9 traditional dishes to enjoy in Ram Lalla's Ayodhya Nagri this Ram Navmi

Ayodhya Nagri of Ram Lalla (Lord Rama) is gearing up for the festival of Ram Navmi, a significant Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Rama. It falls on the ninth day (Navami) of the Hindu month of Chaitra, which usually comes in March or April. This year, it will be celebrated on March 27. If you are planning a trip to Ram Mandir for the darshan, don't forget to enjoy the local flavours the city offers. Interestingly, most places here avoid onion and garlic yet still offer the most memorable meals you can't resist. Take a look.

Here, the day begins with pure milk tea, simmered with spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom, and is also flavoured with saffron strands, which gives the tea the perfect royal hues.

It is a classic rice preparation, traditionally made in a handi, but nowadays you can see its pressure cooker version. It is made with soaked rice cooked along with veggies like potato, tomato, carrot, beans, and peas, and aromatic spices. It is bright yellow in colour and is best enjoyed with boondi raita and aam ka achar.

It is a comforting summer drink made with creamy curd, blended with white sugar, rose syrup, and served with a topping of malai and nuts. It is the perfect thirst quencher amidst the mild heat of March-April and is easily available across the city.

It is a popular street food known as Litti Chokha in Bihar and Jharkhand. Here, it refers to baked flour balls stuffed with spiced sattu and served with a mashed side dish made with eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes, mustard oil, and spices. The best part is that both dishes are made on coal fire, which offers the perfect rustic flavour. The use of fresh green chili and mustard oil gives it an unmatched taste.

It is also offered as bhog to Ram Lalla and is made with khoya (milk solids) and sugar, often flavored with cardamom and garnished with nuts like almonds and walnuts. Khoya is pan-fried with desi ghee and cooked until it turns a little brownish in tone and offers smokey notes.

Kachori is a breakfast staple of Ayodhya Nagri and refers to a deep-fried pastry filled with a spicy lentil or potato mixture, devoid of onion and garlic. It is often served with a tangy potato curry known as Sabzi, making it a flavorful and filling dish. Here, kachoris use roasted crushed coriander seeds, which add the right kick to the dish.

This Indian sweet is very popular in Ayodhya. With a free flow of milk in the local market, it is mostly made with milk solids and nuts, which are golden-fried and then dunked in a flavorful sugar syrup seasoned with rose water and saffron making them irresistibly delicious.

Ayodhya offers a variety of chaat options that are worth exploring. Whether it's Aloo Tikki Chaat, Papdi Chaat, or Dahi Puri, there are many options to try that will satisfy your taste buds with their spicy, tangy, and flavorful ingredients. Many of these chaat preparations are done in desi ghee, which adds aroma and taste, making them more flavorful and offering a subtle sweetness that balances the spiciness of the dish.

In Ayodhya, no breakfast is complete without a sinful platter of deep-fried khasta poori and spicy potato curry. What makes this curry special is that it doesn't use onion and garlic. It uses hand-pounded spices cooked with tomato puree, to which boiled mashed potatoes are added, and the dish is topped with kasuri methi.