Food

Make this Sweet Pumpkin Puri for your Upvas Meal

As Navratri season is upon us, we are about to see a wide variety of food, traditions, clothes and music. Navratri, which literally translates to ‘nine nights’ is a popular and important Hindu festival that is largely celebrated by many states in India. These 9 nights are used to mark and worship Goddess Durga and her 9 different Avatars. Pandals and programs are conducted in the name of the Goddess and pujas and feasts take place in her honour.

Many communities also observe fasts during this time. The Navratri upvas has several important restrictions such as avoiding rice, flour, fast food, meat, and liquor. During these 9 days, all Hindus abstain from these foods and consume meals that are light, rich in fruits and vegetables and easily digestible due to the presence of fewer spices. However, following Navratri comes to Dussehra and in over twenty days come Deepavali, the festival of light. While there are no such diet restrictions during Diwali, there are some common and beloved dishes made during this entire time. Some of them are chole, puris, vadas, Sabudana khichdi, rasgulla, Pedha, jalebi etc.

A sweet pumpkin puri is another such delight consumed during the festive season in India. Made mainly with atta, cow ghee and sweet pumpkin, this dish originates from North India and is best enjoyed with spicy curry, dollops of ghee or shrikhand.

Note: If you are fasting during Navratri, use Amarnath or Buckwheat flour to make this puri instead of atta.

Follow this simple Sweet Pumpkin Puri to prepare it at home this festive season:

Recipe Information

Time: 10 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

  • ½ Grated Pumpkin
  • ½ cup Jaggery
  • Cardamom powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 cup atta
  • Poppy seeds
  • Water
  • Oil to fry
  • Cow ghee

Procedure:

  • Cook the grated pumpkin under heat and add water till the smell of raw pumpkin disappears
  • In another pan melt jaggery with water till a syrup is formed
  • Add this syrup to the pumpkin and slowly add atta to this mix
  • Fold this into a uniform mixture. Add a pinch of salt for better consistency
  • Once the dough is ready, take small balls of dough and shape them into puris
  • Using your hand or a rolling pin to do this is fine
  • A small disc-like shape is perfect for this sweet pumpkin puri
  • Add a small hole in the round before frying it till golden brown
  • Make sure to flip the puri so as to effectively fry the other side too
  • Finally pat dry the hot puris with paper towels to remove excess oil
  • Add cow ghee on top as a topping to enjoy this delicious festive delight

This recipe can be had as a sweet snack between meals. It also adds a delightful savour sweetness to a lunch thaali on a festival. If you have kids and are looking for fun and innovative ways to feed them pumpkins, then this recipe is a great option due to its sweetness. This dish is also a great option if you have some leftover pumpkin at home that you want to use before it goes bad!

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