As Navratri is coming I’m sharing my way of making charnamrit which is essential part of Puja.
I take cold milk and mix in sugar first, then add chironji and lightly crushed makhana. After that I add tulsi leaves, a little honey, Gangajal, grated dry coconut and a teaspoon of melted desi ghee. Finally I mix in curd gently. It comes together very quickly and is best served fresh as prasad after the puja.
This is how I make Makhane (lotus seeds) ki Kheer for vrat. I lightly crush about 100 g makhana and cook it slowly in 1.5 litres of milk, stirring in between so it doesn’t stick. Once the milk starts thickening, I add sugar and cook for a few more minutes. Then I add saffron soaked in a little milk, crushed cardamom, chopped almonds and raisins. I also scrape the malai from the sides back into the kheer while cooking, which makes it richer. Once done, I let it cool and refrigerate it for a few hours before serving.
Today I made kuttu ki poori, to make it easy as it breaks while rolling I use boiled arbi and mash it with kuttu atta then prepare dough.
It binds the flour and helps to makes the pooris easier to roll. After that deep fry it and serve it hot.
I make this version without tomato. Curd gives the gravy a nice tang and also keeps it simple for vrat.
I used 3 boiled potatoes, 3 tbsp curd, 1 tbsp oil, 1 tsp jeera, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp sendha namak and around 200 ml water.
I lightly mash the potatoes first. Then heat oil, add jeera and the spices, followed by curd. Cook it for a bit, then add the potatoes, sendha namak and water.
I pressure cook it for 2 whistles and finish with fresh coriander.
Simple, comforting and really good with kuttu ki poori 😊