ashtami rohini kolam

Avil Kesari Sweet Rice

Ingredients
 2 cups beaten rice (thick variety)
2 cups jaggery powder
 1 tsp orange colouring (mixed in 1 tbsp water)
1/2 cup ghee
10 cashewnuts
20 raisins
10 pods cardamom (powdered)
Method
Soak beaten rice in water and immediately drain . Boil 1 cup of water add jaggery ,cook for about 15 minutes.Heat ghee in a pan and fry raisins and cashewnuts till golden. Add  the soaked avil ,cardamom powder, cashewnuts and raisins. Mix well and serve.
Uppu Cheedai
6 cups rice flour
 1 cup black gram dal flour
1/2 tbsp black pepper
 1/2 tbsp cummin seeds
 1 tsp asafoetida powder
 1 tsp white sesame seeds
1 orange-sized ball of unsalted butter
1/2 coconut grated
 Oil for frying
 Salt to taste.
Method
Grind grated coconut black pepper and cummin seeds to a fine paste. Mix along with rice flour, black gram dal flour, asafoetida powder, white Sesame seeds, butter salt, and enough water to make a thick dough. Spread a clean cloth and roll the dough into tiny balls. Heat oil and fry a few Cheedais at a time. Cool and store in an air-tight tin.

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Vella Cheedai 

Ingredients
 2 cups rice flour
 1/2 cup jaggery (powdered)
1 tsp white sesame seeds
 2 tsp ghee  1 tbsp cocnut pieces
 Oil for frying
Method
Make a thick syrup and check consistency (as for vella Avil). Add sesame seeds, coconut pieces and ghee and set aside. When cool, add rice flour and form a thick dough. Make big marble-sized balls and set aside in a clean cloth for some time. Heat oil and fry a few balls (Cheedais) at a time. Similarly make all Cheedais. (When cheedais are kept on the cloth they trend to lose their shape. Before deep frying roll them again to balls.)

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Onam- Pookalam

No worries ,if you dont get flowers to
pookalam ,try the below style............Onam Ashamsakal!!!!!!!


Fruits & vegetables kolam web collections

easy star kolam

naduvasal kolam-2

Avani Avittam

Traditional Recipes...for Avani Avittam
Neyyappam 
Ingredients
* 1 cup rice (cleaned washed & Soaked for 4 hours) or rice flour
 *1 cup jaggery
 *1 tbsp coconut pieces 
* 10 pods cardamom (powdered)
* Ghee (for frying)
Method
Grind rice and jaggery to a very fine paste. (if you r planning to use the rice flour -make the jaggery water then add the rice flour )rice flour Add Cardamom powder and coconut pieces and mix well. Heat an Appam griddle and put a large spoonful of ghee in each dent. Pour batter. When cooked, turn over and cook on the other side.


Paal Payasam 
Ingredients
 2 Litres full cream milk
 2 cups sugar
 2 1/2 tbsp rice (small grain)
Method
Clean and wash rice and set aside. Heat milk in a heavy bottomed vessel. When it comes to a boil, add rice. Cook on a low fire stirring from time to time. When rice becomes soft, add sugar. Cook till well blended and serve hot or cold.
Paruppu Vadai 
Ingredients
 3 cups Bengal Gram Dal
 1 cup tur dal
 1 cupmblack gram dal
 2 tbsp grated coconut
 2 tbsp ghee
 Oil for frying
 4 red chilles
 15 green chilles
 4 sprigs curry leaves
 3/4 tsp asafoetida powder
 Salt to taste
Method
Clean, wash and soak dals together for 3 hours. Drain completely. Grind red and green chilles, curry leaves, asafoetida, salt and a spoonful of dals together to a fine paste. Add rest of dals and grind coarsely. Do not add water. Add ghee and grated coconut and mix well. Take a spoonnful of batter and pat into 5 cm Vadais. Make 4 to 5 Vadais at a time. Heat oil and deep fry Vadais, till crisp. Drain and serve hot.

VARALAKSHMI PUJA - August/ 12th/2011

 

                                 "Padmaasane Padmakare sarva lokaika poojithe
                                  Narayana priyadevi supreethaa bhava sarvada"

The Hindu festival Vara Lakshmi Vratam is an important pooja performed by  women .Itis celebrated on the last Friday of the bright fortnight in the month of Ashadha, also called Adi, which corresponds to the English months of July-August. 

Story

On one occasion, Parvati and Parameswara were engaged in a game of chess. Parvati was winning game after game, but Parameswara is said to have claimed the victory at each games, wantonly, to her intense chagrin. So Parvati wanted to have an umpire and one Chitranemi, a creation of Parameswara, was chosen. As an underling of Parameswara, he sided with him most unjustly. This provoked Parvati's anger and she cursed Chitranemi that he should become a leper for discharging his duty in most unfair manner.

When Chitranemi begged Parvati's forgiveness and Parameswara added his entreaties to it, she is said to have relented and modified the curse by adding that he would be cured of his leprosy by observing the Vara Lakshmi Vrata. By doing this Chitranemi was, it is said, rid of the loathsome disease.
The history of the origin Of the Vara Lakshmi Vrata is rather interesting. Lakshmi is said to have visited a pious woman by name Sarmadi, living in the city of Kuntinapura in Magadha (Bihar), in in one of her dreams and expressed her satisfaction at her devotion to her children. When she woke UP from her sleep, she took a bath and worshipped Lakshmi to ensure her blessings. When the other ladies heard of her dream and her worship of Lakshmi, they too began to worship her, and the custom is then said to have spread everywhere throughout the land in course of time.

Significance

Eight forces or energies are recognised and they are known as Sri (Wealth), Bhu (Earth), Sarasvati (learning), Priti (love), Kirti (Fame), Santi (Peace), Tushti(Pleasure) and Pushti(Strength). Each one of these forces is called a Lakshmi and all the eight forces are called the Ashta Lakshmis or the eight Lakshmis of the Hindus. Vishnu is also called Ashta Lakshmi Padhi which is equivalent to saying that he is the asylum for the eight-Lakshmis or forces. In fact, Vishnu representing the preservative aspect of the universe, radiates these forces from him. These forces are personified and worshipped as Lakshmis, since abstract force is beyond the comprehension of the ordinary people. As health, wealth and prosperity depend upon the rythmic play of these forces, the worship of Lakshmi is said to be to obtain these three. Only a woman can sympathise with women. Lakshmi is a woman. So she will more readily sympathise with women. Hence this festival is observed largely by women, invoking the blessings of Lakshmi on them, their husbands and their children.

Legend

As the legend goes, this is a pooja that was pronounced by no other than Lord Parameswara to be performed by his consort Parvathi to seek prosperity and happiness for the family. Thus it came to be emulated by married women who sought boons (varam) for the health, wealth and knowledge for the entire family. In some cases, women prayed for being blessed with children. The prescribed day for the pooja is the Friday of the month of Sravan in the fortnight known as Sukla paksha, preceding the full moon day.

One of my favorite design.......I learned this recently

Today is (Aug.3rd 2011)"Padinettam perukku" - Padinettu signifies eighteen, and Perukku denotes rising. This festival is observed predominately by women in Tamil Nadu. The Aadiperukku, as a water-ritual, celebrated by women is said to honour Nature. People began to worship water in the form of wells, tanks and rivers.


For us pathinettam perukku celebration starts in the morning with a simple naalu moola kolam ,enna thechu kuli and make variety rice with sweet pongal.  We offer the nivedyams to God after chanting Devi stothrams.