Masala Bath

Masala Bath

Recipe courtesy : Tarla Dalal.

Tasty Masala bath is mild with few masalas and so very easy to prepare.  

Rice : ½ cup

Mix veg :  ½ cup ( chopped )

Salt to taste

Cumin seeds : 1 tsp

Coriander seeds : ½ tsp

Clove : 1

Black pepper : 6

Green chilly : 1

Ginger :  ½ inch

Turmeric powder :  2 pinches

Water : 1 cup

Onion: 1

Hing powder :  2 pinches

Oil :  1 tbsp

Coriander leaves for garnishing.

Soak rice for 15 minutes and drain the water.

Chop veggies of your choice .  Traditionally Ivy gourd , Brinjal and Peas are used.  But according to my kids preference I used carrot, peas and beans .

Finely chop green chilly, onion and ginger .

Dry fry ½ tsp of cumin seeds, coriander seeds , pepper and clove.

Powder it nicely.  Spice powder is ready.

In a small cooker , pour oil and temper with ½ tsp of cumin seeds.  Add onion and saute nicely. 

Add  rice ,  salt, spice powder, turmeric, veggies , green chilly , ginger , hing powder and stir fry for a couple of minutes in low flame. 

Add a cup of water and close with the lid.

Cook for a whistle .

After opening , garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with Chips / Raitha / Pickle.

Traditionally Ivy gourd , Brinjal and Peas are used for this recipe.

Morkali

Morkali

Easy to prepare , simple yet tasty Morkali is a healthy tiffin.

Rice flour :  1 cup

Sour Curd : 1 cup

Water : 1 + ¼ cup

Gingelly oil  :  4 tbsp

Salt to taste

Sundried curd chilly / Mormilagai  :  6

Green chilly :  2

Curry leaves : few

Hing powder :  2 pinches

Mustard seeds : ¼ tsp

Mix Rice flour , Curd, salt and water nicely without any lumps and keep it aside.

In a deep Pan/ Kadaai , Heat oil and temper with mustard seeds.  When it stops popping, add chopped green chilly , sundried curd chilly and saute for a minute.

Add hing powder and curry leaves.

Add the rice flour mixture gradually while stirring and cook in low flame with lid.

Now and then stir and cook till all the liquid gets absorbed.

Remove from flame.   Serve hot.

Enjoy this simple yet delicious Morkali with pickle. 

Aadi Velli or Purattaasi Sani

During  the  month of Aadi ( Jul-Aug) we offer  Maavilakku maavu  or  Kozhukkattai  or  Sarkarai  Pongal as a Neivedhyam during Fridays.
 

It is believed that the Goddess Shakthi doubles her power and worshipping her will help one to achieve what one needs. The Goddess will protect her devotees from all negative effects.

 

Maavilakku shall be made during  Purattaasi Sani  ( Saturday ) or Thai Velli ( Friday ) for Neivedhyam.

 Maavilakku  Maavu

Kozhukkattai

Sarkarai  Pongal

 

Maavilakku Maavu

Maavilakku  is prepared on  Aadi  Velli  (  Friday  of Aadi month) or Purattaasi Sani ( Saturday of Purattaasi month )

Recipe courtesy :  Chitvish and reference from other sites.

Ingredients

Raw rice:  1cup + one fist full of rice.i.e...  It is customary to take one fist full of rice more than your measuring cup.  Normally we say 'padiyum pidiyum'.

Jaggery: one cup.

Ghee : 4 tsp. ( unmelted thick ghee to fill lamp )

Melted Ghee:  2 tbsp to mix with the rice flour 

Cardamom powder  :  1 tsp 

  Method:            Soak rice in water for 1 hour. Drain rice and let it dry on a kitchen cloth or paper. When it's still little bit wet, grind it into a nice rice flour.  Grate or powder jaggery and mix this with rice flour. Add cardamom powder,  melted thick Ghee.    Prepare the dough without using water . Can sprinkle milk if needed for easy shaping .

Make two same sizes of spheres from the rice dough. Make a dent at the centre .  ( You can see, in one of my photo, I have made it in Agal vilakku shape , just for convenience ) .  You can also insert wick holder ( removable part from our regular pooja vilakku ) in center of the maavilakku dough to have a perfect grip for wick and you can comfortably pour unmelted ghee in the dent / hole.  Pour required amt of ghee in the cup shape.  Apply chandan and kumkum on all 4 sides of the cup shape.   Place jyothi wick  and smear it with ghee.   Now place these maavilakku on the plate or banana leaf.
                Now draw rangoli in front of your pooja place on a wooden plank.  (in temples we directly draw rangoli after sprinkling water on the floor and keep the banana leaf.)  keep this mavilakku plate on the rangoli.  Light the (separate) lamp, swamy vilakku.

                Take a separate wick in a spoon (dhoopakkal ) light it.  By using this lighted 'thiri', light the maavilakku jyothi. (that means you should not directly light the maavilakku  jyothi by using match stick).   Offer flower, show incense stick.   Keep thamboolam, broken coconut , fruits .   Offer neivedhyam  and take karpoor arathi . .  keep the light for some time & carefully watch for ghee. 
  

                After sometime,  Just place a pinch of sugar on the burning wick to stop the burning.   Remove wick and mix the spheres well and have prasadham.

Note : 

• Use Organic or good quality Jaggery.
• Use Maavu Arisi or  Patni Chawal or  Ambemohar rice variety. 
• After grinding rice flour, finally add jaggery powder and give a run in the mixie for the perfect mix of rice flour and jaggery powder.