Category Archives: Festivals

Navratri Recipes: Sweet Corn Sundal

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Another Navratri sundal recipe. This one came about serendipitously. I actually wanted to make something sweet that day but became late to make the offering so thought of making something with sweet corn. I made it like any sundal, but changed it up a bit. It also makes a very healthy salad or as a side for your main meal. S loved it so much that he made me make it again the next day.

Sweet Corn Sundal

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups frozen sweet corn
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/2 tsp broken urad dal
  • 1/2 tsp white sesame seeds
  • 1/4 cup grated coconut
  • 1/8 tsp asafoetida powder
  • 3-4 curry leaves
  • 1 tsp green chilli paste
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • Boil the sweet corn in a microwave for 5-10 minutes seasoned with some salt until the corn is soft and cooked.
  • Heat the oil in a pan and when it warms up, add the mustard seeds and let it crackle. Then add the urad dal and sesame seeds and stir for a while till the urad dal turns a golden brown colour and the sesame seeds start to pop. Don’t let them turn black.
  • Add the asafoetida and curry leaves and let the curry leaves become crisp.
  • Now add the green chilli paste and stir for a few minutes. Then pour in the cooked corn and let it stir for 2-3 minutes.
  • Check for seasoning at this point. If you are making this as an offering, then no tasting, please.
  • Drizzle the lemon juice and the grated coconut and switch off the flame.
  • Serve hot as a side dish or cold as a salad.

Navratri Recipes: Peanut Sundal

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This year, on a whim, I have decided to make an offering or neividhyam to the Goddess on all days of the Navratri festival. One of the offerings I made was this peanut sundal. This is a very quick recipe and takes just a few minutes to temper and finish.

Peanut Sundal

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups raw peanuts
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp broken urad dal
  • 1/4 tsp asafoetida
  • 3-4 curry leaves, torn
  • 1-2 green chillies, chopped
  • 2 tbsps grated coconut
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • Soak the raw peanuts either overnight in normal water or for 2-3 hours in hot water. Drain and pressure cook for 2-3 whistles with some salt or until the peanuts are tender.
  • Heat the oil in a pan and when the oil warms, add in the mustard seeds and let the seeds pop. Then add the urad dal and let it start to turn golden. Then add the asafoetida, curry leaves and green chillies and stir for a couple of seconds.
  • Now add the cooked peanuts and stir well for a while. Season it with salt if not enough. When the peanuts have absorbed all the spices, sprinkle the grated coconut, stir well and switch off the flame.
  • Serve hot. You can also sprinkle a few drops of lemon juice if you need it to be slightly tangy.

This is an alternative to a healthy protein-filled snack, especially when you have school children coming home hungry!

Happy Diwali!

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happy-diwali-wallpapersToday is Deepavali (as it’s called in South India) or Diwali (as it’s called in the north). Since in Mumbai, people generally refer to it as Diwali, that’s what we call it and will continue to call it irrespective of whether I am referring to it being celebrated in the north or south.

diwali20day20220narakchaturdashiIn the southern part of India, Diwali is celebrated as the day Lord Krishna killed the demon Narakasura and is called Naraka Chaturdasi. If the day falls on the new moon day or Amavasya, then you have to wake up very early and take a bath before daylight breaks. A special oil is made the previous night with herbs and spices and this is supposed to ward off the effects of winter. This oil is applied by the oldest woman in the family who is available and is done in front of the family altar. Once you bathe and get ready, you pray to the Lord and then to the elders in the family. You then eat the medicinal preparation made which prepares your stomach for the onslaught of food. Then it’s time to feast the yummy goodies you’ve slaved away at. Children and adults also light firecrackers in the early morning dawn to frighten the demons. Here in Singapore, firecrackers, especially the loud ones which make noise are banned, so we used to buy sparklers for the children when they were younger. Now that they are older, we stop at the goodie eating and visiting the temple.

84036831b90e9842d4a2ed732d309341In North India, the day after Naraka Chaturdasi is usually celebrated as Diwali and is the day when Lord Rama reached Ayodhya after fulfiling the promise he made  to  his stepmother Keykeyi about going on a 14-year exile and in the process, killing the demon king Ravana in what is now present-day Sri Lanka which is celebrated as the festival of Dushhera. On that day, people decorate their homes with diyas and candles just like how the kingdom of Ayodhya had been decorated to welcome their beloved Lord Rama. People perform Laxmi Puja for wealth and also worship Goddess Saraswati for wisdom. Some Indian communities also celebrate their new year during this period and so there’s an additional celebration aspect during the three-four day long festivities.

goddess-laxmiSome of the other legends from Indian mythology which are associated with this festival  include:

  • During the divine churning of the ocean, Goddess Lakshmi was incarnated on this day.
  • In his fifth incarnation of Vaman, Lord Vishnu rescued Goddess Lakshmi from the clutches of King Bali, and this is another reason for celebrating Diwali.
  • Another legend related in the Mahabharat has it that the Pandavas returned from their 12 years of exile on this day.
  • It is also said that King Vikramaditya was coronated on this day, and Diwali festival is celebrated on this day which also gives it a historical significance.

Here’s wishing everyone who celebrates this festival a very Happy Diwali! To those who are also celebrating your new year, Saal Mubarak to you!

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Festivals of India: Thiruvathirai

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Chidambaram Temple..Source

A festival unique to the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Thiruvathirai or Arudhra Darisanam is a Hindu festival celebrated on the full moon night in the Tamil month of Margazhi (approximately in December–January), which is also the longest night in the year. The Thiruvathirai vrata is one of the eight significant vratas dedicated to Lord Shiva as it is considered to be the nakshaththram of Lord Nataraj and is the longest night of the year. The word

 

Thiruvathirai or Arudhra in Tamil means “sacred big wave”, that was used when this universe was created by Lord Shiva about 132 trillion years ago. The famous Chidambaram temple in Tamil Nadu, celebrates this temple with great pomp and splendour and has been celebrating for more than 1500 years, as evident from literary and historical evidence in the form of stone inscriptions.

 

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Main Statue of Lord Natraj at Chidambaram Temple…Source 

The festival celebrates Lord Shiva’s cosmic dance of Natraj. The cosmic dance of Lord Shiva represents five activities – Creation, Protection, Destruction, Embodiment and Release. In essence, it represents the continuous cycle of creation and destruction. This cosmic dance takes place in every particle and is the source of all energy. Arudra Darshan celebrates this ecstatic dance of Lord Shiva. Arudhra or Thiruvathirai signifies the golden red flame and Shiva performs the dance in the form this red-flamed light. Lord Shiva is supposed to be incarnated in the form of Lord Nataraja during the Arudra Darshan day.

 

Lord Shiva never took birth and therefore there is no nakshaththram dedicated to celebrate his birthday. It was mentioned in the Hindu mythology that once Lord Vishnu was resting on the great serpent and Adhi seesha felt that He was in some deep thinking. On asking Lord Vishnu told Adhi seesha that he was remembering the dance of Lord Shiva. This answer invoked the desire in Adhi seesha to witness this great dance. He asked Lord Vishnu how this desire could be fulfilled. Lord Vishnu then urged him to do rigorous ‘tapasya’ at Chidambaram’. Adhi seesha followed his advice and devotedly prayed to Lord Shiva for a very long time. At the same there, a muni and devotee of Lord Shiva known as Viyaagra Paadha also lived in that same place. He worshipped to Lord Shiva to obtain the legs of a tiger in order to pluck flowers at the dawn, without being touched by the bees for offering to the God. He also observed ‘tapas’ to see His great ‘Nataraj’ dance. Finally, Lord Shiva was pleased with their prayers and devotion and he showed his ‘Nataraj’ dance in Chidambaram on the day of Thiruvaadhirai. From then onwards the ‘Nataraaja’ image of Shiva is worshipped here with great fervour on this day.

 

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Temple processions during Thiruvathurai….Source

Tamil hymns of Maanikavasagar’s Thiruvasagam (particularly the hymns Thiruvempavai and Thiruppalliezhuchi) are chanted in temples instead of Sanskrit mantras. On the very day of Thiruvathirai, the idols of Nataraja (Lord Shiva) and his consort Shivagami (Parvati) are taken out of the temple premises for a grand procession. It is one of the major events in almost all the Shiva temples in Tamil Nadu.

 

In Tamil homes, during Tiruvathirai, a special dish called Thiruvadhirai Kali is made. The kali is made with rice, jaggery, moong dal, coconut, cardamom and ghee. The kali is usually eaten with a special curry called Thiruvathirai ezhlu curry koottu which is made out of seven vegetables, that is cooked and served on this day. The vegetables used for this kootu include pumpkin, ash gourd, raw bananas, field beans, sweet potatoes, colocasia, potatoes, eggplants etc.

 

 

Recipe: Gulkand Dry Fruit Barfi

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Around six months back, I brought a tub of Gulkand which is a kind of rose jam. To be honest, I was intrigued by its smell and texture and so decided to buy it. It was lying in my fridge all this time and I was wondering if I could do something with it for Diwali when I chanced upon this recipe from Archana’s Kitchen.

I made this recipe almost as it is mentioned on the page and it turned out more like a fudge rather than a barfi.It does not have any added sugars to it, with all the sugars coming from the dry fruit and the gulkand.

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Gulkand Dry Fruit Barfi

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups dry figs (anjeer), chopped
  • 2 cups dates, chopped
  • 1/2 cup almonds
  • 1/2 cups cashew nuts
  • 1/2 cups walnuts
  • 1/4 cup pistachios
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 2-3 tbsps gulkand
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
  • 1 tbsp ghee

Method:

  • Soak the chopped figs, dates and raisins separately in bowls of water and let them soak for around 30 minutes.
  • Strain the water from the dates, figs and raisins and grind them to a smooth paste. I added some water as my mixer was not a very strong one, but if you can do this without adding water, that is better.
  • In a food chopper, chop the cashew nuts, almonds, walnuts and pistachios into small pieces and keep aside.
  • Grease a tray with some ghee or butter and keep aside.
  • In a non-stick pan, heat the ghee and when the ghee gets warm, add the fig, dates and raisins paste and mix well and saute it for a while.
  • Now add the chopped nuts, gulkand and nutmeg powder and combine well.
  • Stir well for a couple of minutes until the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan.
  • Once this happens, pour the mixture into the greased tray and level it well.
  • Cover the tray and when the mixture is cool, keep it in the fridge for around 30-45 minutes to firm up.
  • Cut it into smaller pieces and serve.

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