Festive Fever 2023: Dessert Recipes For Navratri

As devotees worship Goddess Durga with unwavering devotion, they also savour the opportunity to satiate their sweet tooth with a variety of delectable Navratri desserts.

Dessert Recipes For Navratri

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Navratri isn't just about fasting; it's also about indulging in a wide range of delectable and sweet delights. As devotees worship Goddess Durga with unwavering devotion, they also savour the opportunity to satiate their sweet tooth with a variety of delectable Navratri desserts. From mouthwatering sweets made from ingredients like buckwheat flour, amaranth, and various nuts to creamy delights infused with cardamom and saffron, Navratri dessert recipes bring an exquisite sweetness to the celebration of this festival.

Here are a few you can try at home:

1. Gulkand Makhana Sago phirni Parfait (By Prabhjeet Singh, Chef De Cuisine, Conrad Pune)

Ingredients:

• Sabudana or sago (tapioca pearls) 100 gm 
• Makhana 50 gm
• Peaches/mango diced 50 gm
• Diced apple 50 gm
• Chopped pistachio 20 gm
• Ghee 50 ml
• Milk 1000 ml 
• Water 100 ml
• Sugar 150gm 
• Cardamom powder 1gm
• Gulkand 50 gm
• Cashewnut 50 gm
• Saffron strands 4 no
• Pomegranate 50 gm
• Gold Leaf for garnish

Method 

• Rinse the Sogo pearls until the water runs clear of the starch.
• Take a thick-bottomed pan or saucepan to make phirni.
• Add the rinsed Sago pearls and water in the pan.
• Cover and let the pearls get soaked in the water for 15 to 20 minutes and crush it.
• Take makhana and roast in ghee.
• Take another pan and boil the sabudana pearls and add makhana till it cook.
• Meanwhile add milk and continue to cook.
• Add sugar and cardamom powder and simmer until the sabudana and makhana have 
• Cooked well for about 20 to 25 minutes on a low to medium flame.
• Keep on stirring often so that the mixture not stick to the bottom of the pan.
• Switch off the heat and add cashews and raisins.
• Then add Fruits dishes and pistachio and garnish with saffron strands and gulkand gold leaf.
• Serve in a glass bowl sabudana chilled Gulkand Makhana Sago phirni Parfait

2. Sabudane ki Kheer (By Executive Sous Chef Rajesh Sharma, Skyview By Empyrean)

Creamy and delicious, Sabudane ki Kheer (Sago Kheer, Indian Tapioca Pudding) is an Indian dessert made using sago pearls, milk and sugar which is usually consumed during the fasting season like Navratri.

Ingredients:                             

• WhiteSabudana                           
• Water                 
• Boiled milk                      
• Sugar                               
• Cardamom powder                      
• Cashews And Almond                  
• Ghee - (to roast the nuts)                         

Method:

• Heat 2 cups water in a deep non-stick pan. Add sago,mix and cook till done.
• Add milk and mix well and cook on low heat for 4-5 minutes.
• Heat ghee in a small non-stick pan. Add almonds and cashew nuts and sauté on medium heat till golden.
• Add sugar or sugar free to the sago mixture, mix well and continue to cook.
• Add raisins to the nuts, mix and sauté for a minute. Add the sautéed nuts to the sago mixture and mix well.
• Add cardamom powder, mixwell and cook on medium heat for 10-20 minutes.
• Serve warm.

3. Sitaphal Ki Kheer (By Vijay Pandey, Corporate Chef at Lunchbox by Rebel Foods)

Ingredients:

• Full-fat milk - 1 litre
• Custard Apple/ Sitaphal (Big) - 800 grams
• Sugar - 50 grams
• Green Cardamom powder (Elaichi) - 3 grams
• Saffron - a pinch
• Almond Flakes (For Garnish) - 15 gram

Method:

• Handtorn each sitaphal gently into halves, and scoop out the flakes and pulp with the spoon. Carefully remove the seeds and Keep them aside. (Approximate yield 425 to 450 gms)
• Pour the milk into a thick-bottomed pan, bring it to a boil, add sugar and let the milk simmer over a low flame for 18 to 20 minutes till it has thickened in consistency and reduced to almost half in volume.
• Add in the sitaphal flakes and pulp, Green cardamom powder, saffron and continue to cook over a low flame for 5 to 7 minutes.
• Switch off the flame, transfer it to a serving bowl and chilled it in the refrigerator for 60 to 75 Minutes
• Garnish it with almond flakes and serve chilled.

4. Moong Dal Payasam (By Chef Vivek, BLVD by Embassy)

Ingredients:

• 125 gm Moong dal (soaked dal overnight in the water)
• 50 gm Jaggery 
• 500 ml Milk
• ¼ lit Cream
• 2 tbs Ghee
• 1 tbs Cardamom powdered.
• 30 gm Mix nuts almond, pistachio, cashew roughly chopped)

Method:

• Drain the water from dal. 
• In a pan on low heat - fry moong dal with ghee until you get a roasted fragrance, but it should not turn dark brown.
• Add milk and pressure cook it till it becomes soft and mashy
• Once done, mix well or mash it to a smooth paste, add jaggery, cream, cardamom powder, and mix nuts.
• Cook it for 1-2 min more (adjust the consistency using more milk) and serve hot.