Navratri Food Guide: What's NONG & What's Not
Not all Navratri fasting foods are NONG safe. We break it all down.
Navratri is observed twice a year and millions follow a fasting diet during this period.
What's typically allowed during Navratri (and is NONG): - Sabudana — sabudana khichdi, sabudana vada - Singhara (water chestnut) flour — rotis, halwa - Kuttu (buckwheat) flour — puris, cheela - Rajgira (amaranth) — laddoo, roti - Samak rice (barnyard millet) - Dairy — milk, yogurt, paneer, ghee, butter - Fruits and dry fruits - Rock salt (sendha namak)
What to watch out for: - Packaged Navratri snacks may still contain garlic powder - Restaurant "Navratri specials" may use shared cooking vessels - Certain spice mixes sold as "vrat masala" may contain allium
Pro tips: - Buy singhara and kuttu flour from dedicated Jain stores - Always check that sendha namak is pure - For packaged vrat snacks, look for explicit "no onion no garlic" labelling