Feasting while fasting
Celebrate Ultra’s healthy sweet and savoury Navratri

Navratri is a time to consume plenty of nuts and dry fruits and indulge in dairy based desserts. These foods give you plenty of energy to be active through the day and celebrate the hours of dancing and festival preparations. They are also made with ingredients rich in vitamins, minerals and calcium that give you strength.

Makhana Kheer (lotus seeds)

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Lotus seeds are a powerhouse of nutrition. They are delicious, zero-fat snacks that are versatile and easy to prepare. Besides roasting them and adding various sweet and savoury toppings. They can also be made into delicious kheer. Makhana as they are called are an essential ingredient enjoyed across dishes during Navratri.

1 Cup puffed lotus seeds
2 Tbsp ghee
1 Litre milk
½ Cup sugar
1 Tsp cardamom powder
A few strands of saffron
2 Tbsp assorted nuts (chopped)

METHOD

1. Reserve 1 cup of milk and boil the rest on a low flame while continuously stirring. Reduce it to half.
2. Warm the reserved milk and add saffron to it.
3. Using your Ultra Mixer Grinder, pulse the makhana to coarse pieces. Take care to not powder them. Save a few whole makhana for topping the kheer.
3. Add ghee to a pan and roast the crushed makhana and whole makhana and set aside.
5. To the same pan add the chopped nuts and gently roast them.
6. Add the crushed and whole makhana to the milk and cook for ten minutes.
7. Top with nuts, saffron milk, cardamom powder and serve warm.

Coconut chocolate pops

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For the pops
1 Tin condensed milk (380 gms)
½ Cup milk
1 Cup grated coconut
1 Cup + 2 Tbsp desiccated coconut
2 Tbsp chopped nuts
1 Tsp cardamom powder

For the dipping sauce
1 Cup homemade chocolate
1 Tsbp butter

METHOD

For the pops
1. Heat the milk in a pan with the condensed milk.
2. To this add the fresh grated coconut and cook for 4-5 minutes.
3. Turn off the flame, add the cup of desiccated coconut, nuts and cardamom powder, stir well and allow to cool a little.
4. While still warm, roll into balls with a lollipop skewer in the middle. Place it on a buttered tray.

For the sauce
1. Melt the homemade chocolate in a bowl kept above a saucepan filled with water (bain marie method). This will ensure the chocolate is melted with the steam from the water and does not burn.
2. Add the butter to this and stir vigorously till well combined.
3. Dip the pops in the sauce and top with a sprinkle of the reserved desiccated coconut and set on the buttered tray. Once the chocolate dries, stick them like lollipop into a jar and serve.

Badam Laddu

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1 Cup desiccated coconut
1 Cup almonds with skin
½ Cup jaggery (powdered)
1 Tbsp cashews (chopped)
1 Tbsp ghee
1 Tsp raisins
1 Tsp cardamom powder

METHOD

1. Roast the almonds in a pan for five minutes on a medium flame and place it in your Ultra Mixer Grinder jar to cool
2. Once cooled pulse it to the consistency of semolina granules
3. Dry roast the coconut on a low flame till it turns golden brown and add it to the almonds
4. In the same pan, heat ghee and fry the cashews and raisins
5. Add the cardamom powder and empty the mixture into the almonds
6. Combine everything and shape to form balls
7. Store in an airtight container

Apple Halwa

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2 Cups grated apple
1 Tbsp ghee
½ Cup khoya
3-4 Tbsp Sugar
2 Tbsp chopped nuts

METHOD

1. In a pan add ghee and the grated apple and sauté for 5 minutes
2. Turn off the heat and add the sugar and mix well till combined
3. Add the khoya and chopped nuts, stir well and serve warm with ice cream.

All images used are indicative and may not be of the actual dish.