Navratri, a 9-day festival, honours nine forms of Maa Durga with a specific bhog, from mishri to kheer. Here are nine simple prasad recipes to try.
Navratri is a nine-day festival dedicated to honouring the various forms of Goddess Durga. Each day of the festival, you can offer a specific bhog (prasadam). Here’s a simple guide to the offerings for each day, accompanied by easy recipes for each prasadam. This is perfect for anyone looking to enjoy traditional flavours with minimal effort.
Maa Shailputri: Ghee besan laddoo
Pure desi ghee honours Shailputri’s simple, grounding energy and is believed to promote health. Take a look at a quick recipe for ghee besan laddoo.
Ingredients: 2 cups besan, 3/4 cup ghee, 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 tsp cardamom, nuts to garnish.
Method: Roast besan in ghee on low heat until aromatic and golden (12–15 min). Cool slightly, add sugar, cardamom and nuts, shape into laddoos.
Maa Brahmacharini: Mishri
Mishri (rock sugar) symbolises purity, devotion and calm. Take a look at the simple offering idea, Mishri Almond Mix.
Ingredients: Mishri, a handful of almonds, few saffron strands.
Method: Lightly warm almonds, mix with mishri and saffron, and offer as a neat plate of makhan-mishri style prasad.
Maa Chandraghanta: Kheer
Milk-based sweets like kheer represent purity, calm and domestic harmony. Here’s an easy rice kheer recipe.
Ingredients: 1/2 cup basmati rice, 1 litre milk, 3/4 cup sugar, cardamom, chopped nuts, saffron.
Method: Boil milk, add soaked rice and simmer on low until creamy (30–40 min). Stir in sugar, cardamom, saffron and nuts. Cool slightly and offer.
Maa Kushmanda: Malpua
Kushmanda’s bhog is often a sweet pancake called malpua, which represents abundance and vitality. Here’s a quick malpua recipe.
Ingredients: 1 cup maida, 1 cup milk, 2 tbsp mawa (khoya), ghee for frying, sugar syrup.
Method: Mix maida, milk and mawa to a pouring batter. Shallow-fry small pancakes in ghee until golden; dip briefly in warm sugar syrup and garnish with chopped pistachios.
Maa Skandamata: Banana halwa
Skandamata is worshipped with bananas, a simple, nourishing fruit signifying fertility and well-being. On day 5, you can offer Banana Sheera.
Ingredients: 1 cup semolina (sooji), 2 ripe bananas mashed, 1/2 cup ghee, 3/4 cup sugar, and nuts.
Method: Roast sooji in ghee, add mashed banana and water, cook until soft; add sugar and nuts.
Maa Katyayani: Seasonal fruits
Many devotees choose fresh seasonal fruits to honour Katyayani. Here’s how you can make a simple seasonal fruit platter.
Ingredients: Seasonal fruits (pomegranate, apple, banana, grapes), a squeeze of lemon, and a few mint leaves.
Method: Wash, slice and arrange neatly. Lightly toss with lemon and mint if you like it fresh, pure, and it is easy to prepare.
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Maa Kalaratri: gud gulgule
The fierce Kalaratri is pleased with jaggery (gur) offerings that symbolically remove negativity. Here you can offer Gud ke Gulgule on the 7th day.
Ingredients: 1 cup whole wheat flour, 3/4 cup grated jaggery dissolved in 1/2 cup water, 1/2 tsp baking soda, ghee for frying.
Method: Mix flour with jaggery syrup to a dropping batter, add baking soda, and deep-fry small spoonfuls of balls until golden. Drain and offer once cooled.
Maa Mahagauri: Coconut burfi
Coconut sweets are traditional for Mahagauri; they signify purity and the removal of obstacles. Quick recipe of coconut burfi.
Ingredients: 2 cups fresh grated coconut, 1 cup milk, 1 cup sugar, 1 tbsp ghee, and cardamom.
Method: Cook coconut with milk and sugar until it thickens; add ghee and cardamom, spread on a tray, cool and cut into squares.
Maa Siddhidatri: Til laddoo
Sesame seeds (til) are offered for spiritual strength, prosperity and fulfilment of wishes. Here’s the recipe for simple til ke laddoo.
Ingredients: 1 cup toasted sesame seeds, 1 cup jaggery, 2 tbsp ghee, a few nuts, and cardamom.
Method: Melt jaggery in ghee, mix in roasted sesame and nuts, stir, cool slightly and form laddoos.
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