Fasting for Navratri and want to eat out? Worry not, theres a smorgasbord out there with restaurants curating special menus, ensuring that you extend your food horizon to include improbabilities like kung pao potato and Navratri appropriate sushi.
While chains like Haldiram and Bikanerwala offer traditional vrat food, Fio Cook House at the Epicuria mall in Delhis Nehru Place has an Italian thali and Hello Guppy in Bandra, Mumbai, a specially designed Japanese menu.
Its all kosher, of course, tailored to suit the specific dietary requirements of those fasting for these nine days
essentially no non vegetarian, no onion, no garlic, no grains, including rice and wheat, no white salt and no alcohol.
Notwithstanding the long list of nos, those fasting can feast on Chinese, Italian and Japanese cuisines.
Those bored of the usual Navratri platter, can head to Fio for the Italian Navratri thali that includes apple cheese salad, cottage cheese and banoffee pie for dessert.
And those craving Chinese can stop by at Royal China in Nehru Place for kung pao potato and honey lotus stem, part of the restaurants special three-course vegetarian menu.
The desserts sound exciting -- apple banana in toffee syrup and deep-fried crispy buns with cream custard filling that will satisfy the sweetest tooth.
"For making Navratri more impactful and delightful for our customers, we have made substitutes for regular dishes We have tried to be more innovative in creating delicious food for our customers," said a Royal China staffer.
Good news too for sushi lovers who turn vegetarian during Navratri. Hello Guppy in Bandra, Mumbai, has curated an extensive selection for its patrons.
Japanese vegetable roll made with pickle, asparagus, carrot and radish with kimchi dressing, the asparagus tempura roll with spicy mayo and batter-fried asparagus, and the avocado, cucumber and cream cheese roll with sesame seeds are some of the dishes on offer.
"All sushi rolls are served as four-piece portions (against the usual six or eight), allowing for smaller appetites, as well as guests who wish to order more dishes and share," a restaurant staffer said.
Hello Guppy also has an all-day menu for patrons looking for dishes that are easy and quick to eat.
For those going Indian, theres, of course, plenty to choose from.
Kiyan, the luxury fine dining restaurant at The Roseate, and 'DEL' at Roseate House, for instance, have gone the traditional route.
Food lovers can celebrate the festive season in style at the two properties with an array of scrumptious options
including kuttu papadi chaat, seetafal ki subzi, paneer zafrani, petha ki subji and sabudana kheer.
"These dishes are meticulously handcrafted by our expert chefs, keeping in mind the preferences on these 'divine nine' days," a spokesperson from The Roseate said.
The thalis are priced at Rs 1,800 and Rs 1,500 at Kiyan and DEL respectively.
Vivanta by Taj in Dwarka here has pulled out specialties from master chef Elangovan and his team.
"The dishes resonate with a diverse palate and are available at the all-day dining Creo and Indus Express, the specialty restaurant," a hotel official said.
The Navratra Special Chef's Thali, that can be savoured from September 21 to September 29 offers dishes such as ajwaini paneer kofta curry, sabudana papad, dahi wali lauki, dabi arbi ki tikki, kuttu ki poori and anaar ka raita.
You can round off the meal with sweet treats like coconut ladoo and badaami sabudana kheer.
The thalis are priced at Rs 1,250 at both the restaurants.
At the Crowne Plaza Hotels and resorts in Rohini and Noida, which have also modified their menus, theres kuttu fries, sama ke chawal ki poori, vratt wali aloo tamatar ki subzi.
The Punjab Grill in Select City Walk Mall is giving its customers dishes like chat meetha kaddu and dahi wale aloo at a pocket-friendly price of Rs 550.
So yes, plenty on the platter for those fasting during Navratri.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
