'Eat' Ravana or go for 'Upvaas Friendly' food!

While bursting firecracker-filled Ravana effigies may raise a few eyebrows, a city-based recipe developer has a scrumptious method to 'kill' plenty of Ravanas this Dusherra.
"While my daughter was busy playing with her friends I decided to treat them the 'Little Food Junction' way. Watching the tiny hands sharing, eating and laughing is definitely festivity at its best," says Smita Srivastava who has authored "Fun Food for Fussy Little Eaters."
For an edible Ravana, Srivastava suggests a garlic and white bean dip, poured into a a small bowl and placed on a platter.
"Take some salt biscuits and place four on one side of the bowl and five on the other side. Take cheese slice and use a small piece of straw to cut tiny circles. Place those circles as eyes on each biscuit and put crapers on each eye," says Srivastava who frequently shares her recipes on her blog 'Little Food Junction'.

Cut slighter bigger circles and place it as eyes on the dip. Put crapers on these eyes as well and another one as nose. Use radish greens for mustache, Srivastava suggests.
She says that Ravana's body can me made by using red bellpepper and cheese to form a little pattern on the body.

"Use carrot slices for arms and olive pieces as palms. Use a peeler to get some cucumber shaving and place it on the sides to form a little background and with that edible Ravana is ready to be devoured by your kids!" says Srivastava.
But before you start preparing for Dusherra, Chef Surjan Singh Jolly has laid a 'Navratri' platter that offers something different for those who undertake fasts.

"Earlier we thought of going a little contemporary. But since Navratri is very traditional, we didn't want to play with the authenticity of the food," says Chef Jolly, Executive Chef at JW Marriott, Bengaluru.
For a traditional touch the chef has used jaggery instead of sugar and used the best organic ghee. "My friend does different kinds of honey like Eucalyptus honey and others. So we are using those as well," says Chef Jolly.