How to make fresh and pure mawa (khoya) at home for Navratri, avoiding store-bought mixes

With the approaching sacred festival of Sharadiya Navratri, which lasts for nine days, many desire something light, crispy, and tasty for evening tea. However, chips and papads available for sale often contain regular salt, unhealthy oils, and preservatives, which are undesirable during a fast.

Instead of store-bought snacks containing impurities, it is suggested to prepare 100% pure, vegetarian, and crispy sabudana papads at home using just one cup of sabudana. The preparation process is so simple that even beginners can achieve perfectly white, transparent, and crispy papads.

You will need: 1 cup of fine or medium sabudana, 4 cups of water (for boiling), 1 teaspoon of rock salt (fasting salt), 1/2 teaspoon of roasted or whole cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper or finely chopped green pepper, 1 tablespoon of finely chopped cilantro (optional).

First, wash the sabudana twice with clean water. Then, add half a cup of water to it and leave it covered for 3-4 hours so that the sabudana swells well and becomes soft.

In a large, thick-bottomed pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil, adding 1 teaspoon of rock salt. When the water boils, pour in the soaked sabudana and cook over low or medium heat, stirring constantly, for 10-12 minutes. Gradually, the sabudana grains will become completely transparent, and the mixture will thicken and take on a glossy appearance. As soon as the mixture starts sticking to the spoon, remove the pot from the heat.

Next, stir in the cumin, ground black pepper, and chopped cilantro. Let the mixture cool slightly (do not cool it too much, otherwise, it may solidify).

On a clean plastic sheet spread out in the sun or under a fan, lightly brush with oil or ghee. Using a spoon, place a small amount of the mixture onto the plastic and carefully spread it into a round shape. It is important not to make the papads too thin, otherwise, they may break after drying.

Dry the papads in the sun for 1-2 days. After they are completely dry, they will become very hard and transparent. Then, heat oil or ghee in a pan and fry the papads. Upon contact with hot oil, the papads will double in size and become very crispy. They should be served hot with tea.

Completely dried papads can be stored in an airtight container and will maintain their appearance for a whole year.

If you are tired of monotonous food like simple dal and roti all week, then this weekend is a good time to prepare something special and aromatic. Regardless of the season or the desire for a special weekend breakfast, crispy khachori with green beans will be an ideal choice.

When the filling of fried beans, seasoned with asafoetida, fennel, green pepper, and other spices, is placed in a crispy semolina shell and fried, its aroma fills the entire house.

Serving these hot, spicy, and juicy khachori with rich potato ragout creates such a delight that it is impossible to stop. Below is a simple way to prepare khachori of restaurant quality.

For the khachori dough:

2 cups semolina (or 1 cup semolina + 1 cup wheat flour)

1/4 cup clarified butter or vegetable oil (for moina)

1/2 teaspoon ajwain

Salt to taste

Cold water (for kneading the dough)

For the bean filling:

1.5 cups green beans (fresh or frozen)

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)

1 teaspoon cumin (jeera)

1 tablespoon fennel (chopped)

1 tablespoon whole coriander (coarsely ground)

1-2 green peppers and 1 inch ginger (grated)

1 tablespoon chickpea flour (besan) (to absorb moisture and enhance flavor)

1/2 teaspoon turmeric and red pepper powder

1 teaspoon amchur powder and garam masala

Salt and black salt to taste

Oil for frying

Preparing the dough: In a bowl, mix the semolina, salt, ajwain, and moina oil. Rub well with your hands until the flour starts to form a lump. Then gradually add cold water and knead a soft and elastic dough. Cover it with a damp cotton cloth and leave it for 20 minutes.

Preparing the filling: Lightly crush the green beans in a blender without adding water to obtain a coarse crumble. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan. Sauté cumin, asafoetida, ground coriander, fennel, ginger, and green pepper. Add 1 tablespoon of chickpea flour and fry on low heat for one minute. Then stir in the crushed beans and all dry spices (turmeric, red pepper, amchur, garam masala, salt), frying for 4-5 minutes until the mixture dries out. Let the filling cool and form small balls.

Shaping the khachori: Take a piece of dough, stretch it at the edges to form a bowl shape. Place a ball of filling in the center and carefully seal the edges, thoroughly enclosing the filling. Press with your fingers to give the item a flat shape.

Frying: Heat the oil in the pan to a low or medium heat (the oil should not be too hot, otherwise the khachori will not become crispy). Place the khachori in and let them float gently. When they start to expand and take on a light golden color, increase the heat to medium and fry on both sides until a crispy and golden crust is achieved.

Serving: The finished, crispy, and hot khachori with green beans should be served with spicy and juicy potato ragout and green paste.

If you want to eat idli but don't have time to soak beans and let the batter ferment for a long time, you can quickly prepare soft and fluffy murmura idli. This method avoids hours of waiting and a laborious process.

The recipe uses a mixture of murmura, yogurt, and dry rice flour (sooji). Fruit salt is used to make the batter light and airy. Murmura idli can be prepared in a short time and served for breakfast with coconut paste or any other favorite paste.

To begin, take 2 cups of murmura and wash it thoroughly with water. Then, soak the murmura in water for about 5 minutes, then strain it to remove all excess liquid.

Place the soaked murmura in a blender jar along with 1 cup of fresh yogurt and blend. If necessary, add a little water to achieve a consistency similar to dosa batter.

Next, add 1 cup of finely chopped dry rice flour and 1 teaspoon of oil to this mixture, stirring well. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes so that the dry rice flour has time to swell.

Meanwhile, lightly grease the idli molds with a small amount of oil. Check the batter, and then, to make the idli soft and fluffy, add 1 teaspoon of fruit salt. Add a little water and gently mix the batter in one direction.

It is important to remember that the fruit salt should be added immediately before cooking the idli. If the batter needs to be prepared in advance, omit the fruit salt and store the batter in the refrigerator.

Distribute the batter in small portions into the idli molds, without overfilling them, as the idlis will expand in the steamer. Preheat water in a pot and place the idli molds in it. Cover with a lid and cook over medium heat for about 10–12 minutes.

After turning off the heat, leave the idlis in the steamer for another 2 minutes. Then, remove the molds and carefully take out the idlis. If the idli sticks to the mold, it can be removed by slightly wetting the back of a spoon.