Food Trails with Tushita presents Exclusive Navratri Recipes by Chef Swapnadeep Mukherjee, Executive Chef at The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa. These dishes are perfect for your festive vrat meals—delicious, light, and prepared with wholesome ingredients.

Paneer Aloo Stick – Crispy & Flavorful

Ingredients

• Potato – 500 gm
• Cottage cheese – 100 gm
• Soaked cashew – 10–12 nos
• Chopped chili – 10 gm
• Chopped coriander – 10 gm
• Chestnut flour – 100 gm
• Sendha namak & pepper – to taste
• Sabudana crumb – 500 gm
• Refined oil – 1 litre
• Parsley – for garnishing

Method

• Wash potatoes and cut them in half. No need to peel them for this recipe
• Take a large pot with water. Let it boil for some time on medium to high heat. Add the potatoes to cook.
• Cool the potatoes slightly. Take a bowl, mash it using a masher or spoon. Leave it sometimes for cooling.
• Add parsley, salt, pepper, chopped green chilli, and green coriander into the cooled mashed potatoes.
• Mix the potato mixture well.
• Take a mixing jar and mix cottage cheese, a pinch of salt and soaked cashew into a paste.
• Scoop up a portion of the potato mixture and flatten it, leaving a dent for cottage cheese and cashew paste mixture filling.
• Once filled, close and roll it into a log shape, ensuring the edges are square.
• Dip the potato sticks one by one in chestnut flour and coat with Sabudana crumb. Set aside on a tray lined with baking paper.
• Add oil to a large pot on medium-high heat.
• Put the sticks into hot oil and gently stir while cooking for three minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Do this in batches.
• Place crispy paneer aloo sticks on a plate and serve it with chutney or sauce.

---

Malai Kuttu Bhalla – Soft & Creamy Delight

Ingredients

• Kuttu atta – 300 gm
• Potato starch – 100 gm
• Full cream milk – 500 ml
• Brown sugar – 10 gm
• Cardamom powder – 0.5 gm
• Chopped dry nuts – 20 gm
• Pomegranate seeds – 10 gm
• Saffron threads – 4

Method

• Mix Kuttu atta, potato starch and make a batter (until the mixture floats in water)
• Make small dumplings of the mixture and fry in oil on a low flame. Once cooked. Soak them in cold water and keep them aside.
• Take a pan, pour full cream milk and reduce it to a thick and smooth texture on low flame.
• Keep aside for cooling
• After cooling malai (rabri), whisk malai and sugar together, gradually adding cinnamon and cardamom powder.
• Remove the dumplings from the water and squeeze them gently while draining excess water.
• Place the dumplings in a platter or bowl and pour the sweetened malai on top.
• Garnish with pomegranate seeds, fresh mint, and chopped dry nuts, saffron and serve cold.

---

Sabudana Bhel – A Crunchy Vrat Snack

Ingredients

• Sabudana – 100 gm
• Boiled potato – 30 gm
• Chopped coriander – 10 gm
• Chopped green chili – 10 gm
• Tomato – 2 nos
• Mint leaf – 100 gm
• Tamarind sauce – 50 gm
• Sweet tomato/jaggery sauce – 10 gm
• Spices (jeera, sauf, dry ginger, coriander, cumin powder)
• Curd – 50 gm
• Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
• Pomegranate – 1
• Ragi papad – 2 nos

Method

• Take a bowl, put sabudana, boiled diced potato, chopped tomato, chopped coriander, chopped green chilli,and toss them well. Then add tamarind chutney or any sauce/ chutney available at home.
• Add chutney all over sabudana to make it sweet and sour, or as per your taste. Mix well.
• Take ragi papad available in the market. Heat on low flame until soft and make a triangle roll.
• Stuff the Navratri bhel in this and serve with chopped coriander and pomegranate seeds.
• Add lime juice on top as per liking

---

Haryali Cutlet – Green & Zesty Vrat Treat

Ingredients

• Boiled potatoes – 2–3 large
• Fresh coriander – ¼ cup
• Mint leaves – ¼ cup
• Green chillies – 1–2
• Sendha namak – ½ tsp
• Black pepper – ¼ tsp
• Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
• Flour for coating
• Ghee/oil – 1 tbsp

Method

• Mix mashed potatoes, chopped dhaniya, mint leaves, green chillies, sendha namak, black
  pepper, and lemon juice.
• Shape into cutlets and coat with sendha namak flour.
• Heat ghee or oil in a pan and shallow fry the cutlets until golden brown.
• Serve hot with green chutney or yogurt.

Yoghurt Mixed Fruit Salad – Refreshing & Nutritious

Ingredients

• Green & red grapes – 200 gm
• Kiwi, orange, strawberry – 30 gm
• Walnuts – 50 gm
• Dates – 50 gm
• Dried cranberries – 50 gm
• Greek yogurt – 100 gm
• Brown sugar – 10 gm
• Cinnamon powder – 1 gm
• Soaked raisins – 10 gm
• Sendha namak – to taste

Method

In a large bowl, add apples, grapes, dates, walnuts, and other fruits available at home.
In a medium bowl, mix yogurt, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and combine thoroughly.
Pour dressing over fruit and nut mixture, stirring again to combine.
Nicely arrange slices of kiwi, orange and strawberry,
Serve with soaked raisins and walnuts.

✨ Celebrate Navratra with these vrat-friendly delicacies, thoughtfully curated by Chef Swapnadeep Mukherjee.