YUGADI
Yugadi means beginning of the Yuga.[ The entire life of the Universe is divided in to four ‘Yugas’ namely – Krita Yuga, Treta yuga, Dwapara yuga and Kaliyuga . We are now running thro’ Kali Yuga]..
Here it is essential to know something about our Hindu calendar. The new year begins with Chaitra Masa [ generally between mid March and mid April ]. Each month starts on the day next to New moon day- Amavasya. This day is referred to as Prathama. So Yugadi falls on Prathama of Chaitra masa. The twelve months of the year follow the phases of the moon, each month starting on Prathama and ending on Amavasya[New Moon day]
Yugadi marks the beginning of the New year for us. The day starts with Puja after oil bath and tasting a mixture of both bitter and sweet (a mixture of tender neem leaves/flowers and jaggery). It is quite symbolic - one must forget any bitterness in the past and look forward to a sweet and promising future . It also implies that one should face both successes and failures in life equally.
As is done on all major Hindu festivals, a ‘Toranam ‘[ garland ] made of mango leaves is strung across the main door of the house flanked by small branches of ‘ neem ‘ tree. Also the main door entry is decorated with attractive patterns of ‘Rangoli
It is also a time for the entire family to get together and greet each other which is invariably followed by a sumptuous lunch. The lunch normally consists of two vegetables, two kosambries (soaked moong or chana dal spiced with green chillies, salt, coconut ,etc.), plain rice, a mixed rice, dal, Dahi sambar or raitha, kheer, obbattu ( Puran Poli), Amboda(Chickpea vada), Rasam and curds. As yugadi falls at the beginning of the mango season, the mixed rice is normally mango rice.
It is customary to don new clothes on this day and visit a nearby temple of the family
Deity.
It is also customary that certain vegetables are not used for cooking on festival days. For instance onion, garlic, bitter gourd(karela) are never used in cooking on festival days.
MANGO RICE
Ingredients
Cooked rice-------------------------4 cups
Raw mango -------------------------1
Red chilli powder --------------------2 tsp.
Mustard dal ------------------------1 tsp
Hing -------------------------------- 1 pinch
Mustard seeds --------------------- ½ tsp
Peanuts------------------------------1/4cup
Grated coconut or copra-------------1/4 cup
Methi seeds(roasted)-----------------1/2 tsp
Jaggery------------------------------ 1 tblsp
Turmeric powder---------------------¼ tsp
Curry patta---------------------------1 sprig
Red chillies(cut into pieces)----------- a few
Oil------------------------------------2 tblsp
Method
Peel and grate the mango and mix the salt and leave it aside. Mix the chili powder, mustard dal, roasted methi seeds, grated coconut or copra and jaggery and grind it into a powder. Heat the oil in a kadai. Splutter the mustard seeds, then add the peanuts. After that add the turmeric powder, hing , red chillies and lastly the curry patta. Keep away some peanuts, curry patta and red chillies for garnishing. Cool the rice in a wide dish. To this add the grated mango, ground masala and the fried peanut mixture and mix thoroughly. Garnish it with peanuts, curry patta and red chillies.
PURAN POLI(PURNAM OBBATTU)
Ingredients
Maida ---------------------------------1 cup
Atta(whole wheat flour)-----------------1 cup
Chanadal-------------------------------1 cup
Jaggery---------------------------------1 cup
Coconut scrapings(optional)------------ 1/2 cup
Cardomum(powdered)------------------1/2 tsp
Mace(Javitri)(optional)------------------1/4 tsp
Refined oil-------------------------------2 tblsp
Rice flour -------------------------------1/2 cup
A pinch of saltMethod
Knead a soft elastic dough using the maida , atta and salt and ½ tbsp. Oil. Keep this aside for 2 to 3 hours.
Cook the chanadal in a pressure cooker. Do not overcook. Drain the excess water .. Mix the jaggery with the dal and grind it to a smooth paste along with coconut scrapings. Put the mixture in a heavy bottomed kadai and cook on a low fire. Keep stirring till the mixture is neither too liquid nor too dry. Remove from fire and add the cardomum powder and javitri. The consistency of the dough and the chanadal puran should be the same.
Now knead the atta using the remaining oil for atleast ten more minutes. A little water , if required, may be sprinkled while kneading. Divide the dough into balls of the size of a medium sized lemon. Heat a flat tawa on a very low flame and smear with refined oil. Mold each dough ball into a cup and place the chanadal puran (about 2 to 2 ½ times the dough), pull the dough around the puran and close at the top.
Roll out the ball into a thin chapathi using rice floor liberally on the rolling board. Put this on the tawa carefully and allow it to roast for sometime and then turn it over carefully and roast the other side also. When the poli is done fold it over and remove from the tawa. Before making the next poli smear the tawa with oil.
AMBODA ( Chanadal vada)
Ingredients
Chana dal(chickpea dal) 2 cups
Green chillies 4 – 6
Ginger root 1” piece
Coconut scrapings(optional) 2 tbsps
Coriander leaves(chopped) 2 tbsps
Curry patta 1 sprig
Salt to taste
Refined oil for frying
Method
Soak the chanadal for 1 ½ hours to 2 hours. Drain the water and keep aside. Mix the chana dal with green chillies, ginger and coconut scrapings and grind it to a very coarse paste using the water sparingly. Add salt, coriander leaves, curry patta(chopped) and mix thouroughly. Heat the oil in a kadai.
Divide the coarse paste into small lemon-sized balls. Take each ball and flatten it on the palm and drop in the smoking hot oil carefully. In the same way shape the other balls also and fry them in the oil in batches of 6 – 8. Fry till golden brown. Remove and drain the oil.
In place of coriander leaves you can use either mint leaves or dil(suva sag) leaves. On festival days, generally onions are not used. On other days , you can add finely chopped onion and add to the ground paste for making the vadas.
Here it is essential to know something about our Hindu calendar. The new year begins with Chaitra Masa [ generally between mid March and mid April ]. Each month starts on the day next to New moon day- Amavasya. This day is referred to as Prathama. So Yugadi falls on Prathama of Chaitra masa. The twelve months of the year follow the phases of the moon, each month starting on Prathama and ending on Amavasya[New Moon day]
Yugadi marks the beginning of the New year for us. The day starts with Puja after oil bath and tasting a mixture of both bitter and sweet (a mixture of tender neem leaves/flowers and jaggery). It is quite symbolic - one must forget any bitterness in the past and look forward to a sweet and promising future . It also implies that one should face both successes and failures in life equally.
As is done on all major Hindu festivals, a ‘Toranam ‘[ garland ] made of mango leaves is strung across the main door of the house flanked by small branches of ‘ neem ‘ tree. Also the main door entry is decorated with attractive patterns of ‘Rangoli
It is also a time for the entire family to get together and greet each other which is invariably followed by a sumptuous lunch. The lunch normally consists of two vegetables, two kosambries (soaked moong or chana dal spiced with green chillies, salt, coconut ,etc.), plain rice, a mixed rice, dal, Dahi sambar or raitha, kheer, obbattu ( Puran Poli), Amboda(Chickpea vada), Rasam and curds. As yugadi falls at the beginning of the mango season, the mixed rice is normally mango rice.
It is customary to don new clothes on this day and visit a nearby temple of the family
Deity.
It is also customary that certain vegetables are not used for cooking on festival days. For instance onion, garlic, bitter gourd(karela) are never used in cooking on festival days.
MANGO RICE
Ingredients
Cooked rice-------------------------4 cups
Raw mango -------------------------1
Red chilli powder --------------------2 tsp.
Mustard dal ------------------------1 tsp
Hing -------------------------------- 1 pinch
Mustard seeds --------------------- ½ tsp
Peanuts------------------------------1/4cup
Grated coconut or copra-------------1/4 cup
Methi seeds(roasted)-----------------1/2 tsp
Jaggery------------------------------ 1 tblsp
Turmeric powder---------------------¼ tsp
Curry patta---------------------------1 sprig
Red chillies(cut into pieces)----------- a few
Oil------------------------------------2 tblsp
Method
Peel and grate the mango and mix the salt and leave it aside. Mix the chili powder, mustard dal, roasted methi seeds, grated coconut or copra and jaggery and grind it into a powder. Heat the oil in a kadai. Splutter the mustard seeds, then add the peanuts. After that add the turmeric powder, hing , red chillies and lastly the curry patta. Keep away some peanuts, curry patta and red chillies for garnishing. Cool the rice in a wide dish. To this add the grated mango, ground masala and the fried peanut mixture and mix thoroughly. Garnish it with peanuts, curry patta and red chillies.
PURAN POLI(PURNAM OBBATTU)
Ingredients
Maida ---------------------------------1 cup
Atta(whole wheat flour)-----------------1 cup
Chanadal-------------------------------1 cup
Jaggery---------------------------------1 cup
Coconut scrapings(optional)------------ 1/2 cup
Cardomum(powdered)------------------1/2 tsp
Mace(Javitri)(optional)------------------1/4 tsp
Refined oil-------------------------------2 tblsp
Rice flour -------------------------------1/2 cup
A pinch of saltMethod
Knead a soft elastic dough using the maida , atta and salt and ½ tbsp. Oil. Keep this aside for 2 to 3 hours.
Cook the chanadal in a pressure cooker. Do not overcook. Drain the excess water .. Mix the jaggery with the dal and grind it to a smooth paste along with coconut scrapings. Put the mixture in a heavy bottomed kadai and cook on a low fire. Keep stirring till the mixture is neither too liquid nor too dry. Remove from fire and add the cardomum powder and javitri. The consistency of the dough and the chanadal puran should be the same.
Now knead the atta using the remaining oil for atleast ten more minutes. A little water , if required, may be sprinkled while kneading. Divide the dough into balls of the size of a medium sized lemon. Heat a flat tawa on a very low flame and smear with refined oil. Mold each dough ball into a cup and place the chanadal puran (about 2 to 2 ½ times the dough), pull the dough around the puran and close at the top.
Roll out the ball into a thin chapathi using rice floor liberally on the rolling board. Put this on the tawa carefully and allow it to roast for sometime and then turn it over carefully and roast the other side also. When the poli is done fold it over and remove from the tawa. Before making the next poli smear the tawa with oil.
AMBODA ( Chanadal vada)
Ingredients
Chana dal(chickpea dal) 2 cups
Green chillies 4 – 6
Ginger root 1” piece
Coconut scrapings(optional) 2 tbsps
Coriander leaves(chopped) 2 tbsps
Curry patta 1 sprig
Salt to taste
Refined oil for frying
Method
Soak the chanadal for 1 ½ hours to 2 hours. Drain the water and keep aside. Mix the chana dal with green chillies, ginger and coconut scrapings and grind it to a very coarse paste using the water sparingly. Add salt, coriander leaves, curry patta(chopped) and mix thouroughly. Heat the oil in a kadai.
Divide the coarse paste into small lemon-sized balls. Take each ball and flatten it on the palm and drop in the smoking hot oil carefully. In the same way shape the other balls also and fry them in the oil in batches of 6 – 8. Fry till golden brown. Remove and drain the oil.
In place of coriander leaves you can use either mint leaves or dil(suva sag) leaves. On festival days, generally onions are not used. On other days , you can add finely chopped onion and add to the ground paste for making the vadas.
posted by festrecipes @ 2:02 AM
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