karadayan Nombu

A fast (viradham) observed by the married woman of Tamilnadu, Karadiyan Nombu  is similar to the Karva Chauth celebrated in North India. This festival is observed during the transition period of Tamil month Maasi to Panguni.The legend goes that Savithri , a princess was so loving and devoted to her husband Satyavan that she forced the Lord of Death (Yama)to return her husband back.To thank Yama for sparing her husband, she prepared this  dish called Kara adai which she offered to him with unmelted butter.The name of the dish is the name of the festival.This festival is celebrated for a very happy married life and for a long life and well -being of the husband. You can read more on this here


To this date my mother observes this puja, wearing a  9 yard saree. She also used to make me & my sister sing these immortal lines:-
Urugada Vennaiyum, Oru adaiyum vaithen ;
oru kaalum yen kanavan piriyadhu irukanum !
I have sung these lines without understanding the meaning for a very long time, when i did make sense of these lines, i appreciated the unmatched love it signifies for the spouse !
The lines literally translated means ,Lord I am offering you Kara Adai with unmelted butter, please let me and my hubby not be separated ever !

There is also a ritual of tying saradu around the neck -  it is a sacred yellow thread with a small piece of turmeric root or a few flowers placed in the centre.  

The Puja/celebrations today:-

I follow the same ritual observation as my mom does and the recipe is also the same way she makes.The adai prepared are of two types - sweet & savoury (Inippu adai & Uppu karadai)


For both the adais it is imperative to dry roast the rice flour till it is light brown in colour and has a texture that is right for drawing rangolis ! I kept checking it time & again by taking a pinch of the flour and drawing a flower on the kitchen board !

Sweet adai:-


What goes

• Rice Flour - 1 cup + a little extra if required
• Jaggery - 3/4 cup - to taste (powdered)
• Black eyed Beans (Karamani/Lobia) - 1/4 cup (boiled)
• Coconut Pieces - sliced to small pieces - 1/4 cup
• Cardamon - 2 to 3 pods - crushed
• Ghee - 1 tbsp
• Water - 1 cup

How:-


Soak the black-eyed beans  for 2 hours and pressure cook them to 3 whistles. In a large pan add water and bring it to a boil. Now add the jaggery and as it starts blending together with water, add beans, coconut pieces and powdered cardamom. Give it a boil and add ghee..

 

Now switch off the flame and add the rice flour little by little while continuously mixing it well to a fine dough. Add little ghee and flour (if required).

Allow the dough to cool and knead it a little by hand too if there are lumps.
Now take a small ball and spread it  and flatten them as shown. Make a small hole in the centre like vadas !

In a greased idli plates or in pressure cooker with  flat plates. steam them for 7-10 minutes until cooked.


Uppadai (Savoury)

• Rice Flour - 1 cup + a little extra if required
• Black-eyed Beans- 1/4 cup
• coconut pieces- 1/4 cup
• Water- 1 cup
• Toor Dal - 2 tsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1tsp
• Green Chilli - 3 - to taste
• Coconut - 2 to 3 pieces
• Oil- 1 tbsp
• Mustard,Urad Dal - 1 tbsp
• Curry leaves - a few
• Water- 1 1/4 cup

How:-

Grind the lentil, cumin seeds, green chillis & coconut to a fine paste. In a large pan prepare tempering by adding oil and allow mustard & urad dal to splutter. Add curry leaves and water - bring it to a boil. Now add the ground paste along with beans, coconut pieces and salt. Give it a boil and 

switch off the flame. Add the rice flour little by little while continuously mixing it well to a fine dough. Add little oil and flour (if required).

Allow the dough to cool and follow the same procedure for flattening like the sweet ones !

Steam & serve hot with chutney or butter !

This goes to Gayathri's Walking through the memory lane

Also to Umm Mymoonah's AWED-Indian Cuisine event by DK