Thiruvathirai Festival is on 1st January 2010

Thiruvathirai Festival, also known as Arudra Darisanam, is on January 1, 2010. In some places, it is observed on December 31, 2009 itself. Thiruvathirai Kali and Kootu (also known as Thalagam) are the special food prepared in the morning and offered to Lord Shiva.

Here are the recipes:

Thiruvathirai Kali



Ingredients:

Rice – 1 cup
Jaggary powdered – 1 cup
Coconut gratings - ¼ cup
Cardamom - 5
Cashew Nuts – 5
Ghee – 4 to 5 teaspoon
Water – 2 cups

Method:

Fry the rice in a kadai without oil till it turns light brown. Cool it and powder it in a mixie. Put the powder in a thick bottomed vessel. Boil the water and pour it over the rice powder. Close with lid. Leave it for half an hour. Meantime, fry the cashew nuts in a teaspoon of ghee. Powder the cardamom.

Add 1/4 cup water to the jaggery powder and bring to boil. When it starts boiling, remove from stove and strain it. Add this to the rice mixture and keep it on the stove. Cook on medium flame till the jaggery syrup and rice flour mixes well. Now add the coconut, fried cashew, cardamom powder along with ghee. Mix thoroughly. Remove from stove.

Note: 1:1 rice and jaggery ratio is perfect for this recipe. If you require more sweet, then you can increase the quantity of jaggery to one and half cup. Some people use two cups jaggery powder for one cup rice. Also two to three tablespoon of green gram dhal (fried without oil) also added along with rice.

This Kali is served with Mixed vegetable Kootu normally consisting of seven vegetables (also called as Ezhu Kari Kootu or Thalagam).

Mixed Vegetable Kootu


Ingredients:

Sweet Potato – 1
Green Pumpkin – a small piece
Broad Beans – 5 or 6
Potato – 1
Yam – a small piece
Green plantain – 1
Green Mochai Kottai – 1 cup

Thuvar dhal - 1/2 cup
Tamarind - gooseberry size
Turmeric Powder – a pinch
Sambar powder – 1 teaspoon
Salt – 2 teaspoon or as per taste

To grind:

Bengal Gram dhal – 2 teaspoon
Red Chilli – 4 to 5
Coriander seeds – 2 tablespoon
Coconut gratings – 2 tablespoon
Rice – 1 teaspoon


Method:

Soak tamarind in water and squzee out the juice.

Cook thuvar dhal in pressure cooker till soft.

Cut the above vegetables into medium bite size pieces. Put the vegetables in a heavy bottomed vessel. Add salt, turmeric powder, sambar powder and eough water to cover the vegetable. Cook on medium flame till soft. Add tamarind water and allow to boil. Then add cooked dhal.

Meantime, fry the dhal, chilli, coriander seeds, rice in a teaspoon of oil. Add coconut and grind to a paste. Add this to the vegetable and mix well. Season it with a teaspoon of mustard and curry leaves.