I can’t complain though…I have had somewhat of a break since Amma and Appa have been here with me. Especially during special festive days like March 14, the day when we are supposed to observe Karadai Nombu, according to the Hindu calendar. Karadai Nombu is for the South Indian Hindus (read Tamil) what you would call “Karvaa Chauth” for North Indian Hindus (not literally, but the intent is similar)- a day when married ladies pray for the well being of their spouses.  I’ve always wondered why there wasn’t a similar day for men to honor their wives…Hallmark, are you listening?

If you’re intrigued to know more about the story behind this tradition, go here.

For the first time since I have been married, I ventured to make the “adais”. Amma has been here for the last couple of years and she usually makes it, and then there are some years where I tie the yellow thread that is customary but haven’t really gone the whole nine yards, pun intended:) In case you didn’t get that pun, the traditional way is also to wear a nine yards saree while breaking the fast, which I don’t do as well. So this year I did go all out, sort of, minus the nine yards.

Amma and I also sought the help of Viji Varadarajan, the author of “Festival Samaiyal” who has a book made for the likes of me, a glossary of all the traditional South Indian festivals, with step by step instructions on how to make the required menu for each. The recipe that follows for the Vella Adai and Uppu Adai is adapted from this book.

A quick background on Karadai Nombu (pronounced Kaa-ra-dai NO-m-bu). Also known as Savithri Nombu, this festival is celebrated in the month of Maasi (Feb-March). Sathi Savithri, the courageous woman, argues with the God of death, Yama, to free her husband, Sathyavan from the clutches of death. She eventually wins him over and her husband is brought back to life. On this day, women usually fast until the auspicious time arrives (when the Maasi month begins), and chant prayers for the longevity of their husbands. The Vella Adai (sweet steamed doughnut) and Uppu Adai (salted or savory doughnut) is usually offered with a dollop of butter. A piece of flower is tied to a yellow (sacred) thread and worn around the necks of married women (sumangalis). The area of worship is cleaned, and patterns with rice powder are drawn (kolam). Fresh plantain leaves are placed and the adais are served on these. The women eat first and break their fast followed by the rest of the household.

Ingredients for Vella Adai:

2 cups rice flour

2 tbsp Black eyed peas

2 tbsp coconut, chopped or grated

2 1/4 cups jaggery powdered

1/4 tsp cardamom

1 tbsp ghee or clarified butter

1 banana (optional)

Method:

1. Soak the black eyed peas in hot water for 20 mins. Pressure cook for one whistle or cook in a microwave on high for 2 mins.

2. Dry roast the rice flour for 8-10 minutes on a medium flame till it looks a little golden.

3. Take the powdered jaggery in a saucepan and add the 4 cups water to it. Melt the jaggery over a low flame. Strain if needed. Place it back on the stove and add the cooked beans, coconut, rice flour and cardamom powder.

4. Take off the flame and mix well to avoid lumping.

6. Return the mixture and cook for 8-10 minutes or until it starts sticking to the ladle. Switch off the stove.

7. Take lemon sized balls of this mixture, pat them in your palm to about 1 1/2 inch thick patties. You may grease your hands with a little butter if needed. You may also take a banana leaf, wet it a little and make the patties on the leaf to avoid sticking. make a hole in the center of the patty.

8. Place small pieces of banana leaves in idli moulds or in a steamer and steam for about 10-15 minutes.

9. Serve with a dollop of unsalted butter.

Uppu Adai (Salted or Savory steamed rice doughnuts)

Ingredients:

2 cups rice flour

1 tbsp black eyed peas soaked and boiled as in the step above

2 tbsp chopped coconut

3/4 tsp salt or to taste

1 large banana leaf, cut into 3″ squares

For seasoning:

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

4-5 green chilies, chopped fine

1/2 tsp asafetida powder

a few curry leaves, chopped fine

1 1/2 tsp oil

1. As in step above, soak and boil the black eyed peas.

2. In a heavy bottomed vessel, heat the oil, add mustard seeds until they pop. Saute the chopped green chilies, add the coconut, asafetida, curry leaves, salt and cook for a few minutes.

3. Add 6 cups of water and bring to a boil. Lower the flame and add the rice flour, stirring to avoid lumps.

4. Cover with a lid and simmer for about 10-15 minutes until the flour is cooked. Now add the beans and stir until it blends well. Take this off the stove.

5. Make patties as in the step above and steam them in idli moulds or in a steamer.

We had been trying to find alternative methods to cut down rice from our diet. Brown rice, broken wheat are all great alternatives, but I find that neither has the protein content that quinoa provides. Basically, quinoa seems the closest to providing a balanced nutrition, the carbs, protein, Vit.B etc.

Of course, we tried it as an alternative to plain rice and then mixed it with plain yoghurt for the traditional South Indian staple, thayir saadhan or rather thayir quinoa! The other characteristic of quinoa that differentiates it from brown rice or broken wheat is that though there is a slight nutty flavor, you cannot taste it at all when you mix it with spices or curries. This, to me, is a perfect alternative to white rice!

Girish came up with the brilliant idea of trying bisi bele huli quinoa today for lunch and my mother got equally excited with the idea and pulled out her staple recipe for bisi bele huli bhaath. She and I got busy making it and I have to say it was awesome. So if you truly want to try this with rice, the recipe is just the same, only replace the quinoa with cooked rice.

Ingredients:

Boiled Toor Dal (yellow pigeon peas)  – 1 cup

Cooked quinoa – 1 cup (1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water in a pressure cooker, or a rice cooker)

Madras Sambar Powder – 2 1/2 tsp (you can use the MTR brand)

Turmeric – 1 tsp

Tamarind – lemon size soaked in water and made into a paste

Beans – 1/2 cup julienne sliced

Carrots – 2 julienne sliced

Peas – 1/2 cup

Cauliflower – florets 1/2 cup

Masala – to be ground into a paste

Onions – 2

Garlic – 8 pods (optional, if you dont like the smell of garlic, you can skip)

Red chilies – 8-10

Ginger – 2 inches

Khus Khus – 2 tbsp (poppy seeds)

Cloves – 4

Cardamom – 2

Dalchini (Cinnamon sticks) – 2

Grated coconut – 1/2 cup

Oil – 1/2 cup

Garnishing: cilantro – 1/2 cup, cashew pieces – 1/2 cup, mustard seeds – 1 tsp, curry leaves – a bunch, red chilies – 2

Method:

1. Take 2 tsp of oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add all the ingredients for the masala and fry lightly for about 5 minutes.

2. Add the turmeric powder and fry again for 2 more minutes. Allow to cool.

3. Put all the ingredients in the pan, add the tamarind and the tomatoes and grind to a smooth paste. Keep this aside.

4. Now take the same kadai, add the remaining oil and lightly fry the vegetables for about 5 minutes.

5. Add the ground paste and continue to fry until the oil separates, for about 10 minutes. Then add the sambar powder.

6. Now add the boiled and mashed toor dal, add about a cup of water and leave it to boil, for about 5-7 minutes. Add salt to taste.

7. Now add the cooked quinoa to the above mixture, and mix well. Cook a little more for about 5 minutes until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

8. In a separate pan, add a little oil, about 1 tsp. When the oil gets hot, add the mustard seeds and fry till they crackle. Now add the curry leaves and the red chilies. Add cashews and fry till they brown a little.

Add this to the bisi bele huli quinoa. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot.

Another staple Amma’s recipe. This dish brings back memories of school, when Amma would make this piping hot for breakfast and I would love it so much that I would take the same dish for lunch! There are many ways to make this “upma” and most recipes I know have onion and/or tomato, but I prefer it without, the bread is a little more “crispier” and I absolutely love the mustard/urad dal combination and eat it plain after I’m done snacking on all the bread!

Ingredients:

Sourdough bread (1/2 loaf). (You can also use plain white bread that’s a couple of days old). I haven’t tried it with whole wheat bread or rye bread, which you could use for a little more nutritious boost.

Yoghurt – 1/4 cup

Chutney powder (also called dosai mulagai podi in Tamil) – 2 tsp, or to taste

Curry leaves – a sprig

Mustard seeds – 2 tsp

Urad dal – 2 tsp

Salt to taste

Dry red chilies – 3

Oil – 1 tbsp

1. Break the bread into small bite size pieces or cubes. Add the yoghurt mixed with the curry powder to the bread. Let the bread soak in the yoghurt mixture for a few minutes till it gets soft.

2. Heat the oil in a wok or skillet. Add the mustard seeds, urad dal.

3. After this crackles, add the curry leaves and dry red chilies.

4. Now add the bread to the hot oil and mix with the mustard seeds /urad dal tadka.

5. Heat on a low flame for about 5 minutes till the bread starts to look a little “fried”, while stirring occasionally.

6. Enjoy piping hot!

Did I mention that this is one of Nikhil’s (my son) favorites too? He has obviously imbibed my taste buds…Bread Upma is one of his lunch box staples and his Paatti (grandma) makes it for him at least once a week or once every two weeks! Like mom, like son!

I have been relatively quiet this month, though that’s not saying that things were quiet in the kitchen. In fact the kitchen is super busy…my mom is here from India. And that only means more scrumptious contributions from my..er..her..our kitchen! Amma has some staple recipes that she has mastered ..I’m not saying that because I’m her daughter, but I’m yet to taste anything like her aviyal (vegetables in coconut curry sauce) and paal payasam (rice kheer/pudding) or her burfis. I think it would be befitting to dedicate a section of this blog to Amma’s recipes. This quote that I read somewhere sums up Amma in a few words..

A mother is a person who, seeing that there are only four pieces for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.

That is Amma.

I thought I’d start off this section on a sweet note with her famous burfi recipe. She makes different kinds but here’s a new one that she made within the first few days of coming here. The burfi was devoured in a few hours!

Ingredients:

1/2 carrot grated

1/4 cup grated coconut

15 cashewnuts powdered

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

1 tsp cardamom powder (elaichi pd)

1. Take the grated carrot, coconut and cashews in a blender. Add the milk and blend to a paste.

2. Take about 1 1/2 cup water in a saucepan and add the sugar to this to make sugar syrup. You will know it’s done when the syrup becomes thick and forms a “single string” when touched between your thumb and forefinger. That’s the test Amma does to ensure it’s done. Unfortunately I didn’t take enough pictures to show you this but I’ll try to explain how she does it. Take a little bit of the sugar syrup and spread it on your thumb. Now press your forefinger against your thumb and when you separate your fingers, you will see a “single string” of syrup.

This could also be called a “soft ball” stage. Check out this link to see what I’m talking about.

3. Now add the carrot-coconut-cashew-milk paste to this sugar syrup. Keep stirring this mixture on a low to medium flame till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. This may take about 10-15 minutes but make sure you turn off the heat when the mixture starts to thicken and leave the sides of the pan, else you may overcook it.

4. Add the ghee to this mixture and the cardamom powder.

5. Take some butter paper (optional) on a flat plate or thali. You may also use a greased plate if you don’t have butter paper handy. Spread the mixture on the paper with a greased flat ladle. Allow to cool to room temperature and then cut into squares.