Navratri is a nine-day-long event with many tiers of splendor and joy. While fasting is still central to the ceremonies, many sweet treats are prepared for the celebrations. Some are offered as prasad, while others are included in the festival dessert spread.
Chef Preeti Tarte, an award-winning, driven, and imaginative chef with over five years of professional experience, shares a few traditional sweets that are an integral part of the dessert table during the Navratri festival. She has an exceptional track record of service and management of professional culinary, food, and beverage operations at prestigious institutions such as the InterContinental, Sun N Sand Hotel, Royal Caribbean International, and many more. She is currently working with The Passionate Baker.
This decadent kheer variation is a crowd-pleaser. Chenna Payas's famed flavor and scent come from the lengthy and careful cooking process that it requires. Cottage cheese is called 'chenna' and 'payas' translates to pudding. This is mildly flavored with saffron and cardamom and topped with dry fruits. Indulge in this rich and delicious kheer while you take in the joy of the season.
Plating: Grab everyone’s attention by playing the chenna payas in a Martini glass. Ladle the chenna payas into a martini glass. Ensure that it doesn’t overflow. Sprinkle a few saffron threads on top and finish the garnishing with a sprinkling of chopped nuts like pistachios and almonds. For added effect, you can add a layer of silver vark. Prepare this in advance and refrigerate it. If there are more guests, then you can use small stemless wine glasses or glass bowls. The plating process remains the same.
For the health-conscious, lauki ki barfi can be enjoyed without any feeling of guilt creeping in regarding the intake of calories. Easy to prepare, this can add a burst of colour to your dessert table. The lush green colour of this dessert is sure to grab the attention of sweet lovers.
Plating: Choose small individual square-shaped bowls to serve this delicacy. Place one piece in each bowl, garnish with chopped nuts.
Let’s give a delicious twist to the classic gulab jamun by adding thandai mousse or pair it with ice cream or custard. The spiced thandai mousse cuts across the sweetness of the gulab jamun and adds a different layer of flavor to the dessert. Get prepared to sink your teeth into layers of fluffy Thandai mousse and soft, sweet Gulab jamuns.
Plating: This dessert has to be served in a medium-tall glass for the colors and the layers to pop through and make you gravitate naturally to the dessert table. Pick a Sundae glass and pipe the thandai mousse, place a gulab jamun, and then layer it again with the mousse, alternating it with gulab jamun. You can cut the gulab jamun in half and repeat the process to make it a little lighter in terms of calories.
Another alternative is that the mousse can be replaced with custard and the same plating process follows. For added effect, use edible silver foil just before serving. In the case of custard and gulab jamuns, both can be served chilled, but if you want to go the Yin and Yang way, warm the gulab jamuns in the microwave before plating. The chilled custard and the warm gulab jamuns make for a heavenly, delicious dessert.
Those fasting during the Navratri festival can indulge their sweet tooth by partaking in Makhane ki kheer. This delicious simple-to-make dessert is rich in proteins and carbs.
Plating: Pick the traditional earthen pots for plating the kheer. For individual servings, you can have small-sized pots, but if these are unavailable, serve it in a big earthen pot. Garnish it with chopped almonds and pistachios, and sprinkle a few aromatic saffron threads for that burst of flavor and color.