Panakam,Neer Moor(Spiced Buttermilk) and VadaPappu --> Sri Rama Navami

Panakam,Neer Moor(Spiced Buttermilk) and VadaPappu

Ram Navami (Rama Navami) will be celebrated by Hindu devotees worldwide on Tuesday (8 April).

The Hindu festival commemorates the birth of Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who was born to King Dasharatha and Queen Kaushalya of Ayodhya.

Lord Vishnu incarnated himself in the form of Lord Rama to destroy Ravana, according to Hindu mythology.

The auspicious occasion will be celebrated on the ninth day of Chaitra month (March-April) in the Hindu lunar calendar. Besides celebrating the birth of Lord Rama, the day is also observed as the marriage day of Rama and Sita.

Significance of Ram Nava

Lord Rama was the embodiment of truth and morality. He was a righteous king, an ideal son, an ideal husband and a loving brother. He is considered as an eternal symbol of human ideals.

Ram Navami celebrations begin on Gudi Padwa, which falls on the first day of the Chaitra month, and ends on the ninth day.

This year's Ram Navami falls on 8 April. Hindu devotees across the country will be celebrating Ram Navami by offering prayers to the Lord.

Several devotees would visit sacred places like Ayodhya, the birthplace of Rama and Rameshwaram among others to seek blessings from the Lord. They will make repeated chants of the holy name of Rama, which is known as the "Taraka Mantra."

It is said that by uttering Lord Rama's name, one can get rid of their sins and attain salvation. There is a belief that repeated chants of his name help one to attain purity, peace, joy and prosperity.

The Lord himself had said, "Repetition of My name once is equal to the repetition of one thousand names of God or to the repetition of a Mantra one thousand times," according to "hindupedia."

How Ram Navami is Celebrated?

Many devotees celebrate the festival by observing fast on the auspicious occasion. Lord Rama figurines will be richly adorned and special prayers will be offered to the Lord. "Ramayana," the Hindu epic which involves the life of Lord Rama is read in temples.

Bhajans, songs and dances are performed on this day. People wear new clothes and prepare special dishes.

In south India, since the auspicious day is also considered as the marriage day of Rama and Sita, temple priests perform a wedding ceremony called "Kalyanotsavam."

On this day, devotees clean their house and decorate it with colours. They also adorn the entrance doors with mango leaves, which signify prosperity.

Devotees perform special prayers to the Lord and make dishes like Panakam (Jaggery mixed with water) and Kosambri (soaked lentles).

Simple Andhra Pulihora sugessted by Sri Durga Golla and Spinach Masala Vada (Puratasi Perumal Padayal)

Puratasi masam Perumal padayal

Thalu is a offering/padayal for Lord Venkateshwara. The Purattasi month starts last week and it is a famous month for Lord Venkatesh and especially the Saturdays. So last Saturday, the first Saturday of the month of purattasi, we did pooja and in that Thalu is a Special one. Its lika a cocktail – a mixture of all fruits and rice variety…. It tastes heavenly and I simply love it from my childhood days. I havr already posted how to make all other varieties. . But in this post,am gonna let you know Pulihora as suggested by +Sridurga G and Spinach masala vada. .

Thatai/Chakli

Thatai/Chakli

Thatai/Chakli

I would like to dedicate this post to +Sridurga G .She is a wonderful person, i learnt many Authentic recipes from her .I tried Thattai recipe of her's .Here I wish to share the recipe with you ladies.

Shelf life -2 days
Cooking time 10 min
Preparation time 10 min

Ugadi Special - Somas, Poli and Ugadi Pachadi

Poli,Somas and Ugadi Pachadi

Ugadi is celebrated  in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. While it is called Ugadi in Andhara and Karnataka, in Maharashtra it is known as "Gudipadava"."Ugadi Pachchadi" is one such dish that has become synonymous with Ugadi.The inner significance of this preparation is to indicate that life is a mixture of good and bad, joy and sorrow and all of them have to be treated alike.Ugadi Pachhadi, a unique dish of six different tastes, from sweet to bitter, is prepared on the day, which is also the first dish to be eaten by the devotees. Made up of neem buds, jaggery, green chili, salt, tamarind juice and unripe mango, the dish signifies different experiences in life that should be absorbed and to keep walking the good walk.

Ugadi pachadi depicts Basic Emotions of life

Jaggery (innippu)- represent happiness

salt(uvarppu)- represent Scareness

Neem flower(kasappu) - represent Sadness for Bitter taste.

tamarind(thuvarppu) -represent aversion

Raw Mango(Pulippu) - represent astonishment

chilli powder or Green chilly(Kaaram) - represent anger.

Mango Rice Recipe

Mango Rice Recipe

Mango Rice is an Andhra specialty. I ate this rice for the first time at a friend’s house at Hyderabad during Ugadi which is the Telugu New Year,when i was 5. This rice made of unripe mangoes and rice is made and served during the festival. This raw mango rice is also known as Maamidikaya Pulihora.

Preparation Time: 10min

Cooking Time: 13 min

Serves:2

Shelf life:1day

Serving Suggestion : With Pepper Omlet

Andhra Royalu Iguru- Andhra prawn gravy

Iguru in telugu means thick gravy made with ground masala (prepared with spices and onions).  Andhra people called  its as Royallu Iguru. Step by step procedure for preparing Prawn curry. 

Preparation Time: 10min

Cooking Time: 7 min

Serves: 4

Shelf life:1day

Serving Suggestion : With Rice it goes like ummmmmmmmmmm :)

Andhra Royalu Iguru- Andhra prawn gravy

Theepi Gavalu

Theepi Gavalu

Gavvalu is a famous snack item from Andhra. Few months back, one of my Andhra friends offered these lovely goodies to us. We were wondering about the shape of these goodies! They look alike small shells and tastes very nice.Then, she told me the recipe of these sweet shells.

But there was a small confusion. She told that she had used the Gavvalu board, a small board with zig zag surface to give that shape to the Gavvalu. Then, I searched in Google for an alternative for the Gavvalu Board. I ended up with two easy alternatives which are - a fork or a big comb! I tried with both, but for giving a nice shape, I felt the comb better than fork. These days, I am maintaining a separate comb in the kitchen exclusively for Gavvalu preparation!

These sweet shells goes well with a cup of hot tea or coffee. Or simply you can eat them anytime (like me??) :) Be cautious a bit while eating Gavvalu..coz you can't stop munching them!!   

Ennai kathrika kuzhambu/Spicy Stuffed Brinjal with gravy

Ennai kathrika kuzhambu/Spicy Stuffed Brinjal with gravy

Gutti Vankaya or stuffed brinjal(we call eggplant as brinjal in India) is an authentic south Indian dish. Different spices are stuffed into brinjal and then cooked slowly on a low heat. Again when it comes to stuffing brinjal there are different combinations of spices you can stuff that leads to different varieties of stuffed brinjal.
If you ask my mom for a recipe of stuffed brinjal, right away she can give you some 5-6 varieties you can do it.

Prep Time: 15-20 mins
Cooking Time: 20-30 mins
Makes: For 2
Shelf Life: 1 Day
Serving Suggestion: Rice or Roti is a classic choice