Happy Gowri Festival Celebration Dishes

Happy Gowri Festival to You All. Try and Enjoy these special festival dishes.

Gowri /Parvathi /Girije is mother of Lord Ganesha. She is also known as Adhi Shakti.
The beautiful story is like this according to Purana . Gowri created Ganapa, gave him life and asked him to guard the house. She went to bathe. Lord Shiva/Eshwara comes to visit her and Ganapa will not let him go inside. Shiva gets angry and cuts off his head. Gowri comes to know this and cries. Lord Shiva asks his people to search Ganapa's head. They were not able to find Ganapa's head. So Lord Shiva tells his people and orders them to get the head of anyone who laid his head on north direction. They could find only an elephant which laid its head on north direction. They cut the head of elephant and brings it to Lord Shiva. He puts the elephant head on Ganesha and gives life to him. He also gives power to Lord Ganesha. Ganesha is the lord that we should pray first before starting anything. Lord Ganesha is known as Vighna Vinashaka, Prathama Pooja is done for Lord Ganesha.
Gowri, Ganesha festival is on This thursday and friday.
Gowri comes to her parents house first and then son Lord Ganesha comes on next day. It might be like the married girl comes to her parents house. Simple food is done on first day and then Ganesha festival is celebrated in grand manner. On Gowri Pooja the ladies do pooja and give " Arashina kumkum" to the married women. It is called Bhageena. One should be happy and involve in doing pooja and blessed by God. Our traditions and culture is just beautiful and it gives life to dullness and  by doing poojas the positive energy flows in to your mind and body.
On the first day as I said it is a simple dishes with payasam or pooran poli. (Your choice of dishes).

No Onion or No Garlic is used on Festival Celebrations. 

I have prepared

1. Methi Leaves/capsicum dry curry ( Udupi special Palya).

2. Ginger/ Green Tamarind Tokku  Chithranna

3.Mango fruit chutney.

4. Ridge Gourd Huli (Curry).

5. Channa Dal Payasam/Kheer.

Let us see the preparation  One by One and enjoy eating these healthy, delicious dishes.

1. Methi leaves Dry curry

Things Needed :
To Cook
Methi/Fenugrik Leaves : 1 Bundle
Capsicum : 1
Salt : As required
Turmeric Powder : A little
To Grind :
Coconut : 1/2 Cup
Red Chilly : 2 to 3
Tamarind : Very little (Half o f one small marble)
Mustard Seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
To Season :
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Urid dal : 1/2 Teaspoon
Ingh : A little
Coconut Oil : 2 Tablespoos

Method :

1  Wash and cut methi leaves into small. Wash and cut capsicum into small pieces.
2. Grate coconut and dry grind it with red chilly (byadagi), mustard seeds and tamarind.
3. Keep a pan on the fire and put 1 tablespoon of oil. Add mustard seeds, urid dal and ingh. Let mustard seeds splutter.
4. Add curry leaves and cut capsicum and methi leaves. Mix it well and let it cook on medium flame and low flame.
5. Add a pinch of turmeric powder and mix it well.
6. Let methi leaves cook on low flame or add half cup of water, cover and cook.
7. Let all the moisture disappear completely. Add salt and stir.
8. Add ground mustard seeds and coconut mixture and mix it nicely. Let it cook on low flame for 2 minutes. Shift the ready Methi leaves dry curry to a serving bowl.

Note :

You can use any brand of oil of your choice. Adding more spice is optional. You can fry this methi leaves on low flame. It taste better. Njoy this palya with hot rice and a spoon of fresh ghee.
Type : South Canara /Udupi Style.
Time : 15 to 20 Minutes.
Serves : 2 to 3  .

2 : Green Tamarind  Tokku Chitranna .

Things needed :
Cooked Rice : 1 Cup

To Add :
Tamarind Tokku : 1 Teaspoon
Dry Ginger Powder : 1/2 Teaspoon
Turmeric Powder : A little
Salt : To taste
Coriander leaves
Grated coconut (fresh) : 1/2 Cup

Seasoning :
Mustard seeds : 1 Teaspoon
Urid dal : 1 Teaspoon
Green chilly : 1
Curry leaves : 6 to 8

Method :

Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add a tablespoon of Coconut oil.
Add mustard seeds, urid dal and let urid dal splutter.
Add washed and slit green chilly and curry leaves.
Add tamarind tokku and fry it nicely.
Add cooked and cooled rice. Add turmeric powder.
Add ginger powder and required salt.
Mix all the ingredients nicely. Let it be on low flame for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add a tablespoon of ghee and mix it well. Put off the fire.
Add grated coconut, washed and cut coriander leaves. Mix it well once again.
Green tamarind tokku chitranna is ready to serve.
Note :
To get green tamarind tokku, just remove the tender green tamarind outer hard layer.
Grind it with salt and green chilly. This Green tamarind tokku is hot and spicy.
You can use tamarind pulp instead of green tamarind tokku. Soak a small ball size of tamarind in hot water for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the pulp and boil to make it thick content. Add green chilly paste and salt while tamarind pulp is boiling. Tamarind turns as thick paste. Use according to your requirement.
Time : Chitranna preparation : 10 minutes.
Serves : 3 to 4

3. Mango Fruit Chutney:

Things Needed :
Ripe Mango : 1
Red chilly : 2
Ingh : A pinch
Fresh grated coconut : 1 Cup
Salt : As required
Seasoning :
Coconut oil : 1 Teaspoon
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Ingh : A pinch
Curry leaves : 5 to 6

Method :

Wash and squeeze out the pulp from ripen mango.
Grate coconut and keep it aside.
Fry red chilly in a drop of coconut oil for 1 minute.
Now grind all the above ingredients with a pinch of ingh/asafoetida. Use water if required.
Remove from the mixi jar and put it in a serving dish.
Add mustard seeds, ingh, curry leaves seasoning with a teaspoon of coconut oil.
Time : 10 minutes.
Serves : 2 to 3

4. Ridge Gourd Toor Dal Curry :

Things needed :

To Cook :
Ridge gourd : 1
Toor dal : 2 Handful

To Grind :
Fresh grated coconut : 3 to 4 Tablespoons
Tamarind pulp : 1 Tablespoon
Rasam powder : 2 Tablespoons
Jeera /Cumin seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon

Seasoning :
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Ingh /Asafoetida : A pinch
Curry leaves : 6 to 8
Coconut oil : 1 Teaspoon

To Add :
Green Chilly : 1
Required Salt
Mustard seasoning
Washed and cut coriander leaves.

Method :

Wash and peel off the outer layer (hard skin) of ridge gourd and cut into desired size.
Wash and cook toor dal in a pressure cooker for  8 to 10 minutes and let it cool.
Wash curry leaves, coriander leaves and cut into small.
Keep a pan and put cut ridge gourd and cook with 1 cup of water till it turns soft.
Grind coconut, tamarind, jeera/cumin seeds, rasam powder with little water. Remove it from mixi jar.
Add cooked dal to ridge gourd pieces. Add a pinch of turmeric powder, salt and required water.
Mix it well and let it boil for 2 minutes. Add ground coconut mixture and mix it well.
Let it boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Shift Ridge gourd curry to a serving dish.
Add mustard seasoning and cut coriander leaves. Ridge gourd curry is ready to serve.
Note :
Do not over cook ridge gourd pieces. Adding any brand of rasam powder is optional. I used home prepared rasam powder.  ( Use of MTR, Mayya;s Rasam powder gives good aroma).  Adding any cooking oil is optional. Adding a teaspoon of ghee just before serving is optional.
Time : 30 Minutes
Serves : 3 to 4

5. Channa Dal Payasa/Kheer

Things Needed :
Channa Dal 1/2 Cup
Thick Avalakki /Poha/Flattened rice : 1/2 Cup
Jaggery : 3/4 Cup
Cardamom : 4 to 5 Pods
Dry fruits : Cashews and Raisins : 1 Tablespoon or little more
Coconut Milk : 1/2 Coconut (1 Cup)

Method :

Wash and pressure cook channa dal for 18 to 10 minutes and let it cool.
Powder jaggery. Keep a big pan on the fire and put jaggery and little water. Let it melt completely. ( 1 or 3 boils).
Sieve with a strainer and keep the jaggery aside.
Grate coconut (1/2 coconut) and grind it with cardamom pods. Add l/2 cup of water and grind.
Take the ground coconut and sieve and separate coconut milk. (1 st time coconut milk).
Grind coconut again with little water and sieve with a strainer. (2nd time coconut milk).
Keep a big pan on the fire and put jaggery water. Add cooked channa dal,
Wash and add Avalakki/Poha /Flattened rice to boiling jaggery mixture.
Add 2 time's coconut milk. Let it boil nicely. Add the first time's coconut milk.
See that it is just about to boil. Put off the fire and shift the Channa dal kheer to a serving dish.
Keep a small pan on the fire. Add a spoon of ghee. Add cashew nuts and fry.
Add raisins and fry till it fluffs. Add this nuts fry to payasam and serve.

Note :

Adding more coconut milk is optional. Add a cup of boiled fresh milk is optional. (Just before serving). Adding more /less jaggery is optional. Adding Avalakki helps to thicken the payasam.
You can grind coconut with  a teaspoon of rice till paste and adding instead of coconut milk is optional. Adding ghee fried cashew and raisins adds to the taste.
Time : 30 Minutes.
Serves : 4 to 5 .

Avocado - Wheat Flour Laddu

Happy Gowri - Ganesha Festival to all. Ganesh Chaturthi/Ganesha Festival is on 25th of this month.  

Festivals are always beautiful, colourful and keeps you full of joy. Ganesh Chaturthi/Ganesha Festival is on this friday. So try and prepare some laddu, modak, avalakki panchakajjaya , chakli and kaikadabu/kolkatte.

There are so many varieties of laddus, and it is believed that Ganesha likes laddu so much. He is always holding a laddu in his hand in many of His pictures. 

I have tried some " Avocado - Wheat Laddu". It is really yummy and delicious. 
Avocados are loaded with good healthy properties. 
These Avocados are brought from Vanaja Venkatagiri Saya. Vanajakka is Usha Suresh Cukkemane's sister and Venakatagir Saya is her Husband. I call him as Giri Anna because he is like anna to me. He served the army and he was a Major. Now he is settled near Virajapet. We visited him 3 years back and had a round trip to Igutappa Temple and NalkuNadu Palace in Kakkabe.

The other day Giri Anna - Vanajakka visited us. They brought some Avocado fruits from their garden.

I have prepared some desert using Avocado, jaggery and nuts. I have used so much nuts and little avalakki/ poha/aval  (2 Tablespoons, thin variety Avalakki). It was a healthy and yummy desert. Since I have used 3 Avocado fruits, it was so much. I kept the remaining desert in the fridge. It so happened that one of my Foodie group's theme was that to prepare some dishes with Avocado. This desert helped me so much and I made use of that remaining Avocado desert.

Avocado  - wheat flour laddus are yummy, tasty and tummy filling. You can send these laddus kids snack box. You can also take it for travelling, picnic, lady's kitty party or any other parties. Good and fits to all age group.
Ingredients :

Let us see the recipe now:

Avocado desert : 1 Bowl.

Wheat flour : 2 Cups

Ghee : 1/2 cup or little more

Jaggery : 3/4 of the cup. (The same cup which you have measured wheat flour).

Water : 2 Tablespoons

Cardamom : 4 to 5 Pods

Cashews : 6 to 8
Raisins :  3 to 4 Tablespoons.

Method :

1. Grate coconut and keep it aside.

2. Melt ghee on low flame and keep it aside. Powder cardamom.

3. Keep a pan on the fire and put a tablespoon of ghee.

4. Add raisins and cut cashews. Fry till raisins turns fluffy.

5. Add wheat flour and fry nicely on low flame.

6. Fry for 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the pan and put it on a plate.

7. Add jaggery and put 2 to 3 tablespoons of water. Let  it melt nicely. 

8. It starts to boil. Let the flame be medium. Let it boil for 2 minutes.

9. Add Avocado mixture and mix it well.  Let it turn to one string consistency.

10. Add fried wheat flour and mix it nicely. 

11. Put off the fire and shift the flour to a big bowl.  Add powdered cardamom. Add fresh coconut. 

12. Add the remaining ghee and mix it well. Take a handful of laddu mixture and prepared laddu.

13. Hold the laddu mixture tightly and press it then slowly give a shape of ball.

14. Shape as round and arrange in a plate.

15.  Serve or eat Healthy Avocado Wheat Laddu @ any time of the day.

Note :

Do not add any water to Avocado desert. I have mixed organic jaggery and 1/2 cup of nuts. (Cashews, almonds, figs, dates). You can powder jaggery and add it or you can melt jaggery by boiling it with 2 to 3 tablespoons of water. It turns as liquid. Boil nicely and then add it.(Healthy option). Adding more ghee is optional. Adding generous nuts is optional.
Instead of using Avocado desert, you can use fresh Avocado fruit. Use little more jaggery ( nearly 1 cup).
Time : 30 Minutes.
Serves : 20 to 25 Laddus. (|According to size).

Avocado Desert :

Avocado Fruit :  2 (Well ripe ones to be used )
Jaggery : 2 to 3 Tablespoons of jaggery. (Powdered)
Figs : 6 to 8
Dates : 8 to 10.
Method :
1. Wash and remove the outer layer of Avocado and put the pulp in a big bowl.
2. Dry grind /cut all the nuts into small pieces.
3. Mix Avocado pulp, cut mixed nuts and jaggery together nicely.
4. Avocado desert is ready to serve.
5. Add almonds and cashews or almond flakes before serving.
Note : You can add honey instead of jaggery.

Jaggery mixed Avocado Fruit and Nuts Desert.

Honey Mixed Avocado Fruits - Nuts Desert