#SAATVIK: MEAL TO PURIFY MIND, BODY AND SOUL
Who says Navratri food has to be bland and boring; take to conscious eating with flavourful dishes such as watermelon toast, khoya cookies, dragon fruit kulfi and more
It’s that time of the year again, when devotees seek blessings from Goddess Durga for a prosperous year ahead. During Chaitra Navratri, special food is prepared in households. A set of healing, detoxifying and energising ingredients, exclusive to this festival, are added to the saatvik spread. Over the years, millennials have revisited and adopted mindful eating as a way of life, popularising the saatvik food movement across the country.
“We are what we eat. According to Vedic scriptures, foods are classified as saatvik, rajasic and tamasic, and only saatvik vegetables should be consumed during fast. Saatvik food contains prana or a lifelike force, and may include fresh fruits and root veggies. During the fast, rajasic or tamasic meals that are usually bitter, sour, pungent, salty or dry should be avoided,” shares Manjari Singh, chef and co-founder, The Chhaunk. To meet the rising demand for saatvik meals, a special menu has been curated: “It includes singhare ke atte ki puri with aaloo ki sabji, kuttu ki puri, jeera aloo, kaddu ki sabji (Bihari style) khatta meetha kaddu and desserts.”
Religion angle aside, consuming saatvik meals is said to cleanse to mind and body, too. “It reduces the restlessness of the mind and brings forth awareness. April is basically the onset of summer and end of winter. It is important to remove toxins and accumulated weight from one’s body and mind. Fasting also helps us get rid of sluggishness,” says Harshita Dilawari, a nutritionist.
Chefs are of the view that the pandemic has had a direct impact on people’s eating patterns. There has been a rise in organic living as well as consumption of fresh, seasonal produce. “People prefer using seasonal produce available in the market now. In the past year, many have shifted towards a saatvik lifestyle,” observes Gagandeep Singh Bedi, executive chef at Roseate House, New Delhi, which has curated a special menu for the season.
Grains and cereals are not consumed during the nine days. The staple ingredients are buckwheat flour, water chestnut flour, amaranth, barnyard millet, sago and potatoes. “Most of the dishes are created using them, as they are the pillar of saatvik foods. One can hardly go wrong with these items. But, you must follow basics — dust cumin or fenugreek powder on your aloo, or add singhara powder in your sabudana for that crunchiness. You can use cinnamon in your kheer and coriander to garnish your sabji. Saatvik food is delicious, when done right,” says Ravi Kant, executive chef at The Lalit, New Delhi. He has curated a six-course saatvik meal that includes
shakarkandi ki chaat, tulsi paneer tikka, shahi lassi, and so on.
With a growing demand for saatvik navratri feasts, chefs curtate and execute special meals after much planning and deliberation.
“Every year, we are outdoing our recipes. The demand for Navratri meals for both sections — those who observe fasts and those who don’t — is such that we come up with unique dishes using the staple set of ingredients twice a year. Paneer fox nut makhni, khoya cookie with dates and creamed rabri, pink dragon fruit kulfi and baked coconut dahi with jaggery are some of the most talked about creations. They are prepared without compromising on the health angle,” says Tarun Sibal, chef and co-owner of Street Storyss, Bengaluru.