Recipes for Ugadhi

All the recipes I have given are easy ones that can be adopted by anybody. Remember, the satisfaction of your family enjoying a festive meal prepared by you has no equal!

Before, starting the cooking, take these steps...

Pressure cook these...
1) 1/2 cup Rice mixed with 3 tbsp Chana dal for the kheer
2) 1 cup dal for saar and waran
3) Chopped beans for bhaji or palya

Soak tur dal and chanadal mixed along with red chillies for ambode

Soak 2 tbsp mung dal and 2 tbsp chana dal for koshimbir

Soak 2 tbsp Chana dal for the khadi

Cook 1 cup rice for the mango rice.

Chop chow chow or potatoes for the second bhaji


KHEER (Akki kadale Bele Payasa)

Mix the pressure cooked dal and rice with sufficient qty of milk and keep for boiling.
After it has boiled and thickened, add required amount of jaggery or sugar. Stir
Add ground cardamom, saffron crushed in hot milk.
Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee, fry some cashews and raisins separately and add to the kheer.

Beans Palya:

Heat 2 tsp of oil, add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp urad dal, 2 broken red chillies in it.
Once urad dal turns reddish, add the boiled beans and salt.
Finally garnish with fresh grated coconut and take off fire. (Can add a tsp of sugar for those who like )

Potato or Chowchow palya:

Steam the vegetable till tender.
Heat 2 tsp oil, add mustard seeds and hing. Add the vegetable and salt and haldi.
Cook for a few minutes and add a few tsps Bhaji powder or sambar powder. Garnish with fresh grated coconut and coriander.

Chana dal Koshimbir:
Drain the soaked chana dal and mix with fresh grated coconut , sugar and ground cardamom seeds.

Mung Dal Koshimbir:

Drain the soaked mung dal, add to it some grated coconut, 1 grated carrot, coriander, salt and
finely chopped green chillies.
Heat 1 tsp of oil, add mustard seeds, urad dal and 1 broken red chilli and season the koshimbir with this.

White Pumpkin Khadi

Grind the above soaked chana dal with 3 tbsp of coconut, 4 green chillies(vary according to how much spice can be handled), 2 tsps jeera or cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 3 or 4 peppercorns and 1 tsp dhania seeds .
Heat 2 tsp oil, add mustard seeds, urad dal, 1 red chilli and hing. Next add chopped white pumpkin.
Add haldi and little water and cook till tender.
Once tender add the ground paste along with well beaten curds. Add salt and cook till the first sign of boiling. Take off fire and garnish with coriander.

Saar

Heat a tsp of ghee, add mustard seeds,jeera and hing.
Next add Chopped tomatoes.
Soak some tamarind in water, squeeze and add tamarind pulp once the tomatoes are cooked.
Now add saar powder or rasam powder, salt and haldi and curry leaves and allow to boil.
Add 1/4 cup of the above boiled dal mixed with water to required quantity and boil.
Garnish with coriander.

Mango rice

Grind 3tsps coconut and 1/2 grated mango along with 1/2 tsp mustard seeds and 2 red chllies or3 green chillies and hing
Heat oil, add mustard seeds, urad dal 1 red chiili and add the ground mango coconut mixture. Cook till mango is somewhat cooked.
Mix with the cooked rice.

Ambode

Grind the dals soaked for ambode with the chillies and salt . Add some green chliies if needed.
Add salt, 1/4 tsp jeera if liked. ADD VERY LITTLE WATER TO GRIND.
Chop finely some dill leaves and add to this mixture along with curry leaves and coriander.
Heat oil, shape and deep fry

Waran:
Finally dont' forget to add some seasoning of mustard seeds, urad dal and hing to the plain dal
for waran.
Can add this when making the seasoning for the mung dal koshimbir.
Add salt and coriander.

CHAITRA GOWRI VRATHA

This vratha starts from the third day of Ugadhi on Tadige or Teej. Gowri kalash is installed and worshipped for one month till Akshaya Thrithiya
  It is said the Gowri comes to her parental , home as she is with child. therefore all the Upacharas we do is, with a pregnant lady in mind. Apart from the Sand Gowri and the Kalas, a alankar Gowri is also kept, (This in not in Madi), for this a new Alankar (Dressing up) is done every  Friday and Tuesday.

The following materials are to be kept ready.

One small taambya or thambige or tumbler. If available a small silver or brass coconut to fit into the mouth of the above container.

Fine sand, betel leaves, 2 or cardamoms, haldi, kumkum, gandha, chuna, gejje vastra, mantraakshita.

For naividya , kosambari , lime juice , buttermilk and a sweet dish. Rava Laddu, or besan laddu and  any HOME MADE sweet can be offered. Sweets
If possible a full  Festival meal can be cooked for Naividya, and a Mudhaidhi/Savashni called and serve the food. All this has to be in a very clean place, which is called Madi/Sowla.
 Madi, is nothing difficult to follow, only the person has to make up her mind.

As this Gowri is to remain in one place for a month, select a suitable place.

Clean the taambya well and with the chuna(lime)draw two parallel lines around it and draw a kamala (lotus) on it. .Mix a little chuna and haldi which well result in a red colour ,with this draw a kamala (lotus) in the center.

Inside the container pour some water , haldi kumkum, cardamon and a little mantraakshita. Then place two betel leaves so that the tips are at the top.

Take a handful of sand and a little mud from the tulasi vrindavana mix with a little water and make five cones and place these in a suitable small plate.(Do not use steel plate) .Clean the place where Gowri is to be kept and draw a rangoli and Shree and place a plank on this keep the Kalash and the sand Gowri.

Pray to Ganesha and offer some naividya and start the Gowri puja.

Puja Vidhi

Keep water, unboiled milk, and other puja samagris and flowers ready.With a flower sprinkle a little water, then milk and water again, all the while reciting songs and slokas about Gowri.

If you do not know any recite..

Sarva mangala maangalye Shive sarvaarth saadhike

Sharanye Trayambake Gouri Narayani namostute

Next sprinkle haldi powder, put gejje vastra. This symbolises giving a bath and clothes to Gowri. Next apply haldi kumkum, put flowers, mantra-akshita and light lamps . Offer the naividya as prepared.T hen do theDhoop arthi and deepa arthi. Lastly pradakshina and namaskara.

This procedure for puja is for all pujas done by women.

On the Trithitya that comes after Poornima , you can change the water in the kalash and puja as mentioned above is done..

Puja is to be continued till Akshayatrithiya. On this day too special worship and special puja is performed for Gowri . Neividya is offered. Some people offer jewelry and saree to Gowri before sending her away after a month's sojourn in her mother's place ( our home). But since Akshayatrithiya is a festival Gowri cannot be sent awayon this day. Therefore select a day excluding Tuesday and Friday perform puja offer naividya and arathis. Avoiding Rahukala and Yamaganda. Gowri may be moved a little before visarjana.

 Akshaya  Thrithaya day is considered to be a very auspicious day, when what ever we give  by way of dhan  to the needy,  will produce  good punya. It was on this day that  Sudhama ie Sri Krishnas friend went to see his friend with a hand full of Beaten rice ( Pohe}. Sri Krishna in return gave him so much. he released him from poverty, Gave him wealth and prosperity.

   Akshya Thrithiya is a  festival celebrated with great bakthi. The married ladies ask Gowri to bless them, by giving their husbands long life .

 The Manthra for this or any Puja for a married lady is :-

 Hari Sarvothama Yemba Mangalya Sthravirali ,

Sridevi Yembo Arishina Kumkuma erali ,

 Bramha Vayu Yembo Serai Kubasa Virali ,

Vani Bharathi Yembo Kannu Kadige irali ,

Ashta Mahishi yembo  Hoo Irali ,

Sow Paruni  Girije embo Sarva mangalya Drivya Virali ,

 Indra Kama Yemba Sounarya Virali ,

 Hariye Nimma Naama  VannuUnnisutha Pore Yendu Bedikombe .

  

UGADHI OR GUDI PHADWA

UGADHI OR GUDI PHADWA

Ugadhi is the first day of the lunar month Chaitra, and beginning of the new year in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

This being the first day of the New Year, the house should be well cleaned beforehand. Rangoli drawn in front of the house and Puja room. Mango thoran be made and tied to the front door and god's mantap.

On the morning of Ugadi all members are to take an oil bath and wear new clothes or clean clothes. Puja to Saligrama and Panchamrutha abhisheka is to be performed. Puja to the Panchanga(the new calendar) is also performed .If there is a Balimuri Sankha in the house milk abhisekha is to done.

Foe Ugadi in addition to the usual festival menu, a mixture of tender neem leaves, raw mango, new tamarind and jaggery are mixed together ( neem leaves and mango to be cut fine) and partaken by all members of the house. This is called bevubella in Kannada.This is symbolic of the year to come.

Naividya

Offering of coconut and fruits along with the bevubella is a must .Cooked food can be also be offered. The following sloka is to be recited after naividya.

Shaayurvajradeyhaaya

Sarvasampath karayacha

Sarvarista Vinashaaya

Nimbakadhala Bhakshanam.

The Bevubella mixture is eaten at the start of the meal signifying the inevitable aspects of life.

All the young people should seek the blessings of the elders after praying to God.

Menu for the day should include kheer, puran poli, 2 Bhaajis, Kosambari, Ambode, Khadi, Saar and dahi.