Navratri is a time for devotion, festive traditions, and mindful eating, but fasting doesn’t mean compromising on flavour or variety. From crunchy makhana to traditional fasting grains, Dubai’s supermarkets and Indian grocery stores offer plenty of ingredients to build a balanced festive menu. Here are eight ingredients to add to your shopping list this Navratri.
Nutritious Navratri Foods
1. Makhana
Navratri fasting calls for simple, satisfying foods, and makhana is a versatile ingredient that adds a light, crunchy bite to your festive menu. Also known as fox nuts or lotus seeds, it provides carbohydrates and minerals such as magnesium and phosphorus. Roast it with a little ghee and rock salt for an easy snack, or use it to prepare vrat-friendly makhana kheer, creamy makhana curry and sweet makhana ladoos, following the ingredients permitted in your fasting tradition.
Where: Al Adil Supermarket and Asian Basket
2. Amaranth (Rajgira)
Keeping your Navratri fasts flavourful and nourishing is easier with versatile ingredients like amaranth, also known as rajgira, in your kitchen. Naturally gluten-free, it provides plant-based protein, fibre and minerals such as iron and magnesium, making it a useful addition to a balanced fasting diet. Transform rajgira into fluffy rotis, crisp puris, comforting porridge or sweet ladoos for a mix of savoury and sweet favourites, using ingredients permitted by your vrat traditions.
Where: Al Adil Supermarket and LuLu Hypermarket
3. Nuts and Seeds
Looking for a wholesome way to keep hunger at bay between Navratri prayers and meals? Nuts and seeds make convenient, nutrient-dense additions to your fasting diet, providing healthy fats, plant-based protein, fibre and essential minerals. Snack on almonds, walnuts, cashews and pumpkin seeds to keep hunger at bay between meals. You can also sprinkle chopped nuts over vrat-friendly kheer and fruit bowls for extra crunch and nourishment, choosing options that fit your family’s fasting traditions.
Where: Carrefour, Spinneys, Waitrose, Union Coop and Asian Basket
4. Fresh Fruits
Fresh fruits add natural sweetness, vibrant colour and refreshing flavour to your Navratri diet, especially when you want a break from heavier fasting meals. Apples, bananas, papaya, pomegranate and seasonal berries provide vitamins, fibre and antioxidants to support a balanced diet. Enjoy them as a quick snack, toss them into a colourful fruit chaat, or blend them into a smoothie with yoghurt for a more filling option.
Where: Waterfront Market in Deira, Dubai Fruit and Vegetable Market in Al Aweer and supermarkets across Dubai.
5. Buckwheat (Kuttu)
Give your Navratri fasting menu a wholesome twist with buckwheat, popularly known as kuttu, a gluten-free ingredient widely used in traditional vrat recipes. It provides fibre, plant-based protein, and minerals, making it a useful way to add variety to your festive meals. Use kuttu flour to prepare crisp puris, soft rotis, cheelas or pakoras, paired with vrat-friendly potato dishes and chutneys made with ingredients permitted by your fasting traditions.
Where: Al Adil, Tamil Mart and Asian Basket
6. Samak Rice (Barnyard Millet)
Bored of the same Navratri fasting dishes? Samak rice, also known as barnyard millet, is a versatile alternative to regular rice that lets you switch up your festive menu without compromising on flavour. Turn these tiny grains into comforting potato khichdi, fragrant peanut pulao, or creamy kheer when you crave something sweet. Naturally gluten-free and rich in fibre and minerals, samak rice is a handy pantry staple for creating satisfying vrat meals with ingredients permitted during your fast.
Where: Tamil Mart, Al Adil, LuLu Hypermarket and Asian Basket
7. Sweet Potatoes
When Navratri fasting calls for something filling yet flavourful, sweet potatoes deserve a place on your plate. Naturally sweet and rich in fibre, potassium and beta-carotene, they offer a nourishing way to add variety to your festive meals. Roast them for a simple snack, toss them with lemon and fasting-friendly spices for a quick chaat, or turn them into a warm shakarkandi halwa when you crave something sweet.
Where: Dubai’s Waterfront Market, Warsan Fruits and Vegetables Market, or supermarkets like Carrefour and Spinneys.
8. Paneer
Add a protein-rich twist to your Navratri menu with paneer, the fresh Indian cheese that works beautifully in both simple snacks and hearty meals. It provides protein and calcium, helping make your fasting menu more satisfying when dairy is part of your vrat tradition. Turn paneer into a lightly spiced tikka, a comforting paneer curry or a quick stir-fry with fasting-approved spices and ingredients.
Where: Indian grocery stores and supermarkets (Carrefour, Spinneys, Waitrose and Union Coop) across Dubai
Stock up on these nutritious foods in Dubai and discover delicious ways to keep your Navratri fasting menu full of flavour.
Cover Image Courtesy: Canva Pro/CameraChemistry from Getty Image & subodhsathe from Getty Images
FAQs
Where can you buy Navratri fasting ingredients in Dubai?
You can find many fasting ingredients at Al Adil Supermarket, LuLu Hypermarket, Asian Basket, Carrefour and other Indian grocery stores across Dubai.
What are some easy snacks to make during Navratri fasting?
Try roasted makhana, fresh fruit chaat, roasted sweet potatoes, nuts and seeds, or vrat-friendly rajgira ladoos.