Indians are known to follow many religious faiths. One of the widely practiced faiths in India is fasting during religious festivals like Navratri, Ram Navami, Shivaratri and so on. Apart from fasting during religious festivals, many Hindus also observe once a week fast throughout the year on particular day of the week like every monday, every tuesday or every Thursday. This once a week fasting is part of their worship towards the god they believe in.
The religious fasting means abstaining from regular food items. The extent and severity of fasting varies from nirahar (water-less); to single time complete meal; to multiple fruit diets during day. Apart from the religious importance, fasting has health significance too as it helps body clear the toxins from body.
Apart from the fruit diet, special vegetarian food items permissible during fast are milk, sabudana dishes, sawank ke chawal, potato, and dishes of singhare etc. Non-Vegetarian food is strictly prohibited during religious fasts. Common salt is not consumed during religious fasts; therefore all food items are either prepared using rock salt or are sweet in taste.
Navratri Festival, the religious festival of nine days, is celebrated throughout country with fasting as the main ritual. Rather than the regular food items, food outlets across country serve special dishes during this festival, which are permissible during religious fasting. Many Innovative food items are prepared to attract and serve the customers on fast.
Among various dishes or food items prepared and consumed during religious fasts, sabudana wada is a universal item served across India. Sabudana wada is actually a western Indian snack, which is available in food joints across western India throughout the year. Sabudana wada is widely enjoyed as a breakfast snack in this western region. It is especially during Navratri, this dish is consumed across country and is therefore available in every food outlet across country.
Sabudana wada is high carbohydrate, high protein, tasty and crispy fried snack that offers day long energy during the day of fasting. The dish has a time consuming recipe and needs advanced planning to prepare it at home. Sabudana, which is the main ingredient of wada, needs overnight soaking and is then mixed with roasted peanuts, boiled potatoes, rock salt and other ingredients to prepare the wet mix. This wet mix is now shaped as small wadas, which are then fried to prepare the crispy and mouthwatering sabudana wadas. Sabudana wada is served hot along with curd chutney and masala tea.
Due to their hectic schedules, people sometimes find it difficult to spare time for making sabudana wada at home during fast. These people, however, can rely on packaged, ready to cook Actchawa sabudana wada available at leading outlets in the market. This ready mix preparation has a very easy and quick method of preparation to prepare this ideal snack during fast.