Month: December 2009

Naivedhyams/ Festival Offerings. · Sweets

Festival Neivethyams – Thiruvadharai Kali.

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Thiruvadharai Kali.

Thirivadharai Kali is one of the most simple of all the neivethyams. It is made with the everyday ingredients available in the pantry. It is also a very healthy option for snack as its made out of rice thats beaten, dry roasted and then steam cooked. Jaggery which is the other ingredient is also a healthy addition to this simple and wholesome preparation.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of raw rice.

1/4 cup of raw moong dal.

1 cup of Jaggery grated.

3 cups of Water.

Ground Cardamom Powder.

Handful of Broken cashew.

1/4 cup of Fresh Coconut.

PREPARATION:

  • Measure out the cupful of raw rice and put it in a dry kadai. Keep the flame on medium high and roast it until the rice turns a dull red. Another indication is the pleasant aroma of roasted rice. Set aside.
  • Now follow the same procedure with the raw moong.
  • Allow the roasted rice and moong to cool down and then transfer to a mixer.
  • Powder the rice and the moong to a coarse consistency. It should not be ground fine. Set aside in an air-tight container to keep any moisture from getting in the powder.
  • Keep fresh coconut and ground cardamom powder ready.
  • In a kadai pour the water and wait for it to come to a slow boil.
  • Now pour the jaggery, powdered rice and moong in to the water and whisk it to dissolve all the lumps.
  • In a few seconds, it will cook in the water just like rava upma.  Remove from the stove and transfer to a vessel.
  • Add enough water in the pressure cooker and steam cook with weight up to two whistles.
  • When done, remove from cooker and allow to cool. Use your hands and roughly break the clumps to form a wet sand like consistency.
  • In another kadai, add a spoon of ghee and roast cashews.
  • Add the kali in to the kadai and saute for a few minutes.
  • Add powdered cardamom and fresh coconut and mix well.
  • Offer prepared Thiruvadharai Kali to the Lord.
Festivals & Significance · Kerala / Palakkad Recipes. · Naivedhyams/ Festival Offerings.

Thiruvadharai – Significance & Learnings – Naivethyams.

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Every year, the month of “Marghazi” is of very special significance as it heralds new beginnings, the new year, the music season in Tamil Nadu made redolent with the myraid  performances of senior music stalwarts in the various halls, Vaikunta Ekadasi, and of course Thiruvadharai.  When I actually embarked on the significance of this day I found so many different versions, all of them confluencing on the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva.

This festival occurs on the day of the Arudra star in the tamil month of Marghazi, and is of course of special significance to Lord Shiva. This day also marks the auspicious time for Arudra Darisanam – of Lord Nataraja in the Saivite temples all over Tamilnadu.  This celebration is marked by abhishekams to Nataraja and his consort Sivakami during the full moon night, and worship services such as the Deepa Aradhanai to Natarajar amidst the chanting of sanskrit and tamil hymns and the waving of lamps, in the pre-dawn hours, when the moon still shines bright, an enactment of the dance of Shiva, and a grand procession through the processional streets.

Although there is a shrine to Natarajar, in virtually all of the Saivite temples in Tamilnadu, five of these are considered to be the Pancha Sabhais or the five cosmic dance halls of Shiva. The five dance halls are:

The Hall of Gold – Kanakasabha at Chidambaram,

The Hall of Silver Velli Sabhai at Madurai,

The Hall of Rubies – Ratnasabha at Tiruvalankadu,

The Hall of Copper – Tamrasabha at Tirunelveli and

The Hall of Pictures – Chitrasabha at Kutralam.

The usual Neivethyams that are offered to Lord Shiva are Thirivadharai Upperi & Thiruvadharai Kali. The postings will follow in the later blogs.

Eggless Cakes · Kid Friendly Recipes. · Snacks & Tiffin Items

Festive Eggless Zebra Cake – Vanilla & Choclate.

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Delicious Eggless Zebra Cake

After my really long blogging break, my daughter really started missing  my unforeseen delicacies that I make at home for her now and then. She has become so used to my blogging that this morning when I made her a peanut butter nutella sandwich and passed on her little pink plate, she threw a quizzical look at me.  “Mom” she queried, “Arent you taking a picture???”  I could`nt help smiling….”No sweety”, I quipped….go ahead and have your sandwich…She had been wanting to have my eggless cakes in a long time. So this afternoon, I decided to surprise her with a Zebra Cake, which I know had been making its rounds in the foodie blogsphere. I guess the name really hit off with her,  I decided, as she came back for second and third helpings….

I did not have dark chocolate, but I generously used Hot chocolate Mix, specially made and packaged in tin containers, for the holiday season,  that I found at Costco. I guess I can say that it was delicious and spongy, at the same time not too sweet.  We all enjoyed it with a hot cup of tea and saved some for snack the following day.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups All Purpose Flour / Maida.

1 3/4 cup Whole Milk .

1/2 cup Oil.

1 1/4 – 1 1/2  cup Sugar ( Preferable a little more than 1 1/4 and a little less than 1 1 /2!!!)

1 tsp  vanilla essence.

Cocoa Powder / Dark chocolate Powder / Ground Bournvita as needed.

1 Tsp Baking Soda.

1 Tsp Baking Powder.

PREPARATION:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F and line your cake pan with butter spray, butter, oil  or flour.
  • In a bowl, measure out the dry ingredients – Flour, Baking Soda, baking powder. Mix and keep ready.
  • In another mixing bowl, start with the milk and add oil, sugar,  and whisk well to dissolve any lumps. Take caution NOT to over mix as this may rob the cake of sponginess.
  • Slowly add the dry ingredients little by little and incorporate them together.
  • Remove half of this prepared batter and put in another vessel.
  • To one portion, add 1 tsp of vanilla essence and mix it in.
  • To the other half, add 3-4 spoons of dark chocolate powder or dark cocoa powder. The darker the powder, the better the chocolate rings.

Cake batter - Vanilla & Choclate Rings.

  • Now take the greased ake pan and add exactly one ladle of chocolate batter.
  • Next take a ladle of plain vanilla batter and add it to the centre of the chocolate batter.
  • Repeat now again with the chocolate batter, to follow with the vanilla batter.
  • The repeated layers of alternate batters spread slowly to fill out to the ends of the cake pan.
  • Complete both the batters and sprinkle some broken cashew/almond nuts on the top of the batter.

  • Set it inside the pre-heated oven for 35 minutes or until a toothpick thats inserted comes out clean.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool and enjoy delicious Zebra Cake with your family!!!

Sending this cake to SHOW ME YOUR CAKE event hosted by Divya of Dil Se. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a wonderful and prosperous new year.


Kid Friendly Recipes. · Snacks & Tiffin Items · Travel

Back after a Break – Simple Steamed Jumbo Peanuts & Memories!!!!

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Hot Steamed Jumbo Peanuts!

It has been a very busy break for me, having another baby after 6 years!!! I have almost forgotten the simple and joyous , yet difficult times of having a newborn in the home!  Sleep times and wakeup calls are completly regulated by her and so are the schedules of the rest of the day. Yet, when I see her face, calm in her sleep, a smile now and then,  I realise its worth every pain I have gone through…a million times over!!!!

Last night I was browsing the aggregator, and found Srivalli`s posting for MLLA – 18. And I realised that I had the perfect yet simple post for for her event!!! Steamed Jumbo Peanuts….Memories of this goes as back as when we were little toddlers and Madurai amma used to steam them in the cooker for us to have when we get home in the evenings. It would always be a pleasure to sit with my siblings, chat up about the happenngs of the day and catch up with each other.Summer vacations are never complete without all the cousins, sharing a plate of steamed peanuts!!!

INGREDIENTS:

Raw Jumbo Peanuts.

Water

Salt.

PREPARATION:

  • Wash the raw peanuts well and pop them in to the pressure cooker with just enough water to cover them.
  • Add salt to the peanuts and give it a good stir.
  • Switch on the gas and when there is enough steam, put the weight.
  • In India, the raw peanuts  have a thin skin, so all it needs is just one whistle.
  • Here, the peanuts have a thick skin and so I allow three whistles.
  • Switch off and when ready, open the cooker and have juicy salted soft steamed peanuts.
  • Healthy snack for kids when they are  back from school and a great idea for picnics and weekend drives.

Sending loads of steamed peanuts to MLLA – 18`th helping event at Srivalli`s Cooking4AllSeasons, brainchild of Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook.