Pomegranate Granita recipe with step by step process - It is simple, light and delicious dessert. Pomegranate is a wonderful and very healthy fruit. Pomegranate is rich in antioxidants and other essential nutrients which prevents premature skin aging and keep the complexions smooth and radiant.
Apart from this, in general, pomegranate is an extremely healthy fruit with lots of other health benefits too.
Pomegranate are easily available in supermarkets throughout the year these days, otherwise earlier it comes in peak season coming in October to January. Pomegranates are a rich source of potassium.
Today, it's our 35th Foodie Monday BlogHop Challenge and theme is "NavratriSpecial" and last year I have already submitted few recipes of authentic navratri special which is my mom specialties and we eat those dishes since our kids time, when we do this navratri fasting.
*Short Info About Navratri Festival*
Sharing some info about this festival..What is Navratre, what we do during these days and what food items we prepared during navratre fasting times ?
Navratri - This is important festival of Hindus, celebrated with lot of enthusiasm and excitement all across the country. It's a "Nine Days Festival" and it is dedicated to nine forms of Goddess Shakti.
During the festival of Navratri, Goddess Durga is worshiped in nine avatars. Each goddess has a different form and a special significance. Nava Durga, if worshiped with religious fervor during Navaratri, it is believed, lift the divine spirit in us and fill us with renewed happiness.
My Home Mandir
All 9 days fasting is kept during navratri festival. Before starting the festival, we clean our home and temple because Durga Maa is coming into our home...We do daily worship of Durga Maa (morning and evening)..Before starting pooja we offered new Chunari on Durga Maa and kept Panch Mewa (5 dry fruits) or Mishri( small sugar cubes) or fruits as a prasad.
There are some rules of food items during fasting, which we need to follow it..
*no wheat flour(anaaj), gram flour, semolina
*no table salt(one special salt is used i.e Sendha Namak[rock salt])
*no pulses/rice (eat only barnyard millet - sama rice)
*no coffee, no outside ice-cream, they have some preservatives
*no tomato, tamarind, chocolates
* No Smoking, Alcohol, Chicken, Eggs and some more which will share with you later...
Consume Food Items during fast
* Dry Fruits, Fresh fruit salad, juices..if u r drinking juice outside home then make sure they don't add salt in it.
* Sabudana, Rajgira, Sawang rice
* Lemon, Mint leaves, Coriander leaves, sugar, tea,
* homemade ice-cream is allowed
* Potato, curd, radish, carrot
For this Navratri, I made this Pomegranate Granita in which no salt only sugar and water with squeeze of lemon juice in it and its perfect summer treat to coolant our body and perfect party dessert..I really enjoyed it on my first Navratre Fast, So I wanted to share with you all.
Granita is similar to sorbet, it's chunkier and has lots of lovely crunchy ice crystals to munch on (with sorbet you blend the frozen mixture halfway through freezing). This will be covered in the freezer for 2 to 3 days, at my home it's finished in 1 day only :P :D :)
If you are looking for more Vrat/Fasts recipes then do check
Barnyard Millet Khichadi/ Sawang Rice Khichdi
Sweet Lassi
Sabudana Khichdi
Kaddu ki Sabzi
Aloo Cheela
Sweet Raita
Let's start the process of easy-peasy creamy pomegranate granita recipe with simple step by step method -
Ingredients :
Pomegranate - 1.5 cup juice (about 2 cups of fruit)
Water - 2 tbsp
Lemon Juice - 1/2 tsp
Mint leaves for garnish
Pomegranate arils for garnish
For Sugar Syrup
Sugar - 1/4 cup (adjust per taste)
Water - 1/4 cup (mine pomegranate is less sweet, so I take 1/4 cup of sugar, if your fruit is too sweet then add less amount of sugar
Preparation Method :
1. First, remove the pomegranate aril (pearls of seeds with pulp) from the fruit.
2. Bring the sugar and water to boil stirring to dissolve the sugar, set aside to cool down.
3. Process the pomegranate arils to a blender with little water and blend well. Pass through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds, and transfer the pure pomegranate juice to a large pan.
4. Mix the pomegranate juice and simple sugar syrup. Now add lemon juice and mix well.
5. Pour the mixture into a large pan or ceramic dish. Put into the freezer and every 1 hour, stir and scrap the mixture with a fork.
6. Again, place back the pan into the freezer for 1 more hour. After the second 1 hr, again pull out the pan and use a fork to scrape the ice crystals. Repeat the same process, for a third time. Freeze it overnight.
7. Now, freeze the granita for 1 final hour until nicely solid or you can leave it overnight. By now the granita should be flaky as seen in the pic.
9. Enjoy cold. Garnish with some pomegranate arils, mint leaves and a slice of lemon.
10. Serve the granita immediately after pulling out of the freezer. It will melt quickly.
