RAMANAVAMI

Ramanavami is the birth anniversary of Sri Rama, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It is celebrated throughout India on the ninth phase of the moon in the month of Chaitra. It is believed that Rama was born in the middle of the day. The festival is actually one of fasting, but a number of items are prepared as PRASAD (offerings to the deity). So people get to partake the different prasads. The items include Tamarind chuda, Kosambri, banana rasayanam , butter milk, and panakam(lemon juice). In addition to these, fruits and coconut are also offered. After the puja, friends and relatives are invited to partake the prasad. In olden days, they were offered chandan paste and also a hand fan usually made of bamboo or palm leaves. As the festival falls at the end of spring season and beginning of summer, chandan paste when smeared on the hands and face has a cooling effect. The panakam and butter milk also are ideal under such circumstances.



Puja room on Ramanavami Day. The festival normally falls on the 7th or 8th day after Yugadi - any day between March 23 and April 15.










Tamrind Chuda
Ingredients:
Chuda (beaten rice – thick variety) ---------2 cups
Water------------------------------------------------ 2 cups
Tamarind--------------------------------------------2 tbsps
Gud-------------------------------------------------- 2 tbsps
Rasam powder------------------------------------2 tbsps
Peanuts---------------------------------------------1/4 cup
Hing--------------------------------------------------1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder---------------------------------1/2tsp
Mustard seeds----------------------------------- 1 tsp
Curry patta-----------------------------------------1 sprig
Red chillies ----------------------------------------2
Refined oil------------------------------------------1/4 cup
Urad dal---------------------------------------------2 tbsps
White til----------------------------------------------2 tbsps
Copra(grated)-------------------------------------2 tbps
Salt to taste.

Method
Grind the Chuda in a dry grinder into a very coarse powder(about 20 seconds). Soak the tamarind and jaggery in one cup of water for one hour. Extract the juice thouroughly using the remaining water also. Add the rasam powder, salt and hing to the chuda and then soak the mixture in the tamarind water and leave it for at least two hours. Roast the urad dal and the white til. Allow it to cool. Then add the copra and grind the mixture to a fine powder. Add this to the soaked chuda and mix thoroughly. Heat the oil in a kadai . Add the mustard seeds. After the mustard seeds splutter, add the ground nut seeds and fry till they are brown . Now put off the flame , add the red chillies, turmeric powder, curry patta in that order. Reserve a few red chilli pieces, a few curry leaves and a few peanuts and add the remaining to the chuda mixture and mix thoroughly. Put it in a serving dish and then garnish it with the reserved red chillies, curry and peanuts.


Panakam

Ingredients

Lemon---------------------------2
Jaggery--------------------------1/2 cup
Cardomum powder----------1/2 tsp.
Dry ginger powder------------1/4 tsp
Saffron----------------------------a few strands
Water------------------------------4 cups

Squeeze the lemon juice and mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Chill it.

Butter Milk

Yoghurt or curds---------------2 cups
Water-----------------------------4 cups
Salt to taste
Curry leaves---------------------a sprig
Ginger-----------------------------1/2 inch piece
Green chilly(optional) --------1
Coriander leaves(optional)

Beat the curds. Grind the ginger into a paste. Chop green chilly, curry leaves and coriander leaves finely. Mix all the ingredients and chill. If required, the buttermilk can be diluted by adding more water.

Kosambri

Ingredients

Moong dal(green gram dal)--------1/2 cup
Cucumber(small)-----------------------1
Coconut scrapings---------------------1/2 cup
Green chillies-----------------------------2 or 3
Assafotida---------------------------------a pinch
Coriander leaves(finely chopped)—1 tblsp
Lemon juice---------------------------------1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil----------------------------------------------1 tsp
Mustard---------------------------------------1/2 tsp

Method

Soak the green gram dal in water for at least 2 hours. Peel the cucumber and cut it into fine pieces. Chop the green chillies also into fine pieces. Drain the water completely from the dal. To this, add the salt, green chillies, cucumber pieces,. Asafoetida, and lemon juice and mix thoroughly. Heat the oil in a kadai and splutter the mustard. Garnish the dal mixture with coconut scrapings, coriander leaves and the mustard.