Festive season !!!. SALE is ON everywhere with heavy discounts online and offline both. Ha Ha good for shopoholics.
Today is the sixth day of Navratri. For nine days people worship nine forms of Goddess Durga. Tenth day is celebrated as Vijayadashmi or Dusshehara signifying victory of good over evil.
People observe fast for eight days and on the ninth day the fast is broken.
During fasts people are not supposed to eat salt, onions, garlic and anything that belongs to the cereal group .One can consume fruits, vegetables and milk products. but ya in place of salt rock salt can be used.
Many people observe ekasan where you can eat the regular meals sitting in one place once a day.
Anyways there are so many fast or vrat recipes flooding in these days that you dont really get bored of eating only fruits. Pizza hut has also introduced its vrat special pizza, I haven't tasted it yet..
Lauki(bottle-gourd) halwa I made while fasting .
2 cups grated bottle gourd
1/2 litre milk and 100ml condensed milk )
3 tbsp ghee
1/2 tsp cardamom powder or crushed cardom seeds
1/2 tsp saffron dissolved in 1 tsp milk(optional)
5-6 broken cashews
almond and pistachio slivers for garnishing.
Heat ghee and saute grated lauki for 5 min.
Then add milk and simmer stirring frequently until the mixture is reduced. Do not let the milk stick to the bottom of pan it gives a bad smell, so keep stirring, scratching the bottom of pan.
When reduced completely add condensed milk and simmer again until it thickens.
sweetness can be adjusted to one's taste. If you want sweeteer add a few spoons of sugar.
Add the remaining ingredients and serve warm or cold.
To make without condensed milk Replace it with 1/2 litre milk and 1/4 cup sugar. First boil one liter milk, simmer it and reduce it to near about 1/2 the quantity and then follow the same procedure.
