Medhu Vadai

Ingredients:

Urid Dal - 1 cup
Green chillies - 3
Ginger - 1 inch size
Curry leaves
coriander leaves
Salt
Oil - for deep frying

Procedure:

1. Soak the Urid dal for 2 hrs and grind it well with green chillies and ginger. Don't add much water while grinding as water will make vadas to absorb lots of oil. Add just VERY VERY little water. The batter should be very thick for getting proper vadas

2. Mix chopped curry leaves, coriander leaves and salt just before frying. Mix really well(ur hands should go in circular motions to aerate the batter). You can grind the batter 5 hrs ahead and store it in the refrigerator without adding salt. If you add salt then the batter will become watery bcos of the salt

3. Have a plastic sheet for patting the vadas. Have some water in a small bowl for wetting your hands as you may need this on the process

4. Heat enough oil for deep frying in a wide pan

5. Wet ur hands and the wipe the plastic sheet with water.( u need to do this for every vada so that it can slip easily from the sheet to the oil)

6. Take some batter, make a ball of it and put it on the plastic sheet. Press it little and make a small hole in the center.

7. Carefully take this and drop on the hot oil

8. Flip over and cook on the other side. Remove from oil after it turns golden brown on both sides. Place them on a tissue to remove excess oil.

9. Crispy tasty medhu vadas are ready..

10. You may also add onions to this for onion vadas.

Anada Viratham /அனந்த விரதம்

Ananda Viratham or Ananda Padmanaba Viratham so called "Nonbu" in our family is a pooja which is observed every year in my in-laws family . We do this pooja every year on the date as told by my Mother-in-law and I didn't even know about the exact name of this Viratam except for how it is called "Nonbu". This year when she told about this Pooja day I just wanted to search on the web to know more details. And luckily I came across some interesting facts which I was not aware.

This pooja occurs on the Full-Moon day(Pournami) that comes after "Vinyagar Chathurthi". The Pooja is dedicated to Lord Vishnu (to my surprise it was not Lord Shiva..) who is in Anada sayanam - sleeping posture on the Anatha Nagam (snake). The purpose of this pooja is to pray the Almighty to relieve from sorrow and give happiness (aanandam).

The main ritual on the day is to wear the sacred thread (nonbu kayir) kept on pooja after finishing the pooja rituals. This sacred thread is actually a band of 14 threads but we do get readymade red threads called as "Rettai Nonbu Kayir" which is different for men and women. We'll make a Kalasam by keeping a coconut on top of a silver pot which is tied with thread all around. Also we have to offer the god with Manjal(whole turmeric), Kumkum, Flowers, Banana, green leaves (vetrilai) everyhitng to be on a count of 14 (I make it on a count of 5 a custom changed by my great husband).




Offerings other than flowers and fruits, include Puttu, Kesari and Medhu vadai. After doing the aarti, we have to pray the god with akshata (made of rice and flower mixed with turmeric) 14 times and then tie the Nonbu kayir.

For more details on this Viratham click here.

விநாயகர் சதுர்த்தி / Ganesh Pooja

Sep 11, 2010



Vinayakar Chathurthi is a great festival in India celebrated throughtout the country. The day is a festival not only for the family but for the entire city as we can see BIG Ganesh Idols everywhere and lots of pujas going on even blocking the roads. At home we'll get ready early in the morning to get the Ganesh Idol from shops. We'll go to get the most graceful looking "Vinayagar" and get all his accessories (eyes, umbrella, garland made of erukampoo) from nearby shops. Then comes the decoration part where we'll put sandal all over Ganesh, dress him up and beautify him with flowers and ornaments..though we've to put him back in water after 3 days...Then making of kozhukattais (modhakam) and then waiting for prayer time to taste them... Miss them a lot here...Though we try to make the pooja part atleast without failure..

About the pooja, it is Lord Ganesha's Birthday. Generally before starting any work, we'll pray Ganesha as he'll bless success on all our endeavors by removing all obstacles. And on this day its very auspicious to pray the elaphant faced Gananatha. To know more about this day click here. Its also very good if you can chant the Vinayagar Agaval on this day. (Click here for tamil version).

And about my pooja, I'll offer the God with Fruits, Flowers, Modhakam, Sundal and Medhu Vadai. These are the main offerings here comes the actual (big) list done at my in-laws house.
1. Tamarind Rice
2. Lemon Rice
3. Coconut Rice
4. Ven Pongal
5. Sambhar
6. Moor Kuzhambu
7. Some Vegetable Poriyal



I really wonder how they are able to do so many things in just few hours. Have to admit..My MIL is great!!! We tried to make some of these for the puja and prayed the almighty for all Health and Happiness.

Baby Corn Manchurian

Whenever I think of preparing gobi manchurian I used to stop it as cauliflower pakoda. Today I wanted to try Babycorn manchurian and was afraid for the same reason. But I successfully prepared it and it came out very well.

Ingredients:

• Baby corn -12-14 pieces
• corn flour - 1/4 cup
• plain flour - 1 tbsp
• chilli powder - 1 tsp
• onion - 1
• capsicum -1
• green chilli -1
• ginger - 1/2 inch
• garlic 2 no
• Tomato sauce - 1 tbsp
• Soy sauce - 2 tsp
• spring onion (optional)
• Oil

Method:

1. Mix Corn flour, plain flour, chilli powder and salt.
2. Add water to make a smooth batter( consistency should be like what we make for bhajji)
3. Cut the baby corn to half if you feel its bit long.
4. Dip the baby corn in the above batter and deep fry in oil till golden brown.
5. Cut the onions,capsicum and green chilli into thin long slices.
6. Chop ginger and garlic finely.
7. Pour oil in a wide pan and saute onions till they become soft.
8. Add ginger, garlic and green chill. Fry while till the raw smell goes away.
9. Mix the capsicum and fry for a while.
10. Its now time to add the sauce. Add enough tomato and soya sauce according to taste.
11. Now add the fried baby corn and mix well.
12. Garnish with spring onions and serve hot.