Navratri fasting food goes gourmet as restaurants see demand

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The Economic Times daily newspaper is available online now. Read Today's Paper Navratri fasting food goes gourmet as restaurants see demandBy Nupur Amarnath, ET BureauLast Updated: Oct 18, 2026, 06:00:00 AM ISTSynopsis

Restaurants are stepping into a meal occasion traditionally associated with home kitchens to keep guests observing dietary restrictions at the table. The appetite for outsourcing fasting food is already evident: during September 2025's Navratri, Swiggy delivered more than 100,000 vrat thalis, 99,200 plates of sabudana khichdi and 70,000 orders of sabudana vada, according to its annual food trends report.

New Delhi: Lauki lauj ice cream soft serve. Sweet potato and sago paniyaram. Green pea quinoa khichdi. The Navratri fasting menu has met fine dining, with chefs turning a restricted pantry into an invitation to dine out.

At Indian Accent in Delhi, a Rs 5,500-plus-taxes offering pairs crispy arbi with samak chawal payesh and peanuts as part of a six-course Navratri tasting menu. Ishaara serves a Rs 990 thali across its outlets in Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Lucknow and Ahmedabad. Hosa draws on South Indian flavours with white pumpkin mor kulambu and sago payasam with mango sorbet, while Comorin brings southern suran pepper fry alongside Kashmiri dum aloo and Awadhi kathal-makhana korma. Comorin thali is Rs 1,399 plus taxes, while Hosa's is Rs 1,149 plus taxes.

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Restaurants are stepping into a meal occasion traditionally associated with home kitchens to keep guests observing dietary restrictions at the table.

The appetite for outsourcing fasting food is already evident: during September 2025's Navratri, Swiggy delivered more than 100,000 vrat thalis, 99,200 plates of sabudana khichdi and 70,000 orders of sabudana vada, according to its annual food trends report.

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While these are delivery orders, they demonstrate that fasting need not mean relying exclusively on home cooking.

For restaurants, the opportunity lies in retaining regulars while giving festival diners a specific reason to visit."The idea behind our Navratri Utsav Menu was simple: guests observing the fast should be able to enjoy a meal at a restaurant without compromising on their food preferences," said Prashant Issar, managing director of Bellona Hospitality and founder of Ishaara.

Also Read: India hotel deals nearly triple to $493 million in H1 2026

Attracting Local Diners

Its menu combines familiar dishes like sabudana khichdi, falahari paneer and lauki ki kheer with green pea quinoa khichdi. The approach preserves the recognition and reassurance related to festive food while applying the restaurant's usual standards of preparation and presentation.

Issar said, "We serve regular customers while also welcoming people who come in specifically for the festive food." Ishaara's presence in malls offers another advantage, as festival shopping brings greater customer inflow, he said. The seasonal thali gives those shoppers observing a fast an option to stay for a meal.

Hotels have another incentive: attracting local diners alongside resident guests. At Radisson Blu Bengaluru Outer Ring Road, the Sattvik thali helps broaden Saffron's audience, said executive chef Mayur Ramachandran. "It gives guests a reason to visit beyond our regular menu, brings in families and curious diners, sparks conversation, encourages repeat visits and gives Saffron a distinct identity," he added.

For premium restaurants, its an opportunity to balance religious observance without asking guests to trade down on the experience. Amit Chowdhury, grand chef at Loya, Taj West End, Bengaluru, said, "We have seen strong interest in our Navratri menu, particularly from guests looking for something rooted in tradition but with the refinement they associate with a fine-dining restaurant." He uses traditional bhaddu vessels and iron kadais, as well as Timbri pepper and apricot kernel oil to give common ingredients more depth.

Such menus also allow restaurants to participate in occasions that might otherwise keep customers eating at home. Chef Harish Rao of Hosa said the dedicated offering connects the restaurant with guests' traditions. He sees potential interest beyond those observing the fast, particularly among diners curious about regional preparations and ingredients. Hosa's progression from lotus stem and chestnut salad to paniyaram and buckwheat molten cake is designed to offer that wider culinary appeal.

At Renaissance Bengaluru Race Course Hotel, executive chef Ho Chi Ming said seasonal menus give restaurants a way to introduce guests to Sattvik cooking outside its familiar domestic setting. "The real measure of success lies in making the meal memorable for its culinary merit, not merely its festive relevance," he said. That requires treating the thali as a composed meal rather than simply assembling dishes that meet dietary rules. The restaurants declined to share actual footfall but confirmed growing demand for the format.

For hotels, Navratri can also be part of a broader calendar of occasion-led dining. Pramod Chougale, executive chef, Sheraton Grand Pune Bund Garden Hotel, said the care devoted to its Sattvik thali extends to its Karwa Chauth offering. The commercial usefulness can also enhance menu development. Seasonal thalis offer a platform to test recipes and get immediate feedback before introducing select dishes on the main menu, said Comorin brand chef Dhiraj Dargan.

At Mumbai's Comorin, amrud ki subzi originated in a Navratri thali. It also marks Parsi New Year, Ramzan, Holi and Onam with special offerings, making festive dining a recurring opportunity to engage different customers.
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