Chaitra Navratri Day 3 bhog: Prasad recipes for Maa Chandraghanta

Chaitra Navratri is a Hindu festival celebrated over nine days in the Hindu month of Chaitra, which usually falls in March or April. It is a significant festival in Hinduism, dedicated to the worship of the goddess Durga and her nine forms or avatars. The word Navratri means “nine nights” in Sanskrit, and during this period, Hindus across India and other parts of the world offer prayers, fast, and perform special rituals to honour the goddess and seek her blessings. On the third day of Chaitra Navratri, devotees worship Maa Chandraghanta, who is the third form of the goddess Durga. She is known for her half-moon-shaped bell on her forehead and is believed to bring peace, tranquillity, and prosperity to her devotees.

As part of the Navratri traditions, it is customary to offer bhog or prasad to the goddess. The bhog consists of vegetarian food offerings, which are first offered to the deity and then distributed among the devotees. It is believed that by partaking in the prasad, one receives the blessings of the goddess and is protected from all evils. Here are some delicious prasad recipes to offer Maa Chandraghanta on the third day of Navratri.

(Also read: Chaitra Navratri Day 3: Who is Maa Chandraghanta? Puja vidhi, muhurat, significance and mantra )

Prasad recipes for Maa Chandraghanta:

1. Singhade Ka Sheera

(Recipe by Chef Sanjeev Kapoor)

Ingredients:

Water chestnut flour 1 cup

Sugar 1 cup

Pure ghee 3/4 cup

Milk 2 cups

Green cardamom powder 1/2 teaspoon

Almonds slivered 7-8

Method:

1. Heat ghee in a thick kadai and add singhada atta. Roast atta in ghee over low heat till it is fragrant and changes colour.

2. Add one cup of warm milk and stir briskly so that no lumps are formed.Add sugar and mix well. Cover and cook on low heat till ghee separates.

3. Mix in green cardamom powder and half of the almond slivers.

4. Serve hot garnished with remaining almond slivers and if you desire, drizzled with hot.

2. Dry Fruit Laddoo

(Recipe by Chef Sanjeev Kapoor)

Ingredients:

dates pitted 1 cup

dried figs 1/2 cup

chopped almonds 1/3 cup

melon seeds 1/3 cup

flax seeds 1/3 cup

poppy seeds 2 tablespoons

desiccated coconut 1/2 cup

Method:

1. Dry roast almonds, melon seeds and flax seeds in a non-stick pan till fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Grind dates, figs and dry roasted ingredients into a smooth mixture in a food processor. Transfer into a bowl.

3. Dry roast poppy seeds and desiccated coconut in a non-stick pan till fragrant. Remove from heat and spread on a plate.

4. Dampen your hands with a little water/oil. Divide the ground mixture into equal portions shaped into medium sized laddoos. Coat them in the poppy seeds-coconut mixture. Dust off the excess mixture.

5. Serve immediately.

3. Kada Parshad

(Recipe by Chef Sanjyot Keer)

Ingredients:

Ghee 1 katori

Karkara atta 1 cup

Sugar 1 cup

Water 2 cup

Method:

1. Set a deep pan over high flame and once it gets hot, add in the ghee.

2. When the ghee gets hot add the flour while continuously stirring to prevent the formation of lumps.

3. Cook the flour over low flame until it turns dark biscuity in colour, make sure you keep stirring it continuously.

4. Once the flour and ghee turn dark biscuity in colour add the sugar and water, then increase the flame to medium low and cook the halwa until all the ghee separates.

5. Switch off the flame once the ghee separates, you kada / aate ka halwa is ready.

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