Rajgira Halwa / Amaranth Fudge / Glutenfree Fudge/ Navratri Vrat Recipe / Fasting Menu for Navratri Festival

Navratri is just around the corner….and I am excited! It’s going to be so colourful…and bright! This is just the beginning of festive season!! Besides, I will be sharing a few recipes here meant for fasting. They will be delicious and easy to make….the kind I specialise in mostly!! Courtesy my mom most of the times to be honest😝 

In the past too I have shared some easy & yummy recipes for Navratri fasting/ vrat….like Sabudana wada in Appe Pan or you can try Sabudane ka Wada aur Phalhari Chutney…it’s so lip-smacking!! You could also go with the evergreen Sabudane ki Khichadi….very healthy and filling options.

Eating healthy is very important when you are fasting….but it’s obvious that we crave something sweet too..and sweets are very important for the ‘bhog’ for ‘mataji‘(auspicious offering to the Goddess). So you can try the Anjeer Burfi or Kaju Katli.…and the extremely delicious Mawa Burfi 😬 Don’t they all sound delicious!!

So, this time around…Navratri means I get to post a few delicious recipes for you guys! I looked in my pantry …and I had Amaranth flour (rajgira atta). So Halwa (fudge) was the first thing I thought of…because my hubby absolutely adores Halwa…be it Sooji (semolina) or wheat flour (atta) Halwa. I knew my mom would know the recipe…it happens to be the same as she follows for Sooji Halwa..but what she was doubtful about was the proportion of ghee with the flour. So I checked out this easy video on YouTube….and it cleared my doubt..although I followed my mom’s recipe😊..trust me..it turned out so yummy and totally melt in the mouth types…pretty good for my first trial 👏💃Hubby was totally impressed with the flavour…he said that this was pretty close to the one we have had earlier at Maharaja Bhog…our favourite place for authentic Marwadi Thali👌👌☺️ I was like Yayyyy!!! Anyhow..lets get going with the recipe…

Yield: 2 persons

Equipment: a heavy bottomed wok/ non-stick pan, a slotted spatula, measuring cups/ spoons.

Ingredients:

1 cup Amaranth flour (rajgira atta)

8-9 tbsp ghee (at room temperature)

1/2 cup sugar (approx. you can easily add more or less)

1/2 cup milk (at room temperature)

1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp cardamom powder

4-5 strands of saffron (kesar, to be soaked in the milk)

some slivered almonds and pistachios to garnish

Method:

Sieve the flour once and set it aside (my mom’s tip). Remember to soak the saffron strands in the 1/2 cup of milk that we have kept at room temperature.

Heat ghee in the wok on low flame. Once it’s hot enough, add the sieved flour and roast at low to medium flame for about 8-10 mins. Keep stirring around while its roasting to ensure even colouring on the flour…a light brown shade and the aroma should be earthy. Next you add in the cardamom pwd and mix well. Sauté for a minute more.

(The pic on the left, above, shows the colour of the flour after roasting it for 10 mins. The pic on the right shows the consistency of the halwa after adding the water, milk, sugar and cooking it. Also note, saffron will give a great aroma, not any colour in this recipe)

Then add the the milk which has the saffron strands soaking in it and the water. Give it a mix, add the sugar next and stir continuously to melt the sugar and let the water & milk evaporate. But the halwa should should be moist…so incase you think it will turn dry..add a few tbsp of milk and some a tsp of ghee too. Cook the Halwa for another few mins. That’s it..Halwa is ready.Garnish it with some dry fruits and serve warm! It keeps well in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat when serving it.

Doesn’t this look absolutely inviting and delicious 😇😄 Hope you guys will try this soon!

Love,

Shreya💖