Thiruvadhirai Kali

Thiruvadhirai Kali

Thiruvadhirai Kali is a sweet dish which we make on the day of "Arudhra Darshan" and offer to Lord Shiva. This sweet is made with rice rava cooked in Jaggery syrup and flavoured with cardamom and fresh coconut flakes. With few drops of ghee/clarified butter, the taste is divine. You can substitute the raw rice with brown rice and try this out with the same procedure..if you wish to avoid white rice. I made this sweet dish by adopting a simpler method.

Ingredients

White Sona Masoori Rice - 1.5 Cups

Jaggery - 2 Cups

Cardamom Seeds - 5 to 6

Fresh Coconut Flakes - 3/4 cup

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Method

1. Wash the Sona Masoori Rice and roast them in a frying pan till you get nice aroma and switch off the gas when it turns golden brown. Keep it aside.
2. When it cools down, grind them coarsely like rava and keep it ready.
3. Cook the grounded rice rava in a pressure cooker for 2-3 whistles by adding 3.5 cups of water.
4. Meantime, make the Jaggery syrup in a separate thick bottomed vessel. Switch it off and keep it ready.
5. Crush the cardamom seeds and make a fine powder and keep it ready.
6. After the cooker cools down, transfer the cooked rice rava into the jaggery syrup slowly without making lumps.
7. On a very low flame, add the cardamom seeds, coconut flakes, ghee and stir them thoroughly for 3-4 minutes.
8. Switch off the flame. Now the Thiruvadhirai Kali is ready for Neivedhyam.

Thiruvadhirai Kootu

Thiruvadhirai Kootu

Thiruvadhirai Kootu also called as Ezhukari Kootu or Thalagam is made on the day of  "Arurudhra Darshan" as prasadam and offered to Lord Shiva. This kootu is made out of vegetables, thuvar dal and spiced with a special grounded powder. This tangy, spicy kootu is a good combination with the Thiruvadhirai Kali on the festival day. Its a general tradition to include 7 types of vegetables into this Kootu but you can add as many vegetable variety as you like and make this Kootu more healthier and richer. I added more than seven variety while making this dish and offered to Lord Shiva.

Ingredients

Oil - 1 tbsp

Tamarind - A small Lemon Size

Thuvar Dal / Thuvaram Paruppu / Kandhi Pappu - 3/4 cup

Turmeric Powder - 3 tsp

Hing/Asafoetida - 1 Dash

Curry Leaves - 1 stem

Mustard Seeds - 2 tsp

Urad Dal / Minna Pappu / Ulutham Paruppu - 1 tsp

Salt - To taste

Powdered Jaggery - 2 tsp

Coconut Flakes - 1/2 cup

Vegetables

Beans - 12 cut into finger size

White Pumpkin - 12-15 pieces ( Cut into medium square )

Butternut Squash - 10 - 12 pieces ( Cut into medium square)

Brinjal - 3

Potato - 2 Medium ( Cut into Medium Squares )

Carrot - 1 Big ( Cut into finger size)

Raw Plantain - 1 ( Cut into Medium Square )

Mochai / Lilva - 1 Handful

Chow Chow / Chayote - 1 ( Cut into Medium Square )

Sweet Potato - 1 ( Cut into Medium Square )

Green Zucchini - 1 ( Cut into Medium Square )

For the Spice Powder

Coriander Seeds - 2 tbsp

Channa Dal / Kadalai Paruppu - 1 tbsp

Fenugreek Seeds / Vendhayam - 1 tsp

Dry Red Chillies - 7 to 8 ( Depends on your taste )

Method

• Soak tamarind in water and extract its juice and keep it ready.
• Cook the thuvar Dal in a pressure cooker to a fine paste and keep it ready.
• Wash all the vegetables and cut them into desired shapes and steam cook them in a big nonstick kadai. (Add very little water and cover the lid of the kadai while steam cooking the vegetables )
• Dry roast the ingredients for making the grounded powder and make a fine powder and keep it ready.
• After the vegetables get steam cooked to a desired level, add the tamarind juice, turmeric powder, jaggery powder, mashed thuvar dal, required amount of salt and mix them well.
• Cook them with the lid open for couple of minutes.
• Finally add the grounded powder and fresh coconut flakes and mix them well. Allow them to cook for another 2-3 minutes.
• In a tempering pan, add oil and finish the tempering process. Pour them over the kadai and switch off the flame.
• Cover the lid and let the kootu settles down for few minutes.
• Now its ready for Neivedhyam.