9 Navratri Recipes Made with A2 Gir Cow Ghee for Fasting

Navratri fasting food generally involves rock salt, no wheat or rice, no onion or garlic, and a short list of vrat staples: sabudana, moraiya (samo), rajgira, potatoes, milk, and curd. This guide provides nine easy Navratri fasting recipes, featuring farali dishes built from those staples: sabudana khichdi, rajgira sheera, moraiya khichdi, farali kadhi, dudhi halwa, sukhi bhaji, rajgira puri, moraiya kheer, and farali pattice. Each is cooked using A2 Gir cow ghee.

What can you eat during Navratri fasting?

 Many households that observe the fast swap wheat and rice for kuttu (buckwheat), rajgira (amaranth), singhara (water chestnut), and moraiya (barnyard millet). They also consume sabudana, potatoes, sweet potatoes, fruit, nuts, milk, curd, and paneer, seasoned with sendha namak (rock salt).

However, Navratri vrat practices vary widely by family and region; there is no single universal rule. Some families eat one meal after sunset, some opt for fruit and milk, some skip cumin, and beverages like tea or coffee are allowed in certain homes but not others. In parts of South India, Navratri food often simply means a no-onion, no-garlic diet rather than a strict fast. It is always best to follow the specific traditions observed in your own home. Ingredients like peanuts, cumin, and moraiya are the ones where household practices frequently differ.

Which Navratri recipe takes how long, and how much ghee does it use?

Easy thali pairings: sabudana khichdi with curd for breakfast, moraiya khichdi with farali kadhi, rajgira puri with sukhi bhaji, pattice as an evening snack, and one dessert a day.

9 Easy Navratri Fasting Recipes

1. Sabudana Khichdi Soft, separate pearls with crunchy peanuts make this a popular vrat breakfast.

• Prep: 5 min, plus 4-6 hours soaking | Cook: about 15 min | Serves: 2
• Ingredients: 1 cup sabudana, ½ cup roasted peanuts (coarsely crushed), 1 medium potato (boiled and cubed), 2 tbsp ghee, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1-2 green chillies (chopped), Sendha namak, lemon juice, chopped coriander
• How to make:
  • Rinse the sabudana until the water runs clear. Soak with water just level with the pearls for 4-6 hours, then drain well.
  • Toss the drained sabudana with peanuts and salt.
  • Heat the ghee, add cumin and chillies, then the potato. Cook 2 minutes.
  • Add the sabudana mixture and cook on low, stirring gently, for 5-6 minutes until the pearls turn translucent.
  • Finish with lemon juice and coriander.
• Ghee tip: Ghee is used for the tempering. Adding ½ tsp more at the end enhances the aroma.
• Serve with: Plain curd.
• Fasting note: Peanuts and cumin are commonly prepared but not universal. Skip them if they fall outside family customs.

2. Rajgira Sheera A quick sweet made by roasting flour in ghee, closer to a warm porridge than a heavy mithai.

• Prep: 5 min | Cook: about 12 min | Serves:
• Ingredients: ½ cup rajgira flour, 3 tbsp ghee, 1 cup hot milk (or hot water), 3 tbsp sugar or mishri, ¼ tsp cardamom powder, Chopped almonds
• How to make:
  • Melt the ghee on low heat and roast the flour for 6-8 minutes, until it smells nutty.
  • Add the sugar to the hot milk. Pour it in slowly (it will splutter) while stirring.
  • Cook 3-4 minutes until thick.
  • Add cardamom and almonds.
• Ghee tip: The slow roasting in ghee decides the flavour. Keep the flame low so the flour doesn't taste raw or burn.
• Serve with: Eat warm.
• Fasting note: Use water instead of milk if milk is avoided on certain days.

3. Moraiya Khichdi A light one-pot main dish, and an easy thali base.

• Prep: 10 min (rinse, soak 15-20 min if preferred) | Cook: about 15 min | Serves: 2
• Ingredients: ½ cup moraiya (samo), 1½ tbsp ghee, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 small potato (cubed), 2 tbsp roasted peanuts, 1 green chilli, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 cup water, sendha namak
• How to make:
  • Rinse the moraiya.
  • Heat the ghee, add cumin, chilli, ginger, potato and peanuts. Cook 3 minutes.
  • Add moraiya, water and salt. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 minutes.
• Ghee tip: Roast the moraiya in the ghee for a minute before adding water. It helps keep the grains separate.
• Serve with: Farali kadhi or curd.
• Fasting note: Moraiya is a millet widely treated as vrat-friendly, but a few households avoid it.

4. Farali Kadhi Tangy, thin, and comforting, a natural partner for moraiya khichdi.

• Prep: 5 min | Cook: about 15 min | Serves: 3
• Ingredients: 1 cup sour curd, 2 cups water, 1 tbsp rajgira or singhara flour, 1 tsp sugar or jaggery, Sendha namak. For tempering: 1 tbsp ghee, ½ tsp cumin, 1 green chilli, small piece of ginger, a few curry leaves
• How to make:
  • Whisk the curd, flour, water, sugar and salt until smooth.
  • Simmer on medium-low heat, stirring, for 10-12 minutes.
  • Heat the ghee, crackle cumin, add chilli, ginger and curry leaves, and pour over the kadhi.
• Ghee tip: Temper at the end so the aroma stays fresh.
• Serve with: Moraiya khichdi.
• Fasting note: Some households skip curry leaves or cumin.

5. Dudhi Halwa Grated bottle gourd cooked down in milk and ghee, a gentle dessert.

• Prep: 10 min | Cook: about 30 min | Serves: 4
• Ingredients: 2 cups grated dudhi (bottle gourd), 2 tbsp ghee, 1 cup milk, ¼ cup sugar, Cardamom, chopped nuts
• How to make:
  • Press the dudhi lightly; don't squeeze it dry.
  • Cook it in ghee for 5 minutes.
  • Add milk and cook 15-20 minutes until thick.
  • Add sugar and cardamom, cook 5 more minutes, and top with nuts.
• Ghee tip: Sauté the dudhi in ghee first so the halwa remains glossy, not watery.
• Serve with: Warm, or chilled. 
• Fasting note: Dudhi is a frequently used vrat vegetable.

6. Farali Sukhi Bhaji Dry, spiced boiled potatoes, often called vrat wale aloo in North India.

• Prep: 10 min (boil the potatoes) | Cook: about 8 min | Serves: 2-3
• Ingredients: 3 medium potatoes (boiled and cubed), 1½ tbsp ghee, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1-2 green chillies, 1 tbsp peanut powder, Sendha namak, lemon juice, a pinch of sugar, coriander
• How to make:
  • Heat the ghee and crackle the cumin with chillies.
  • Add the potatoes, salt, sugar and peanut powder. Toss gently for 4-5 minutes.
  • Finish with lemon and coriander.
• Ghee tip: Let the potatoes brown lightly in the ghee. The crisp edges enhance the dish.
• Serve with: Rajgira puri.
• Fasting note: Skip the peanut powder if it is not used in your tradition.

7. Rajgira Puri Small puris that puff lightly and stay soft.

• Prep: 15 min | Cook: about 10 min | Serves: 3 (about 10 small puris)
• Ingredients: 1 cup rajgira flour, 1 small potato (boiled and mashed), 2 tsp ghee (for the dough), Sendha namak, hot water as needed, About ½ cup ghee for frying, in a small deep pan
• How to make:
  • Knead the flour, potato, salt and ghee into a soft dough with hot water. Rest 10 minutes.
  • Roll small, thick discs between greased sheets. Rajgira dough lacks gluten, so it may crack if rolled too thin.
  • Fry in medium-hot ghee until lightly golden on both sides.
• Ghee tip: A small, deep pan requires less frying ghee. Strain the remaining ghee and use it in the same day's cooking.
• Serve with: Sukhi bhaji.
• Fasting note: The mashed potato binds the dough. It is an essential component.

8. Moraiya Kheer Milk-based and mildly sweet, an ideal way to end an evening meal.

• Prep: 5 min | Cook: about 25 min | Serves: 3-4
• Ingredients: ¼ cup moraiya, 1 tsp ghee, 3 cups full-fat milk, ¼ cup sugar, Cardamom, saffron (optional), chopped nuts
• How to make:
  • Roast the moraiya in ghee for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add it to the simmering milk and cook on low for 20-25 minutes.
  • Add sugar, cardamom and saffron for the last 5 minutes.
• Ghee tip: Just a teaspoon is sufficient here. It adds a nutty note without making the kheer heavy.
• Serve with: Warm or chilled. It thickens as it cools.
• Fasting note: Verify that moraiya aligns with household fasting customs.

9. Farali Pattice Crisp outside, sweet-tangy coconut inside.

• Prep: 20 min | Cook: about 15 min | Serves: 3 (about 8 pattice)
• Ingredients: 3 medium potatoes (boiled and mashed), 2 tbsp singhara flour, Sendha namak, 1 chopped green chilli. Filling: 3 tbsp grated fresh coconut, 1 tbsp chopped cashews and raisins, coriander, lemon juice, a pinch of sugar. For cooking: 3 tbsp ghee
• How to make:
  • Mix the potato, flour, salt and chilli into a dough.
  • Flatten a portion, add a spoonful of filling, and seal into a patty.
  • Chill 10 minutes, then cook on a tawa with ghee for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden.
• Ghee tip: Brush ghee on the tawa rather than pouring it. It gives a golden colour with less fat.
• Serve with: Coriander-coconut chutney and curd.
• Fasting note: Singhara flour helps hold the shape. It can be omitted if preferred.

How do you keep Navratri fasting meals balanced?

Build meals combining a starch (sabudana, moraiya, or potato), a dairy or nut component (curd, paneer, peanuts, milk), and fresh produce (dudhi, cucumber, fruit). Aim for balance rather than frying every dish. Pair a fried item like puri with a simpler option like sukhi bhaji, and consider having one sweet dish a day instead of multiple. Drink plenty of water; buttermilk and coconut water are popular choices. The ICMR-NIN Dietary Guidelines for Indians advise moderating fat, salt, and sugar. Individuals with medical conditions, such as diabetes or blood pressure issues, or those who are pregnant, should consult a doctor before fasting. This article is not medical advice.

How should you use A2 Gir cow ghee in fasting recipes?

Ghee serves various purposes across these recipes: tempering (khichdi, kadhi), roasting flour (sheera), sautéing (halwa), shallow-frying (pattice), and deep-frying (puri). It brings a distinct, nutty aroma to each preparation.

What is A2 ghee?

A2 ghee is clarified butter made from the milk of cows that naturally produce the A2 type of beta-casein, a specific milk protein. Indigenous Indian breeds, such as the Gir, are widely known for producing A2 milk. A2 refers purely to the milk protein type. Since ghee is almost entirely fat (with milk solids removed), the flavor and aroma depend heavily on the breed, the feed, and the preparation method. Valonu focuses on the traditional process rather than making exaggerated health claims, letting the authentic bilona method speak for itself.

What is bilona ghee?

 Bilona ghee is prepared by culturing milk into curd, hand-churning the curd to separate the butter (makkhan), and simmering that butter into ghee. It requires significantly more milk and time than the commercial cream method, which is reflected in the final product.

How much ghee should you add? 

Measure the quantity. The ICMR-NIN guidelines classify ghee as a visible fat providing about 9 kcal per gram, and the WHO healthy-diet fact sheet lists ghee among sources of saturated fat, advising less than 10% of total energy from saturated fat. It is best to use a measured tablespoon in the pan rather than pouring freely from the jar. Keep the jar dry and securely closed.

Fasting tips for beginners

• Ask an elder in the family which foods are traditionally kept and which are skipped.
• Soak the sabudana the night before.
• Keep a separate, labelled jar of sendha namak to avoid mixing it with table salt.
• Eat at regular times and keep water, buttermilk, or coconut water nearby.
• Rely on straightforward recipes (khichdi, sukhi bhaji) on busy days and save halwa and kheer for the weekend.

From Valonu's Gaushala to Your Kitchen Valonu Dairy Farm was founded by Nareshbhai Vadadoriya, carrying forward a family dairy heritage in Jasapur village, Gir Somnath, that dates back to 1991. The brand’s 26-acre Jasapar gaushala, located near Sasan Gir in Gujarat, is home to over 50 free-grazing indigenous Gir cows. The ghee is crafted using the authentic bilona method: fresh milk is cultured into curd overnight, hand-churned bidirectionally with a sheesham-wood bilona, slowly simmered on a low flame in earthen pots, and finally packed in glass jars. It takes 25 litres of fresh A2 milk to produce just one kilo of Valonu ghee. To ensure purity, every single batch is third-party lab-tested. You can see the setup on the Valonu gaushala page. If you'd like to cook these recipes with this traditionally prepared ghee, you can find A2 Gir Cow Bilona Ghee here.