Delhiites won’t let Navratri fare meddle with their diet
Going back to office and don’t want Navratri fasts to mess up your health-conscious decisions? You aren’t alone in this, because many Delhi-NCR residents have decided to make healthier choices this Navratri. Breaking away from oily food, home chefs across Delhi-NCR are adding healthier options to menus. Besides the favourites such as aloo chaat and vrat ke pakode, low-calorie items such as foxtail millet and fruit salad, samak cheela, beetroot kebabs and no-grain laddoos are also finding takers in the city.
“With the changing weather, my digestion goes for a toss. And Navratri is a well-timed reason to fast and eat healthy. I have decided to replace kuttu ki puri with kuttu cheela,” shares Himani Dhingra, a Pitampura-based homemaker. Khusboo Wadhwa, a banker from Rohini, has also decided to make healthier choices during Navratri. “I’m back to working from office, and I’ll be fasting on the first and last day. But I am not giving in to the temptation of a kuttu pakoda this time. I’ll order beetroot kebab and sabudana khichdi, which are healthier.”
Replace your samak ke chawal ki kheer with cheela, suggests Anubha Verma, a Gurugram-based home chef. “During the vrat days, people are often left torn between their diet routine and their beliefs. They want detox food that can also be eaten while fasting. Often, due to their busy work lives, they are unable to prepare such foods for themselves, so they turn to home kitchens. We offer samak ke chawal ka cheela or dosa, sabudana cheela, sweet potato chaat, etc,” she shares.
No-grain laddoos with honey and dry fruits, which is packed with energy and iron, is what’s on the menu for Delhibased home chef Ekta Jain, who says, “One can enjoy these with a glass of milk, and not worry about weight gain.”
“We are offering vrat fare in
I won’t let kuttu pakoda tempt me on Navratri. I’ll order healthier options like beetroot kebab and sabudana khichdi. KHUSBOO WADHWA, Delhi resident
sync with people’s lifestyle — low calorie, nutritious food catering to different palates,” says Sonali Chatterji, a Gurugram-based home chef, adding, “We have foxtail millet and fruit salad, spinach ricotta stuffed crispy mushrooms, aloo khubani ki kadhi with samak chawal and barnyard millet and dates kheer.”
Another home chef from Gurugram, Shahla Ahmad is doing nachni (millet) roti with zero carbs. She adds, “Instead of jeera aloo, we serve aloo raita. This is perfect for healthconscious individuals.” The rising mercury is also on the mind of Amita Garg, home chef from Gurugram: “We are offering kebabs made with sweet potato and beetroot. We use rajgira ka atta which keeps the body cool in summer.”