Vrat Ke chawal ka Halwa--Varyachya bahtacha sheera.

Hello Dearies!!! How is the Navratri festival celebration going at your end. Today is day 3 of this festival and I am still going strong with my fasts. I do carve for regular food specially when I made Sooji Halwa for my kids school lunch. Not to let my cravings get better of my will power,I made the same halwa substituting the sooji with Vrat ke cahwal or Varya as it is called in Marathi. Ideally a savory and spicy preparation is the traditional way to treat Varyacha bhat called bhagar and is enjoyed with peanut soup akka danyachi amti . You can find the recipe here as it is  staple in my home and Mr. Ash also loves it. But when sweet cravings call me, I kind of become a slave to the sugar and my mind gets obsessed with that particular flavor. If only I had started to experiment with different ingredients and dared such dishes, my 9 days of previous fasting years would have been bliss. Nonetheless, I loved the end result of this experiment and it did taste better.


You will need;
1 and 1/2 cup of vrat ka chawal
1 and 1/4 cup sugar
 1 very ripe banana mashed.
3 cups mixture of milk and water or use milk wholly. 
3 tbspns Ghee-Clarified butter1 tsp Elaichi or Cardamom Powder
1 tbspn Cashew nuts-Optional
1tbspn Raisins Optional
few Saffron strands-Optional

-In a pan/wok, heat the ghee over medium or low flame and then add the Vrat ka chawal, roast the chawal stirring continuously, till the it changes color and the aroma fills the house. add in the mashed banana and roast well. Simultaneously boil the milk+water mixture and once boiled, add the milk+water mixture and continue stirring...the chawal will be slightly wet, cover for 2-3 minutes, taking care that the rice is not getting burnt, if needed reduce the time to about 1.5 to 2 minutes. After this add in the sugar and stir well, the mixture will be wet now, cover and lower the flame to low and cook for 5-7 minutes. Then add the saffron, elaichi and the raisins. Serve hot or cold. It's yummy either way.

What do you eat on such fasting days, do you fast for religious reasons or a s a Detox for your system? However you do it, fasting should not be starving, just going easy on regular food and control over cravings. Well sometimes, giving in a little is allowed, y? coz I say so. Happy navratri festival to you and your loved ones.