantities. Keep a close eye on the amaranth as they burn off easily. They would pop up quickly. Transfer the popped-up amaranth in a clean and dry bowl. Roast and pop the rest of the amaranth too in small batches. 
3. Take another kadhai and warm up the sugar on a low flame. Let it caramelise. Add honey and ghee into the caramelised sugar. Mix them well. 
4. While still on low flame add the chopped dry fruits and nuts. Stir them gently. 
5. Pour the mixture into the amaranth and gently fold the golden delight. 
6. Once well-mixed transfer the gooey mixture into the prepared tin. Smoothen and tap the mixture well.  
7. Let it sit for a half-hour and cut it into small pieces. 
8. Relish and rejuvenate with this bar during your fasting days. 

  

Sabudana and Buckwheat pancakes with coconut chutney

Cook time: 30 mins + fermentation time 

Serve: 4 per 

Type: Main Course 

Ingredients for dosa: 

Sabudana: ¼ cup soaked 

Buckwheat flour: 2 cups 

Ginger: 2 tbsp (grated) 

Coriander leaves: a handful (finely chopped) 

Green chillies: 2 (finely chopped) 

Buttermilk: 2 cups (make with 1 ½ cups curd and ½ cup water) 

Jeera: 1 tbsp 

Sendha Namak: to taste 

Ingredients for chutney: 

Coconut: 1 cup (scraped) 

Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp (chopped) 

Green chilli: 1 

Oil: 1 tsp 

Mustard seeds: 1 tsp 

Asafoetida: ¼ tsp 

Curd: ¼ cup 

Sendha Namak: to taste 

Method: 

1. Take a large bowl and put the buckwheat flour in. Splash in the buttermilk and stir well. Add coriander, green chillies, ginger and salt. The consistency should be that of dosa. You can adjust the quantity of buttermilk accordingly.  
2. Leave the batter for an hour for fermentation. You can also leave it overnight for better fermentation. 
3. Before making the dosas, take a pan with 1 cup water. Let it boil and then add the sabudana. Cook the sabudana till transparent. You can add some lemon juice to taste. 
4. Cool this and add to the batter. Lastly, add jeera and mix well.  
5. To prepare the dosas, warm a dosa tawa, pour a ladle of the batter and spread in a circular motion. Pour oil on the sides of the dosa. Let it cook on a slow flame till crispy. 
6. To make the coconut chutney, grind together scraped coconut, green chillies and coriander leaves. Add some curd for consistency. Season it well. Take it out in a bowl.  
7. To prepare a tempering, take a small pan and heat a tsp of oil. Add mustard seeds. When they splutter add asafoetida. Pour the tempering onto the chutney.  
8. Serve this with hot crispy dosas.

 

Raw banana kofta with water chestnut flour poori

Cook time: 40 mins 

Serve: 4 per 

Type: Main course 

Ingredients for kofta: 

Raw banana: 3 medium-sized 

Ginger: 1 tbsp (grated) 

Chilli: 1 

Lemon juice: 2 tbsp 

Jeera powder: 1 tbsp (roasted) 

Peanuts: ½ cup (roasted, skin removed and pounded coarsely) 

Sendha Namak: to taste 

Water chestnut flour: for dusting 

Ghee: for deep frying 

Ingredients for gravy: 

Tomatoes: 3 (roughly chopped) 

Jeera: 1 tsp 

Bay leaf: 1 

Green Cardamom: 1 

Black cardamom: 1 

Cinnamon: 1 inch stick 

Cloves: 2 

Turmeric powder: ½ tsp 

Red chilli powder: ½ tsp 

Coriander powder: ½ tsp 

Cumin powder: ½ tsp 

Dry mango powder: ½ tsp 

Cream: 4 tbsp 

Ghee: 3 tbsp 

Sugar: 1 tbsp 

Sendha Namak: to taste 

Ingredients for poori: 

Water chestnut flour: 2 cups 

Boiled and peeled potato: 2 

Sendha Namak: to taste 

Roasted cumin: 2 tsp (pounded coarsely) 

Method  

For kofta: 

1. Boil the bananas till well done. Cool and peel them. Mash them well. 
2. Add the rest of the ingredients. Season well. 
3. Add water chestnut flour little by little and keep mixing. Once the mixture takes a form, stop adding the flour. 
4. Shape them into small balls and deep fry them in ghee. 
5. Take them out in a kitchen towel. 

  For gravy:  

1. Heat 2 tbsp of ghee in a kadhai. Add jeera. Once they splutter, add in bay leaf, black and green cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon. Fry them well.  
2. Add the roughly chopped tomatoes. Stir them for a minute. Cool and blend the tomatoes with the spices into a smooth paste.  
3. Heat the same kadhai and add 1 tbsp of ghee. Pour the blended mixture and add in the spice powders. Stir till fat separates.  
4. Add 1 cup of hot water into the tomato gravy and season well. Finish off with sugar and cream. For serving, pour the gravy into a dish. Place the koftas gently on the piping hot gravy. 

For poori:  

1. Mash up the boiled potatoes well.  
2. Add in the flour and the seasonings. 
3. Knead into a tight dough for the poor. 
4. Roll out the pooris and fry them in hot ghee. 
5. Serve hot with the koftas.  

 

Root Veggie Chaat

Cook time: 40 mins  

Serve: 4 per 

Type: Snack 

Ingredients: 

Sweet potato: 2 

Potato: 2 

Yam: 250 grams 

Peanut: ½ cup fried 

Curd: ½ cup  

Sendha Namak: to taste 

Chilli powder: to taste 

Cumin powder: to taste (roasted) 

Sugar: 1 tsp 

Ghee: for frying 

Tamarind water: 1 cup 

Method: 

1. Wash and boil the potatoes and sweet potatoes. Peel them and chop them into chunks. 
2. Wash and peel the yam. Cut them into chunks and soak them in tamarind water for ½ hour. After soaking, take them off from the tamarind water and pat them dry. 
3. Heat ghee in a kadhai and fry the veggies till golden brown. 
4. Whisk the curd with salt, sugar, chilli powder and roasted cumin powder.  
5. To serve: put the veggies in a bowl. Add curd and top this delicious chaat generously with fried peanuts.  

 

Apple, Banana And Walnut Lassi

Cook time: 5 mins  

Serve: 4 per 

Type: Drink  

Ingredients: 

Banana: 3 (ripe)  

Apple: 2 

Walnuts: ½ cup (roughly chopped) 

Sugar: ¼ cup 

Curd: 500 g 

Method: 

1. Chop bananas and apples finely. 
2. In a blender, add in the curd, fruits and sugar.  
3. Blend them well. 
4. Pour the nutritious lassi into tall glasses. Top it generously with chopped walnuts.  
5. Serve chilled. 

Tip: you can add almonds or pistachios instead of walnuts. You can also add in some cardamom powder.

Fasting does have immense benefits, but we tend to overeat or eat unhealthy foods in the name of fasting. Every fasting food has always had restrictions in terms of ingredients. But one definitely needs to adorn a creative culinary cap to make delicious, nutritious and wholesome fasting food. Restrictions on ingredients or number of intake times should not be reasons to stop you from enjoying good, satiating and satvik food.