Day 3 - Blogging Marathon - Kara Adai and Vellai Adai

Good morning friends,
Hope am the first person to come up with the recipe link today amongst the marathon runners. Today s post is about a little religious ritual that is followed by many ladies in TamilNadu. I am not sure about the other states, forgive me for that.
The first day of the tamil month Panguni is called Karadaiya Nombu. Karadaiyan Nombu, or Savitri Nonbu Vritham, is a Tamil observance in which married woman prays for the well being and long life of her husband. Karadaiyan Nombu 2011 date is March 15 and time of breaking of fast and to wear Saradu is from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM. It is observed on the particular day when the transition between the Tamil months Maasi and Panguni takes place. Karadai is the name of a unique nivedya (holy dish) prepared on this day. Nombu means Vratam or upvasam (fast).
Karadaiyan Nombu is observed in remembrance of the Satyvan – Savitri legend. A princess, Savitri through her unparalleled devotion saved her husband, Satyvan, from the clutches of death. This legend is very popular in India and there are several other observances based on this legend like the Vat Savitri Puja. Savitri Nonbu Vritham is observed at the exact time when Masi month ends and Panguni begins. On the Vratam day married women fast and break the fast by eating the Karadai preparation with butter. The preparation is known as Karadai nombu adai - the festival takes its name from the unique Kara Adai dish. It is believed that Savitri cooked such a dish and offered it to Lord Yama along with unmelted butter as a sort of thanksgiving for sparing her husband’s life.Another important ritual is the wearing of the Kaaradai nombu saradu, which is a yellow thread, around the neck.
The recipe am gonna share with you is how to make the Karadai mentioned above. There are two varieties of karadai, one is the sweet one and the other is the spicy one. It is also told that Savitri performed this viratham in the jungle. Hence she made the karadai with whatever she found in the jungle. The mail ingredient for this is Rice flour, which as per stories was given by ants in the forest to Savitri to prepare it.

Here are the ingredients you will need for the preparation of the Savory Adai.

• Rice Flour - 2 cups
• Karamani and Tuvar dal - 1/2 cup
• Green chillies - 2 cut into small pieces
• Ginger - one small piece cut into small pieces
• Freshly scrapped coconut
• Oil, mustard seeds and curry leaves for tempering
• Salt to taste

Here is how we prepare the savory adai.

• Pressure cook the karamani and the tuvar dal
• Add some oil to a heavy bottomed wok
• When the oil is hot, add the tempering ingredients
• Followed by green chillies and ginger
• Add water to the mixture. The ratio for rice flour is 2:1
• Add the rice flour gradually and stir continuously. This is to avoid the formation of lumps
• Add the cooked karamani and Tuvar dal to the mixture along with coconut scrapping and curry leaves
• Keep stirring till you get a dough like consistency
• Take it off the heat and let it cool
• When it cools make small lemon sized balls out of the dough and make patties out of them.
• These patties needs to steamed . I used the Idli maker at home to steam them
• These savoury adais will be ready in 5 mins time.

Here are the ingredients you will need for the preparation of the Sweet Adai.

• Rice Flour - 2 cups
• Karamani and Tuvar dal - 1/2 cup
• Freshly scrapped coconut
• Powdered Jaggery - 1 cup
• Cardamom powder a pinch

Here is how we prepare the sweet adai.

• Pressure cook the karamani and the tuvar dal
• Boil water in a heavy bottom wok. The ratio for Rice flour is 2:1
• Add the rice flour slowly. Ensure that there are no lumps forming
• Slowly add the powdered jaggery to this mixture.
• Add the cooked Karamani and Tuvar dal along with the coconut scrappings and cardamom powder
• Cook the dough in a low flame , till a dough like consistency is got
• Take the mixture off the flame and allow the dough to cool
• After it cools, take lemon sized balls and then make a patty out it.
• Steam them for 5 mins time and they are ready. I steam mine in the Idli maker at home

KARA ADAI

SWEET ADAI
One thing about this Adais is that you dont get to taste it when your making them, but the final output has the perfect taste. Be it the salt or jaggery its just perfect.

Here we go to our fellow runners kitchen to get a glimpse of what is cooking .. come on

Azeema, Bhagi, Champa, Gayathri Anand, Gayathri Kumar, Harini, Jay, Kamalika, Meena, Mina, Padma, Pavani, PJ, Priya Mahadevan, Priya Suresh, Priya Vasu, Rujuta, Santosh, Saraswathi, Savitha, Shanavi, Smitha, Sowmya, Suma, Usha, Veena