Fasting food for Shravan month

The holy month of Shravan (till mid August) heralds a season of prayer, fasting, and various festivals.While Shravan falls during the peak monsoon season, it is also the time for festivals like Nag Panchami, Dahi Handi, Raksha Bandhan, Paryushan and Ganeshotsav.

People avoid non-vegetarian food and abstain from drinking alcohol. There are many devout Hindus, Jains and Gujaratis who are very particular about food during this month. While some eat a single meal, some avoid food which contains onion and garlic and still others eat food without salt.

Some are of the view that restriction in diet is to avoid diseases during the monsoon season. Some fast the entire month, eating fruits, roots, tubes, milk and milk products and avoid grains. But sometimes a little innovation can make the fasting foods interesting and break monotony.

Do you also fast during Shravan Mahina? Please share interesting fasting food recipes.

Sejal

Thanks alot for this useful information...I am fasting on mondays and except for that prasad, I dont eat anything cooked..I take only fruits, juices and milk

Hi SriVidya, is this fast of yours on Mondays especially for the Shravan month. I'd like to know if rituals during Shravan month is practised in other parts of India as well other than the western states.

Here, there are certain days during the Shravan month which are observed as fasting days -- Shravan somvar vrata, Shravan mangalvar vrata and Shravana shukravara vrata which denotes every Monday, Tuesday and Friday of this month.

There are also a variety of fasting snacks prepared during this month like sabudana khichdi, misal farali, farali pakodi chaat, suran ka khichu and ratalu bhajia (sweet potato bhajia). Again for lunch, most households prepare delicious farali pulao, farali kofta curry, farali pulao and rajgira parantha; while, Kesar kopra pak, ratalu puranpoli and upvas sheera make up the dessert menu.

Which is your favorite fasting food?

Hi Sejal,

I know i am late but still 2 days left.

My favourite is sabodana vada with coconut + curd chutney

I do Mondays, bod chauth, sitla satam (both) janamasthami and sama pacham also.

Hey! Only this many people fasting?
Hi Poonam, even sabudana vada is prepared in our home as the fasting food. How do you make them? Any innovation?

Here's sharing with you all another Sabudana (sago) recipe as fasting food.

Minted Sabudana salad

Time: 1 hour
Serves: 4

1 cup mint
2 green chillies
1 cup chaas (buttermilk)
½ cup sago or sabudana
1 cup assorted fruit (citrus fruit like grapefruit or orange, pineapple etc)
½ cup pomegranate
Handful raisins
Rock or Black salt to taste

Place mint, salt buttermilk and chillies in blender and blend well. Transfer this to a bowl, add sabudana and allow to stand for an hour. After and hour, steam sabudana lightly and transfer to bowl, allow to cool. Add fruit and raisins toss well and serve.

Any more sabudna recipes?