Navratri fasting recipe: crisp varai and sabudana appe that are quick and filling

Navratri is only a few days away. For these nine days, women and men fast and worship the Goddess. The question of what to eat each day while fasting comes to everyone's mind. Sabudana khichdi, bhagar bhakri, potato wafers and rajgira laddus become tiresome if eaten daily, and they do not fill the stomach either. A healthy and quick answer is fasting appe.

Made with varai, these appe are crisp outside and soft inside. They will appeal to everyone, from small children to adults. Above all, they are very easy to make and have a crunchy bite.

The ingredients are: 1 cup varai or bhagar, a quarter cup sabudana, 1 cup curd, one medium boiled potato, mashed well, 2 to 3 green chillies, finely chopped or crushed, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, half a teaspoon of Eno or baking soda, fasting salt to taste, and oil for cooking the appe.

The first step is soaking. Mix the varai and sabudana and wash them two or three times in clean water. Then soak them in a vessel of water for 3 to 4 hours. The sabudana should swell.

The second step is grinding. After 4 hours, drain all the water and put the mixture in a mixer. Do not add much water. Add a little curd and grind coarsely. Do not make a fine paste. If it is kept a little coarse, the appe will turn out crisp.

The third step is preparing the batter. Transfer the ground mixture to a large vessel. Add the mashed potato, curd, green chillies, cumin and salt. Mix everything well by hand. If the mixture seems too thick, add a little more curd. The batter should be like idli batter.

The fourth step is the most important. Add half a teaspoon of Eno or soda only when you are ready to make the appe, and fold gently in one direction. Do not whisk too much. The batter will rise once the soda is added.

The fifth step is cooking the appe. Place the appe pan on the gas. When it is hot, add a little oil to each mould. When the oil is hot, spoon batter into each mould. Do not fill them fully, only halfway, because the batter rises. Cover with a lid and cook on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. When the underside turns golden, flip with a spoon or fork. Cook the other side until crisp as well. Remove when both sides are reddish-brown and crisp.

The hot fasting appe are ready. They can be eaten with peanut chutney. They also taste excellent with coconut chutney. A little ghee on top adds to the flavour. Try this recipe at least once during Navratri. These appe will be more enjoyable than the daily sabudana khichdi, and will fill the stomach too.

Tip: Do not use very sour curd. Fresh curd is best, though buttermilk can be used instead.