Thiruvadhirai Kali is a special offering made to lord shiva / Nataraja in the holy Tamil month of Dhanur /Margargashira/ Margazhi . Kali and kootu are offered as prasadam on the holy festive occasion of Arudra Darshanam.
Kali is a sweet dish made from broken rice, jaggery and flavored with cardamom powder and garnished with cashews nuts fried in ghee . I donot use moong dhall in my version of kali while some families make use of some moong dhall (paasi paruppu) too while preparing kali .
Kali is paired with a special and yet another traditional curry called 7 kari kootu / Thalagam(recipe already on my blog) made from fresh native vegetables . The sweet kali and spicy kootu hit the right notes while eating and makes it a very divine and a pleasurable experience.
This recipe of preparing the kali is very simple and doesn't require much experience. Even beginners can prepare this and dish out the perfect kali without any hassles.
In 2021 Arudra Darshanam falls on Monday, 21 Dec
Preparation Time - 20 mins
Cooking Time - 20 mins
Serves - 2 to 3
Complexity - easy
Ingredients
1 cup rice
1.5 cups grated jaggery
1 tsp cardamom powder
Few cashews
3 - 4 tbsp ghee
3.5 cups water
2 tbsp fresh grated coconut
Method
- Wash the rice under running water and drain it in a colander for 10 mins
- Roast this rice in a dry kadai until it turns slightly pink and crisp. Cool and blend it in a blender till you get a consistency like rava. (Has to be coarse and grainy not like a flour)
Preparing Kali
- In a thick bottomed vessel heat 1tbsp ghee and fry the cashews until golden brown.
- Add the water and bring it to a rolling boil while you add the jaggery . Wait until it melts .
- As the jaggery syrup is boiling,add the broken rice slowly and keep stirring to avoid the lumps . Break the lumps in case you feel them.
- Close the kadai and cook on medium flame for 10mins .
- Open the lid carefully after 10 mins and you can see the water has been fully absorbed by the rice and the kali is well cooked resembling the texture of upma. Turn off the stove.
- Add the remaining ghee, cardamom powder and grated coconut. Mix it well ,keep covered for 5 to 10 mins to let the flavors steep in .
- Delicious kali is ready to be offered as prasadam. Prepare the 7 kari kootu also simultaneously and offer it to Lord Nataraja .
An interesting combination of a sweet thiruvadhirai kali and a curry. Most traditional dishes taste delicious and have reason as to why we prepare it. Simple ingredients result in awesome taste.
ReplyDeleteGood to know about this festival that you celebrate. The Thiruvadhirai kali prasadam looks tasty and easy to prepare.
ReplyDeleteThe combination is heaven. I love thiruvathira Kali and 7 kari kootu.infact wait for thiruvathira just for this.
ReplyDeleteHeavenly combo Priya .Thiruvathira Kali looks so divine and tempting . Traditional festive recipe are always fabulous.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely combo of sweet and spicy. Good to know about a new festival and the food associated with it
ReplyDelete