Shravan period with a twist

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The month of Shravan is around the corner and it’s fasting time once again. While for Hindus, fasting usually means staying away from non-vegetarian dishes and onions and garlic, the food served during this time often tends to be bland.

However, with a little bit of creative thinking, one can come with a whole cookbook of Shravan food keeping to the basic tenets.

Shravan Pav Bhaji

Instead of onions, we’ll use hing in this dish and the results will definitely wow you.

Ingredients
4 potatoes, boiled and grated
4 tomatoes, chopped
¼ small cauliflower, grated
1 tsp (asafoetida)
1 tsp ginger paste
1 green capsicum, finely chopped
3-4 green chillies, chopped
¼ cup coriander leaves, chopped
¼ cup peas, boiled and lightly mash
2 lemons cut into wedges
3 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
1½ tbsp Pav Bhaji masala
3 tbsp butter
8 pavs, cut in half

Method
Heat the oil in a flat-bottomed pan and add the hing. Imme-diately add the green chillies and ginger-garlic paste and fry for 30 seconds.
Add half the tomatoes and cook on medium heat for a few minutes, stirring continuously till the oil separates. Add the capsicum, peas, cauliflower, potatoes and one cup of water. Bring the bhaji to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes, mashing the vegetables with the back of a spatula.
Add the pav bhaji masala, salt and rest of the tomatoes. Cook on medium heat for two minutes, stirring continuously.
When the bhaji is ready, heat half the butter on a tawa of a fry pan, press the pavs (slice in half) in the butter for a minute on both sides.
Garnish the bhaji with coriander leaves and the remaining butter and serve with pav and lemon wedges.

Sweet Risotto with Raisins

The original recipe calls for rum, but we can’t be having that during Shravan. The dish is almost like a rice kheer and Indian palates will not have a problem adapting to it.

Ingredients
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup double cream
1 vanilla pod, cut in half
3 tbsp butter
1 cup Italian risotto rice
1 litre hot milk
¼ cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
¼ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated

Method
Soak the raisins in water for a couple of hours. Mean-while, place the cream and vanilla pod in a large saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat (do not let it boil). Cover and decrease the heat to very low.
Melt the butter in a large frying pan over low heat. Stir in the rice and cook over medium heat for three minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in the vanilla-infused cream and continue stirring till the liquid has been absorbed. Now start stirring in the hot milk, a half cup at a time. Cook and stir until each addition has been absorbed and the rice is tender, this will take around 15 minutes.
Stir in the raisins and sprinkle the brown sugar and nutmeg. Spoon into individual serving dishes and serve hot.