During a Hindu fast (vrat), you eat "farali" foods — no wheat, rice, lentils, or regular table salt, but plenty of sabudana, kuttu and rajgira flour, samvat rice, potatoes, fruit, dairy, nuts, and sendha namak. If you're keeping Sawan Somwar vrats, Hariyali Teej, Nag Panchami, or Janmashtami this year, that's the short list of what belongs in your cart. We stock all of it at Anora's on Fairfax, so you can pull together a week of fasting meals in one trip.

When is the Sawan fasting season in 2026?

Sawan (Shravan) — the holiest month in the Hindu calendar for Lord Shiva — begins around July 30, 2026, and runs through late August. It's stacked with fasting days: every Monday is a Sawan Somwar vrat, and the month carries several festivals that people fast for. Per the 2026 Hindu panchang (Prokerala), Hariyali Teej falls on Saturday, August 15, Nag Panchami on Monday, August 17, and Raksha Bandhan on Friday, August 28, with Krishna Janmashtami just after on Friday, September 4.

Practically, that means five-plus weeks where a lot of LA kitchens switch to vrat cooking at least one or two days a week. Stocking a small "fasting shelf" now saves you a scramble later. Takeaway: buy your farali staples once in late July and you're set through Janmashtami.

What can you eat during a Hindu fast (vrat)?

Rules vary by family and region, so the honest answer is "it depends on your household" — but the widely shared farali list is consistent. Most people eat potatoes, sweet potatoes, and other non-onion, non-garlic vegetables; fruit; milk, yogurt, and paneer; nuts and dry fruit; and a handful of special "fasting" grains and flours that stand in for the wheat and rice you're avoiding. What's usually off the table: wheat, rice, regular lentils and dals, onion, garlic, and ordinary iodized salt.

The clever part of vrat cooking is how those few permitted ingredients turn into real meals — sabudana khichdi, kuttu puris, samvat rice pulao, rajgira ladoo. Once you know the swaps, fasting food stops feeling like a restriction. Takeaway: think in categories — a fasting flour, a fasting grain, potatoes, dairy, fruit, and nuts — and you can build any farali meal.

What grains and flours are allowed during vrat?

Three flours do most of the work. Kuttu ka atta (buckwheat flour) is the classic — earthy and nutty, it makes the puris and cheela most people picture when they think of fasting food. Rajgira (amaranth) flour is lighter and slightly sweet, lovely for soft rotis and ladoos, and naturally gluten-free. Moraiya (barnyard millet) flour rounds out the trio for those who want variety.

For a grain that eats like rice, reach for samo / samvat seeds (barnyard millet) — you cook it just like rice for a fasting pulao or a plain khichdi with cumin and potato. You'll find all of these together in our Flour & Atta aisle. Takeaway: keep one bag of kuttu and one of samo on hand and you can cover both "bread" and "rice" for any fast.

Is sabudana (sago) allowed when fasting?

Yes — sabudana is the star of Indian fasting food. These tapioca pearls turn glossy and tender when soaked, and they're the base of sabudana khichdi and sabudana vada, the two dishes that get most Maharashtrian and Gujarati families through a fast. Grab a bag of Spicy World Sabudana, soak it a few hours (or overnight) until a pearl crushes easily between your fingers, then toss with roasted peanuts, cumin, green chili, potato, and a squeeze of lime.

Short on time on a fasting morning? We also carry Vadilal Sabudana Khichdi in the freezer — heat and eat, made with fasting-friendly ingredients — plus frozen Vadilal Singoda (water chestnut) for singhare ke pakode. Takeaway: soak your sabudana the night before, and keep a frozen backup for the mornings you run late.

Why sendha namak instead of regular salt during a fast?

During vrat, ordinary table salt is traditionally avoided, and cooks use sendha namak — rock salt — instead. It's an unrefined mineral salt, so it sidesteps the processed, iodized table salt that's considered off-limits on fasting days. It also just tastes clean and rounded, which is why plenty of people keep using it year-round. Pick up Real Taj Sindhav (rock) Salt and you can season every farali dish correctly.

Don't forget fat: a good desi ghee is fasting-approved and makes the difference between a flat kuttu puri and a fragrant one. Takeaway: swap in sendha namak and cook with ghee, and your vrat food will taste like the real thing.

What snacks and sweets can you eat while fasting?

Fasting doesn't have to mean going hungry between meals. Phool makhana (fox nuts / lotus seeds) are the perfect vrat snack — dry-roast them in a little ghee with sendha namak and they're crunchy, light, and genuinely filling. They're also the base for makhana kheer if you want something sweet with milk. You'll find them alongside almonds, cashews, and raisins in our Dry Fruits & Nuts section.

For a ready-made nibble, Balaji Farali Chevdo is a Gujarati fasting mix made from potato, peanuts, and sugar — no grains, no regular salt. And when you need your sendha namak, sabudana, and rock salt in one pass, our Spices & Masalas aisle has the pantry basics. Takeaway: keep makhana and a bag of farali chevdo around so a long fasting day never leaves you rummaging.

Where do you buy vrat foods in Los Angeles?

Right here. Anora's Cash N Carry is at 567 S Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036 — a short hop from Mid-Wilshire, Miracle Mile, Beverly Grove, and the Grove, and easy to reach from anywhere on the Westside. We carry the specific fasting brands most LA families grew up with, stocked deep enough that you're not hunting for the last bag of kuttu the week of Janmashtami. Many of our fasting staples are EBT-eligible, and if you'd rather not make the drive, you can order for local delivery and have your farali shelf come to you.

If you're new to vrat cooking, ask us — the people on our floor actually cook these dishes and can point you to the right sabudana size or the flour that behaves best for puris. Takeaway: plan one Fairfax run in late July, build your fasting shelf, and coast through Sawan and Janmashtami without a mid-week emergency trip.

Frequently asked questions about vrat foods

What is farali food?

Farali (or faral) food is anything permitted during a Hindu fast — sabudana, kuttu and rajgira flour, samvat rice, potatoes, fruit, dairy, nuts, and sendha namak — prepared without wheat, rice, lentils, onion, garlic, or regular salt.

Can you eat rice during Sawan or a vrat?

Regular rice is usually avoided during a fast. Most people use samvat / samo (barnyard millet) instead, which cooks and eats like rice but is considered a fasting grain.

Is sabudana khichdi good for fasting?

Yes. Sabudana khichdi is one of the most popular vrat dishes because tapioca pearls, peanuts, and potato are all fasting-approved and it's filling enough to carry you through the day.

What salt do you use during a Hindu fast?

Sendha namak (rock salt). Regular iodized table salt is traditionally avoided during vrat, so cooks season fasting food with unrefined rock salt instead.

Are fasting foods available at Anora's on Fairfax?

Yes — Anora's Cash N Carry at 567 S Fairfax Ave stocks sabudana, kuttu, rajgira and moraiya flour, samo seeds, sendha namak, makhana, ghee, and ready farali snacks. Many items are EBT-eligible, and local delivery is available.