If you are fasting this Navratri and craving something sweet to satisfy your dessert cravings amid sattvik food restrictions, sweat not as we got you sorted with a mouthwatering recipe of kuttu ke atte ka halwa or Buckwheat Flour Halwa that can be made as bhog for Goddess Kaalratri with pure-vegetarian ingredients and lots of love. Maa Kaalratri is worshipped by the devotees of Hindu community on the seventh day where she is considered the fiercest form of Durga, rides a donkey, has a dark complexion and long untied hair.
It is said that when Parvati removed her outer golden skin to kill demons, named Shumbha and Nishumbha, she was known as Kalaratri. For the uninitiated, the nine-day festival of Navratri is dedicated to nine forms of Durga, namely Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skanda Mata, Katyayani, Kaalratri, Mahagauri and Siddhidatri.
This year, the seventh day of Navratri i.e. Saptami will fall on October 2, 2022 when Kaalratri will be worshipped. She is depicted wearing a garland of skulls around her neck, drenched in blood and with four hands, holds a thunderbolt and a scimitar in two of her hands while the other two hands are in abhaya (protecting) and varada (blessing) positions.
To worship her, the devotees offer jaggery or food made from jaggery as prasad to Maa Kaalratri. Check out this recipe of Buckwheat Flour Halwa and whip up kuttu ke atte ka halwa in bhog for Goddess Kaalratri on Day 7 of Navratri as it is gluten free flour hence, considered as an ideal food for devotees observing a vrat or fasting during Navratri.
Ingredients:
Buckwheat Flour/Kuttu ka Atta 1/2 Cup*
Amaranth Flour/Rajgiri ka Atta 1.5 tbsp
Brown sugar 1/2 cup
Ghee 4 Tablespoon
Water 1.5 Cups
Chopped or Sliced Almonds 2 Tablespoon
* 1 Cup = 250ml
Method:
Bring 1.5 cups of water to boil and keep it aside. Heat 2 tablespoon of ghee and add the buckwheat and amaranth flour and roast the flours in ghee till they become golden brown.
Then, add the boiling water and keep stirring continuously so that the flours gets cooked in water without having lumps. When all the water is fully absorbed, add sugar and stir continuously.
Adding sugar again dilutes the halwa. No need to worry, keep stirring till everything is completely incorporated and the halwa becomes thick and starts rolling without sticking to sides of pan.
Add rest of the ghee and mix thoroughly. Finally garnish with chopped almonds/cashews. The delicious Kuttu Ka Halwa now ready to enjoy.
(Recipe: Instagram@__cuisine_culture__)