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!