Diwali Marundhu | Diwali Legiyam (Lehiyam)

 Diwali Marundhu or Diwali Lehiyam is a must have on the day of Diwali in our home before we eat any goodies . This practice ,I am sure is followed in many homes in Tamil Nadu.  

After having oil bath ,known as Ganga Snanam on the morning of Diwali,first thing we are given is this lehiyam to eat before relishing the other sweets and savories.

Marundhu in Tamil means Medicine and since it is specifically made during Diwali it has been termed as Diwali Marundhu. It is prepared using various natural herbs and sweetened with jaggery . One can call it as home made Chyawanprash. Not only during Diwali, you can easily make this herbal choornam anytime at home and keep it ready . Very helpful in treating mild symptoms of cough,cold or sore throat.  

As per my understanding the practice of having

this Marundhu first thing on Diwali Day is probably because we get up as early as 4am , take an oil bath and since October/Nov is winter time ,this herbal medicine will keep us safe from catching  a cold or fever due to the chill weather 

Traditionally there are close to 10 to 12 ingredients that go into the making off Diwali Lehiyam ,but today I am giving you a quick and easy recipe with easily available ingredients in the pantry and can be made in less than 15 mins without compromising on the original taste. You can call this an heirloom recipe as it was taught to my mom by my paternal grandmom .

Preparation Time - 10 min
Cooking time - 10 min 
Complexity - easy 

Ingredients 

2 tbsp dhaniya 
1 tsp ajwain /omam
2 tsp pepper corns 
3 tsp dry ginger powder 
3 to 4 cardamoms 
2 to 3 cloves 
1 tsp  ghee 
1 tsp gingelly oil /til oil 

1/2 cup grated jaggery 

** you can also roast a small stick of yashtimadhu/athimadhuram/mulethi if you have at home. 

Method 

• Dry roast the dhaniya, pepper and ajwain on medium heat until it is warm to touch..keep aside. 
• Roast the cardamom and cloves and keep aside. 
• Once the ingredients are cool ,blend into a fine powder along with dry ginger powder .
• Melt the jaggery in 1/4 cup water and once it begins to appear frothy,add the ground spice mix and mix it nicely.  The flame has to be low .
• Now add the ghee and gingely oil and continue to cook for another min . The marundhu will appear glossy and resemble halwa texture . Donot stir for a long time else it will be become hard like a candy.
• Turn it off and transfer to a dry container and store it. 

After preparing this lehiyam, we keep it in the Pooja mandir of our home along with shikakai,  til oil , new clothes and offer a small Pooja next morning and use the oil for Ganga Snanam.