Quick Indian Dessert Recipes to Make this Chaitra Navratri: Sabudana Kheer, Makhana Kheer, and Coconut Barfi

Chaitra Navratri is a Hindu religious festival that spans over nine nights, usually in the months of March and April. This year, this festival began on 9 April and will end on 17 April. During this period, many people observe a fast where they refrain from eating grains, onion and garlic, meat and animal products such as eggs. Keeping in mind these restrictions, here are some easy and delicious quick Indian dessert recipes that you can make at home and share with your friends, family, and neighbours:

Sabudana Kheer

Ingredients:

• 45 gm sabudana
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 240 ml water
• 240 ml milk
• ⅛ tsp cardamom powder
• 2-3 tbsp chopped nuts
• 1 tbsp soaked raisins

Instructions:

1. Rinse the sabudana well and then let it soak in water for a few hours or overnight. This will help soften the sabudana pearls and reduce the cooking process.
2. Drain the water and add them into a pot with 240 ml water. Let them cook until the pearls become translucent.
3. Add 240 ml of milk to the pot at this stage, and let the pearls cook in the milk and the mixture thicken.
4. Now add cardamom powder and sugar to the kheer. Mix and stir well. If the kheer is too thick, then loosen it with more milk.
5. Pour into a serving dish.
6. Fry the chopped nuts and soaked raisins in ghee until golden and fragrant. Garnish the kheer with them and serve it either warm or cold.

Makhana Kheer

Ingredients:

• 80 gm makhana (fox nuts)
• 450 ml milk
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• 10-12 blanched and sliced almonds
• 3 tbsp raisins soaked in water
• 4 tbsp sugar
• Pinch of saffron
• 2 tbsp ghee

Instructions:

1. Heat the ghee in a pan and roast the makhanas until golden and crunchy. Set them aside to cool.
2. Heat milk with sugar, bring it to a boil, then let it reduce and thicken on low heat. Mix regularly to prevent it from scorching.
3. Grind ⅓ of the roasted makhana into a fine powder along with a pinch of saffron. Add this to the milk to further thicken it.
4. Then add the sugar and ensure it is completely dissolved, followed by the teaspoon of cardamom powder.
5. Now add the whole, roasted makhanas and let them soften and cook in this mixture. This should take about 10 minutes.
6. Now add the blanched almonds, followed by the soaked raisins. Let the pudding simmer on low heat for a minute or two.
7. Transfer into a serving dish and refrigerate. Enjoy it cold after your Navratri lunch or dinner.

Almond Coconut Barfi

Ingredients:

• 60 gm freshly grated coconut
• 35 gm blanched almonds
• 100 gm brown sugar
• 1 tsp white poppy seeds
• 2-3 tbsp water
• Ghee

Instructions:

1. Soak the poppy seeds in water, then blanch the almonds in hot water and peel them.
2. Drain the poppy seeds and then grind them into a paste.
3. Add freshly grated coconut and the blanched almonds too and grind them into a paste too.
4. Line a thali or baking sheet with some melted ghee and set it aside.
5. Then cook the coconut and almond paste in a saucepan. It will first bubble and then lose its moisture and turn into a dough, something similar to a choux pastry dough.
6. Flatten it into the greased thali and let it cool. Cut into diamonds and decorate with an almond if you want.
7. You can also roll the dough into ladoos and dip into desiccated coconut.