Milagu Vada / Anjaneyar Vada

This Milagu Vada is generally made for Hanuman Jayanthi or whenever you want to offer a vada malai for Hanuman. Hence it is popularly known as Hanuman Vada or Anjaneyar Vada. The following recipe makes around 12 vadas.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Urad dal
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 3 tsp Ghee
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• Water (Use as required)

Method

1. Dry grind the Urad dal and black pepper into a coarse powder.
2. Add the ghee and salt to the ground mixture and form a soft but firm dough by adding water little by little as required.
3. Heat oil in a wok and make small balls of the dough.
4. Flatten each on your palm (or a greased plastic sheet on your palm) and make a small hole at the center and fry them in oil. If the dough is too firm and breaks when you try to flatten it, add little more water and try again.
5. The Vadas are ready to be offered to Lord Hanuman.

Sri Rama Navami

Sri Rama Navami is a festival to celebrate the birth of Lord Rama. As an offering to Sri Rama, the prasad made on this day are Panagam, Neer moru, Vadaparippu.

Panagam

Ingredients

• 3 cups cold Water 
• 1/2 cup Powdered Jaggery (Adjust to taste)
• A pinch of Cardamom powder 
• 1/4 tsp Dry ginger powder (Adjust to taste)

Method

1. Dissolve the jaggery in water and strain it.
2. Add the other ingredients and stir well and offer it to the Lord.

Neer Moru / Buttermilk

Ingredients

• 1 cup Yogurt/ Curd
• 1 cup cold Water (Add more or less to your liking)
• A pinch of Asafoetida
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves

Method

1. Mix the yogurt and the water with a hand blender or stirrer. 
2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well and offer it to the Lord

Vada Parippu

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Split Moong Dal 
• 1 tbsp grated Coconut 
• Salt - to taste
• Raw mango / Cucumber - 1 tbsp grated (optional)
• 1 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves

Method

1. Soak moong dal in water for 30mins.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well and serve to the Lord.

Akkaravadisal

"Inno Thiru Aadi Pooram, yemakkaka anno ingu Andaal avadharithaal. 
Kunnaadha vaazhwaana vaikuntha vaan bogam thannai igazhnthu Azhwaar thirumagalaaraai"


Today being Thiru Aadi Pooram (Andaal's birthday), this is the special prasadam made for this day. This is an Iyengar speciality and the recipe is from my mom.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup Raw Rice 
• 1/4 cup Moong Dal
• 1 1/2 cups Jaggery (Adjust to taste)
• 6 cups Milk
• A handful of Cashews (broken to bits)
• A handful of Almonds (broken to bits)
• 2 tbsp Ghee
• A pinch of Cardamom powder
• A pinch of Saffron strands (optional)

Method

1. In a pan, heat 1 tsp ghee and fry the cashews and almonds till they turn golden brown. Keep aside.
2. Fry the moong dal and rice in the same pan till they turn a light golden brown.
3. In a cooker vessel, add the rice dal mixture and 5 cups of milk and place it in a cooker and cook it for 5-6 whistles.
4. Melt the jaggery in a small vessel and filter the jaggery. Add this jaggery to a thick bottomed vessel along with the cooked rice dal mixture, remaining ghee, remaining milk, cardamom powder and saffron.
5. Simmer and cook for a few minutes till the mixture reaches the desired (semi solid) consistency.
6. Garnish the Akkaravadisal with the fried cashews and almonds.

Aadi Paal

This is a payasam made of coconut milk and jaggery and is a must have on the Aadi pandigai (the first day of the tamil month of Aadi.). This recipe serves 4.

Ingredients

• 3 cups Coconut Milk 
• 1 cup powdered Jaggery
• A pinch of Cardamom powder
• A pinch of Saffron (Optional)
• A handful of Cashews broken to bits
• A handful of Raisins
• A handful of Almonds broken to bits
• 1 tsp Ghee

Method

1. Heat ghee in a thick bottomed vessel. Add the cashews, raisins and almonds and roast them till they turn a golden brown and keep these aside.
2. Add around 1/4 cup water to the jaggery and microwave it on high for 3 min till the jaggery melts. Strain it and add to the hard bottomed vessel and heat on medium high till the jaggery liquid thickens and froths up.
3. Reduce the heat to low and add the coconut milk extract, cardamom powder and saffron. Allow the mixture to simmer for a few minutes.
4. Add the roasted nuts and raisins and serve!

Vishu

Vishu Ashamsakal (Happy Vishu!) & my 50th Post

Vishu is an important festival for Malayalis. The most important event in Vishu is the Vishukkani, which literally means " the first thing seen on the day of Vishu after waking up". The Vishukkani consists of a ritual arrangement of auspicious articles like raw rice, golden cucumber, betel leaves, arecanut, metal mirror, yellow flowers (konna poo), a holy text and coins in the puja room of the house. This is arranged the night before. On Vishu, the custom is to wake up at dawn and go to the puja room with eyes closed so that the Vishukkani is the first sight of the new season.
On this day it is also a custom for the elders to give money to the younger ones to wish them prosperity. It is called Vishu Kaineetam!
Then the grand finale is the feast for the day which will have so many dishes that you've got to hit the bed right after the meal. Also be warned not to have any or only a light breakfast if you want to enjoy your Vishu Sadhya.

This is our Vishukkani...

Now for the recipes for Vishu Sadhya. Click on the links to go to the recipe....

Pumpkin Erriserry	Varuthu Araicha Sambar
Rasam	Kootu Curry
Avial	Cabbage Thoran
Unniappam	Pal Payasam
Ada Pradaman	Puli Inji
Cucumber Pachadi	Sambharam

Tamil New Year

Iniya Tamil Puthaandu Nal Vazhthukal (Happy Tamil New Year!)


Today is the start of a new year as per the tamil panchangam. We celebrate this day with colourful Rangolis, New dresses and Tasty dishes.

The previous day, we keep a mirror in the puja room and decorate it along with the God's photos with jewels and flowers. We then keep the new dresses, fruits and flowers as offering for God. The next day, that is the new year day we wake up and first look at the God and the mirror that symbolises prosperity. This is similar to the Vishu kani followed by Malayalis.


Let us now check out the recipes for the dishes made on the New year... Click on the link to go to the recipe.

Mango Pachadi	Varuthu Araicha Sambar
Rasam	Vazhaikaai podimas
Pal Payasam	Ullundu Vadai

Kaaradaiyaan Nonbu

Karadayan Nonbu or Savithri Vratham is a traditional Tamil Nadu festival of fasting wherein married women pray for the wellness and long life of their husbands. This is similar to the Karva Chauth festival celebrated in the north. The origin of this festival dates back to Mahabharata. You can read the full story here.

The neivedhyam/offerings for this festival are Vella Adai and Kara Adai along with butter. On this day we first tie a nonbu charadu (yellow thread with a flower tied in the middle) around the picture of the Goddess of the house and then all the women in the house tie one around their neck reciting the following mantra.

"Urugaadha Vennayum OrAdayum Naan Notren

OruKaalam yen Kanavar piriyaada Irukka Vendum".

Even the young girls of more than one year old, tie the nonbu charadu to get the blessings of God.

Now for the recipes... These are again my mother's recipes and the measurements are so accurate that I didn't face any issue while making...

Vella Adai/ Sweet Adai

Ingredients

• 1 cup Rice Flour
• 1 tbsp Karamani Beans
• 1 cup Water
• 1 cup Jaggery
• A pinch of Cardamom powder
• 2 tsp Ghee

Method

1. Soak the Karamani in water overnight.
2. Fry the Rice Flour in a Kadai till it begins to turn a golden brown.
3. Dissolve the jaggery in the water and add the ghee and bring it to a boil.
4. Add the cardamom powder and the rice flour and mix well. Switch off the stove.
5. Cool it and then make small balls of the above dough and flatten it and make a hole in the center so that it resembles a small donut.
6. Place all the adais in a idli stand and steam them for 10 min in a idli cooker/ pressure cooker like how we do the idlis.
7. Vellai Adai is ready for Neivedhyam. Serve with Butter!

Kara Adai/ Savoury Adai

Ingredients

• 1 cup Rice Flour
• 1 tbsp Karamani Beans
• 1 cup Water
• 1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1 tsp Urad Dal
• A pinch of Asafoetida
• 1 Green Chilli finely chopped
• 1/4 inch piece of Ginger finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp Salt (Adjust to taste)
• 1 spring Curry leaves
• 2 tsp Oil
• 1 tbsp grated Coconut

Method

1. Soak the Karamani in water overnight.
2. Fry the Rice Flour in a Kadai till it begins to turn a golden brown.
3. Heat a large saucepan and add oil to it.
4. Add the mustard seeds and when they splutter, add the urad dal, asafoetida, curry leaves, green chilli and ginger.
5. Add the Water and salt and bring to a boil.
6. Add the rice flour and coconut and mix well.
7. Cool it and then make small balls of the above dough and flatten it and make a hole in the center so that it resembles a small donut.
8. Place all the adais in a idli stand and steam them for 10 min in a idli cooker/ pressure cooker like how we do the idlis.
9. Kara Adai is ready for Neivedhyam. Serve with Butter!