Avani Avittam Food Recipes | Festival Food Recipes

A busy morning in the kitchen today between hectic travel, a family wedding, and festivals. All sandwiched together to make my life joyful. Yajur Upakarma or the “aavaniavittam” is a day of celebration as Lord Vishnu in the avatar of hayagirivar (horse-headed/necked) is said to have rescued the Vedas stolen by Madhu and Kaitapa asuras. On retrieving the Vedas the horse-headed Lord neighed… Halahala…and “straight from the horse’s mouth” flowed the sacred Vedic scriptures…
The traditional menu today is the nei appam, idli, vada, payasam, and poli. Apart from these “kalayana sapadu” is prepared which comprises elaborate festive dishes.

Avani Avittam Food Menu:

• Parrupu
• Parrupu kuzhambu/Morekuzhambu
• Tomato sathuamudhu/rasam
• Vazhakai curry
• Payasam
• Nei appam
• Vadai/Thayir vadai
• Parrupu poli/Paal poli
• Thayir

Avani Avittam Food Recipes & their Preparation Method:

• Parrupu

• Morekuzhambu

(A THICK GRAVY MADE WITHCURD/YOGURT )

INGREDIENTS FOR MOREKUZHAMBU: 

• CURD (SOUR) – 1 CUP
• RAW RICE (soaked in water) – 1 TSP
• CORIANDER SEEDS – 1 TSP
• BLACK GRAM DAL – 1 TSP
• SALT – TO TASTE
• MUSTARD SEEDS – 1 TSP
• FENUGREEK SEEDS – 1/4 TSP
• RED CHILLY – 2
• GREEN CHILLY – 2 BIG
• CURRY LEAVES – FEW
• CORIANDER CHOPPED – 1 TSP
• ASAFOETIDA – 1/4TSP
• OIL – 1 TSP
• TURMERIC POWDER – 1/4 TSP
• ASH GOURD CUBED – 10 CUBES
• GRATED COCONUT – 3 TSP

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Take the curds and add 300ml of water and turmeric powder.
• Pressure cook the ash gourd cubes till transparent but not mushy.
• Take a heavy-bottomed pan and roast the coriander seeds, black gram dal, fenugreek seeds, and red chilly
• Grind the roasted ingredients along with rice, green chilly, and coconut into a thick paste.
• Whisk the paste into the curd mixture. Add the needed salt.
• Now place the curd pan on the stove, add the cooked ash gourd, and constantly stir on low flame till the mixture starts to froth on the sides.
• Switch off the flame and temper with mustard seeds, asafoetida, and curry leaves.

NOTE:

• The curd mixture should be constantly stirred on low flame otherwise the mixture will curdle.
• Take care to see that the curd mixture does not boil because this will also result in curdling.

Tomato Rasam

• Ingredients for Tomato Rasam:      
• TOMATO – 1 SMALL
• REDGRAM DAL – 1/4 CUP
• TAMARIND – 1 MARBLE SIZE
• ASAFOETIDA – 1/4 TSP
• CUMIN SEEDS – 1 TSP
• MUSTARD SEEDS – 1 TSP
• RASAM POWDER 1 TSP
• CURRY LEAVES – FEW PINCH
• TURMERIC POWDER – A FEW PINCH
• RED CHILLY – 1 BROKEN
• CORIANDER LEAVES – 1 TBSP FINELY CHOPPED

Preparation Method:

• Pressure cook dal with turmeric powder till soft and mushy.
• Soak tamarind in 200ml of water and extract the juice.
• To the tamarind extract add asafoetida, required salt, chopped tomato, and rasam powderBoil this for a good 7-8 minutes.
• Add the cooked and mashed dal and allow the rasam to froth at the top and sides .add the coriander and remove from fire.
• Temper with mustard seed, cumin seeds, red chilly, and curry leaves.

• Vazhakai Curry

• Parrupu Payasam

Ingredients for Parrupu Payasam:

• Bengal gram dal 2 tbsp
• Red gram dal 2 tbsp
• Green gram dal 2 tbsp
• Full-fat milk 1 cup
• Jaggery 1/2 cup
• Ghee 2 tbsp
• Almond slivered 1 tbsp
• Cardamom powder 1 tsp

Preparation Method:

• Take a pressure pan. Heat it. Add the 1 tbsp of ghee and the dals.
• Lightly roast the dal till pink. Add 1 cup of water and the milk
• Pressure cook till soft and mushy.
• Mash well and set aside.
• Add 1/4cup of water to the jaggery and bring to a boil. Keep stirring and simmer till you get a thick syrup.
• Add the almonds and cardamom powder to the dal. Mix well.
• Add the jaggery syrup and stir well.
• Cool till warm and serve.

Note: Do not boil jaggery and milk together as they will curdle.

• Nei Appam

Today’s Nei Appam was an instant one made with whole wheat flour

Ingredients for Nei Appam:

• Wheat flour 1/2 cup
• Maida 1 tbsp
• Semolina /rava 2 tbsp
• Powdered jaggery 1/2 cup
• Cardamom powder 1 tsp
• Ginger powder 1/2tsp
• Milk 2 tbsp

Preparation Method:

• Mix all the above into a thick batter and leave it overnight.
• Use the required quantity of water to get a thick pouring batter consistency.
• The next morning pour ladle full into the “appa karal” filled with ghee.
• Cook till brown on all sides.
• Remove and serve.

• Thayir Vadai

Ingredients For Curd Vadai Recipe

For the Vadai:

• Udad dal whole 1 cup
• Green chilly 4
• Ginger 1 inch piece
• Salt a pinch

For the Curd:

• Thick fresh curds 2 cups
• Thin buttermilk  very lightly salted 2 cups
• Green chilly 4
• Cumin  seeds 1 tsp
• Salt as required
• Finely chopped coriander leaves a handful

For Tempering:

• Oil  1 tsp
• Mustard seeds 1 tsp
• Curry leaves few
• Asafoetida 1/2tsp
• Oil for frying

Preparation Method

• Wash and soak the dal for 1 hour.
• Drain and grind to a fluffy, light but thick batter in an idli grinder. Do not pour water but sprinkle some as you grind to get the required texture.
• While grinding add the green chilly and ginger. Add a pinch of salt too.
• Remove the batter and set it aside.
• Heat oil in a kadai.
• Take small quantities of the batter and shape into vadais and gently slide into the hot oil. Add as many vadais as the oil can hold. Fry till light brown.
• Keep a vessel with lightly salted buttermilk. Drop the fried vadais straight from the oil kadai into the buttermilk.
• After 5 minutes gently squeeze the vadais in the buttermilk mixture and set them aside on a flat plate.
• Fry all the vadais and dip in buttermilk and  set them aside on the plate
•  Grind the green chillies, coconut, and Cumin seeds into a smooth paste.
• Whisk it well with the curds. Add the required salt to the curd mixture.
• Pour the curd mixture over the soft vadais.
• Heat 1 tsp of oil. Add mustard seeds and allow them to crackle. Add asafoetida and curry leaves and Pou the tempering over the curd vadais.
• Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and serve chilled.

NOTE: Some Tips & Tricks for Thayir Vada Recipe

• Be careful while adding salt to the curd as salt has been added both in the vadai and buttermilk.
• The process of dipping fried vadais in buttermilk not only softens the Vadai but also removes the absorbed oil.
• Use full-fat curd for creamy and rich curd vadais.
• During summers or hot days use thin milk in place of buttermilk. This will prevent the curd vadais from becoming sour.
• During hot summer months, chill the curd mixture till the time of serving. Pour the chill curd just before serving to prevent souring.
• You can garnish with grated carrots, pomegranate, and fried salted boondis.

NOTE: Points To Remember For Thayir Vada Recipe

• 1 cup makes 15 palm-sized vadais or 20 smaller ones
• Soaking time 1 hour
• Grinding and pre-preparation 30 minutes.
• Frying and assembling 30 minutes

• Parrupu Poli/Paal Poli

• Thayir (Curd)

Avani Avittam Food Menu is Ready 🙂