Today is the first day of Hindu lunar calendar and it is being celebrated as New Year by Telugus, Kannadigas, Maharashtrians and Sindhis. The first day of Hindu month Chaitra is the festival of new beginnings and is known as Gudi Padwa for Maharashtrians, Yugadi for Kannadigas, Ugadi for people from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Cheti Chand for Sindhis.
Gudi Padwa is derived from two words- Gudi meaning Lord Brahma’s flag and Padwa meaning first day of the moon phase. Similarly, Ugadi or Yugadi as per Sanskrit implies the start of a new era. Telugu people believe that on the day of Ugadi, Brahma started creating the world, hence one year is equal to one single day to lord Brahma. It is also on this day the sun crosses the line of equator on the day of spring equinox.
Indian festivities are synonymous to flavoursome dishes, savouries, sweets and desserts. Maharashtrian festivals are never complete without mouth-watering puran poli which is a sweet flatbread stuffed in bengal gram and jaggery filling. Likewise, Ugadi is incomplete without Ugadi Pachadi, a dish that is analogous to the culinary culture of Telugu people. Raw mango is a key ingredient of Ugadi Pachadi. A delicacy of six different tastes, Ugadi Pachadi signifies human beings have to be prepared for different experiences life gives them during their journey from cradle to grave.
Made with six ingredients, jaggery in this delicacy refers to sweetness, tangy raw mango refers to surprises, tamarind is for sourness, neem for bitterness, salt for flavour and green chilli for anger.
Also read: Ugadi: Authentic Yet Nutritious Recipes For The Festive Day
Here are two sumptuous easy-to-make recipes that one can savour during this festive season.
Poornam Boorelu: A traditional south Indian sweet recipe made with chana dal stuffing, rice, and urad dal coating, this one belongs to Andhra cuisine. Offered as prasadam in temples, it can be made at home for any occasion.
Kothimbir Vadi: A popular Maharashtrian snack made with fresh coriander leaves, gram flour and spices, it is usually served with chutney. Kothimbir means coriander leaves in Marathi.
Poornam Boorelu:
Ingredients
For Stuffing
1 cup chana dal
3 tsp ghee
2 cup water
1 cup jaggery
¼ tsp cardamom powder
For Batter
¾ cup urad dal
1 cup rice
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
Oil to fry
Method
Purnam (Dal Stuffing)
In a large bowl, soak 1 cup of chana dal for 2 hours
Drain the water and transfer it to the cooker
Add ghee, and water, and pressure cook until the dal is cooked
Mash the dal to smooth paste
Transfer the paste into a large pan
Add jaggery and cook on medium flame
Jaggery will melt and blend with the paste. Continue to cook until the mixture starts to hold the shape
Add ghee and cook until the mixture starts to separate from the pan
Make sure the mixture is well cooked or it will be difficult to make balls
Transfer to the plate and let it cool
Add cardamom powder and mix well
Grease hands with ghee and make a ball-sized stuffing
You can store this stuffing in the fridge and prepare boorelu when required
Batter for Boorelu
In a bowl, soak urad dal and rice for 5 hours
Drain off the water and transfer it to the mixer and grind to a smooth thick batter
Transfer the batter to a large bowl
Add sugar and salt and mix well
Now dip the purnam into the batter and deep fry on medium flame cooking uniformly until the boorelu turn golden brown and crisp
Drain the boorelu over the kitchen towel to get rid of excess oil
Boorelu is ready to serve
Nutrition
This sweet recipe has gram dal as its key ingredient which is loaded with proteins besides essential vitamins and minerals. Ghee is also used in significant amounts in this dish making it rich in monounsaturated omega-3s, antioxidants and fatty acids.
Kothimbir Vadi
Ingredients
2 cups coriander leaves
1 cup gram flour
1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
½ teaspoon kashmiri chilli powder
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 green chilli
½ teaspoon coriander powder
½ teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
¼ teaspoon garam masala
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ cup water
Oil to fry
Method
In a large bowl take 2 cups of chopped coriander leaves
Add 1 cup of gram flour
In a bowl, add ginger-garlic paste, green chili, red chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder, sesame seeds, salt, and lemon juice
Combine well making sure all the spices are mixed well
Squeeze and mix coriander leaves
Add water slowly kneading into a soft dough
Shape the dough to a cylindrical shape greasing your hand with oil
Steam the dough for 15 minutes
Cool the dough completely and cut them into thick slices
Shallow fry in hot oil
Stir occasionally till the vadi turns crisp and golden brown.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with chutney.
Nutrition
Coriander leaves are one of the key components of this savoury which makes it filled with nutritional content. Coriander leaves are rich in Vitamin C, K and E. They are also a good source of antioxidants. The vadi made with chana dal provides protein and fibre to the body.
The much-anticipated new year festivities from various regions of India are around the corner. Today is Gudi Padwa 2023, also called Samvatsar Padvo in Maharashtra. According to the Luni-Solar calendar, it is celebrated as the first day of the year by Maharashtrians, by the people from Konkan region, and as the festival of Ugadi by the people of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. This auspicious day begins with a ritual of an oil bath. Oil baths and eating neem leaves pachadi have been done since the olden days as per Hindu scriptures. Then the day follows by conducting morning prayers. North Indians do not celebrate Gudi Padwa, but they commence the nine days of Navratri Puja on the same day. They also eat Neem with Mishri on the very first day of Navratri.
Here is another easy recipe that can be a part of these festivities.
Sanwa Khichdi
Ingredients
1 cup samo or barnyard millet
1 inch finely crushed ginger
1 tbsp ghee
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp crushed peanuts
2 green chilies
Rock salt to taste
Method
Heat ghee in a pan over medium heat and add cumin seeds.
When they crackle add ginger, millet peanuts, and green chilies.
Saute well and add water and the rock salt.
Cook until the millet gets well-cooked and fluffy.
Samo khichdi is ready to be served with curd.
Nutrition
The khichdi has barnyard millet as a key ingredient that boasts all essential vitamins and minerals and is perfect to be eaten for Gudi Padwa, Ugadi, or Navratri festivity.
Netmeds.com wishes all its customers a Happy Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, and Cheti Chand
