With Shravan here, most people are fasting and refraining from non-vegetarian food. While the older generation may find it easy to follow the tradition, the younger generation may find the food bland and boring.
Speaking to a few food experts, we find out possible ways in which traditional food for fasting can be given a modern twist so that even the youngest member of the family can enjoy them.
Pune-based home chef Sunita Desai recalls that during Shravan, children at her home would not enjoy vrat (fasting) food. “On some days, the kids would refuse to eat and would demand ‘fast food’ because it was more ‘tasty’,” she says adding, “What I realised was that new age children would prefer food which was well presented even though they knew little about the concept of food. So I started working on the presentation of Shravan food and it worked.”
Kiran Suvarna, executive chef, Le Meridien Mahabaleshwar Resort & Spa, cannot agree more. He says that it is actually all about presentation. “In the cooking world, the plate is an open canvas so food is basically art. Try to garnish your vrat food with whatever ingredients available at home and see the difference,” says Suvarna.
He points out that it is a safe choice to use one of the ingredients within the recipe so that no other ingredient alters the original taste of the dish.
Chef Ravi Shankar Sharma from Novotel Ahmedabad, says that along with good presentation, it is important to consider the nutritional benefits of food.
“When fasting, try using jaggery instead of sugar in the sweets. Not only will it make the dish tasty, but healthy too,” says the chef.
He also adds that one can easily make food for fasting healthier by substituting potato with sweet potato and milk cream. “Instead of frying the potatoes, you can bake the sweet potatoes and make a healthy and tasty dish,” he adds.
Sabudana Rösti
Ingredients
Method
— Recipe by Kiran Suvarna, executive chef, Le Meridien Mahabaleshwar Resort & Spa
Potato Kachori
Ingredients
Method
For the coating
— Recipe by Chef Ravi Shankar Sharma, Novotel Ahmedabad
Sabudana waffles with peanuts and cucumber yoghurt
Ingredients
Peanuts and cucumber yoghurt
Method
Peanuts and cucumber yoghurt
— Recipe by Praduman Bisht, executive chef at Marriott Suites Pune