Thiruvathira Kaliyum Puzhukkum

During the Month of December - January (Dhanu), comes Tiruvathira. A day when the wife prays for the well being and health of her husband. On that day, ladies take bath early in the morning and visit a Shiva temple. Then they prepare a sweet dish made from Rice flour - Jaggery and a salty spicy dish with 8 different tubers to complement this.

Kali

White rice - 1 cup (or) Ready made Puttu powder -1 cup

Jaggery - 1 cup

Grated coconut - 1 cup

Cashewnuts - 2 tbsp

Ghee - 1 tsp

If you are using rice :

1. Soak the rice in water for 10 minutes.

2. Drain well and spread the rice on a muslin cloth and leave to dry for 10 minutes under the fan.

3. Heat a heavy bottomed vessel and fry the rice till it starts popping and color changes slightly.

4. Cool and powder coarsely.

This prepared flour can be made much in advance and stored in an airtight container.

If you are using puttu powder, heat the flour in a heavy bottomed dish till nice smell comes. Turn off flame and keep stirring as the vessel will be hot and the flour will change color.

On the day of Tiruvathira, mix the powdered rice with the coconut.

This mixture has to be now mixed with normal water. The end product must be like slighly wet sand. Can be held as a ball but will crumble if pressed with a finger. The trick is to add water slowly so that it holds the flour together.

This slightly wet mixture has to be steamed for 5 minutes.

Then it has to be crumbled and cooled to room temperature.

Heat jaggery with 1/2 cup water until it melts. Strain.

Cotinue cooking till the jaggery reaches one string consistency. Turn off flame.

The steamed rice - coconut flour must be added to this and stirred well.

Keep aside for 5 minutes till all the liquid is absorbed.

Garnish with fried cashewnuts.

Puzhukku

8 different tubers are used in this like Tapioca, Potato, Sweet Potato, Colacasia, Yam, Elephant Yam, Taro etc..

Coconut grated - 1 cup

Cumin seeds- 1 tsp

Green chillies - 5

Coconut oil - 1/3 cup

curry leaf - 1 sprig

All the tubers are to be skinned, washed and cut into big chunks.

Add water, salt and turmeric powder. The Tubers can be pressure cooked. Take care that they do not become too mushy.Around 2 whistles must do the trick.

Grind together the Coconut, green chillies and cumin seeds. Add this paste to the cooked tubers. Cook for a further 3 - 4 minutes.

Garnish with raw coconut oil and curry leaf.