Thiruvadhirai Kali - Traditional prasadam for Lord Shiva

 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 

Preparing the broken rice 

• 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 .

 

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Thiruvaadhirai Kootu | 7 kari Kootu - Vegan

Thiruvadhirai Kootu or 7 kari (vegetables) kootu is made on the Auspicious day called "Arudra Darshanam" in the holy month of "Margazhi" or "Dhanur" as per Tamil Calendar .

This  recipe was on my mind for a very long time to blog but somehow wouldn't come together. This month we are traveling through recipes from the state of Tamil Nadu in  our FB group called Shhhhh Cooking Secretly Challenge and I was given the secret ingredients by Renu who blogs on "Cook With Renu".
Thanks to you Renu , that I could finally put this recipe together which was otherwise pending for a long time .

Significance of Arudra Darshanam

This auspicious day will fall anytime between Dec 15 to Jan 15 on the day coinciding with the star/Nakshatram "Thiruvadhirai" or "Arudra" and Full moon day (Pournami) .
Astronomical speaking , this happens to be one of the Longest nights .
Mythologically speaking , it is believed that Lord Shiva is in his Cosmic Dance form on this day and blesses all his devotees in the form of Nataraja - his cosmic avatar .
The holy temple of Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu celebrates this festival with all pomp and glory . Devotees flock in large numbers to have the Darshan of Lord Nataraja on this day.
A special prasadam called Thiruvadhirai Kali and Kootu are prepared and offered to the Lord .
Kali is a sweet made using broken rice, jaggery and cardamom while kootu is a savory made using 7 vegetables basically tubers and a few native vegetables like yam(chenai/suran), raw banana, potato, Arbi(Seppan) , Ash gourd(poosanikkai) , Red Pumpkin(Parangikkai) , Field beans  or Peas , Sweet potatoes , Brinjal .

Today we shall see the recipe for the Kootu while I shall blog the recipe for Kali sometime soon .
This kootu is also known as Thalagam in many households especially those from the Thirunelveli Region of TN .
Each house will have their own signature recipe with minor variations as passed down to them from their ancestors or elders over generations.

Preparation Time : 30 mins
Cooking Time : 30 to 40 mins
Serves : 4-5
Complexity: Medium

 Ingredients
1 medium raw banana
1 medium sized potato
150 gms yam/ Suran
100 gms ash gourd (white pumpkin/elavan/poosnikaai)
100 gms red pumpkin (Parangikkai/ Matthan)
Handful of boiled field beans(mochai)
Or
Handful of fresh or frozen peas (I used peas today)
1 medium sized carrot
1 cup tamarind extract
1/2 cup thoor dal pressure cooked (50gms approx)
2 tsp powdered jaggery

To roast and Grind
1 tablespoon thoor dhall
1/2 tablespoon udad dhall
2 tablespoon dhaniya seeds
1 tsp methi seeds
2 tsp raw rice
5-6 dry red chillies
1 cup fresh grated coconut

To temper
2 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
Few curry leaves
Asafoetida

Method
Roast all the ingredients except Coconut under the Roast & Grind till they turn brown and crisp. Let it cool for a few mins and then add the coconut and grind to a fine paste. Keep aside .

Chop all the vegetables like how we do for sambar and then boil them until 1/2 done in 1 cup water with a little salt and turmeric.  Once the veggies are 1/2 cooked ,add the tamarind extract and cook until the raw flavor of tamarind is lost.
To this add the ground coconut paste , boiled dhal , mix well and add some water . The consistency should be slightly thick . Allow it to come to a rolling boil . Stir occasionally to avoid sticking to the bottom and cook on medium flame.

Add some jaggery and adjust salt if needed.
Lastly temper with mustard ,curry leaves and asafoetida and pour it over the kootu.
Serve hot with rice or the traditional Kali .

The kootu will tend to thicken over time due to the presence of coconut mixture and dhall . If you find it too thick while eating, add a little warm water to dilute.

 Notes

• Generally 7 types of vegetables are used , but you can do with fewer also , but try to use atleast 5 . 
• The addition of pressure cooked thoor dhall is optional . You can skip it too.
• THALAGAM recipe made in Thirunelveli side doesnt use mashed thoor dhall while the rest of the steps are same .