Celebrate Mahashivratri at Your Home Using These Recipes

The festival of Maha Shivratri is round the corner and all the Lord Shiva bhakts (devotees) are awaiting this auspicious night to celebrate it with complete zeal and fervour along with family and friends. As we all know, there are 12 Shivratris in a Hindu calendar year but the Maha Shivratri holds a special significance. The Maha Shivratri falls on the 13^th night and 14^th night of Phalgun month according to the Hindu Calendar. During this period the alignment of the planets in the northern direction is such that there is a natural upsurge of energy in the human body and it is the most potent and the best time to revere the Lord and to get your wishes and aims fulfilled. 

On this day, devotees visit the Shiva temples and perform Rudra Abhishekam on the Shivlinga. They chant the Holy Shiv mantras like ‘Om Namah Shivay’ and do Maha Mrityunjaya Japa. Many devotees visit the Ganges and take a holy dip in it with a belief that his/her sins would be washed away. On Maha Shivratri, people are awake the whole night and perform night vigil. Food plays a pivotal role in Maha Shivratri as many people fast without consuming a grain of food or water. This type of fasting is known as the ‘Nirjala fast’ while some eat only fruits and drink milk. But there are also devotees who choose to eat light and healthy snacks which can be consumed especially while one observes fast. So if you are looking for some quick snacking recipes that you can consume while fasting for Maha Shivratri, look no further as we bring you five quick, delicious and lip-smacking recipes that you can prepare during Maha Shivratri in order to satiate your hunger pangs. 

Following is the list of 5 simple and easy to cook recipes that can be termed as ‘comfort food’ 

• Vrat Wala Dhokla: When we think about something soft, moist, spongy and light, what comes to most of our minds is dhokla. You will be surprised to know how you can make vrat-friendly dhoklas by just tweaking the age-old recipe of the traditional way of making dhoklas. Let us take a look at the recipe for making dhoklas which can be eaten while you fast. 

• Recipe of Vratwala Chawal Dhokla

In order to prepare vrat friendly dhoklas all you need to avoid is gram flour and use samvat ke chawal instead of regular rice besides it and instead of using regular salt, make use of sendha salt.

Procedure

• Take Samvat rice and roast it on a pan on medium flame. Make sure that the rice grains do not turn brown.
• Now grind the roasted rice
• Now take the rice paste in a bowl and to it add yoghurt, chilli paste, ginger paste and rock salt (sendha namak)
• Mix this batter well and allow it to ferment overnight
• The next morning when you check the batter it must be fluffy in appearance
• Now take a tin and grease it with little ghee 
• Now pour the rice mixed batter into the tin.
• Cook the batter in a steamer and allow it to cook for about 20 minutes
• Lip-smacking Dhokla for vrat is ready!

• Sabudana Khichdi

Sabudana Khichdi is one of the most consumed and very comforting foods during fasting. The Sabudana khichdi is tasty, tummy-filling and easy to prepare. Let us take a look at the recipe of how it is made.

Recipe of Sabudana Khichdi

• Wash Sabudana and drain the water. Repeat this process until the water looks clear and not foggy
• Now soak the Sago pearls (Sabudana) in water for an hour. Ensure that all the sabudana pearls sink in the water and the water level is above the soaked pearls
• Now drain all the water and spread the sabudana over a dry cloth
• Allow it to dry in order to drain out all the excess water. If there is water in the sabudana then all the sago pearls will stick to each other and form a lump
• Now add sendha namak, roasted peanuts and chillies and mix it well
• Turn on the gas, place a wide mouth vessel or a wok over it. 
• Now add ghee, curry leaves and cumin seeds to it. Let the seeds and leaves crackle now add the Sabudana mix and cook it on low flame until ready
• Now once the sabudana is cooked, turn off the flame, take the vessel off the gas stove and ass lime juice to it and mix it well again
• Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves 
• Delicious Sabudana Khichdi is ready to eat

Let us now take a look at our third healthy and delicious recipe that can be consumed during fasting:

• Kuttu Cheela

This lip-smacking cheela is made with buckwheat flour. This is not just a light food option but this cheela is rich in nutrition and is good for health.  Let us see how to prepare absolutely healthy and yummy Kuttu Cheela.

Recipe of Kuttu Ka Cheela

• Take Buckwheat flour according to the number of people consuming the cheela. Now add sendha salt, finely chopped green chillies and roasted cumin seeds in it. Add water to it and mix it into a thick dosa like batter
• Turn on the gas stove, place a flat dosa pan over it and now grease it with ghee
• Pour a spoonful of batter over the pan and spread it evenly with the help of the spoon
• Make a round shape and allow it to cook
• Serve it hot with coconut chutney

Makhana Kheer

The Makhana Kheer is one of the best delicacies prepared during Shravan as most people observe fast during this period. Milk is one of the most important ingredients that we offer to Lord Shiva. The Makhana Kheer forms a special delicacy that can be offered as a prasad and can be also consumed as a food supplement during fasting. The Makhana Kheer is a dessert that is prepared by using the popped Lotus seeds which are commonly known as Phool Makhana. The popped Lotus seeds are used and consumed in many forms. Let’s go through at the recipe

Recipe of Makhana Kheer

• Turn on the gas stove. Now place a vessel on it.
• Add ghee to the vessel
• Add the popped lotus seeds and some cashew nuts to it and roast it for some time 
• Now season it with rock salt.

Tip: Add only a few drops of ghee for roasting purposes and not for frying

• Allow the mixture to cool.
• Now take a small portion of this mixture and grind it well along with some cardamom powder
• Place another vessel on the gas stove and turn it on. Now add milk to it and allow it to boil
• Add sugar to the milk and mix well
• Now add the ground makhana and cardamom powder mix to the milk and allow it to boil further. Keep stirring the mixture
• Now add the remaining roasted Makhana and cashew mix in the milk and continue stirring the mixture, until thick
• The Makhana Kheer is now ready 
• Garnish with chopped dry fruits
• You can either have the kheer hot or allow it to chill in the fridge and consume it cold.

Shakarkandi Chaat

A great snack and easy to make is what Shakarkandi chaat is all about. Let us take a look at the recipe.

Recipe of Shakarkandi ki Chaat

• Take Shakarkandi, bring it to a boil
• Now peel it and cut it into cubes
• Add chaat masala, chilli powder, sendha namak and roasted cumin powder to it
• Add finely chopped green chillies 
• Now add lime juice to it and mix well
• Adjust all the spices according to your taste
• Mouth-watering Shakarkandi Chaat is ready to eat.

Sabudana Vada

One of the most favorite and loved delicacies of all time especially during fasting is the Sabudana Vada. This Maharashtrian delicacy has gained tremendous popularity over the ages. This lip-smacking snack is easy to make and can be consumed anytime in the day. People generally consume the crispy and flavor packed Sabudana vada at breakfast or in the evening like a snack. Let us take a look at how it is made

How to Make Sabudana Vada

• Soak Sabudana pearls in water for some time
• Now remove them from the bowl 
• Take soaked sabudana in a bowl
• Add ground peanuts along with green pepper, salt, red pepper powder, sea potatoes, coriander leaves and lemon juice.
• Now mash all the ingredients to make a thick mixture.
• Apply oil on your palms and make small round flat balls of this mixture and 
• Deep fry these balls in hot oil
• Fry them until golden brown, 
• Sabudana vada is ready to eat

We are sure, the above mentioned easy to cook and eat recipes must have surely given you an idea of what can be consumed during Maha Shivratri. We hope you prepare each of these recipes and celebrate Maha Shivratri with double the zeal and devotion.