Navratri is a 9-day festival that happens to be a period of immense energy, happiness, fasting, as well as feasting to seek blessing from Maa Durga. Celebrated across the country, different regions have unique ways of celebrating this festival with equivalent grandeur and glory. Even with diversity in cultures, food, and traditions, one thing that remains constant with Indian festivals is the wide range of sweet delicacies that are prepared.
Sweet lovers unite! Don’t we all love to gorge on the wide assortment of sweet dishes made during festivities? These are mostly offered in the form of bhog or prasad to the deity which are later distributed amongst devotees, friends, and family. During this period of fasting, there may be certain restrictions when it comes to food and sweets. People avoid eating non-vegetarian and other high-energy foods in Navratri as we are transitioning from one season to another and our immunity is low at this time.
Also Read: Chef Abhinay Gupta Shares Tips To Make Your Navratri Delicious
Making delicious sweets during Navratri becomes tricky with the restricted ingredients available to use. That’s when a professional chef’s skills come in. They are seasoned to create various permutations and combinations of classic recipes along with their original dishes. A chef can elevate even a simple looking dish. They can recreate your favourite foods into healthier or fasting-friendly versions. One such chef and creator is Dhanshri.
Dhanashri Rathod is an extremely talented woman donning various hats. She’s a Pastry Chef, Food Content Creator, Baking Tutor and Entrepreneur! With her enterprise, The Cook O’ Clock and solid skills, she’s been helping bakers from all over the world to start their business journey in this world of Baking and Cake Decorating. Dhanashri has trained over 10,000+ students online and offline over the past 6 years through her courses and training programs. Apart from her business, she is also adept at creating some drool-worthy food content on her Instagram page with 115k followers.
The Social Nation team got a chance to speak to Pastry Chef Dhanashri to unearth some delicious discoveries relating to Navratri desserts. She is here to help us all satiate our sweet cravings this Navratri season with her own twist. Read on:
What is the one sweet you love gorging on during this time?
“The recent festive fav – baked Gulab Jamun Cheesecake with Rabdi topped with some pistachios.”
As a pastry chef, how do you innovate during Navratri?
“Taste test, feedback and experiment. Well, I have always had a tough room to impress may it be my family or my team at The Cook O’ Clock Studio. They go through my ideas, help me with the current trends, and there’s always a lot of research on flavour profiles.”
Navratri often involves fasting. What are some creative and satisfying fasting-friendly recipes you would recommend?
“Being a pastry chef, dessert has to be on the top of my list. The gluten-free Navratri-friendly rose and cardamom tres leches made with amaranth flour and water chestnut flour with flavoured buttercream are precious.
Another favourite is Aloo Paratha, yes Navratri special Aloo Paratha, with easily available ingredients – just as delicious, just as fulfilling. It’s made with a blend of ‘singhare ka atta’ and ‘rajgira atta’ (amaranth flour) with yummy spicy aloo filling. The next fav is a traditional curry made with buttermilk, crushed peanuts and boiled potatoes and given a ‘tadka’ with green chilly, it’s simple yet so traditional and flavourful.“
Do you have any tips for individuals who may be trying their hand at Navratri cooking for the first time?
“Keep it simple and explore sweet treats with Indian-origin spices and nuts. One important thing to keep in mind is to avoid contamination and understand the dietary restrictions if you are cooking food for fasting. Seek inspiration from family, friends, cookbooks and the mother of all – the trendy reels. Go wild and keep the creativity alive, don’t be afraid to try anything new and different from what everyone else is doing.”
How do you strike a balance between keeping traditional flavours intact and adding a modern twist to Navratri dishes?
“For pooja offerings, I have tried to create miniature desserts with creative garnishes while striking a balance between modern sweet and traditional flavours like Gulkand and Pistachio truffles, Pineapple and Coconut truffles, which were a hit both online and offline. Stressing on the texture, presentation, and experimenting with fusion flavours is a must during this festive season.”
Dhanshri definitely gave us many delectable sweet options for this Navratri season. We can’t wait to try out her recipes and original dishes and you should too! Here’s to a happy and sweet Navratri to all 🙂
