Sweet and Savoury Diwali Moments



Diwali Marundhu,Mysore Pak,Wheat halwa and Rava Ladoo

 

Thenkuzhal,Mullu thenkuzhal and Omapodi




Brinjal,Chow Chow,Potato and Raw Plantain waiting to sizzle our palate. 



Diwali at our place is really big on food.These are some of the moments that made Diwali great for us. This was at my Mil's place.Our festivities started on the 4th evening with bhaji and wheat halwa and the rest of the bakshanam pictured on top .This was followed by a simple dinner of semiya payasam,onion sambar and potato curry.Check out the collages.This was our Pre-Diwali treat! I'm sending this to the key bunch fest.

Navratri Weekend

Twin Hayagreevars and Badam Peda

Golu hopping,making sweets and visiting relatives,these were the sights reserved for me this weekend.I visited a home of two sisters on Friday.They live in the same building and even their icons of worship are identical.Check out the twin Hayagreevars in their house! I simply enjoyed looking at the Golu arrangements made in their house.I was reading an article in hindu comparing Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Golu .What an interesting comparison.The first three steps represent survival.The middle three represent comfort.And the last three to the spiritual plane or self -actualization. 

I also tried out a sweet recipe called Badam Peda from Priya's blog(with a helping hand from my husband!).This I made for my husband's cousin Jaykumar. He  is an IIT gold medalist and PHD from MIT.He is such a simple person.He lost his dad while he was very young.And yet he blazed a trail of excellence.He is such a brilliant boy,and all his accomplishments rests very lightly on his shoulders. He is going to be married very shortly and he had come down for a visit from the US.He has made his mother very proud who is also responsible for his success.All the very best to him.

My mom also made some fantastic lunch.Seen above is a picture of the sesame rice she made.It tasted great.

Vilakku poojai and Saraswathi pooja

This is a collage of the Saraswathi pooja celebration at my mom's and MIL's.My mom does a vilakku pooja during Navratri ,I have put that pic in the center of the collage.Lunch was lavish at my MIL's.For dinner we had adai at my moms.I took a bite of the adai before photographing it on Saturday.So this is the way I celebrated my Navratri weekend.Sending this to the Weekend wrap up party 2. 


Also linking this to Tried and Tasted Event, hosted by PJ of Seduce your Tastebuds.Event Originally by Zlamushka,now taken over by Ms.Lakshmi Venkatesh of Kitchen Chronicles

Sakkarai Pongal

Made this on Sankranti day in honour of Lord Surya bhagawan.

Ingredients:

rice-1 cup

Gram dal1 spoon

Moong dal-1 spoon

Milk-1 cup

jaggery-1 1/2 cups

raisins-2 tablespoons

cashew nuts-15-20

elaichi powder-1/2 tsp

ghee-6-7 tablespoons.

Method: Mix rice,moong dal,gram dal and dry roast lightly.Add 3 cups of water and pressure cook.You can also add unboiled milk instead of 1 glass of water.Melt the jaggery with a little water in a pan.Remove the scum. Add the rice,moong dal and gram dhal to the jaggery.Add milk and stir.Fry the cashews and raisins in ghee and add in the mixture.Add elaichi powder and ghee to the mixture.

This is my entry for FF: Makar Sankranti.

Bhogi Recipes

The menu for bhogi at my place usually is Paruppu Payasam,Poli,Amavadai,Vazhaika curry,Pitlai and More Kuzhambu.We do not use onions on this day. I made Paruppu Payasam and Poli on bhogi day.

Paruppu Payasam recipe:

Ingredients:

Milk-3 cups

Moong Dhal-2 tablespoons

Bengal gram dhal-2 tablespoons

Jaggery-1/2 cup

Cashewnuts-1 tablespoon

Elaichi powder-1/2 teaspoon

Ghee-2 tablespoons

Method: Fry cashewnuts in ghee till golden and set aside.Soak both the dhals in water atleast for 15 mins and pressure cook for 2 or 3 whistles till the dals are mushy.Mash them and keep aside.Add quarter cup of water to jaggery,melt it and strain the scum.To this cleaned jaggery liquid add both the dals and stir well.Add the heated milk and simmer for five minutes.Add cashew nuts,elaichi powder and ghee and take off from the flame.

This is my submission for Priti's Makar Sankranti Festival event

Kanu Pongal

I made this arrangement on turmeric leaves for the crows to eat. I was thrilled to bits.Then crows got so curious that I was scared they would pull out the leaves before I made the arrangement of left over food.I even kept manjal sadham for them.

To elaborate, this festival is celebrated after sankranti. This festival is called kari naal and kanu peedai.This is mainly celebrated for the welfare of brothers.The lumps of food that you see is called Kanu pidi. I have kept four fresh manjal leaves and have made seven marble sized balls of curd rice,eritha kozhambu,chakara pongal and manjal saadham .This my submission for Pongal Celebrations at Pritis Makar Sankranti Festival

Pongal Meal

This was the Pongal Sapad we had this afternoon .

After seeing Priti's Makar Sankranti festival event,I have decided to add how I celebrated Pongal at home.We celebrate Pongal for three days. The first day is Bhogi Pandigai,when the entire house is cleaned with the frontage of the house decorated with kolam and kavi(red oxide).

The second day is Sankranthi,this festival also falls on the first day of the Tamil month Thai,so its equally auspicious.After my ablutions, started off with the naalu moolai kolam, followed by tying of the mango thoran at the entrance of my home. We follow a custom of tying manjal kothu(turmeric plant) around the chakara pongal utensil and ginger kothu around the rice and dal utesil.I anointed the pathram with manjal and kumkum before tying the roots. These utensils need to be kept on the suryan and chandiran kolam. I kept the following items for pooja betel leaves,nuts, flowers, bananas,sugar cane,coconut and jaggery.After thanking the sun god for all his benevolence we took our food. The next day we celebrate Kanu Pandigai where we make kalanda sadham like puli sadham,thengai sadham,lemon rice and curd rice.Thus Pongal turns into a feasting and thanks giving festival for us at chennai.This is my submission for Pongal celebrations to Priti's Makar Sankranti Festival

Karthigai Deepam and Kolam dec 12 2008

These are the pictures of karthigai deepam celebrated at my place.Worshipping the divine in the form of light is an amazing concept. The hymn "Lead Kindly light " comes to my mind

Lead, Kindly Light
"Lead, Kindly Light, amidst th'encircling gloom,
Lead Thou me on!The night is dark, and I am far from home,Lead Thou me on!Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to seeThe distant scene; one step enough for me."

This festival is special for Lord Shiva and Lord Muruga. The house is cleaned thoroughly during karthigai.I think this is a form of spring cleaning. Clearing up old energy and making way for new. I enjoyed lighting up the earthen lamps.