Festival Samayal

8/18/2019 Festival Samayal

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1st Publication 2006

6th publication 2014

© Copyright:Viji Varadarajan

All Rights Reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, photocopying, recording orotherwise, without the prior permission of the author. While every precaution has beentaken in the preparation of this book, the author assumes no responsibility for errors oromissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of theinformation contained herein.

ISBN: 978-1-61967-025-9

Author Viji Varadarajan

Author’s mail ID [email protected]

Website: www.vijisamayal.org

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Digital Maxim LLC160 Greentree Dr, Suite 101

Dover, DE 19904.

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I owe a lot to my family who have been my greatest inspiration.

To my husband Rajaji who has exhibited immense patience to the manic hours I spentbefore the computer. To my darling daughters Vandana and Vinitha who make frantic callsfrom the US giving me only a couple of minutes to detail a recipe on the phone.

To my mother Sharada Ramanathan who has taught me tremendous discipline in thekitchen (God bless her); and, to my mother-in-law Jayalakshmi Srinivasan who took meon a virtual tour of all the festivals and rituals in a Tambram household. She taught me theart of measurement spurning the usual dictum of ‘a pinch of this and a handful of that.’

This food celebrates the influence of the divine in our life. It reminds us of the exoticnature of the Hindu pantheon. The cosmic dance of Shiva and Parvathi, the gracefulgliding of Lord Muruga on the back of his splendid peacock, the pot bellied amiablelooking Lord Ganesha holding his favourite ‘modaka’, or, the gorgeous Lakshmi sittingcross-legged on a large lotus in the midst of a placid lake throwing generous portions ofgold coins into to the ones who seek her blessings anew. All these and more are supremelyblissful thoughts.

Enjoy celebrating festivals as depicted in the Hindu Almanac. Food is worship. Food is

sustenance and amazing energy. The best moments of our life is linked to food - foodprepared for festivals, celebrations or get togethers with family and friends. Love is joyand food is intense love. So enjoy preparing every dish in this book with love and care. Itis what the Almighty has gifted us - prosperity for our gratitude.

Viji Varadarajan





Hindu Marriages In South India

Hindu marriages have laid down tenets that are clearly elucidated in the Holy Vedas. Dueto regional and cultural influences some interesting variations have crept in the religiousceremonies without altering the fundamentals. These vedic rituals bind the couple togetherlaying down specific duties of the couple throughout their lives. The words uttered by the

bridegroom are symbolically beautiful expressing noble sentiments. The final recital goesthus: ‘Praying the Almighty that I be blessed with a long life, I tie this knot round yourneck, oh Sowbhagyawathi may Providence bestow on you a fulfilling life of a Sumangalifor a hundred years to come’. A beautiful way of saying – may you live long with yourhusband.

Photo Courtesy:Gayathri&Bharath-Muhurtham pictures.

Greeting With Folded Hands

Indians greet each other with a ‘namaste’ or a ‘namaskaram’. The 2 palms are placedtogether in front of the chest and the head bows whilst greeting. In Sanskrit ‘namah’ + ‘te’means that I bow to you in respect. The spiritual meaning is even more significant: ‘the

life force the Divinity, the self or the Lord in me is the same in all’. Recognising thisoneness in the person we meet we bow our head before that Divine force that resides ineach one of us! This paves the way for a deeper communion with another in a spirit oflove and respect.



Significancef A Plantain Leaf And Rice In South India

Food served in a banana leaf known as ‘yelle sapadu,’ follows a methodical and wellthought out system. The narrower part of the leaf should be placed on your left and thewider part to your right. Before beginning a meal lightly press the centre stem of the leafdown to prevent the leaf from curling up. Gently dab it with a little water and clean it from

one side to another. Lift and tilt so the water slides on the table; now place the leaf on it. Itsticks well. Dessert is usually served before the main course adhering to the ayurvedicprinciples of serving food. Sweets at the beginning of a meal will nourish the senses andserve to facilitate a natural digestive palate. Rice is more than just a cereal in South India.‘ANNAM’ as it is called in Tamil is also indicative of wealth and prosperity. LordGanesha is worshipped with modakas made of steamed rice paste filled with scrumptioussweet and savoury fillings. Rice is used to draw ‘kolams’ or ‘rangolis’ outside homes andplaces of worship and rice mixed with turmeric powder is showered as blessings onnewly-weds. Hence cooking with passion and serving with love is the greatest form of

gratitude one can offer to the Lord Almighty who gives us all.

Lighting Lamps At Home

In almost every Indian home a lamp is lit daily before the altar of the Lord. This is donetwice a day or in some homes continuously called - ‘Akhanda Deepa’. It is well knownthat light symbolises knowledge and darkness symbolises ignorance. Hence we light thelamp to bow down to knowledge as the greatest of all forms of wealth in this world. This

traditional lighting has a further spiritual significance - the oil or ghee in the lampsymbolises our ‘vaasanas’ or negative tendencies and the cotton wick symbolises our ego.So when lit by a spiritual knowledge the negative energies are slowly exhausted and theego too diminishes and vanishes in time.



God First

We make an offering to God ‘prasaadha’ as the Lord is Omniscient and Omnipotent. Aswe say ‘tera tujko arpan’ meaning oh God I am offering You what is Yours. Our utterbelief that this knowledge or wisdom makes the food pure and best. We eat it withcheerful acceptance. This humility or gratefulness for our food is called ‘prasaadha

buddhi’. Before eating we sprinkle droplets of water around our plate which is considereda symbol of purification. Five morsels of food is kept on the side of the plate in realizationof the debt we owe to the Divine forces: ‘Devatha Runa’ to the celestial beings for theirbenign grace and protection; ‘Pitru Runa’ our ancestors, for giving us their lineage andtheir family culture; ‘Rishi Runa’ to the sages as our religion and culture have been“realized” attained amd handed down to us by them; ‘Manushya Runa’ or our fellowhuman beings who constitute the society and without whose support we could not surviveas we do in this earth; and lastly ‘Bhuta Runa’ or other invisable beings who serve us soselflessly. And thereafter the Almighty Lord the true life force, who also lives within each

one of us controlling the 5 life giving functions - all of them are offered food. This is donechanting thus:

‘praanaaya swaaha, apaanaaya swaaha, vyaanaaya swaaha, udhaanaaya swaaha,samaanaaya swaaha, brahmane swaaha’.

The food is thus purified.

Why Do We Do Pradakshina/Circumambulate

A circle can be drawn only with a centre point. God is our centre - the source and essence

of our lives. Recognizing him as the focal point in our lives we go about accomplishingour daily tasks. This is the significance of ‘pradakshina’. We realise that every point of acircle is equidistant from the centre; meaning wherever and whoever we may be, we arenever distant from the Lord. His grace flows into us most impartially. Pradaksina is donein a clockwise manner as our Lord is always on our right. In the Hindu religion the rightside symbolises auspiciousness. So while in the act of circling the sanctum sanctorum inthe temple we remind ourselves to lead a life of righteousness as the Lord is anindispensable source of strength staying on our right side. We recite thus: ‘MatrudevoBhava, Pitrudevo Bhava, Acharyadevo Bhava;’ meaning to consider our parents and gurus

as we would the Lord. After the completion of a traditional worship we do a ‘pradakshina’around ourselves. This signifies our rememberance of the divinity in each one of us thusacknowledging the goodness inside all of us.

Why Trees And Plants Are Sacred

God the living force pervades all living beings - including plants and animals. Hence weall become sacred. In India we are taught to regard all plants and trees as holy andworshipful. Our elders tell us to use parts of trees and plants only as much as needed for

our sustenance and nothing more. We apologise to a tree before cutting it down. Certainplants or trees like the holy basil and the peepal have tremendous beneficial qualities andare thus worhipped as the form of the Lord. Hinduism believes that Divine beings aremanifested as trees and plants - hence worthy of worship.



The Sacred Nature Of The Lotus Flower

This Indian flower is the personification of truth, sacredness and beauty (‘satyam sivamsundaram’.) The various aspects of the Lord is compared to a lotus - lotus eyes, lotushands, lotus feet and lotus heart. It blooms with the rising sun and closes in the night.Similar to the saying - our minds open with the light of knowledge. It is a gracious and

amazing flower and grows well in marshy waters too. It never gets wet even though it issubmerged in water. The lotus is a symbol of a man of wisdom who remains unfazed andoyous even in adverse times. What is natural to a man of wisdom becomes a discipline

that is practiced by all spiritual seekers and devotees. Our bodies have certain energycentres each one being associated with the lotus. The lotus posture known as thePadmasana, is recommended when meditating. The lotus emerged from the navel of LordVishnu from whence Lord Brahma originated to create this world. Hence the lotus flowersymbolises the link between the creator and the supreme cause. The auspicious sign of theSwastika is believed to be evolved from the lotus flower.

Offering A Coconut In South India

Coconut is the most common offering in a temple. It is offered to guests in a wedding,during festivals, or to friends visiting a new home. Its is also used in the sacrificial firewhile performing a ‘homa’. Its broken and placed before the Lord and offered as ‘prasaad’to devotees. The fibre covering of the coconut is removed except for a tuft on the top. Thislooks like the head of a human being thus symbolising the destruction of our ego. Thecoconut juice representing the inner tendencies or ‘vaasanas’ is offered with the whitekernel to the Lord. A mind thus purified by the touch of the Lord becomes holy food,‘prasaadha’. The coconut also represents selfless service. Every part of the tree includingthe trunk is used in innumerable ways like mats, dishes, oil, soap etc. We believe that themarks on the coconut represent the 3-eyed Lord Shiva and therefore it is considered as ameans to our desires.

The Chanting Of Om

OM is one of the most chanted sound symbols in India. It has a profound effect on thebody and mind of the person who chants and the one who listens to it. Most Vedic prayers

begin with the letter OM. All auspicious actions begin with OM. It is used as a greeting,repeated as a mantra and then meditated upon. Its the universal name of the Lord. Thesound emerging is as ‘AUM’. These 3 letters symbolises the 3 states of waking, dreamingand deep sleep; - the 3 deities - ‘Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma’; the 3 Vedas - ‘Rig, Yajur andSama’; and the 3 worlds - ‘Bhur, Bhuvah and Suvah’. Thus the Lord is all these andbeyond. Hence there is no limitation attached to this chant. One of the most powerfulmantras in the Hindu Vedic chanting is the Gayatri Mantra that resonates deep in the soul.The continues chanting of this - at least a 1008 times a day emits powerful energies thatremoves sadness and depression from our mind. Once our mind is filled with this mantra

nothing is impossible to achieve or fulfill.

Om Bhoor Bhuvah Svah

Tut Savitur Vareynyam



Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi

Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat

Which when interpreted means -

‘We meditate upon the Divine Brilliance ofThat Adorable Creator and Omni-Protector…GOD

Who Gives Life, Removes Suffering and Bestows BlissMay He Stimulate our Wisdom’.



THE WORSHIPPING OF THE TULASI OR THE HOLY

BASIL

In Sanskrit we say, ‘Tulanaa naasti athaiva thulasi’

when interpreted means - ‘that which is incomparable in its qualities, is the tulasi’.

One of the most sacred plants in India it is known to be the only thing used in worship andwhich once used can be washed and re-used in puja. The leaf is regarded as self-purifying.A story attributed to this leaf goes thus: Thulasi was the devoted wife of Shankachuda, aheavenly being. She believed that Lord Krishna tricked her into sinning. So she cursedhim to turn into a stone (shaligrama). Seeing her devotion and righteousness, the Lordblessed her saying that she would become the holy basil and adorn the Lord’s head.

In Hinduism no offering would be complete without the worship of the tulasi leaf. Tulasialso symbolises Goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Lord Vishnu. Tulasi is married to theLord with all the required pomp and show in a Hindu wedding. This endorses the viewthat the Lord blessed her to be His consort. An interesting story goes thus: Sathyabama(the second wife of Lord Krishna) once weighed Lord Krishna against all her legendarywealth. The scales were totally imbalanced until a single tulasi leaf was placed along withthe wealth on the scale by her with immense devotion. And lo, there was a perfect balancemaintained on the scale. This demonstrates the fact that even a small object offered withreverence and devotion to the Almighty means all the wealth in this world. In ayurvedathe tulasi leaf has great medicinal qualities to cure various ailments.

The Sanskrit adage goes thus:

Yanmule Sarvathirhaani

Yannagre Sarvadevataa

Yanmadhye Sarvavedaascha

Tulasi taam namaamyaham

Meaning -

‘I bow to the Tulasi, at whose base are all the holy places, at whose top reside all the

deities and in whose middle are all the Vedas’.



TALES FROM A YOUNG GIRL’S DIARY

‘Samayal’ in the Tamil language simply means to cook a meal. The daily life of a Hinduhousehold is based on tradition and Lculture. There are many festivals in the Hinducalendar that add colour and variety to the daily cooking routine. I am a Tamizh/TamilBrahmin who has grown up in South India. These festivals and their traditions are part of

my identity and raison d’etre.

The younger generation, who are busy with their professional lives or are living in otherlands, need a ready reference to cook the appropriate dishes for a festival. They want toobserve these festivals in the true spirit, if not in exact detail, to keep alive the traditionsand to nurture the Indian roots in their families. In this book I have focused on thefestivals of a Tam-Bram tradition and the associated dishes that are cooked with devotionand enjoyment as prasadam or sacred offering for the God.

I learnt to love everything about South Indian cuisine from my mother, who taught me

how to cook. After my marriage my mother-in-law, who hails from Tanjore, helped me toadapt to my new family’s palate, and I acquired richer skills in this cuisine. My urge toinstil traditional beliefs in my family increased when I became a mother. Despite the manylimitations of a modern society, I was able to teach my daughters the stories, beliefs andrituals that go with our festivals. In this book, I provide the recipes for a festival cuisinewith simple methodology so the younger generation can carry on this art of cooking,without thinking it redundant or tedious.

The day of the festival, like any other day in South India, begins with the ritual cleaning ofthe front threshold of every home. The cool early morning breeze, the sky still dark withfaint lighting to the east was part of my growing up. The front yard and the steps leadingto the house would be sprinkled with a bucket of water. The water would be swept awaywith the swish of a broom made from dried palm stems – long thin sticks bunched and tiedtogether with a jute thread. The ground would then be decorated with intricate kolampatterns, drawn with a fluid movement of the fingers, wrists and hands using a specialflour made up of rice powder and finely ground lime. The sky would gradually changecolour and the sun would rise and shower his rays on the neighbourhood as the cawingcrows, the chirpy sparrows and the parrots shrieking would flit across the landscape vyingfor space in our neem tree.

The first part of any festival is a ritual bath and in traditional South Indian families, oilbath - ‘yennai thechu kuliyal’. Women usually took this bath on Tuesdays and Fridays.Sesame oil, so aptly called nalla ennai or good oil, was gently massaged into the hair, faceand body and allowed to soak in for a few minutes. Finely powdered whole green gram,(payatham podi) and thalu podi (dried and powdered hibiscus leaves, that acts as aconditioner) and sheekai, (a herbal powder) were mixed and dissolved in water to form asmooth paste. This was then applied and gently massaged into the roots of the hairmassaged well to remove the oil and washed off.

For the face and body, a teaspoon of finely powdered whole green gram and twoteaspoons of vaasanai podi with turmeric as an important ingredient, (available in herbalshops even today) were dissolved in water to form a smooth paste. This was massaged



onto the face and body and then washed off. The after glow on the face was magical. Thisoil bath is something that is an ethnic forerunner of the spa baths and the podis, a naturalbeauty treatment instead of the slew of creams and anti-ageing potions that are on saletoday.

Festivals were also an opportunity to wear fine new clothes and to bring out the jewellery.After the mandatory oil bath, women dressed in saris, teenage girls in half-saris, and little

girls in pavaadais, full length skirts and blouses. The men and boys wore dhotis, a onepiece length of cloth tied around the waist like a sarong and angavasthram, a length ofcloth slung over the shoulder. The fabric used during festival time was usually silk, withgold work done on borders. Girls and women wore flowers like jasmine, strung together intheir hair.

Homes were filled with the smell of flowers and incense that heralded the dawn of afestival and the sound of tinkling bells from the puja room. The anklets and silver toe-rings of the ladies made a merry tap on the floor as they hurried to and fro making

preparations for the celebrations. It was a time when the whole family got together to prayto God for health and prosperity and to strengthen family ties. It was a time to have fun, toeat special food and, to bond with the family.

Today, we do not have the time for these leisurely celebrations. Yet, with proper planningand the use of all our modern gadgets, it is not difficult to observe these festivals. I havemade the actual cooking simple with easy to cook recipes and instructions. I have tried tobe exact with the seasoning of salt and sweet in the dishes. Please use your discretionaccording to your family preferences. Traditionally, no dish is tasted before the puja as it isoffered to the Almighty as prasadam. There is another school of thought: it is not wrong to

taste the food before offering to the deity as you want the dish to taste perfect for the Lord.Nevethless enjoy cooking and serving these special dishes that are dedicated to eachfestival.



IMPORTANT TIPS FOR ALL

Always extract the puree of TAMARIND/IMLI by soaking it in a cup of hot water. Placedry tamarind bits in a bowl with half a cup of water and zap in the microwave. You canrefrigerate the pulp for a few days. Do not dilute until required. When using readymadetamarind paste, take:

1½ teaspoons of the paste, equivalent of a lemon-sized ball of tamarind.1 tablespoon of paste as a substitute for a marble-sized ball of tamarind.

Dissolve it in a cup of water before adding to the recipe. If the paste/pulp is dark in colour,use a pinch of turmeric powder to lighten the colour. Watch out for the fibers and bits andpieces and strain them off.

Many brands of ASAFOETIDA/HING powders are available in the market. To get anauthentic flavour use the block of gelled asafoetida. This chunk can be torn into bits when

it is soft. Prepare tiny balls and leave them in the open to dry. Soak one ball at a time in aquarter cup of water. This dissolved asafoetida paste can be used for many days whenrefrigerated. If the block becomes dry and hard, cut it with a nutcracker or knock into bitswith a hammer. Do be careful of your fingers! If using powder use larger quantities as theflavour is not so strong.

MUSTARD/RAI seeds are used in Indian cuisine for seasoning. Heat a teaspoon of oil orghee in a saucepan and add the mustard. Take care to close the lid of the pan as the seedstend to leap out while popping and can cause mild burns. Always add the rest of the

ingredients listed for the seasoning as soon as the mustard starts to pop. Mustard can betiny, but its burn can be mighty uncomfortable. The husked whole white black gram isused for dishes like vadais, idlis and dosais. The Tamil/Tamizh cuisine mostly uses thehusked split yellow green gram and the red gram for cooking.

CURRY LEAVES - Throughout the book in most recipes I have insistently andrepeatedly used the phrase ‘squeeze wet curry leaves and add.’ My experience of 42 yearsof cooking this food has taught me that when prepared this way the leaves retain itsflavour and nutrient value. Stir frying initially or adding with the gravy at the beginningremoves whatever little flavour curry leaf may have. Curry leaf is not easily available

everywhere. Hence I have numbered it in each recipe so you may conserve the rest foranother dish.

SALT has been used for a mild flavour in all the recipes. For other dishes, be judicious inits usage. Experiment in the initial stages until you know the quantity you need for yourtaste. Less is easier to repair and healthy as well!

SPICE or chillies can be increased according to family preferences. The book has a mildflavouring as many people may be uncomfortable with spicy food. Remove the seeds fromgreen Indian chillies if it is the spicy variety. It is recommended to use it judiciously in the

beginning before turning adventurous.

A PRESSURE-PAN/PRESSURE-COOKER saves time, retains colour, and flavour ofthe various ingredients. Vegetables, sambars, kuzhambus and kootus can be directly



1.

2.

3.

prepared in the pressure-pan and in a deep skillet or saucepan. A stainless-steelpressure=pan/cooker is ideal for cooking.

For GREEN VEGETABLES, heat a cup of water with salt in a pressure-pan. Whenthe water starts to boil, add the vegetables and toss them lightly with a ladle. Observeit turns a rich green in colour. Close the lid and steam up to one whistle. Turn off theheat and place the pan under cold running water. Once all the steam has been released,

remove the stopper and open the lid. The vegetables look green and tender and isready to be used as specified in the dish. It can be easily cooked in a sauce-pan too.

For SAMBARS AND KUZHAMBUS add the required spices with the poppedmustard, curry leaves, tamarind, water and salt along with the vegetables. Follow thesame procedure as detailed in the recipe. Use as little water as possible, just enough tocook the vegetables especially for vegetables like spinach, cabbage or ash gourd,before opening the lid.

When cooking GRAMS/DALS, boil some water in an open pan with a dash of lemon

juice (to prevent the base of the pan from darkening). Place the dal/pulses and enoughwater to cover it with a quarter teaspoon of turmeric in a smaller stainless steel dish.Cover it with a lid and close the pressure-cooker and steam. For best results redgram/tur dal must be washed well and soaked in hot water for 20 minutes before beingsteam-cooked in the pressure-cooker. Within a few minutes of soaking the gram willdouble in size. If you need a soft and mushy consistency, cook for a whistle lowerflame and allow to simmer for 10-12 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pan tocool until the hissing sound stops. The lid can be opened after removing the weight.Use the cooked dal as specified in the recipe.

A RICE COOKER comes with an inner dish. Add 1½ to 2 cups of water in it and usesome lemon juice to prevent the darkening of the inner dish. Keep the rice in anothermetallic dish and place it in the rice-cooker surrounded by water. The steamed rice isfluffy and grainy if placed in a separate dish instead of being cooked directly in the rice-cooker dish.

A MICROWAVE is not just for heating food. It can cut preparation time drastically andalso helps you drive away the sweaty tediousness of cooking. Use the gadget freely tosteam and cook different ingredients and dishes. Special steamers and idli moulds are now

available to be used in the microwave.

STORE powders and all kinds of flours in a zip-lock or a Tupperware container andrefrigerate them. It helps to retain the freshness and flavour for a long time. Wipe thewetness from the curry leaves, coriander leaves or mint leaves, gently wrap in a kitchenpaper, place inside a ziplock and store in the refrigerator for daily use.



KOLAMS

A kolam/rangoli is an Indian art form that combines creativity with mathematicalprecision. It is a temporary art creation drawn on the floor, erased and recreated every day.In a South Indian culture, guests who are treated as a form of the divine, are welcomedwith a kolam, drawn at the entrance of a house. This decorative art work, with a delicatetouch and a highly artistic sense of colour, shape and proportion, decorates the puja roomsas well. As they are an offering to the Gods, the kolams in the pooja rooms are nevercleaned off with a broom. They are wiped with a cloth and then cleaned without using abroom.

Indian rituals, arts and festivals have a reason and a story behind their origins. A story

recorded in the Chitra Lakshana, a treatise on Indian painting, tells of a king whosekingdom was in mourning for the death of the high priest’s son. The people prayed to LordBrahma the Creator, for a miracle. The Lord took pity and commanded the king to drawthe portrait of the boy on the floor so that he could breathe life into him. The boy cameback to life and from then on rice-flour and flowers all materials used by the king, becamethe ingredients used for creating these intricate kolams. Fresh flower kolams aredrawn/decorated for the Onam festival in Kerala.

In India, cow-dung is as sacred as the cow/bull itself. A statue of Nandi, the bull, sits

benignly at the entrance of every Shiva temple. Being the official vehicle for Shiva it isrevered by all Hindus. Cow dung, thought to be a natural disinfectant, is collected, pattedinto flat cakes and dried in the sun. It is used in the ritual fires of the Vedic ceremonies andas fuel in homes. Every morning a cake is dissolved in the water that is splashed on theground in front of homes. The kolam is then created on the wet earth or yard.

The kolam is drawn by picking a pinch of the finely ground rice-flour between the thumband forefinger and and then using it to etch fine lines and dots turning them into traditionalpatterns. The dots may be visible as decorative elements or used as connecting points todraw the geometric shapes. The drawing begins and ends at one spot after meandering

through the design and adding sharp angles and curling patterns. The designs vary fromregion to region in each state.

The biggest and the most beautiful kolams are drawn in the month of Maargazhi



(December-January) until Pongal or Sankranthi, the famous harvest festival i.e. on the first

day of Thai, on January 14th or 15th. Larger and more intricate designs are created duringfestivals. Kaavi, a thin paste made with red oxide powder, is often used to make a borderalong the edge of the white kolam to enhance the festive look. The kolam may also bedrawn with a watery paste made from soaked and finely ground rice. A small bit of muslincloth is used as a sponge to draw these kolams.

Spiritual Element: The kolam is aesthetic and decorative and also has a spiritualsignificance. Kolams called yantras, are a symbolic representation of divinity. It is aninter-locking matrix of geometric figures, circles, triangles and floral patterns. They aremeditation tools and their power or shakti is available to devotees. It is believed thatmystical yantras reveal the inner basis of forms and shapes abounding in the universe. Theyantras are drawn around the holy fire containers or homa-kundams during religiousceremonies.

The most spectacular yantras depict and worship the nine planets or, navagraha kolams.

Each kolam is drawn on different days of the week with a special sloka or prayer chanted.Tuesdays and Saturdays have two yantras each, making the total up to nine.

Cultural Significance: The kolam is a traditional form of artistic expression for women inIndia. In every traditional Hindu home, girls are taught this art and acquire expertise in anastonishing variety of designs that they draw off-hand from memory. The kolam alsobrought communities together. On Pongal day, kolams depicting the Sun God in hischariot drawn by 8 or 16 horses were drawn in front of every dwelling. Families wouldleave the ‘ropes’ of the chariot unfettered and after Pongal, all the chariot kolams wereoined from house to house. This signified a collective desire to achieve an uninterrupted

cosmic cycle.

Modern Kolams: Our consumer’s world has introduced several innovations for a kolamnovice. Design books, kolam templates and rollers are available. The rollers, hollow tinswith designs drilled on the surface, are filled with rice powder and wielded to formpatterns. Kolam stickers can be stuck on walls, floors and doors.

OFFERINGS TO THE ALMIGHTY

The pure offerings of prasadam or neivedhiyam to the favourite deity are an important

aspect of any celebration. Many festivals have specific dishes associated with thembecause they are the favourites of the God honoured that day. The ingredients used in thedishes are specific to the season or reflect the spirit behind the celebration. These specialdishes are prepared in homes on festival days and first offered to God after performing



special rituals or pujas. The maha neivedhiyam of cooked rice and dal with a dash of

ghee/clarified butter is offered to God on all festival days along with special foods cookedfor each festival or puja and then fed to the crows.

An important aspect of festival day cooking in the Brahmin household is that no onions orgarlic is used in any dish on that day. The oil used for frying is taken afresh for eachoccasion but it can be used to fry multiple dishes before they are offered as prasadam.

Festivals of Tamizh Nadu/Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is situated on the eastern coast of India and is bordered by the states ofAndhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. The state has a large number of temples andcelebrates a wide gamut of festivals during its calendar year. The Tamil year is based onthe Hindu calendar with months falling roughly between two months of the Romancalendar.

There are a wide variety of dishes produced by different communities of the state. Tamil

cuisine is moderately spicy and full of flavour with some of its most common ingredientsbeing turmeric, dried red chillies, mustard, fenugreek, tamarind, pepper, cumin seedscoriander seeds and asafoetida. In Tamil Nadu, all parts of the banana tree are used on adaily basis - the stem, flower, raw and ripe fruit is cooked and the leaf acts as a plate toserve a meal and to wrap things. Growing buying cooking is a voyage of discovery. Theancients knew it and the Tambrams well versed in the Vedas, had imbibed and adapted thelore of these ancients in their daily life. Sesame oil forms the base for most Tamil Brahmincooking. A subtle distinction is made between different festivities. One set of celebrationsis associated with individual deities called pujas—e.g. Varalakshmi Puja, Ganesh

Chathurthi. The other set of celebrations are called pandigais that are festive occasions e.g.Bhogi, Deepavali pandigai etc.



CONTENTS

VAR USHA PIRAPPU

Saff ron Vermicilli Dessert semia payasam

Green Mango Sweet and Sour Relish mangai pachadi

Lentil Savoury Fry aama vadai

SRI RAMA NAVAMI

Brown Sugar-Ginger Drink paanagam

Spiced Buttermilk neer moru

AADI PANDIGAI

Poppy Seed Pudding kasa kasa payasam

Pepper Cumin Rice milagu jeeraga sadham

Lemon Rice yelumiccha pazha sadham

Vermicilli In Yoghurt thayir semiya

Rice-Jaggery Lamp maavu vilakku

VAR ALAKSHMI VRATHAM

Beaten Rice Pudding avul payasam

Fried Pancakes In Milk pal poliAAVANI AVITTAM

Beaten Rice Pudding avul payasam

Fried Pancakes In Milk pal poli

KRISHNA JAYANTHI

Fried Sweet Dumplings neiappam

Star Fries mullu murukku

Savoury Biscuits thattai

Savoury Marbles uppu cheedai

Sweet Marbles vella cheedai

Rice Balls Simmered In Coconut Milk paal kuzhakattai

Sweet Semolina Balls rava laadu

VINAYAKA CHATHURTHI

Steamed Rice Parcels kuzhakattai

Savoury Filling For Parcels ulutham poornam kuzhakattai



Sweet Filling For Parcels thengai poornam kuzhakattai

Steamed Rice Marbles mani kuzhakattai

Steamed Savoury Cups idli

Sesame Brittle yellu urundai

Brown Chick Pea Snack konda kadalai sundal

Lentil Pudding paruppu payasam

NAVARATHRI

Fried Coconut Fudge sugian

Dried White Peas Snack velle patani sundal

Peanut Snack verkadalai sundal

Whole Green Gram Spicy Salad pache muzhu payatham paruppu sundal

Bengal Gram Snack kadale paruppu sundal

Green Gram Toss payatham paruppu sundal

Sweet Black-Eyed Beans karamani sundal

Dried Green Peas Salad pache patani sundal

Field Beans Toss moche kottai sundal

Nine Gram Salad navadhaanya sundal

DEEPAVALI OR DIWALI

Grandma’s Sweet Fudge deepavali lehiyam

Saffron Almond Fudge badhaam halwa

Sugar Coated Gram Balls kunja laadu

Munchy Medley deepavali mixture

KARTHIGAI DEEPAM

Puffed Rice-Jaggery Balls pori urundaiCoconut-Lentils’ Pancake thengai adai

Instant Yoghurt Spicy Gravy dhideer mor kuzhambu

THURUVADHIRAI

Jaggery Rice Crumble thiruvadhirai kali

Vegetable Mélange thiruvadhirai kootu

PONGAL

Brown Sugar-Lentil Pancake poli

Black Gram Doughnut medhu vadai



Mushy Rice-Lentil Mélange ven pongal

Sweet Rice-Lentil Mélange shakkarai pongal

Rice Pudding pal payasam

Mixed Vegetable Curry kootu

Tamarind Rice puliyodharai

Green Mango Rice mangai sadham

Coconut Rice thengai sadham

Seasoned Yoghurt Rice thayir sadham

MAHASHIVARATHRI

Sweet Potato Syrup vella shakaravalli kizhangu

KARADAI NOMBU

Sweet Rice Doughnut vella adai

Savoury Rice Doughnut uppu adai

CLARIFIED BUTTER/GHEE neiy

GLOSSARY

FOOD FOR THE GODS



VARUSHA PIRAPPU





semia payasam

2 litres Full Cream Milk

¾ cup Vermicelli

½ cup Sugar

2 tbsps Cashewnuts

1 tbsps Raisins

Few Strands Saffron

½ tsp Cardamom Powder

1 tbsp Clarified Butter/Ghee

In a deep saucepan boil the milk and lower the flame. Stir for 3-4 minutes and take itoff the stove. Break cashew into medium pieces and brown in a teaspoon of ghee. Addthe raisins and stir continuously till the fruit puffs up. Remove from stove. Prepare thesaffron by mashing it in a tablespoon of hot milk until the milk turns a deep orange. Stir-fry the vermicelli in a teaspoon of ghee for a minute until it turns transparent or golden.

Add a cup of water, and over a medium flame add the vermicelli to cover and simmer for4 minutes. Stir occasionally until the vermicelli is soft but firm. Add the sugar and stiruntil it dissolves before adding the milk. Add the cardamom powder, fried cashew,raisins and the saffron liquid. Simmer for 3 minutes over a medium flame so thepayasam gets thick and creamy. Instead of saffron a pinch of powdered camphor can bemixed with the payasam.

Green Mango Sweet and Sour Relishmangai pachadi

1 large Green Mango

½ cup Jaggery Or, Brown Sugar Powder

¼ tsp Mustard Seeds

1 tbsp Tender Neem Flowers




1 tsp Oil

Peel the skin completely (without a trace of the green) and slice the mango into thickuneven pieces. Melt jaggery in quarter cup water over a medium fire and strain toremove scum. Keep aside. In a saucepan, heat the oil and pop the mustard. Add themango slices and stir gently for 10 seconds. Add a quarter cup of water, cover and simmerover a medium heat. Take off the lid after a couple of minutes and stir gently untilcooked soft but firm. Add jaggery, stir and simmer till it thickens like a sauce. Inanother pan stir-fry the neem flowers in ghee until a light brown in colour. Add to theprepared sauce and serve.

Timely Tip: If the mango is sour, add more jaggery powder. A semi-ripe mango can

also be made into a pachadi. This dish has a sweet and sour taste. Peeling the skin fullyhelps in cooking the mango faster. Add the jaggery/brown sugar just after the mango hasbeen fully cooked and soft.

Lentil Savoury Fryaama vadai

1 tbsp Rice

½ cup Pigeon Peas

½ cup Bengal Gram

¼ cup Husked Whole Black Gram/Husked Whole Urad Dal

4-5 Dried Red Chillies

¼ tsp Asafoetida Powder





SRI RAMA NAVAMI



SRI NAMA NAVAMI

Sri Rama Navami is celebrated on the ninth day of the Hindu lunar year Chitrai MasamSuklapaksha Navami. It is the birthday of the Hindu God Lord Rama, considered to be theseventh avathaaram (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu. The star of the day is punar poosam.Rama hails from the Solar Dynasty as his story, retold by Sage Valmiki in the holy epic

Ramayana, is read on that day and his virtues extolled. The Ramayana is the story of thetribulations of the heir apparent of Ayodhya, Rama. He wins the hand of Princess Sitaafter proving his physical prowess and is exiled to the forests for fourteen years by thecruel ambitions of his stepmother. Rama is accompanied by his brother and wife and in thelast year of their exile, Sita is abducted by the invincible King of Lanka, Ravana. Rama ishelped by the monkeys and bears and builds a bridge across the seas. He vanquishes theRakshasa / Demon army and their King Ravana and rescues his wife. He returnsvictoriously to Ayodhya and is placed on the throne.

The season is the beginning of summer. A ten day festival is held culminating in thepattabhishekham or coronation of Rama and the deities of the Lord and his family aretaken in a procession on the streets and thirst quenching paanagam and neer mor orthinned buttermilk is distributed to all the participants of the festivities. This day alsomarks the end of the nine-day utsavam or important religious festivals called chaitranavaratri orvasanthothsavam (festival of spring.)

Dishes cooked on this day:

Brown Sugar-Ginger Drink paanagam, Spiced Buttermilk neer moru

Brown Sugar-Ginger Drinkpaanagam

These summer-cool healthy thirst quenchers are served in temples and homes.

½ cup Jaggery/Gur/Brown Sugar

1 tsp Dried Ginger Powder

2 cups Water

2 Cardamom, crushed



Heat the water and melt the jaggery and strain to remove scum. Add dry ginger powder,crushed cardamom and cool. Serve cooled.

Spiced Buttermilkneer moru

1 cup Yoghurt

1½ cups Cold Water

6 Curry Leaves

½ tsp Asafoetida Powder

¼ tsp Lime/Lemon Juice (optional)

½ tsp Salt (Sea Salt, Whole/Stone Salt)

Beat the yoghurt and mix with water. Keep a little water aside and crush the curryleaves with salt. Add it to the beaten yoghurt/buttermilk. Strain to remove pieces of thecurry leaves. Finally add the asafoetida and lime juice. Serve cooled.



AADI PANDIGAI

AADI PANDIGAI

In the Tamil calendar aadi is the fourth month corresponding to July and August. The firstday of this month is celebrated as Aadi Pandigai or birth of Aadi. In this month, noauspicious occasions like weddings or grihapravesams (shifting to a new home) takeplace. In many families, maavu vilakku/ rice jaggery lamp, is prepared on a Friday andoffered to Durga or Ambal (incarnation of Goddess Parvathi). People visit temples andfeed the poor with sweet pongal made inside the temple. Newly wed couples are invited tothe brides home though it is considered an inauspicious month for them to be together.This is because if a girl becomes pregnant in this month, the delivery of the baby will beduring the hot, summer months of April/May when the ‘Agni nakshatram’ will be in force.The baby’s delivery may be difficult due to the weather.

Padhinettam Perukku or Aadi-Perukku; this festival is celebrated on the 18th day of theAadi month. The river Kaveri and other water bodies in the South are usually in spate andrepresent fertility and abundance. The legend behind this flooding is ascribed to SageAgastya who released proud Kaveri, the daughter of Kubera (God of wealth) after he hadimprisoned her in his kamandalam (hand-pot). Ganesha came as a crow and overturnedthe pot and Kaveri flowed out gifting the people with abundance.

On the morning of the Adi festival, women carry raw rice, jaggery, sugar, coconuts,bananas, lamps, flowers, turmeric, camphor, and other materials to the banks of the river.They take a dip in the river before commencing their puja. They heap sand into a pile as arepresentation of Mother Earth. In banana leaves little craters are made with rice powdersoaked in water and mixed with sugar and freshly grated coconut. Lamps are lit in it andoffered to the Goddess with bananas as prasadham (holy offering). Cotton threads soakedin turmeric and sandal paste are also placed to invoke Kaveri. Flowers are showered intothe waters of the Kaveri along with specially created black bangles and earrings fashionedfrom red tinted olai (palmyra leaves). The sweetened rice is then distributed and the sacredthreads are worn around the neck by sumangalis/married women and unmarried girls,while men wear them on their wrists. The dishes eaten are picnic food as the cooking wasusually done in the open air. In some families, kuzhakattai is also made and offered asneivedhiyam.

Dishes prepared on this day are:



Poppy Seed Pudding kasa kasa payasam, Pepper Cumin Rice milagu jeeraga sadham,Lemon Rice yelumiccha pazha sadham, Vermicilli In Yoghurt thayir semiya, Rice-Jaggery Lamp maavu vilakku.

Poppy Seed Puddingkasa kasa payasam

1½ litres Full Cream Milk

¾ cup Sugar

2 tbsps Poppy Seeds

12 pieces Cashewnuts

1 tbsp Coconut, grated

A pinch Nutmeg Powder

Few Strands Saffron



Soak the poppy seeds in a teaspoon of water for 15 minutes and blend into a fine pastewith the cashewnuts and grated coconut. Prepare the saffron by mashing it in a little hotmilk until the milk turns a deep orange. Stir the milk over a medium flame and thicken tothree fourths of the original quantity. Add sugar and boil for a couple of minutes. Mixthe blended paste with a little cold milk to remove lumps and add to the boiling milk.Mix well to get a uniform consistency. Add the saffron liquid and stir in the nutmeg

powder. Stir well to ensure that the payasam does not burn at the bottom.

Pepper Cumin Ricemilagu jeeraga sadham

2 cups Rice

2½tbsps Clarified Butter/Ghee

¾ tsp Salt

For The Seasoning:

¼tsp Mustard Seeds

8 Curry Leaves

The Spice Powder:

1 tbsps Peppercorns

¼ tsp Asafoetida Powder/Hing Powder

2½ tbsps Cumin Seeds



Cook the rice in 5 cups of water until each grain is fluffy. Set aside to cool. Heat 1½tablespoons ghee and roast the pepper, cumin seeds and asafoetida and stir over a lowflame. Blend into a coarse powder and mix gently into the rice adding the extra ghee.Heat a tablespoon of ghee and pop the mustard. Wet crush and stir in the curry leaves.Remove from fire.





A hit in every tamil family the yoghurt and vermicelli is a special treat for one and all. Ithas a very interesting taste.

1 cup Vermicelli

1 cup Yoghurt

½ cup Milk

½ cup Raisins and Cashewnuts

3” piece Mango Ginger Or, Grated Ginger



¼ tsp Salt

For The Seasoning:


2 Green Chillies

1 tsp Oil

Boil and cool the milk. Keep aside. Heat a teaspoon of ghee in a small saucepan and frythe raisins for 5 seconds till they puff up. Add broken cashew and stir until golden.Remove from saucepan. Heat the remaining ghee and roast the vermicelli over a lowheat for 15 seconds or until transparent in colour. At this stage add half a cup of water to

cover the vermicelli. Stir, close lid for a couple of minutes over a medium flame until thewater is absorbed into the vermicelli. Ensure that it does not get over cooked as it canbecome sticky. Stir in the milk and asafoetida powder gently. Mix well to ensure nolumps remain. Take off the flame and cool for 3-4 minutes. In a sauce pan heat the oil



and pop the mustard. Stir in finely chopped green chillies for a couple of seconds.Remove from heat and add to the vermicelli. Add yoghurt, ginger and salt and mix well.

Garnish with roasted raisins and cashewnuts.

Rice-Jaggery Lampmaavu vilakku

The dough is arranged in a decorative manner on plates and wicks are placed drenched inghee. The lamps are lit as an offering to the Gods.

2 cups Rice

1½ cups Jaggery Or, Brown Sugar Powder

½ cup Coconut, grated

½ cup Clarified Butter/Ghee


Wash the rice, strain and spread on a piece of muslin cloth. If the muslin is very fine,

fold into two. Allow about 15 minutes for the cloth to absorb all the water from the rice.The rice should not be damp. Blend the rice into a fine powder. Sieve and blend againuntil you get a fine powder. Set aside 1 tablespoon for the kolam. Add jaggery andcardamom powder to the rest of the powder and mix well. Set aside. With the rice flourthat was set aside, draw a small kolam in the puja room. Place a plantain leaf on thekolam. Empty the sweetened rice flour into a deep brass or silver plate and shape it sothat two craters are formed. Leave adequate space between the flour and the edge of theplate. Fill this hole with ghee and place four cotton wicks. Let the wicks soak the ghee.

Squeeze the wicks and arrange them so that they can be lit as lamps. Each or the four

wicks should face north, south, east and west respectively. Place four betel leaves, 2 betelnuts, a single plantain and one half of the broken coconut facing north. Apply sandalpaste and vermilion on all four edges of the plate. Stick in 2 incense sticks on eachplantain. Perform an arathi with the plate. Place the plate on the plantain leaf, light the



wicks and let it burn. When the wicks are extinguished remove all remnants of it, thecoconuts, betel leaf, fruits and betel nuts. Grate a halved coconut and mix with the riceflour along with the ghee. Serve a tablespoon of this flour mix called the ‘maavu vilakku’as ‘prasadam’. Offer it with betel leaves, betel nuts, two bananas, and a few coins to fourpeople. It is customary to only eat tiffin or light snacks for dinner on the days maavu

vilakku is offered.

Timely Tip: Idiyappam flour or appam flour is available in the market/Indian groceries.This rice flour can be used instead of blending wet rice at home. Add some water to

dampen the flour to make the lamps.



VARALAKSHMI VRATHAM

VARALAKSHMI VRATHAM

Varalakshmi (Mahalakshmi) - the consort of Lord Vishnu is the symbol of all that isauspicious, of prosperity and wealth. Since she grants boons readily to her true devotees,she is called Varalakshmi. The Varalakshmi Vratham is performed on the ‘shravanashuklapaksha’ Friday, pournami (full moon day) in the month of aadi, - July/August oraavani—August/September. This Vratham is undertaken by sumangalis for the well beingof the family.

Lakshmi symbolises the eight forces - wealth, earth, learning, love, fame, peace, pleasureand strength and is collectively known as Ashtalakshmi, ashta meaning 8. This puja can be

performed by anybody. The house is cleaned thoroughly, and a bronze, silver orsometimes, clay kalasam (a pot with a short neck) is filled with rice, coins, turmeric, awhole lemon, betel leaf, and betel nut. This pot is decorated with sandal paste andvermilion. A coconut smeared with turmeric is placed on the kalasam and decorated withmango leaves arranged in a circle around the husked coconut. A mould of the Goddess’face, decorated with jewels, is placed against the coconut. This kalasam symbolizes theGoddess and is dressed with a silk cloth like a paavadai. Cotton threads soaked in turmericand sandal paste and knotted in nine places are also wound on the kalasam, suggesting thatthe Goddess dwells in each one of those knots.

The Goddess is welcomed by placing the kalasam on a wooden plank decorated with a wetkolam. She is carried carefully to the puja room and placed in a specially erectedmandapam or a pillared temple. The senior most lady of the family performs the pooja andother ladies place their mogappu’s or the face of the Goddess in the puja. Only onekalasam is placed. The yellow string is tied on the right wrists after the pooja is performed

The arathi is performed late in the evening when the Goddess is offered ven pongal asneivedhiyam. (An arathi is a Hindu religious ritual of worship, a part of puja, in whichcotton wicks soaked in ghee or camphor is lighted and offered to one or more deities.

Aarthis also mean songs sung in praise of the deity, when lamps are lighted). A smallswing is prepared on which she is rocked to sleep. Ladies recite the Lalitha Sahasranamam(a prayer with 1008 names of the Goddess). Women are invited and honoured with betelleaves, betel nuts, coconut, fruit, flowers, and a blouse piece. Sundal and a sweet are



offered to them. Some families also give a comb, mirror and bangles that are auspicioussymbols. Punar Puja is performed the next day where the devi is offeredmahaneivedhiyam with betel leaves, betel nuts and plantains. Mahaneivedhiyam is cookedrice and lentil offered to God with a dollop of ghee. That night the kalasam of the Goddessis placed inside the rice container or the larder to ensure prosperity for the family.

Dishes made on this occasion:

Rice-lentil pudding, chick pea snack, mushy rice-lentil mélange, (in the Pongalchapter) and steamed rice parcels and marbles (in the Ganesh Chathurthi Chapter).

Rice-Lentil Puddingakaara vadasal

1 cup Rice

1 tbsp Husked Split Green Gram/Husked Split Moong Dal

2 cups Full Cream Milk

½ cup Jaggery Or, Brown Sugar

4 tbsps Sugar

Few Strands Saffron

¼ cup Coconut, grated

2 tbsps Cashewnuts

¼ tsp Cardamom Powder

3 tbsps Clarified Butter/Ghee

Cook the rice and the green gram in 3½ cups of water until mushy. Or pressure-cookfor a whistle, lower flame and cook for 3-4 minutes. Set aside. Open lid when thepressure reduces completely and use. Add a quarter cup of water to jaggery and meltover a low flame. Strain to remove the scum. Set aside to cool. Prepare the saffron bymashing it in a little hot milk until the milk turns a deep orange. Keep aside. Heat themilk over a medium flame for 10 minutes until it thickens. Stir in the cooked rice andlentil, jaggery, sugar, grated coconut, chopped cashewnuts and stir over a medium fire for3 minutes until it becomes a creamy dessert. Add cardamom powder, saffron milk andghee; stir and remove from fire. Add 2 tablespoons extra sugar if you desire.





Soak the chick peas in hot water overnight; 14-18 hours would be ideal. Cook with alittle salt until soft and set aside. Or, pressure-cook for a whistle, lower flame and cook

for 15 minutes. Switch off flame and open when the hissing ceases. Roast the corianderseeds and red chillies in half a teaspoon of oil for a few seconds until the aroma rises.Blend this into a coarse powder. Set aside. Peel and chop the mango into small cubes, orgrate coarsely. Heat the oil and pop the mustard. Add the asafoetida powder. Add theboiled chick peas, spice powder and a little more salt if required. Stir for 2 minutes. Addthe chopped mango, coconut and finely chopped coriander leaves. Wet and crush thecurry leaves to mix and stir well for 10 seconds. Serve hot or warm.



AAVANI AVITTAM



AAVANI AVITTAM

On the day that the star Avittam (the constellation Aquila) occurs either in the month ofAadi (July/August) or Aavani (August/September) Brahmin men change their sacredthread. The ceremony performed on this day is known as Upakarma and is usually acommunity ritual performed in the premises of the local temple or a group of brothers, orand with cousins at home.

On the following day the Gayathri mantra, one of the most powerful mantras of Hinduism,is recited 1008 times. People who follow the Yajur Veda perform this ritual on thisparticular day. The Sama Vedikas change their thread a day before Ganesh Chathurthi.

The men of the household are treated to a feast on their return from the ceremony. Themenu includes:

Beaten rice pudding, lentils’ savoury fry, fried pancakes in milk and yoghurt rice (inthe Pongal Chapter).

Beaten Rice Puddingavul payasam

1½ litres Full Cream Milk

¾ cup Beaten Rice, thick variety

½ cup Sugar


Few Strands Saffron




Prepare the saffron by mashing it in hot milk until the milk turns a dark orange. Thishas to be done meticulously as the flavour of the saffron is enhanced. Keep aside. Wash

beaten rice in a colander until the water turns clear. Empty into a dish, close lid and keepaside. Boil milk and then stir in the avul; simmer for 5 minutes until the milk thickens alittle. Add sugar and stir until it dissolves. Add the saffron liquid and cardamompowder and stir for 20 seconds. Remove from flame. Serve this dish hot or cooled.

Fried Pancakes in Milkpal poli

1 cup Plain Flour

½ cup Semolina

1/3 cup Lukewarm Water

1½ litres Full cream milk/Half And Half

400 grams Condensed Milk (optional)

½ cup Sugar

Few Strands Saffron


Oil For Deep Frying



Knead and prepare a soft dough by adding flour, semolina, water a teaspoon of sugar and2 teaspoons oil. Cover and keep aside for 15 minutes. Divide into lemon-sized balls anddusting flour on both sides roll out into thin pancakes. Quarter the pancake with a knifeand deep fry over a medium fire. Turn them gently with a slotted spoon and remove fromoil when light golden in colour. Place them in a dish spread with absorbent paper. Mash

the saffron in 2 tablespoons of hot milk until soft and the milk turns a dark orange. Keepaside. Boil the milk and stir for 3 more minutes until a little thickened. Add sugar andstir. Add in the cardamom powder and saffron milk and stir for 15 seconds. Drop thefried puris/puffed pancakes into the milk and stir for 3 minutes pressing down the puris sothe milk flows over it. Switch off the flame. Allow to soak in the milk for 15 to 20minutes before serving. Take care that the puris remain whole. If using condensed milkreduce the sugar to just 2 tablespons. Ensure the pancakes absorb the sugar syrup well.It is ready to be served in a couple of hours.



KRISHNA JAYANTHI



KRISHNA JAYANTHI

Krishna Jayanthi, Gokulashtami or Janmashtami is the most popular festival amongst theHindus. It is celebrated on Krishna paksha ashtami thithi, the eighth day of the lunarfortnight after Aavani Avittam in the month of aadi or aavani (July-August; August-September). The festival lasts 2 days.

For Vaishnavites (Iyengars) Krishna Jayanthi is the occurrence of the star rohini that is thebirthday of Krishna. Krishna, the dark one, is the beloved deity in whatever form he maytake—as Balakrishna, the child who steals the butter from the gopis, the naughty boy whotroubles his mother Yashoda, the playmate Gopinath to the gopis, the divine-cowherd, thesaviour of the people of Mathura, the achiever of miraculous deeds and the divinepreceptor of the great Pandava Arjuna to whom Krishna delivers the lecture on Dharma(duty) on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the Holy Scriptures the Bhagavad Gita.

In South India, the festival is a personal one celebrated in homes. Kolams of the tiny feetof Balakrishna are drawn with thickly blended rice paste from the front door to the pujaroom. This is symbolic of the Lord entering the house of his devotees to bless them andleave his footprints behind. Enthusiastic devotees ask each other in Tamil – “Krishnaronga veetukku vandhaaraa?” meaning “Has Krishna visited your home?” Eatables arelovingly made especially with butter as the Lord loved anything made from milk. The pujais performed in the evening and the Vishnu Sahasranamam (1008 names of Lord Vishnu)and verses from the Bhagavad Gita and Krishnashtakam are recited. Neivedhiyam isoffered to the Lord and a dish with beaten rice or aval/poha is definitely made. This is tohonour the gift given to Krishna by his poor friend Sudhaama who could only offer thismundane poor man’s food to his childhood friend. Another belief is that the house must beredolent of the smell of something frying to welcome the Lord during the puja.

Dishes made on this day:

fried steam dimplings, star fries, savoury biscuits, savoury marbles, sweet marbles,sweet semolina balls and rice balls simmered in coconut milk.

Fried Sweet Dumplings







Star FriesSavoury Biscuits

Murukku/chakli makers made of brass/steel are available in Indian groceries. Thesepresses have 5 to 6 metal disks with perforations in different designs. Generally thesesnacks taste good when fried in coconut oil or ghee but some modern homes use low fatoil.

3 cups Rice

¾ cup Husked Split Green Gram/Husked Split Moong Dal

¼ cup Bengal Gram

½ cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature)

¼ cup Salt

Oil For Deep Frying

Keep the murukku/chakli maker handy and rub some oil inside the press and on theplates. Mix the rice and the 2 lentils/grams and toast for a minute on a medium flame oruntil it emits a light distinct aroma. Blend into a fine powder along with the rice. Sieveit fine and set aside. Divide the flour mixture into 3 portions. The dough should beprepared just before frying since it can harden and turn into a light brown colour whenfried. Taste the dough to ensure the salt is right. Divide the butter into 3 portions.Dissolve the salt in 3 cups of hot water and divide this into 3 portions. Mix one portionof the butter and water into one portion of the flour and make the dough soft enough topass through the murukku disk easily. While this is being done, heat the oil in a wok forfrying over a medium flame. Lower the flame and maintain the temperature throughout.

Take the metal disk with the star pattern and place it at the bottom of the press. Fill thedough in the press cavity. Squeeze out the dough in small circular movements on a



greased plate or on a ladle that has a steel mesh. Slide this plate gently into thesimmering oil. In a few seconds the dough will slip off the plate. With a slotted ladle,turn the murukkus so that they do not stick together. Fry until they are light golden allover. Drain and drop the murukkus on to a kitchen paper to remove any excess oil.Repeat this process using 3 to 4 greased plates. Use up the remaining ingredients andprepare the dough afresh for each batch. Cool and store in an airtight container. These

bakshanams (munchies) remain fresh for a week.

Savoury Biscuitsthattai

2 cups Rice

2 tbsps Husked Whole Black Gram/ Husked Whole Urad

Dal

2 tbsps Bengal Gram

¾ tsp Asafoetida Powder

¼ tsp Chilly Powder

10-12 Green Chillies, coarsely blended

1½ tbsps Sesame Seeds

20 Curry Leaves

2 tbsps Unsalted Butter (room temperature)

Oil For Deep Fryingl



1 tbsp Salt

Powder the black gram and the rice finely and set aside. Soak the bengal gram in half acup of hot water for half an hour. Add the salt and asafoetida powder in half a cup ofwater and mix the rice and gram powders, ghee, sesame seeds, bengal gram, chilly

powder, curry leaves and coarsely blended green chilly. Use more water if necessary andmix a soft dough. Smear oil on a square piece of banana leaf or a plastic sheet andprepare 20 lemon-sized balls. Flatten each ball in your left palm into a biscuit of aquarter inch thickness. Make it as thin as you like. Heat the oil on medium flame thenlower the heat. Overturn the thattai in your right hand and gently slide it into the oil.With a slotted ladle turn the thattais and fry gently until they are light golden all over.You can fry 5 or 6 at a time. Drain and drop them on to a kitchen paper to remove excessoil. Sometimes the thattais will bubble up like puris. To prevent this from happening,pierce the bubble.

Savoury Marblesuppu cheedai

A little different in taste in a brahmin home this crunchy snack is a hit with young and old.

2 cups Unpolished Rice/Boiled Rice

2 tbsps



Husked Split Black Gram/Husked Split Urad Dal

2 tbsps Bengal Gram/Chana Dhal

¾ cup Coconut, grated

½ tsp Cumin Seeds/Jeera

1 tsp Asafoetida Powder/Hing


Oil For Deep Fryingl

1 tbsp Salt

Over a medium fire gently toast the grams for just a minute until a light aroma isreleased. Do not brown. Blend into a fine powder. Finely powder the rice and add to thegram powders. Dissolve the asafoetida and salt in two teaspoons of water and set aside.

In half cup of water mix in the powders, grated coconut, cumin seeds, asafoetida powder,ghee and salt to make a soft dough. Make cords and tear out bits to prepare smallmarbles. Place these balls on a tray to ensure they do not stick together. Let thecheedais sit and dry out for 10-12 minutes before frying them. Heat the oil for frying.Lower the flame and gently drop the balls into the oil. With a slotted ladle or spatula turn

the balls so they do not stick together while frying. Fry until they are light golden allover. Drop the cheedais on to a kitchen paper to drain off excess oil. They will be crispand crunchy.

Sweet Marblesvella cheedai

2 cups Rice

¼ cup Husked Split Black Gram/Husked Split Urad Dal



2½ cups Molasses/Jaggery/Gur Powder

3 tbsps Coconut, chopped fine

1 tbsp Cashewnuts, chopped fine


1 tsp Sesame Seeds

Oil For Deep Frying

Wash the rice, strain and spread on a muslin cloth. Double up the muslin if it is veryfine. Allow about 15 minutes for the cloth to absorb all the water from the rice until it isno longer moist. Blend the rice into a fine powder. Sieve and blend again repeatedlyuntil all of it is pulverized. Blend the urad dal into a fine powder and mix with the riceflour. Roast the mixed flours over a medium flame for a minute until the aroma rises.Take off the flame. Add the coconut, cashewnuts, cardamom powder and sesame seedsand mix well. Add 1 cup water to the jaggery and melt over a low flame. Strain toremove scum. Return to the flame and stir for 8-10 minutes until it reaches a thick pouringconsistency. Take off the flame and add the prepared mixture. Mix well into a softdough without any lumps. Mould the dough into lime-sized balls. Heat the oil forfrying. When the oil begins to simmer, lower the flame and gently drop the balls into thehot oil. Ensure you maintain the same temperature throughout. With a slotted ladle, turnthe balls around so that they do not stick together. Fry until they are a golden brown allover. Drain and drop the cheedais on to a kitchen paper to drain off excess oil. Cool andstore in an airtight container. They will remain fresh for over 2 weeks.

Rice Balls Simmered in Coconut Milkpal kuzhakatai

1 cup Rice

1 cup Water



½ cup Coconut Milk Or, Milk

½ cup Molasses/Jaggery/Gur Powder

1 tbsp Cashewnuts

½ tsp Cardamom Powder/Elaichi

1 tsp Raisins

2 tsps Clarified Butter/Ghee

2 tsps Coconut Oil/Cooking Oil

Heat a cup of water and soak the rice for 15-20 minutes. Blend to a fine paste adding atablespoon of milk and a tablespoon of oil to make a very thin batter. Add a teaspoon ofaggery powder and a pinch of cardamom powder. Mix well. Pour the batter into a deep

pan and stir consistently over a low flame for 7-8 minutes. The batter should leave thesides of the pan and become a ball of hard dough twirling around the ladle. Continuestirring for a minute more or until it gets difficult to stir. Remove and empty into a widerimmed dish. Smear the palms with a teaspoon of oil and knead this dough to to removelumps. Using a little oil, mould the dough into a thin cord. Tear bits of of it and makeinto small marbles. Add a quarter cup of water to jaggery and stir enough to melt it.

Strain to remove scum. Adding a cup more of water to it add the rice marbles to it.Return this jaggery liquid to the flame and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Keep aside to cool.In another pan stir in the coconut milk or milk and boil for a minute. Add the jaggery tothis milk mixture and stir. Break cashew into small bits and fry in a teaspoon of gheeuntil light brown. Remove and add raisins and stir for 20 seconds until they puff up.Add this, the cardamom powder and the remaining ghee to the paal kuzhakattai and stirfor 2 minutes. Serve warm or cooled.

Sweet Semolina Ballsrava laadu



4 cups Semolina

3 cups Powdered Sugar

1 cup Clarified Butter/Ghee


½ cup Cashewnuts, bits

In a tablespoon of ghee roast the semolina for 2 minutes until it turns transparent. Or

spread it flat in a dish and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Empty into a shallow, widerimmed dish. In a tablespoon of ghee, roast the cashew for a few seconds until a lightgolden in colour. Add this, sugar and the cardamom powder to the roasted semolina andmix well. Keep aside. Melt the ghee and pour it hot into the semolina and mix again.Shape firmly in your palms and prepare golf-sized balls of rava laadus.

Tasty Tip: Powder the roasted semolina in a blender if you wish. Some like it a littlecrunchy. The balls have to be moulded while the mixture is hot as the ghee may congealand prevent the mixture from becoming laadus. Smear some ghee on your hands before

you pick up the mixture to shape.



VINAYAGA CHATHURTHI



VINAYAKA CHATHURTHI

Lord Ganesha’s birthday is celebrated all over India with great happiness and joy. Knownas Vinayaka Chaturthi the festival is observed in the month of aavani (August-September)on the shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon). The festival lasts for 10 days,ending on ananta chaturdashi. Vinayaka or Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvathi, isworshipped as the supreme god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. He is always thefirst deity to be invoked in any puja as he is the remover of all obstacles. Every other pujabegins with a little dedication to Ganesha. This day is however specially dedicated to himand all his favourite food is cooked that day.

A snake acts as a belt around his gigantic stomach and he sits on the rat, his vehicle.Ganesha is shown holding a trishul (trident), an ankush made from his own broken tooth, alotus and his favourite food, modhaka or kuzhakattai in found in his four hands.

In Tamil Nadu a freshly made wet clay figure of Ganesha is garlanded and placed on aplantain leaf on top of a wooden platform etched with a wet kolam. The figure isdecorated with a gold chain, a sacred thread and a small dhothi (sarong) is draped aroundhis torso. For the feast individual items are normally made in odd numbers—5, 7, 9 or 11varieties and the same numbers of each item. During the puja white and red flowers andall types of grasses and leaves are used for the worship. Betel leaves, betel nuts, coconuts,plantains, guavas, wood apple, country apple and tender cucumbers are also offered.

Dishes prepared are:

Rice Steamed Parcels, Sweet Filling For Parcels, Savoury Filling For Parcels,Steamed Rice Parcels, Steamed Cup-Cakes, Lentil Pudding, Sesame Brittle, Brown

Chick Pea Snack, and, a ‘Mahaneiveivedhiyam’ (consisting of cooked rice and dal witha dollop of ghee).

Steamed Rice Parcelskuzhakattai



Flavourful South Indian dimsums the kuzhakattai is a delectable dish made in everytambram home on Lord Ganesha’s birthday. it is popularly known as modhakas ormodaks. Preparing this with loving care is an art - not difficult to master.

Dough For The Parcels:

1 cup Rice

1 cup Water

¼ cup Warm Milk

A pinch Salt

2 tbsps Sesame Oil

Soak the rice in 1 cup of hot water for 15-20 minutes. Drain water and blend to a finepaste adding very little of that water. Add the rest of the water, milk, oil and salt to makea very thin batter. Pour the batter in a non-stick saucepan. Ensure to maintain a mediumflame and stir constantly for 12-13 minutes until the batter leaves the sides of the pan,turning into a soft dough and rolling itself firmly round the ladle. Continue stirring for 4more minutes. Remove and empty into a wide rimmed dish. Cool the dough a little,smear the palms with a teaspoon of oil and knead this dough to ensure there are no lumps.This is a very important process as you should not see small cracks when you prepare theballs. Wet a thin muslin cloth to tuck around the dough and close it with a lid. Grease

the hands with a drop of oil and make lemon-sized, firm marbles of the dough. You makesmall ones for the sweet fillings and slightly large ones for the spicy fillings Mould themto round or, oval boat shape, according to the fillings. The kuzhakattai is a little cup inwhich the filling is placed and then covered up with the outer dough. Hold it in yourfingers and press a crater with the thumbs. Rotate the dough between the thumb andfingers (place the thumb in the inner base and the fingers around the outer base. Place yourother thumb below the right thumb and work your way until the rice base is thin and youhave a cup shape. The round cups with the pointed top/horn is filled with the coconut,aggery fudge. The oval shaped cup is for the spicy black gram crumble. Ensure the

outer cup is thin. Steam the kuzhakattais in idli moulds (place 3 or 4 in each mould) afterpre-heating the water in the rice cooker. Within 7-8 minutes, you will observe tiny beadsof water forming all round the kuzhakattais. If the kuzhakattais are undercooked the riceflour covering will be sticky to taste. If so, microwave for 2 minutes with the lid off. The



sweet and spicy filling kuzhakattais and the steamed marbles are on the following pages.

Timely Tip: If the spice and the measurements are right you are set! You can cheatwith moulds that are available in the Indian groceries to make these parcels. But I wouldsuggest to go through the traditional process of preparing this tasty dish in all its forms.

Savoury Filling For Parcelsulutham poornam kuzhakattai

For the Savoury Filling

¾ cup Husked Whole Black Gram/Whole

Husked Urad Dal

3-4 Green Chillies

1/3 tsp Asafoetida Powder


½ tsp Salt

1 tsp Oil

Soak the dal in a cup of hot water for about 20 minutes. Drain the water and blend into

a very coarse batter with chillies, asafoetida powder and salt. Add a little more water ifnecessary to grind better. Steam this paste in a dish placed in the rice-cooker for about15-20 minutes or when a wooden pick/fork inserted in the center comes out clean. Scoopinto a plate and cut into pieces. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Crumble the



steamed usili to ensure no lumps remain. Set aside. In a deep pan, heat the oil and popthe mustard. Add the crumbled usili and gently stir over a low fire for a minute. Setaside. Taste to check on the salt and spice content. It gets a little more bland whensteamed as a filling. Let it remain a little lumpy in texture. This way the filling can bepressed down and sealed in the boat shaped kuzhakattai. Use this filling for the savourykuzhakattais. Use a boat shaped dough base and fill with this savoury crumble. Follow

the recipe ‘Steamed Rice Parcels’ to prepare the dough base. Steam the kuzhakattais inidli-moulds (place 4 or 5 in each mould) after pre-heating the water in the rice cooker.

Within 7-8 minutes, you will observe tiny beads of water forming all round thekuzhakattais. If the kuzhakattais are undercooked the rice flour covering will be sticky.If so, microwave for 2 minutes with the lid off. To steam in a microwave, flatten thebatter in a wide dish and zap it in the microwave on high for 2 minutes. Remove and

crumble.

Important Note: Fill this spice crumble with a spoon. Press it down gently and ensurethat the borders does not have the crumble sticking on it. Once this is done you can seal

the boat-shaped cup better.

Sweet Filling For Parcelsthengai poornam kuzhakattai

For The Sweet Filling:

3 cups Coconut, grated

1¾ cups Molasses/Jaggery/Gur Powder

½ tsp Cardamom Powder/Elaichi

1 cup Water



Follow recipe for preparing the rice cups in the recipe ‘Steamed Rice Parcels’. Addwater to jaggery and melt over a low flame. Strain to remove the scum. Set aside. In adeep non-stick pan, add the jaggery and the grated coconut and keep stirring for 5 to 7minutes on a medium high flame. Continue scrapping the corners so it does not turncrusty. In effect keep the pan clean on all sides. When the water from the jaggerycompletely evaporates, lower the heat, add the cardamom powder and continue to stir for7-8 minutes or until it turns into an almost sticky fudge. Remove from fire and scoopinto a bowl. Prepare small lime-sized balls to use as kuzhakattai filling. Finish off with

a pointed top. Steam the kuzhakattais in idli-moulds (place 3 or 4 in each mould) afterpre-heating the water in the rice cooker. Within 7-8 minutes, you will observe tiny beadsof water forming all round the kuzhakattais. If the kuzhakattais are under cooked the riceflour covering will be sticky. If so, microwave for 2 minutes with the lid off.

Timely Tip: Optionally add a spoon of clarified butter/ghee in the final stages of makingthe fudge.



Steamed Rice Marblesmani kuzhakattai

1 cup Rice

1 cup Water

¼ cup Warm Milk





4 tbsps Oil

¼ tsp Salt

To Prepare the Black Gram Crumble:

½ cup Husked Whole Black Gram/Whole Husked Urad Dal

3-4 Green Chillies


¼ cup Coconut, grated (optional)


8 Curry Leaves

½ cup Coriander Leaves, chopped finely

½ tsp Salt

Soak the rice in 1 cup of hot water for 15-20 minutes. Drain water and blend to a finepaste adding very little of that water. Add the rest of the water, milk, chilly powder,asafoetida powder, oil and salt to make a very thin batter. Pour the batter in a non-sticksaucepan. Ensure a medium flame and stir constantly for 12-13 minutes until the batterleaves the sides of the pan, and turns into a soft dough by rolling itself firmly round theladle. Remove and empty into a wide rimmed dish. Cool the dough a little, smear thepalms with a teaspoon of oil and knead this dough to ensure there are no lumps. Wet athin muslin cloth, tuck it around the dough and close with a lid. Keep aside for 5 to 10

minutes. Grease the hands take bits of the dough and roll it in your palm to make thincords. Tear off bits to make marbles. Steam these marbles by heaping them in the idli-moulds for about 8-10 minutes. Smaller marbles steam faster. Open the lid of thecooker and when you notice the beads of water formed on it, remove and cool for 5



minutes. Now use a spoon gently push them into a bowl. Separate the marbles if they are

stuck together.

The Lentil Crumble:

Soak the lentil in a cup of hot water for 20 minutes. Drain the water and blend into avery coarse batter with green chillies, asafoetida powder and salt. Steam this batter in adish placed in the rice cooker for about 15-20 minutes or until a wooden pick/fork insertedinside the batter comes out clean. Scoop it out into a flat plate and cut into pieces andallow to cool for about 5 minutes. Crumble and keep aside. Heat some oil in a deepskillet and pop the mustard. Add some of the curry leaves, the crumbled lentil and stir.Add the grated coconut. Add a pinch more of chilly powder if you like it spicier. Gentlystir them all together for a couple of minutes making certain that the lentil remainscrumbly and soft to touch. Add the steamed balls and rest of the curry leaves and finelychopped coriander leaves into the pan. Stir all this together for 30 seconds. Switch offthe flame.

Timely Tip: Optionally you may omit the lentil crumble and season the marbles withmustard, asafoetida, curry leaves, chilly powder, if required and sauté.

Steamed Savoury Cup-Cakeidli

4 cups Boiled Rice

1 cups Husked Whole Black Gram /Husked Whole Urad

Dal

10 cups Water

2½ tbsps Salt

Soak the rice separately in 7 cups water for 3 hours. Soak the gram in 3 cups of waterfor 3 hours too. Now drain and blend the black gram either in a blender or a wet grinderadding the water little by little until it becomes a foamy and fluffy batter. Keep aside.Now drain the rice and blend adding water (2½ cups little by little) until it is finely





a medium flame, melt jaggery in half a cup of water and stir it consistently for 8-10

minutes or until the syrup becomes thick and sticky. Use the same method of the jaggeryconisitency as detailed in ‘Puffed Rice Jaggery Balls’ on page 70. Take off the flame andadd the toasted sesame into the piping hot jaggery sauce. Mix thoroughly. Rub someghee on your palms and prepare firm golf-sized balls whilst still hot. Cool and store in

air-tight containers.

Brown Chick Pea Snackkonda kadalai sundal

2 cups Brown Chick Peas /Garbanzo Beans

¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper/Chilly Powder



3 tbsps Coconut, grated

½ tsp Salt

For The Seasoning:


1 Dried Red Chilly, halved

10 Curry Leaves


1 tbsp Oil

Soak the brown chick peas, preferably in hot water for 1 hour. Cook over a mediumflame with a little salt for 15-20 minutes, or until soft, but not mushy. Or, pressure-cookfor a whistle, lower flame and cook for 5 minutes. When the pressure reduces completelyopen lid and use. Strain and set aside. Heat the oil and pop the mustard; now fry thechilly. Add asafoetida and stir for 5 seconds. Add the brown chick peas, chilly powderand required salt and mix well. Cook for 5 minutes on a low flame. Add gratedcoconut, wet and crushed curry leaves stir for 5 seconds and remove from flame. Garnishwith raw mango bits if you like a tangy flavour.

Lentil Puddingparuppu payasam

3 cups Milk/Coconut Milk

2 tbsps Split Husked Green Gram/Split Husked Moong Dal

3 tbsps Bengal Gram



1 tbsp Rice Flour

2 tbsps Coconut, grated and blended

½ cup Jaggery/Gur/Molasses

1 tbsp Cashewnuts


2 tbsps Clarified Butter

Break cashewnuts into medium bits and fry in a teaspoon of ghee until golden and setaside. Soak both the grams in hot water for 15 minutes and cook until mushy. Orpressure cook for one whistle lower flame and cook for 3 minutes. Open lid when thehissing ceases. Mash lightly and set aside. Add rice flour and the blended coconut tothe grams. Add a quarter cup of water to jaggery and melt over a low flame. Strain toremove scum. Heat and boil the milk. Lower the flame and thicken for 6-7 minutes,stirring now and then. In another pan add the jaggery liquid, the rice and coconut pasteand the gram paste and stir well. Switch off the flame and keep aside for 10 minutes so itcools a little. Now place over a low flame and add the milk and cardamom powder andstir for a couple of minutes. Stir in the ghee and take off the flame.

Tasty Tip: Substitute ready-made coconut milk. Take care to cool before adding

coconut milk to the hot payasam as it may otherwise curdle. Generally no milk or coconutmilk is added to this dessert. I add for the extra wonderful flavour.





NAVARATHRI

NAVARATHRI

The festival of Navarathri is celebrated for nine days during the month of Purataasi(September-October) or Aippasi (October-November), starting on the first day after thenew moon. It is a celebration of the female trinity of Saraswathi (Goddess of learning),

Lakshmi (Goddess of wealth and prosperity) and Durga (Goddess of strength and power).The festival celebrates the end of the demons Chanda, Munda, Sumbha and Nisumbhawho were destroyed by various forms of Durga.

On the new moon day, beautiful dolls made of wood, ceramic, papier mache and othermaterials, are arranged on steps inside the in the living room. This arrangement is calledKolu. Kolams made from wet rice flour are drawn. It is a social occasion too. Friends andrelatives are invited during the nine days of Navarathri and offered thamboolam-kumkum,betel leaves and nuts, turmeric, coconut, fruits. Ornamental accessories like mirrors, mini

combs and bindhis (red dots decorating foreheads of Hindu women) are also given astakeaways. The sundal - healthy lentil salad is offered to the guests while they view thedoll display. The Lalitha Sahasranamam (1008 names of Durga) is read all the nine days ofthe festival. Music is an integral part of this festival and all guests express their talents bysinging traditional, classical and light music. Each day a different lentil snack or sundal isprepared and on the ninth day the nine gram salad - the nava dhanya sundal is traditionallymade. After sunset, an ‘arathi’ — a mixture of lime paste vermilion and turmeric powderdissolved in water—is circled around the Goddess and emptied on to a kolam drawn onthe threshold of the home.

The nine days of Navarathri come to an end with Saraswathi puja when the deity isinstalled on a pedestal and books and musical instruments that are symbols of learning thefine arts and academics are placed before her and worshipped. On this day a feast isprepared with fried coconut fudge, and black gram savoury doughnut. The tenth day is



celebrated as Vijayadasami. This was the day that Godess Durga rested after her epicbattle with the wicked Mahishasur. She honoured the weapons that helped her win andsucceed in her mission. The new learners, from toddlers to adventurers of the performingarts are initiated into these arts on this day. Even the veterans of the arts go and learnsomething new from their guru Vijaydasami day.

In the North Navrathri celebrates the victory of Lord Rama over the wicked Ravana. On

the tenth day Ram-Leela is celebrated and towering effigies of Ravana, his son Meghnathand his brother Kumbhakarna are set ablaze with fire crackers with dancing and greatmerriment. In Gujarat the nine days are Garba and Dandiya Raas time when the wholecommunity rejoices and joins in the dancing and merriment. On this day mixed rices alsoknown as chitranams are prepared.

Fried Coconut Fudgesugian

3½ cups Idli Batter (Ganesh Chathurthi Recipe)

1 cup Jaggery/Gur

3 cups Coconut, grated


1 tsp Clarified Butter/Ghee

Oil For Deep Frying



Add half a cup of water to jaggery and melt over a low flame. Strain to remove scum.Return the jaggery syrup to the flame, add the grated coconut and cook on a mediumflame stirring continuously for 4 minutes. When the water evaporates lower flame,stirring all the while. (Please refer to page 38 for ‘Sweet Filling For Parcels’). When itleaves the sides of the pan and becomes a sticky mass, add the cardamom powder andghee. Mix well and take off the flame. Prepare small firm balls of the mixture. Dipthese balls in the idli batter and deep fry in oil on a low flame. With a slotted ladle orspatula, turn gently until light golden on all sides. Remove from flame and place on aplate spread with a kitchen paper towel.

Tasty Tip: If the batter is not to a very thick consistency add a tablespoon of rice batter,mix well to thicken.

Dried White Peas Snackvelle patani sundal

2 cups Dried White Peas



10 Curry Leaves



2 tsps Lime Juice / Lemon Juice

1/3 tsp Salt

1 tbsp Oil







Peanut Snackverkadalai sundal

1½ cups Whole Peanuts

½ tsp Salt

For The Seasoning:


¼ tsp Turmeric Powder

¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper/Chilly Powder

10 Curry Leaves

2 tbsps Coriander Leaves (optional)


1 tbsp Oil

Soak 1½ cups of dried peanuts in boiling water for 4 to 5 hours and steam with salt in 4cups of water until soft. Or, pressure-cooker for a whistle lower flame and cook for 10minutes. When the pressure reduces completely open and use. Heat the oil and pop themustard. Add the cooked peanuts, turmeric powder, chilly powder, asafoetida, and therequired salt. Stir for 2 minutes. Wet and crush the curry leaves and add. Switch offthe flame. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Whole Green Gram Spicy Salad



muzhu payatham paruppu sundal

1 cup Whole Green Gram/Whole Moong Dal


½ tsp Salt

2 tbsps Oil

Roast An Powder:

2 tbsps Coriander Seeds

4 Dried Red Chillies

1 tsp Bengal Gram/Chana Dal

For Seasoning:


½ tsp Asafoetida

10 Curry Leaves

Soak the green gram, preferably in hot water, for 1 hour. Boil a cup of water and salt ina deep pan. Steam the dal over a medium flame for about 15 minutes until cooked butnot mushy. Or, pressure cook for a whistle, lower flame and cook for 4 minutes. Whenthe pressure reduces completely remove lid and use. Heat the oil and pop the mustardadding the asafoetida. Add the cooked gram with the water, blended spice, coconut,required salt and stir to mix well. Add wet and crushed curry leaves and remove from

flame.Tasty Tip: The 3 spice roasted blend can be made in a large quantity and can be used forother sundal dishes. Peeled raw mango bits give an interesting flavor to the sundal.





2 cups Husked Split Green Gram/Husked Split Moong Dal

1 tsp Lime/Lemon Juice


½ tsp Salt

For The Seasoning:


3-4 Green Chillies, slit

2” piece Fresh Ginger, peeled crushed

3 tbsps Grated Coconut


10 Curry leaves

1½ tbsps Oil

Soak the green gram, preferably in hot water, for an hour. Boil a cup of water and saltin a deep pan. Add the green gram and simmer it for about 10 minutes until cooked butnot mushy. Strain and set aside. Heat the oil and pop the mustard. Add the greenchillies, ginger, asafoetida and stir for a few seconds. Add the parboiled gram and stir fora minute. Take off the flame and add wet and crushed curry leaves and grated coconut.

Sweet Black-Eyed Beanskaramani sundal

2 cups Black-Eyed Beans



2 cups Jaggery/Gur Powder




A pinch Salt

Soak the black-eyed beans, preferably in hot water, for 20-30 minutes. Cook in saltwater for 10-15 minutes or until soft. Or, pressure-cook for a whistle and lower flame tocook for 2 minutes. When the pressure reduces completely open and use. Add a quarter

cup of water to jaggery and melt over a low flame. Strain to remove scum. Add thecardamom powder and grated coconut and stir for about 5 minutes. Add the cookedblack-eyed beans and stir continuously for about 10 minutes or until the whole dish gelstogether. Add ghee and take off the flame. Serve cooled or warmed.

Dried Green Peas Saladpache patani sundal

2 cups Dried Green Peas

1 Medium Raw Mango, peeled, chopped fine



10 Curry Leaves





1/3 tsp Salt

1 tbsp Oil

Soak the dried peas, preferably in hot water, for 2 hours. Boil a cup of water and salt ina deep pan. Steam the peas over a medium flame for about 15 minutes until cooked butnot mushy. Or, pressure cook for a whistle, lower flame and cook for 5 minutes. Whenthe pressure reduces completely strain and set aside. Heat the oil and pop the mustard.Add the asafoetida. Add the white peas, chilly powder, required salt and mix well. Tossin peeled and chopped raw mango and grated coconut. Stir in wet and crushed the curryleaves. Remove from flame.



Field Beans Tossmoche kotta sundal

2 cups Dried Field Beans Or, Fresh Field Beans

½ tsp Crushed Red Pepper/Chilly Flakes


½ tsp Salt



For The Seasoning:



12 Curry Leaves

1 tbsp Oil

Boil 2 cups of water and salt in a deep pan. Add the field beans and simmer for about20 minutes on a medium flame, until soft but not mushy. Or pressure cook for a whistle,lower flame and cook for 3 minutes. (If you have the dried variety you need to soak it inhot water for 2 hours and then cook them). When the pressure reduces completely strainand set aside. Heat the oil and pop the mustard. Add the asafoetida, the field beans,chilly flakes and required salt and stir. Add grated coconut, wet and crushed curry leaves.

Mix well and remove from flame. Garnish with raw mango bits if you like a tangyflavour. This sundal can also be prepared with lima beans.





Nine Gram Saladnavadhaanya sundal

A special sundal prepared on the ninth day of Navarathri.

3 tbsps Chick Peas/Garbanzo Beans

3 tbsps Groundnuts

3 tbsps Brown Chick Peas

3 tbsps Dried White Peas

3 tbsps Dried Yellow Peas

3 tbsps Husked Split Green Gram/Husked Split Moong Dal

3 tbsps Bengal Gram/Chana Dal

3 tbsps Field Beans

3 tbsps Black-Eyed Beans

1 Medium Raw Mango, peeled and chopped fine



1/3 tbsp Salt

For The Seasoning:



10 Curry Leaves

1 tbsp Oil



Soak all the dals in hot water -

White chick peas for 5 hours.Groundnuts for 1 hour.Brown chick peas, dried white peas and dried yellow peas together for 40 minutes.Green gram, bengal gram, field beans, black-eyed beans together for 30 minutes.

Mix all the nine grams in a large pan. Cook over a medium flame for 20 minutes untilsoft, but not mushy. Or, pressure cook for a whistle, lower flame and cook for 5 minutes.

Strain and set aside. Heat the oil, lower the flame and pop the mustard. Add theasafoetida, dals, chilly powder and required salt. Stir in wet and crushed curry leaves andmix well. Add the raw mango and grated coconut.



Dr Priya Selvaraj and Dr Kamala Selvaraj’s fabulous annual Golu. In their home its a truecelebration of God with priests chanting on the Devis! A proud Dr Priya posing beforetheir doll display.



Most of the marapatchi dolls are made of a wood that has intense medicinal value. Foundin the forests of Tirupathi the abode of Lord Venkateshwara, the creative carvings done ona block of marapachi wood is minimalistic one that captures the mood and temperament ofthe doll. Every south Indian girl cherishes her pair of marapachi bommai that is given toher in her marriage. Handed down through generations it is kept on display during theNavarathri festival. There is an interesting story that these dolls dressed as bride andgroom helps in reminding one on their marriage day as pictures of a wedding were non-existent. Here the 3 generation hostesses in the NRN Iyer family posing proudly beforetheir Marapachi treasure!



DEEPAVALI or DIVALI

DEEPAVALI or DIVALI

Deepavali the festival of lights, is the most important Indian festival amongst the Hindus.On the night of the fourteenth day before the new moon in the month of aippasi (October-November) this festival is celebrated in a grand manner. The festival marks the end of themonsoon but there may be a spanner in the works thrown in by the weather Gods and itcould be a damp Deepavali! People celebrate the victory of Lord Krishna overNarakasura, the powerful demon king who imprisoned and tortured thousands of people.

The legend says that before vanquishing the demon, the Lord asked Narakasura to ask fora boon. Narakasura replied that he wanted people to rejoice and not to mourn his death.They should celebrate the end of evil and wear new clothes and burst crackers with greatenthusiasm and joy. So Deepavali came to be celebrated to signify the triumph of good



over evil. The grand preparations begin a few days before. Deepavali means eating. Eatingbrings on indigestion. So you need a remedy. In many families in South India Marundu orLehiyam is part of the early morning festivities of Deepavali. A little dollop of a blacklehiyam is first given to the family members to swallow immediately after the ritual oilbath. Then the mouth is sweetened followed by a savoury and then the new clothes to beworn are handed over. The house is cleaned and the tedious preparations of the

bhakshanams or munchies begins. Dishes like, badhaam halwa, kunja laadu, mixtureand thattai are prepared though each family have their own favourite dishes. New clothesare stitched, crackers bought and plans for family get-togethers are made.

In the night before, the new clothes and firecrackers are placed on a wooden plank in frontof the family deities. Sesame oil is heated with pepper and jeera and the seeyakai is keptready for the ritual oil bath. Seeyakai is a natural astringent for hair enhancing. It clearsdandruff and being a natures conditioner for the hair, seekakai strengthens hair roots andpromotes luxuriant growth. Soaked and blended rice kolams, with borders of red oxide aredrawn at the entrance and all over the house. Mango leaf garlands are hung at doorways

and flowers are strung together to decorate homes. Before the crack of dawn on Deepavalimorning, the eldest lady in the family applies the tempered sesame oil three times on theheads of all the family members. Then the family has the ritualistic oil bath and a smalllemon sized ball of Deepavali lehiyam is the first intake of food that morning. Thismedicine is given to prevent indigestion that may occur because of the glut of fried stuffand virundu saapadu or a feast. Excitement mounts as children enjoy bursting crackers allday and night. Deepavali lehiyam is available in ‘Grand Sweets’ and ‘Suswaad’ inChennai. But this lehiyam can be prepared at home too. Newly-weds are invited to thebride’s parental home. They celebrate their thalai deepavali (first deepavali after their

wedding) with presents from the bride’s family. The groom’s family too join in thecelebrations that is followed by a sumptuous lunch with vadai, payasam, pachadi,popadams and sweets.

Dishes prepared on this day:

Grandma’s sweet fudge, saffron-almond fudge, sugar coated gram balls, munchymedley, and savoury biscuits (In the Krishna Jayanthi Chapter).

Grandma’s Sweet Fudge



deepavali lehiyam

This lehiyam or medicine is a digestive and is truly tasty. It is a mixture of herbs andspices cooked in ghee and jaggery and eaten first thing in the morning for a few daysfollowing the festival.

2 tsps Peppercorn

2½ tsps Cumin Seeds/Jeera

2½ tsps Coriander Seeds

3 tbsps Oregano/Omam/Ajwain/

10-12 sticks Desavaram/KandaThipili (optional)

½ tsp Nutmeg

200gms Brown Sugar

50gms Ghee

75gms Honey

100 gms Dry Ginger Or,

10” piece Fresh Peeled Ginger

Smash all the dry and medicinal ingredients in a large mortar and pestle. Dissolve themin hot water and soak all for 15 minutes. Grind into a soft paste in a blender. Add half acup of water and thoroughly mix up the paste and place in a heavy bottomed wok or pan.

Cook the mixture on a slow flame stirring all the time with a ladle to ensure it does not

form lumps. When the water is nearly evaporated add and stir the brown sugar into it.Add spoonfuls of ghee and keep stirring. When the lehiyam comes to a ball and the gheeis separated from it turn off the heat. Stir in the honey and store in an airtight container.Take one spoon of lehiyam on Divali day after taking a bath and before you eat anything



else.

Tasty Tip: This lehiyam can also be made using readymade powders that are availablein many naatu marundhu shops around Chennai particaularly in Kutcheri Road. Mix thepowder with 2 times the water and cook in a heavy bottomed wok. Now add brown sugarand clarified butter and stir until the paste comes together and the clarified butter isseparated. Naatu marundhu is usually referred to ancient grandmother’s medicines or

recipes.

Saffron Almond Fudgebadham halwa

There is a fascinating relationship between an almond and saffron. It is as though onecannot taste better without the other!

2½ cups Almonds

1¾ cups Sugar

½ cup Milk

A few Strands Saffron

1 cup Clarified Butter/Ghee

Soak the almonds in hot water for 30 minutes. Peel and blend into a coarse paste, usingvery little milk and set aside. Or, soak the almonds in a little water and microwave for acouple of minutes. Strain the water and peel. Prepare the saffron by mashing it in alittle hot milk until the milk turns a deep orange. In a deep non-stick saucepan, mix thesugar and almond paste and stir over a medium fire for 5-7 minutes. Add the rest of themilk and keep stirring until the mixture thickens and begins to leave the sides of thesaucepan. Now add the mashed saffron and freshly melted ghee. Stir for a minute and

remove from fire. Serve this fudge hot or cooled.



Sugar Coated Gram Ballskunja laadu

This is an iconic of the Tirupathi laadu that is famous throughout the country as anexceptional sweet offered to the Lord. Laadus known by their Sanskrit name as‘laddukam’ are one of the few sweets that are mentioned in the Hindu epics of Ramayana

and Mahabharata. In its food aspects its one of the few dishes that is considered sattva ifyou want to follow the path of moderation.

2½ cups Bengal Gram flour/Besan

3 cups Sugar

2 tbsps Cashewnuts, halved

½ tsp Crushes Cardamom

Few Strands of Saffron

1 tsp Clarified Butter/Ghee

2 cups Oil, for frying

Add 1½ cups water to the chana dhal flour (besan) and mix well to make a thick batter ofdropping consistency. Heat the oil and drop a ladleful of batter through a slotted spoonwith rounded, pea-size holes. Fry until uniformly golden and crisp. Roast thecashewnuts in ghee until golden. Smash the saffron in a little hot milk until the milkturns a deep orange. In a deep saucepan, add a cup of water to the sugar and stir until itbecomes a syrup of one-string consistency. Take it between your thumb and forefinger;stick both fingers and separate. When you find a thin string separating the fingers it isready for the fried gram to be added. Take off the flame. Add the saffron liquid and

cardamom. Set aside. Add these boondhis to the sugar syrup while the syrup is still hot.Add the fried cashewnuts and cardamom powder and mix well. Grease your palms with

ghee and mould into firm golf-sized balls. Cool and store in an air-tight container.Crush the cardamom with the skin and use. This is done with the Tirupathi ladoos. Youmay use ghee instead of oil to fry the boondhis.

Munchy Medley

deepavali mixture

The mixture is an interesting snack as the ingredients and the various items that go into itvaries from family to family. The size and texture of the ingredients can also vary





Mix both flours adding asafoetida, and butter. Add a quarter cup of lukewarm water todissolve the salt. Keep stirring and gradually add the besan sufficient enough to make asoft dough. Insert the metal disc like a sieve with small holes into a thenguzhal press. Ina deep saucepan or wok, heat the oil. Fill the press with enough dough so that the upperpart of the press sits comfortably. Hold the press over the hot oil and firmly press it downand the dough will be squeezed out in long, thin noodle shapes. Make a circular motion

and drop it into the oil. A sizzling sound can be heard as the sev fries. When it ceases,turn the round shaped mass of sev gently with a slotted ladle. Use the ladle to sprinkle oilover the omapodi. (Keep a medium flame right through the cooking process). When lightgolden in colour drain and place on a kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil. Fry all thedough in batches and store in a large air tight container.

Second Snack

boondhi

2 cups Bengal Gram Flour/Besan

½ cup Rice Flour

½ tsp Chilly Powder

¼ tsp Soda-Bicarb/Cooking Soda (optional)


1-1¼ tsps Salt

2 cups Oil for frying

Prepare a thick paste of dropping consistency with the besan and rice flours by adding acup of water with salt, asafoetida, cooking soda (optional) and chilly powder. Heat theoil and keep on medium flame throughout. Use a slotted spoon with fine holes and holdit close to the oil. Pour the batter into the ladle and shake it or gently tap it against the



pan. Or spread the batter with another flat spoon and let droplets fall into the oil.Quickly stir the droplets or boondis and fry until golden in colour. Drain and place on akitchen tissue. Fry the batter in batches. You can mix the batter for the boondhi in the

used bowl after you have fried the sev. Saves washing up!

Third Snackavul pori

4 cups Beaten Rice/Thick Poha

Oil For Deep Frying

In a deep pan/wok heat the oil and keep on medium flame throughout. Drop a cupful ofbeaten rice and quickly stir it and ladle hot oil over it until it puffs up. The rice should becrisp and light golden and very light in weight. Drain and fry batches until done. (Youcan use a long handled deep sieve. Easy to drain the fried rice). Spread on kitchenpaper to absorb the excess oil.

For The Seasoning:

2 cups Cashews/Almonds, halved

1 cup Raisins

1 cup Roasted Gram /Bhunna Chana

1 cup Peanuts, with skin

1 tbsp Mustard seeds

8-10 Dried Red Chillies

1 tbsp Asafoetida Powder

1 tbsp Clarified Butter

15 Curry Leaves

1 tbsp Sesame Oil

In the ghee, fry the cashews, badams and peanuts until golden in colour. Add the curryleaves and stir for ten seconds until they turn crisp. Fry the raisins in ghee for 10 secondsuntil they puff up. Pop the mustard in the sesame oil and add the asafoetida powder.



Add the sev, boondi and fried aval/poha to other ingredients. Add the powdered spicepowder. Mix all the ingredients together and store in an airtight container. You may add

slightly sweetened diamonds/shankarpali for added texture. Some people add mullumurukku bits as well! Use your creativity and stamp the mixture as your own concoction.



KARTHIGAI DEEPAM

Karthigai Deepam

Kaarthigai Deepam takes its name from the month (November-December) and starkaarthigai on which this festival of lights occurs. Its a very important festival in the South.It is celebrated over three days around the full moon day. Iyers and the Iyengars celebratethe festival on different days.

To prove the supremacy amongst the trinity, Brahma and Vishnu take up the challenge oflocating the top of the head and the feet of Lord Shiva. They fail in the task and Shivaappears as a divya jyothi (divine light) on the hill of Thiruvannamalai. The huge lamp thatis lit at sunset on a hill top is the famous abode of Ramana Maharishi. The highlighting ofthis festival is known as the Annamalai Deepam.

Homes are cleaned and in the evening kolams are drawn in front of the houses and little

clay lamps are placed as decoration on it. Lamps also decorate homes after a ritual lightingof all the lamps in the house and a deeparathanai inside the puja room. The lamps glow allover the streets. Clay oil lamps are usually lit outside around the house and brass andsilver lamps are arranged inside homes.

On the third day, a lamp is compulsorily lit at the back of the house where the garbage binis kept and is called ‘kuppai karthigai’. The holistic approach of Hinduism to recognizeand acclaim every aspect of daily life in prayer and worship is demonstrated by this littlegesture.

Dishes prepared on this day:

Puffed rice-jaggery balls, coconut-lentils’ pancake and instant yoghurt spicy gravy.



Puffed Rice-Jaggery Ballspori urundai

There are two varieties of puffed rice available during Karthigai-nellu pori and avul pori.The avul pori gives a crispier texture. Puffed rice is available in the Indian grocery.Prepare urundais with nellu pori using the same measurements.

10 cups Puffed Rice

5 cups Molasses/Jaggery/Gur Powder

¼ cup Coconut, chopped fine

½ tsp Dried Ginger Powder

¾ tsp Cardamom Powder


Add 1½ cups of water to jaggery and melt over a low flame. Strain to remove scum.Return the syrup to the flame. Add ginger powder, cardamom powder and coconut and



allow to simmer. Stir continuously for 8-10 minutes until it thickens into a syrup.Check the consistency of the syrup by dropping a tiny drop into half a cup of water. Itshould not dissolve in water. You should be able to roll it into a tiny globule and whenyou throw it back into the water. When it makes a tingling sound it is ready. Take off theflame and quickly empty the puffed rice into the piping hot jaggery syrup. Mixthoroughly and empty into a greased dish, wide enough to hold the entire mixture.

Grease your palms with a little ghee and whilst still hot mould the mixture firmly intotennis-ball size rounds. Grease your palms afresh for each ball. Spread a kitchen paperand arrange the balls on it. Cool and then store in an air-tight container to retain its

crispness.

Coconut-Lentils’ Pancakethengai adai

Traditionally in a Tambram household adai is served with freshly made butter andpowdered jaggery on the saide. Serve with dhideer mor kuzhambu.

1 cup Rice

½ cup Red Gram/Thuvar Dal

¼ cup Husked Whole Black Gram/Husked Whole Urad Dal



1 cup Coconut, grated

10 Curry Leaves

½ cup Coriander Leaves, chopped fine

½ tsp Salt

Oil For Drizzling



Soak the rice and the lentils for about 30 minutes in hot water. Strain the water andkeep aside. Blend the rice and the 3 grams, red chillies, asafoetida and salt into a verycoarse batter. Add the grated coconut, curry leaves and coriander leaves to the batter.Add a quarter cup of the strained water if the batter is too thick. Heat a non-sticksaucepan/wok or an iron griddle. Lightly grease with sesame or vegetable oil. Keep theheat on medium throughout. Take a ladle of the batter and spread it on the skillet. Usethe bottom of the ladle to spread the batter working it thinly in a spiral motion. Alternate

between spreading and patting down the batter since the batter may stick to the bottom ofthe ladle. Poke a hole in the center with the edge of the spatula and drizzle oil in it andaround the edges. When the underneath turns a nice golden in colour turn it over andcook the other side for 30 seconds or until done.

Instant Yoghurt Spicy Gravydhideer mor kuzhambu

2 cups Yoghurt, beaten with ½ cup water

1 tbsp Rice Flour


¼ tsp Ginger Paste (optional)

8 Curry Leaves

½ tsp Salt

For The Seasoning:



1 Dried Red Chilly, halved



¼ tsp Fenugreek Seeds

¾ tsp Salt

Stir in the flour, asafoetida, turmeric powder, ginger paste and salt to the yoghurt andmix well. Heat the oil and pop the mustard. Stir in the red chilly for 5 seconds until itturns deep red and crispy. Add the fenugreek to brown; add the green chilly and stir for 5seconds. Mix all these ingredients to the yoghurt mixture and simmer over a mediumflame stirring for a minute. Wet, crush and add the curry leaves. When the gravythickens a little, remove from flame. Serve cooled as a side dish for the coconut-lentils’pancake.

Tasty Tip: Rice flour/gram flour is used as a thickening agent. Otherwise yoghurt tendsto curdle when heated.





THIRUVADHIRAI



THIRUVADHIRAI

This festival falls on Poornima (full moon day) in the month of Margazhi (December-January). The festival commemorates the grace bestowed on Nandanar, a devotee by LordShiva. This is the story of spiritual love and devotion of a poorshepherdwho made a longourney by foot to get a glimpse of the Lord in his dancingform, Nataraja, at the

Chidambaram temple. Being an untouchable, he was not allowed to enter the templewhere the idol was placed. Standing outside the hugegates, Nandanar sang to Nandi, thebull who was blocking the view and pleaded with him to move aside. Nandi was touchedby the devotion and moved aside and the ecstatic Nandanar could feast his eyes onNataraja.

The dishes offered to the deity that day is simple and yet tasty. It uses the seasonalvegetables and rice and jaggery that are at hand in most homes.

Dishes prepared: jaggery rice crumble and vegetable mélange.

Jaggery-Rice Crumblethiruvadhirai kali

2 cups Rice

3 cups Jaggery/Gur/ Or, Brown Sugar

2 tbsps Cashewnuts



2 tbsps Dried Raisins




Toast the rice on a medium flame for 10-12 minutes until deep golden in colour.Coarsely powder it in a blender. Cook in 7½ cups of water stirring occasionally to avoidlumps. Or, pressure cook for a whistle. Keep aside. When the pressure reducescompletely open and use. Ensure to crumble the cooked rice when cooled. Quarter thecashews and roast in a tablespoon of ghee until golden. Add the raisins for 10 secondsuntil they puff up. Over a medium flame, heat a cup of water in a deep pan. Add the

aggery to melt. Strain to remove scum. Return to the stove and add the steamed rice,grated coconut and cashew stirring continuously until it becomes a soft crumble. Add thecardamom powder and a tablespoon of ghee. Stir for a minute more until it mixes well.Add the rest of the ghee, stir and garnish with the cashews and raisins.

Vegetable Mélangethiruvadhirai kootu

1½ tbsps Tamarind Pulp

10 nos/ 50 g Broad Beans,

½ piece/1 lb Ash Gourd

¼ piece/¼ kilo Pumpkin

1 cup /400 g Field Beans, shelled

1 large/50 g Raw Banana



2 medium Sweet Potato

3 medium Carrots

1 large Potato (optional)

4-6 Green Chillies, slit



1 tsp Sambhar Powder


¾ tsp Salt

For The Seasoning:


15 Curry Leaves

2 tbsps Oil

Peel skins of ash gourd, pumpkin, sweet potato, potato, carrots, raw banana and dicethem into medium cubes. Pull off the string of the broad beans as you top and tail it.Now chop them into two. Boil 2 cups of water adding salt in a deep pan. Over amedium flame add vegetables, slit chillies and toss with a ladle until rich in colour. Tossin the turmeric, asafoetida and sambhar powder. Close lid and cook for 6-7 minutes oruntil the vegetables are soft but firm. Add the tamarind extract stir, and boil for 2 more

minutes. Keep aside. Heat the oil and pop the mustard seeds. Add and brown the gratedcoconut by stirring it for 3 minutes. Add the curry leaves and stir for a minute more.Finally add the vegetables and stir for 2 minutes until the gravy thickens. Ready madesambhar powder is available in the Indian groceried. Bottle gourd or green squash can be



used instead of ash gourd. Readymade sambar powder is available in the Indian groceries.





PONGAL

The first day of the Tamizh month of Thai (January-February) signifies the start of theharvest season with the Pongal festival. It marks the commencement of the Sun’s northerncourse known as the Utharaayanam. The festival takes place at the time when the sunenters the sign of Makaram or Capricorn, on the 13th of January. It is the only festival

based on the solar system in the Hindu calendar that fallson a fixed English date. All otherHindu festivals follow the lunar calendar. The name of the festival is derived from the ricepudding rice-lentil mélange or shakkarai pongal (prepared with freshly harvested rice,milk and jaggery.) Pongal means something overflowing. It is a big harvest festival spreadover four days.

The first day – Bhogi - is a day that marks the end of winter. It begins with an oil bath.The house is thoroughly cleaned and all unwanted articles like old clothes, books, bits ofwood are discarded and burnt in a bonfire in the evening. This symbolises the destruction

of unwanted emotions and feelings in our lives. Doorways are painted with vermilion andsandalwood paste, and colourful garlands of mangoleavesand flowers are hung. Thenpreparations are made for the next day’s puja like cleaning the courtyard or open terraceby washing and smearing it with cow-dung. Dishes prepared: poli and medhu vadai.

The second day Surya Pongal, is dedicated to the Sun God. In the rural areas, the festivalis celebrated in the verdant fields. Pretty kolams, like the chariot of the Sun God is drawnon the hardened cow-dung surface, and the pongal is cooked in a new earthenware potcalled Pongapanai, on an open fire. blessings. Sugarcane, grains, vegetables and fruits arealso offered. On this day Annalaksmi or Annapurani, the Goddess of Plenty and

Dhaanyalakshmi, the Goddessof bountiful harvest is worshipped. venn pongal, shakkaraipongal, and kootu are prepared.

The third day is called Mattu Pongal. This is the day when mixed rice preparations:puliyodharai, maangai saadham, thengai saadham and thayir saadham are cooked. Itis a day for picnics on the banks of the river that brings water to the paddy lands.Traditionally rasam is not cooked on the day of Kanu, as the food served that day arepicnic dishes and finger food. An interesting story related says that Lord Shivacommanded his bull nandi to go to earth and tell his devotees to have an oil bath everyday

and eat food twice a week. Nandi mixed up the message and asked the people to have anoil bath twice a week and eat everyday. An irate Shiva commanded nandi to remain onearth and help man plough his fields so that food would be available everyday. The day iscommemorated to the cow who gives milk and helps the farmer on the fields, pulls cartsand its dung - dried - is used as fuel to cook. Cattle are bathed and its horns painted inbright colours. Multi coloured beads, tingling bells, sheaves of corn, and flower garlandsare tied around the catttle’s necks. They are fed pongal and taken to the villange centrewhere young men race each other’s cattle in a charged atmosphere of festivity and revelry.Women and girls offered, coloured rice balls on fresh turmeric sappling leaves very early

in the morning to birds, praying for a long life for their brothers and the lasting bonding oftheir families. Boys in turn give generous money to their sisters and cousins. The fourthday is called Kannum Pongal and people visit family, temples and other entertainmentcentres.



Brown Sugar Lentil Pancakepoli

For The Dough:

2 cups Plain Flour


½ cup Clarified Butter/Ghee

Prepare dough with flour, 2 teaspoons of ghee, turmeric powder and 1/3 cup of water;

cover with a wet muslin cloth and set aside for 2 hours.

For The Filling:

1½ cups Bengal Gram/Chana Dal

2 cups Jaggery


½ tea Cardamom Powder

Soak the Bengal gram in hot water for 10 minutes and cook until soft. Or, pressure-cook with very little water for a whistle, lower flame and cook for 2-3 minutes. Whenthe pressure reduces completely, open and use. Cool and blend with the coconut into afine paste. Set aside. Add a ¼ cup of water to jaggery and melt over a low flame.



Strain to remove scum. Return the jaggery to the flame and simmer until it reaches aone-thread consistency. Add the cooked gram paste and cardamom powder, stir till it

becomes a soft dough and set aside.

For The Pancakes:

Make lime-sized balls of both the dough and the filling. Oil your palms and take a ballof dough and flatten it on the palm. Place a ball of filling in it and cover it completelywith the dough. Flatten and roll to about 1½″ in diameter. Place it gently on a greasednon-stick griddle over a low flame. Drizzle ghee deftly around the pancake. Turn overso that both the sides are light golden. Serve hot.

Black Gram Doughnutmedhu vadai

2 cups Husked Whole Black Gram/Husked Whole Urad Dal

4-5 Green Chillies

2 tbsps Sago

10 Curry leaves

2 tbsps Coriander Leaves

Oil For Frying

½ tsp Salt

Soak the sago in a cup of water hot water for 10 to 15 minutes. Soak the gram in hotwater for about 20 minutes. When the sago grows double in size squeeze out the waterfully and keep aside. Drain off all the water and blend the dhal along with the chilliesand salt into a fine thick batter. A blob of blended batter should float in water. Add thesago to the batter. Add the chopped coriander leaves, curry leaves and mix well. Heatoil in a deep saucepan/wok and maintain a medium heat throughout. Take a square piece



of plastic sheet or a banana leaf. Wet it with water, place in the palm and pat a ladle ofthe batter. Flatten it. Make a hole in the centre of the dough and slip it gently off the foilor a banana leaf into the hot oil. Prepare doughnuts of ¼ inch thickness. You can fry 3-4vadais at a time. With a slotted ladle, turn them gently until golden in colour. Spread an

absorbent paper napkin in a dish and place the vadais on it.

Tasty Tip: These lentil doughnuts need less salt as the side dishes have sufficient salt to

compensate. Substitute a medium-sized boiled potato for a sago. Chop into small bitsand blend with the gram. Sago or potato helps to bind the batter to prepare better andcrispier vadais.

Mushy Rice-Lentil Mélangeven pongal

1 cup Rice

¾ cup Husked Split Green Gram/Husked Split Moong Dal

1 tsp Peppercorns

½ tsp Ginger Paste


2 tbsps Cashewnuts, halved

8 Curry Leaves/


4 tbsps Oil

½ tsp Salt

Blend Into A Coarse Powder:

½ tsp Peppercorn

2 tsps Cumin Seeds

10 Curry leaves



Over a medium flame roast the moong dal in a pan for a minute or until the aroma isreleased. Mix with the rice, wash them well and cook in 4 cups of water till it becomes amash. Or, pressure cook for a whistle. Lower flame and cook for 3 minutes. When thepressure reduces completely, open and use. In a frying pan, heat a tablespoon of oil androast the peppercorns for seasoning, for a few seconds. Add ginger paste, asafoetidapowder, the powdered spices, cooked gram-rice and salt. Stir well scrapping the sidesand the bottom with a ladle for 3 minutes. If required, add ¼ cup of water so that thepongal turns soft and mushy. In a small pan, heat ½ teaspoon ghee and roast the cashewuntil golden. Add to the pongal. Remove from fire and add the rest of the oil and ghee.Wet, crush the curry leaves and add.

Sweet Rice-Lentil Mélangeshakkarai pongal

2 cups Rice

½ cup Husked Split Green Gram/Husked Split Moong Dal

2 cups Jaggery/Gur Powder

1 cup Cashewnuts

2 tbsps Raisins





Roast the moong dal in a pan for a few seconds until the aroma rises. Mix with the rice,wash well and cook in 6½ cups of water until very soft. Or, pressure cook for a whistlelower flame and cook for 3 minutes. Halve the cashewnuts and roast in a tablespoon ofghee until light golden. Now add the raisins and fry for a few seconds until they puff up.

Take off the flame and set aside. Add a cup of water to jaggery and melt over lowflame. Strain to remove scum. Return to the stove and add the cooked rice and dal,stirring continuously as it turns into a fudge. Add the cardamom powder and remaining

ghee. Place in a serving dish and garnish with the roasted cashewnuts and raisins.





Rice Puddingpal payasam

2½ litres Full Cream Milk / Half And Half

¾ cup Sugar

3 tbsps Rice


Wash and wipe the rice with a dry cloth. Heat the ghee and stir the rice for a fewseconds. Add the milk and boil in a deep saucepan. Keep stirring over a medium flameuntil it thickens to three-fourth the original quantity. Add the sugar and stir until itdissolves.

Tasty Tip: This payasam does not require any extra flavouring like saffron, cardamompowder, pistachio, cashew and almond slivers or condensed milk. However, they can beadded. You may also boil in a pressure cooker for 4-6 whistles to speed up the process.Remember to place a milk saver or slotted spoon or plate in the milk to prevent

overflowing. Open the lid and continue to simmer in the cooker itself. You may addalmond slivers for an enhanced flavour.

Mixed Vegetable Currykootu

¼ cup Red Gram/Pigeon Peas/Thuvar Dal

1½ tsps Thick Tamarind Pulp

½ kilo Ash Gourd/Chayote Squash, peeled and quartered

½ kilo Pumpkin, peeled and quartered

A pinch Cumin Powder (optional)

½ tsp Salt

For The Paste:



1 tbsp Coriander Seeds

1 tbsp Bengal Gram


8 Curry Leaves

A Small Piece Hing Or,

½ tsp Hing Powder


1 tsp Oil

Roast all the dry ingredients over medium heat until they turn golden. Add the gratedcoconut and stir for a minute. Blend into a fine paste adding tablespoon of water. Keepaside.

For The Seasoning:


½ tsp Husked Split Black Gram/Husked

Split Urad Dal

¼ tsp Fenugreek Seeds

4 to 8 Curry Leaves





Cook the rice in 5 cups of water. Each grain of the cooked rice should be separate. Setaside to cool. Heat a tablespoon of oil, add the mustard to pop. Add the bengal gram,stir for 10 seconds until it turns golden. Add the chillies and fry till it turns a bright red.

Add the peanuts and sauté for 20 seconds. Add tamarind pulp, a cup of water, turmericpowder, asafoetida powder and salt. Cover and simmer over a medium flame for 5-7minutes. Open the lid and cook until it becomes a thick sauce. Add the remaining oiland take it off the stove. This is called puli kaachal. Mix the sauce and rice well

without mashing it. wet, crush the curry leaves add and stir for 5 seconds. Keep thetamarind rice for a couple of hours before serving. Add ½ teaspoon of jaggery to balancethe hot and tangy flavour of the tamarind rice. A dash of fresh lime juice will make thedish more exotic.

Green Mango Ricemangai sadham

This green mango version is a popular Karnataka dish. It replaces the tanginess of thelemon rice and has a very subtle flavour.

2 cups Rice

2 large Green Mangoes

1 tbsp Peanuts, roasted and skinned

2 tbsps Clarified butter/Ghee

1 tsp Salt

Blend Coarsely:

½ cup Grated Green Mango peeled

1 tbsp Roasted Peanuts, skinned






For The Seasoning:


1 tsp Black Gram

½ tsp Cumin Seeds


10 Curry Leaves

2 tbsps Oil

Cook the rice in 5 cups water until each grain is fluffy. Set aside to cool. Heat the oiland pop the mustard and brown the gram. Add the cumin seed, and hing. Stir for 5seconds. Stir in the remaining peanuts and the blended paste. Sauté for a few minutesover medium heat or until the liquid evaporates. Add the rest of the grated mango, gheeand salt and stir for 30 seconds. Stir in the rice and mix well. Wet, crush the curryleaves stir, and remove.

Coconut Ricethengai sadham

2 cups Rice






1 cup Rice

2 cups Yoghurt

½ cup Milk

2 tbsps Coriander Leaves (optional)

½ tsp Salt

For The Seasoning:


A pinch Asafoetida Powder

1 Green Chilly, chopped fine

Few Ripe Pomegranates (optional)

1” piece Ginger, chopped

1 tsp Oil

Cook the rice with 3½ cups of water until it becomes mushy. Using a ladle mash thecooked rice while still hot. Stir in the milk gently. Ensure there are no lumps. Set aside tocool. Heat the oil and pop the mustard; add asafoetida, green chilly and ginger stirringfor 2 seconds. Take off the stove and add to the rice. Add the yoghurt and salt and mixwell. Transfer into a serving dish and garnish with pomegranate seeds and freshlychopped coriander leaves. Ensure that the dish is not strongly salty and use freshyoghurt. The milk cuts the sourness. You can garnish with green grapes, grated carrots

and cucumber.



MAHASHIVARATHRI

MAHASHIVARATHRI

This is the great day of Shiva - Mahashivarathri. It is celebrated in the month of Maasi(February-March) on the day before the new moon of the month. On this night Shivaperformed the great cosmic Tandava dance. The dancing form of Nataraja signifies

primordial creation, preservation, and destruction. A story is told from the Skanda Purana.A hunter searched in vain for prey on the 14th day after the full moon in the month ofMaasi (March-April). By nightfall he was tired and hungry. To protect himself from thewild animals he climbed a vilva tree and waited for dawn. He plucked the leaves of thetree and threw them down unwittingly onto a Shiva lingam that was at the foot of the tree.Next morning he went home. After his death he gained salvation through Shiva because hehad involuntarily performed prayers to him. He had fasted, spent a sleepless night andthrown Shiva’s favourite vilva leaves to the Shiva lingam. Even today worshippers ofShiva make garlands of vilva leaves as an offering. The popular ‘Bilvashtakam’ extols the

virtues of the vilva leaf and Shiva’s love for it. The tree has been held sacred for manymillenia and offerings made to Shiva are incomplete without the of vilva leaves. There aremany interpretations to these leaves. The trifoliate leaves or tripatra are believed torepresent the various trinities - creation, preservation and destruction. It is also referred tothe three gunas of satva, rajas and tamas. Or the three words that make up ‘AUM’. Last ofall the leaves are considered to indicate the Lord’s three eyes or, the trishul, hisemblematic weapon.

On this day, a puja to Lord Shiva is performed and people fast the whole day and eat only

a light snack for dinner. This is more a religious observance than a festival. In the night apuja is performed during the four jaamams (quarters of the night). Shiva is worshipped ineach succeeding jaamam with the combinations of lotus flowers and ven pongal or mushyrice as prasadam; thulasi leaves (holy basil) and vilvam leaves and finally neelothpalam



(blue lotus) and maha neiveidhiyam (cooked rice and thuvar dal with a dollop of ghee). Apopular dish prepared on this day is vella shakkaravalli kizhangu that is prepared withsweet potatoes.

Sweet Potato Syrupvella chakara valli kizhangu

1 Large Sweet Potato, boiled, peeled and chopped

1 cup Jaggery/Brown Sugar/Gur


1 tsp Ghee

Melt jaggery in a cup of hot water and strain to remove scum. Place back and stir overmedium fire for 5 minutes until it reaches a one-string consistency. Chop the sweetpotato into thin semi-circular pieces and add to the jaggery. Stir for 2 minutes with thecardamom powder. Add the ghee, remove from fire and serve.





Sweet Rice Doughnutsvella adai

2 cups Rice

2 tbsps Black-Eyed Beans

2 tbsps Coconut, chopped finely

2¼ cups Molasses/Jaggery/Gur, powdered


1 tbsp Clarified Butter

1 large Banana Leaves, cut into 3” squares

Soak the beans, preferably in hot water, for 20-30 minutes. Heat a pan and cook with apinch of salt for 10-15 minutes or until soft. Or, pressure-cook for one whistle. Strain andset aside. Dry roast the rice for 8-10 minutes on a medium flame until light golden incolour. Blend into a fine powder and set aside. Add 5½ cups of water and cook the rice



flour. Boil a cup of water and melt the jaggery. Strain to remove scum. Return to the

flame and add the cooked beans, chopped coconut, cardamom powder, and cooked riceand stir over a low flame for 8-10 minutes. Take off the flame at this stage and mix wellto avoid lumps. Return the mixture and cook for 8-10 minutes or until it becomes a thickmass and starts sticking to the ladle. Take off the flame. Take lemon-sized balls and patthem on your palm into 1½″ thick patties and make a hole in the centre. Arrange on

banana leaves and steam in idli-moulds for about 10-15 minutes. Serve with a dollop ofunsalted butter on the side.

Timely Tip: Use a steamer for making these adais. Substitute foil paper for bananaleaves. Bengal gram can be substituted for black-eyed beans.

Savoury Rice Doughnutsuppu adai

2 cups Rice, coarsely blended

1 tbsp Black-Eyed Beans

2 tbsps Coconut, chopped finely

¾ tsp Salt

1 large Banana Leaves, cut into 3” squares

For The Seasoning:


4-5 Green Chillies, chopped fine


10 Curry Leaves

1½ tsps Oil





Clarified Butter/Gheeneiy

Ghee is a traditional medium for frying food. Preparing a fabulous tasting ghee is an art.Essentially ghee/clarified butter is cooked a bit longer until the clarified butter is goldenand the milk solids at the bottom are toasted (but not burnt). People with dairy sensitivities

find ghee easy to digest as it is actually a butter fat without the lactose. It is served as atopping for white rice and gravy in a South Indian menu. In a brahmin home ghee is neverstore bought. Ghee prepared at home with unsalted butter is wholesome and delicious.Unlike other oils, ghee will set into a dark honey coloured semi-solid as it cools,especially so in a cold climate. It is important to note that if removed when still yellow, thetaste is not the best and does not smell good for long. Melt small quantities of the ghee toserve whenever required. The black residue can be turned into a tasty snack by mixingwith a tablespoon of wheat flour and a teaspoon of brown sugar.

Place 500 grams of unsalted butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over a moderate heat.When it starts melting and comes to a boil, lower the heat and stir to speeden the meltingprocess. When fully melted it starts to bubble; lower the flame a little. Ensure its asteady bubble as the butter can jump out of the pan or spray on the stove top. Skim thefroth occasionally with a ladle from the top. Continue for another 15-18 minutes until themilk protein separates and you find that there is a layer on the top and dark bits on thebottom of the pan. When it is a dark honey colour quickly remove from the flame andcool it for 15 minutes. Carefully strain through a fine mesh strainer or through a cheesecloth ensuring the black residue stays in the strainer. Store in room temperature in a

mason jar or a glass container with a firm lid.



A Glossary of Native Vegetables And Ingredients

Asafoetida/Hing is used commonly in South India and Gujarat. Known as perungaayamin Tamil cures indigestion when added in beaten yoghurt with a pinch of salt and a dash oflemon juice. It is a great substitute for garlic.

Black Gram known as ulutham paruppu in Tamil is used in the husked, split form inSouth India. The husked and whole is used as a batter to make South Indianpancakes/dosais whilst the husked and split is browned and used in gravy and stir-frydishes.

Black-Eyed Beans known as karamani is used fresh or dried in vegetarian dishes. Used toprepare ollan a Kerala dish and also to make a sweet snack with jaggery for Navarathri.

Beaten Rice/Poha or avul in Tamil can be turned into a spicy snack and or, into awonderful dessert with milk and sugar.

Bengal Gram/Chana Dal - kadalai paruppu in Tamil is an important ingredient in theIndian cuisine. It is used in gravies and or, with jaggery to turn out tasty desserts. Theflour is commonly used as a thickening agent for most gravies.

Clarified Butter/Ghee has a divine flavour. Tastes best when prepared at home. It is usedin gravies, snacks and desserts. A dollop of ghee mixed in steaming rice had with avegetable gravy dish completes a great South Indian meal.

Coconut/Nariyal known as thengai in Tamil Nadu is widely grown in the South. The hardouter shell is broken and the flesh inside is scooped with a grater. Deliciously sweet and

crunchy it is used in chutneys, as a garnish, and blended with spices for kuzhambus.Coriander Seeds/Dhania is an essential ingredient in the sambhar powder. Roasted andcoarsely blended it is used as a flavourful spice for shallow fried vegetables and curries.

Fenugreek Seeds/Methi is strong spice that leaves a bitter taste. It has strong medicinalproperties and is commonly used in Tamil cooking.

Field Beans known as mochai kottai iin tamil used quite commonly in Tamil cooking isprepared with vegetables to make great dishes. It is also used to make a great sundal - ahealthy lentil salad.

Sesame Seeds/Til - black and white has a nutty flavour. South Indians prepare yelluurundai/sesame brittles using jaggery.

Tamarind/Imli is also known as the Indian date is crescent-shaped, brown and has a thinbrittle shell. Its now available in 3 forms - pulp, concentrate and sauce. The pulp from thetamarind is used for its sour and fruity aroma.

Turmeric/Haldi is one of the most versatile of spices. A curative and cleansing agent itgives colour and flavour to Indian food. Ensure to use it sparingly as it can give a bitterflavour to the dish.

Ginger/Adrak is an underground stem. Used fresh or dried it has great medicinalproperties and is popularly known as ‘Maha Aushadhi’ (the great medicine in) Sanskrit.

Jaggery/Gur is a coarse dark unrefined sugar made from sugar molasses. It comes in a



solid form though you get a powdered one these days. It is commonly used in dessertsinstead of refined sugar.

Mustard Seeds or Rai (brown) is a very essential part of South Indian cooking. They arepopped in oil to bring out the nutty flavour.

Red Chillies or Sookha Mirch - dried - is an indispensable part of the brahmin cuisine.

Red Gram also known as pigeon peas is pale yellow to gold in colour. Its used huskedand split in the Indian cuisine.

From top left: Pigeon Peas/Thuvar Dal, Bengal Gram/Chana Dal, Whole Husked BlackGram/Husked Whole Thuvar Dal. From bottom left: Brown Mustard/Rai, FenugreekSeeds/Methi, Dried Red Chillies Sookha Mirch (Tamil Nadu variety).

Depicted below: The nine lentils to prepare ‘sundals’ for Navarathri. Even today guests

look forward to home made sundals when invited for golus at homes. Sundals are proteinrich and is very light in the tummy. They are one of the most healthy snacks in the Indiancuisine. We need to seriously go back to the basics instead of constantly talking aboutmuesli, avocados, pastas and the usage of olive oil. India and Hinduism has its roots fromancient times where ayurveda and yoga is is a way of life, where sesame oil and coconutoil is used extensively.

I warmly acknowledge my friends Janaki Vaidyanathan, Leelu Natarajan, and PadminiNatarajan for their contribution to this valuable addition of my book; ‘Jana’ as Janaki isfondly called, for putting down her knowledge in paper, Leelu for insisting on keeping adictionary for a transliteration and Padmini in helping with this beautiful piece of



information which to me sounds like a eulogy. To each one of them I owe a lot. Do gothrough these pages and enjoy the knowledge of God, food and energy. Truly they areinterlinked.



FOOD FOR THE GODS

Food is worship. Food is sustenance and incredible energy.

When we think of the best moments in our life, it is associated with food—celebrations,festivals, family and friends meetings, school and college days.

Many temples are associated automatically with a particular dish. Take Tirupati laddu or

ambalapuzha payasam of Kerala; pazhani panchamrutham with the five ingredients -Samba Rice seasoned with cumin and pepper and the vegetable Kotsu of theChidambaram Nataraja temple; the langar of puri and potatoes and the ghee soaked sweetprashad in the Amritsar Golden Temple; Mathura ka Petta - the list is endless. Thespecialities of each religious place carries with it devotion, thanksgiving and faith thatgives spiritual, mental and physical energy to the troubled soul.

Prasadam is the offering of special dishes in temples to the Gods. The ritual of offeringcooked food is also performed in homes to the divine each day and special dishes onfestivals days before a meal is eaten.

The special food offered as prasadam is made from ingredients that are stocked food itemsavailable throughout the year. The seasonal harvest produce is also used as it comes in touse for specific festivals and holy days. The food value, the vitamins obtained from theplants and crops are a subtle factor of the dish that is cooked. The talents of the cook, theloving nature in which it is cooked and the gifts of nature come together to create dishesthat are a wholesome fare in a splendid spectrum of dishes.

The most common ingredient used in all temples is rice which is the basis of most of ourcooking. In all Siva temples, during the mid-day prayers between 10 am and 12-30 pm,

cooked rice is offered as neivedhyam. The offering to the Divine is made and served withpurity, reverence and faith combining the three states of body, material world and the soul.

In the month of aipasi (October 15-November 15), on the full moon day, Pournami, thedeity that is most often in the form of a lingam is offered an abhishekam or ablution ofcooked rice. The different dishes reflect the basic food chain that is an important supportsystem of good health.



In Tamil Nadu the presiding deity, Sri Sokkanathar, also known as Sundareswarar, theconsort of the reigning deity Meenakshi of Madurai is offered brinjal rice asprasadam.At Avudayar Kovil, near Trichi, boiled rice, bitter gourd and greens are offered to theGod for the midday prayers.At Bhavani near Pudhukottai, at the Sangameswarar Temple, the presiding deity

Jawahareswarar Moorthy is offered pepper rasam and a variety of greens called araikeerai /amaranth as prasadam. These dishes have medicinal properties and are servedto convalescent patients.Katra, in the Himalayan range, is the base camp for visiting the famous shrine ofMata Vaishno Devi. All the three devis—Kali, Saraswathi and Lakshmi - are housedtogether. In this temple, the rice is put into a pot, tied up and lowered into a pond thatcontains hot springs. The rice gets cooked and is then distributed.

The festivals in a calendar year occur according to the Tamizh/Tamil months detailed in

the panchankam. Again this is related to the season and the history or mythologyassociated with the celebration.

Chitrai—April-May

Tamizh New Year’s Day/Vishu Kani is the first day of the annual solar calendar. It iscelebrated as Vishu Kani in Kerala. Ugadi is the Telugu New Year’s Day that is linked tothe new moon. All the temples have special prayers performed along with the reading ofthe almanac, the Panchankam. Shiva temples have chakkarai pongal as their offering.

In Kerala, in the Aiyappan and Guruvayoor temples, fresh fruits, vegetables, gold, silver,

monetary coins are arranged in front of the deity and viewed first thing in the morning.This is done in homes as well. paal payasam, chakkai pradaman and appam are the sweetdishes offered as prasadam.

Chitra Pournami is the full Moon day and a day of fasting. The day is dedicated toChitragupta, the official record-keeper of the good and bad deeds of human beings onearth. He works as Lord Yama’s assistant.

Another story is associated with Lord Indra, the king of Gods who stops listening to hisGuru Brihaspati. He commits many sins and is redeemed by a Siva lingam. A devendra

puja is performed in the Madurai Meenakshi temple and a special rice offering is made toChitragupta.

This day is also an important festival for Muruga and various kaavadis—milk, rose waterkaavadi and flower bedecked kaavadis are carried. The kaavadi is slung across theshoulder with a wooden stick with two baskets balanced at each end containing rice, milkor other articles that the devotee has vowed to offer the Lord. Many even beg (as a vow)for the items to fill up the basket and finally offer it to Karthikeya.

Vaikasi—May-June

The day when Visakam, the star of the Lord Muruga, occurs in this month is a very specialone to all his devotees. In all the six important abodes of Lord Muruga, Aaru padai veedu —and in other Muruga temples like Kundrathur, Mayilam, Vayalur - special offerings aremade on Vaikasi Visagam.





Aadi—July-August

The first day of the month of aadi is celebrated in many families as Aadi pirappu. Fornewly married couples this day is very important and is known as aadipaal.

In the entire month of aadi, Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays are celebrated in a big way atall Devi temples and Mariamman temples. In homes, on Fridays, Suhasini Puja isperformed and married women are invited for a feast and honoured with flowers, betelleaves, supari, turmeric and vermilion.

The special prasadam that is offered in homes and temples is sakkarai pongal, vadai andlemon rice. In Mariamman temples, the prasadam is koozh (gruel) and PadinettamPerukku is celebrated on the 18th day of Aadi, in the towns where the Cauvery River

flows; in places like Kulithalai, Musiri, Perugamani, Sirugamani, Thiruchi, Kumbakonam,Mayiladuthurai. People go to the banks of the river and do puja with vermilion, turmericand flowers. This is a thanksgiving to the river and the waters are supposed to be in spateon that day. The specialities of this day are finger food varieties of prepared rice dishes,Chitraannam or mixed rice as women and children picnic in gay abandon on the banks ofthe river.

The temples which celebrate this Aadi Perukku in a special way are TiruchiMaathrubhootheswarar temple, Kadambavaneswarar temple, Kumbakonam Kasi

Viswanathar temple, Thiruserai Saranathaperumal temple and Mukkombu KodumudiNathar temple. The neivedhyam at all these temples are varieties of rice dishes.

In homes too mixed rice dishes are made with a sweet payasam made with vellam oraggery.

Aavani—August-September

Varalakshmi Viradham can occur on poornima or full moon day in Aadi or Aavani. Theprasadam made in homes is very elaborate; in temples that celebrate this puja, the mainoffering is the chakkarai pongal.

Thiruvonam, the star of Lord Vishnu, is very auspicious in this month. All Perumaltemples are decorated with a lot of devotion and an air of festivity prevails. The importanttemples are Oppiliyappan temple and Thiruneermalai.



The neivedhyam is chakkarai pongal. The special kalkandu pongal is also made with rice,sugar candy bits and milk.

The star Moolam is a special day at Madurai Meenakshi temple. A story related goes thus:in an unprecedented floods on the Vaigai River an old lady, a devotee of Lord Siva, wasworking as a labourer to build the banks around the river. On this day Lord Sundareswarar

worked as a labourer carrying baskets of sand to relieve her of her strain and stress. Allthat he demanded as payment was Puttu (steamed millet dough) to eat. At this temple andin homes, puttu is made and distributed as prasadam.

Gokulashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna is celebrated on the eighth day (ashtamithithi) after Poornami by the Shaivites. Sri Jayanthi, on the day of the star rohini iscelebrated by the Vaishnavites. This festival is celebrated with great pomp and manyvarieties of dishes - North Indian and South Indian are prepared.

The offerings are basically Avul (beaten rice), milk, curds and butter. In Perumal temples,

fried snacks like murukku, thenkuzhal, mullu thenkuzhal, athirasam and appam are made.At the Varadaraja Perumal temple in Kancheepuram, idli and ven pongal is the dailyneivedhyam.

At Shri Nathji Temple Nathwara in Rajasthan, Lord Krishna reigns. It is believed that thePrasad to be offered in this temple was written down at least 500 years ago. Badam, pistaand saffron mixed wheat dahlia, laddus and sweet puris are the daily offerings, along withKadi or buttermilk curry. In North India, for Krishna Jayanthi, puri, laddu and sweets areoffered.

Puratasi—September-October



Navarathri is the most important festival of this month when Durga, Lakshmi andSaraswathi are worshipped. In temples on the 10th day, Vijayadasami, is celebrated as theday of victory and the arrows shot by Devi are simulated at some temples. A few templesalso have the decoration of dolls on steps called kolu.

In all Siva temples, there is special aradhana for the Devi. Some important temples areKanchi Kamakshi temple, Thirumiyachur Lalithambika temple, Madurai Meenakshi

temple, Chennai Mylapore Kapaleeswarar temple and Koothanur Saraswathi temple. TheMysore Chamundeswari temple is famous for the Dussera festival and the Vijayadasamicelebrations are truly a grand spectacle with the Maharaja riding an elephant amidst ahuge procession.

Neivedhyam is usually chakkarai pongal, vadai and sundals of different grains andlegumes are made each day. The rice sweet puttu is especially made on Navaratri Friday.

Puratasi Saturdays are very special for people who have Tirupathi Venkateswara Balajias their family deity –kula deivam. Samaradhanai, is the ritual meal served to priests and

family after the puja to the Lord is performed. Sesame Rice is a very important offeringthat is specially distributed to Brahmacharis or unmarried boys. At Perumal temples andAnjaneyar temples these four Saturdays are important. Koviladi Appakudathan temple,Thiruneermalai temple, Naamakkal and Sucheendram Anjaneyar temples celebrate thesedays with great devotion.

Neivedhyam constitutes of ellu saadam (sesame rice), vadai, appam and sakkarai pongal.The Sesame Rice is also served as prasadam at the Saneeswarar temple at Thirunallaar andThirukollikaadu, near Thiruvaaroor.

Aipasi—October-NovemberThe most important festival of all Hindus is Deepavali, or Diwali celebrated all over theworld with great grandeur. In the North, it is celebrated as Lakshmi puja. In KasiAnnapurani temple this festival is celebrated spectacularly.

On Diwali day, the offerings are plenty with an exotic variety of sweets and savouries, likeladdus, jangiri, barfis and pedas. In Tirupathi temple, laddus are the prasadam as usual.

Kaarthigai—November-December

The Kaarthigai Deepam is a festival of lights. In Tamilnadu, Kaarthigai Poornima iscelebrated by lighting up homes and temples with earthen lamps. In fact the whole monthis celebrated with little lamps lit at sunset with sesame oil and cotton wicks.

In Thiruvannamalai the ceremonial lamp is lit on top of the hill that is a great sight to see.In Kancheepuram, Deepavaliprakaasa Perumal is worshipped specially on this day.Neivedhyam is puffed rice and jaggery balls, adai and neiy appam.

Maargazhi—December-January

This month is dedicated to spiritual activities and no weddings or social events take place.

Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavath Gita, in which he lists the best of everything where heresides - he is Margazhi among the 12 months. No wonder the whole month is dedicatedto the divine. This is celebrated with great aplomb in all Krishna temples in the South.



Brahma Muhurtham is the time between 4.00 am to 6.00 am. It is considered to be a goodtime to do puja and to practice singing, music, studying and practice yoga.

Both Vaishnavas and Saivas of Hinduism have special rituals based on religious texts andsaints who are associated with this period.

In Kerala, it is known as Swarga Vasal Ekadashi. It is usually celebrated in the early hoursof the tenth day of the Adhyayana Utsavam. Symbolically, the Swargavasal - the doors tothe heavens are opened in all temples and throngs of people wait in the early hours of themorning to enter the gates and participate in the procession when the ruling deity of eachtemple is carried around. Ven pongal and sakkarai pongal are served hot to devotees whohave woken up in the early hours to join the procession.

Like all ekadasi days, devotees fast on this day. They keep awake the whole night andspend the hours in meditation, prayers and singing hari kirtanam. Rice is not eaten onekadasi days. The belief is that the demon Muran finds refuge in the rice eaten on ekadasi.

In Srivilliputhur, the home of the saint Andal, her compositions of Thiruppaavai,consisting of 30 verses is performed. The presiding deities, Andal and Rengamannar, areoffered vegetables and sugarcane.

On the last day of maargazhi is Bhogi pandigai when all old clothes, rubbish andunwanted stuff in homes is burnt off and the auspicious month of thai is welcomed. Inhomes poli, vadai and payasam are made.

Thai—January-February

Pongal is the most important festival in a calendar year along with Deepavali for SouthIndians. It is the day when farmers celebrate a good harvest. In a rare combination ofworldly affairs, spirituality and society - it is a day in which Surya the Sun God ispropitiated. Both ven pongal and chakarai pongal are cooked in every home and temple

and in the fields in new earthenware pots.The next day is Maattu Pongal and the cattle that work on the fields are worshipped. Theyare washed and their horns are painted and decorated with colourful shawls and lovelyornaments. In Tamil Brahmin households, kanu is celebrated and crows and sparrows are



fed food on turmeric leaves as a ritual, very early in the morning. Mixed rice dishes arecooked. In Kumbakonam Saarangapaani Kovil, Komalavalli Thaayar is taken in aprocession from the inner temple to the temple pond to celebrate kanu. She is symbolicallyshown to be visiting her mother’s home to celebrate kanu.

The important temples celebrating this festival are Suriyanaar Kovil near Aaduthurai, andother temples devoted to the Sun. The neivedhyam is chakkarai pongal and chitraannam -

rice based dishes are common and made in great quantities to feed thousands of devotees.

On fridays in the month of Thai, special puja is conducted in all Amman temples and inThiru Aanaikkaaval temple and in Srirangam temple. Women visit each other and arehonoured as suhasinii, sumangalis and the prasadam is chakkarai pongal and akaaravadasal.

Maasi—February-March

Maasi Maham is celebrated at temples and the stone images of Gods and Goddesses aretaken out to the sea for a dip. In areas away from the coast, the rivers or the tanks are thecentres for this float festival. At the confluence of end of this month and the beginning ofthe next month panguni, Kaaradai Nombu is celebrated by women. Sati Savithri issupposed to have done this puja to protect her husband from the Lord of Death, Yama.There is a tradition that Kanchi Kamakshmi Amman performs the kaaradai nombu. Thekaaradai nombu adai is a flat cake made out of rice flour, legumes and jaggery which isoffered with a dollop of butter. In the North, at Prayag, puja is done to the peepal tree as

akshayavadam and the offering is puri laddu.Panguni—March-April

In both Shaiva and Vaishnava Temples, Panguni festival is celebrated in this month. Theday of the star Uthiram is celebrated as Panguni Uthiram, an important day for devotees ofLord Muruga. The neivedhyam offered are fruits, honey and sundal made with gram.

Sri Rama Navami, the birthday of Lord Rama, is an important festival. Offerings ofbuttermilk and panagam, a ginger/jaggery drink is made and Rama bhajans/devotionalsongs are sung.

The important temples are: Kumbakonam Ramaswami temple, Madhuranthakam EriKaatha Ramar temple, Vaduvoor Ramar temple and Salem Ayodhya Pattinam. A specialdish called kosumali, a mixture of green gram, raw mango and cucumber, a cool salad is



made as offering.

At Mangalagiri Sri Narasimha Swami temple, in Vijayawada, paanagam is given asneivedhyam to cool the avataram of Lord Vishnu / Narasimhaswami’s, anger. A strangemiracle is said to occur even today when the panagam that is taken to the temple asoffering by devotees comes back half consumed to them as prasadam.

In all homes and temples food is always consumed after being offered to the Almighty asprasadam. Our culture accepts Devi, the embodiment of Shakthi, as Annapurani. In slokas/ verses, Devi is praised as Payasa Annapriya. Like our nature, food is also divided intosathva, rajas and tamas; Sathvic food is served to God as offerings.

Our scriptures talks about paramaathmika puranathvam or godly perfection, somethingthat has incorporated the sixteen states of mind. The food that we imbibe should beintricately interwoven with our daily lives. It should make our lives meaningful andpurposeful. This is one state of mind amongst the sixteen. Yoga saadhana and therealization of the Devi in the form of mantras or chants is another state of mind. In ourcountry we find the all pervading Devi who is present as Sookshma Shakthi or in subtleform and one who cannot be experienced unless we reach a state of realisation. Hence sheis worshipped as the Goddess who gives us our body.

When we are in tune with the cosmic laws that govern the universe, when the feelings in

the heart and mind resonate with the five elements, when the heart beat of the earth is inharmony and synchronizes with our heart beats and awakens humanity in us, when thefood that we eat nourishes, nurtures and revitalizes our body, mind and spirit then we canbe at peace with what we are, with everything we do and achieve. Sathvic food andsathvic habits help us lead a healthy life with the ultimate aim of realising the Divine. Tolive life meaningfully, to have a state of mind which is creative for the larger benefit ofmankind, to find success without compromising on the values and quality of life, let usseek and accept saathvic food, ‘the food of the Gods’, the food ‘Blessed by Gods’.





Documents

Festival Samayal