Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Vinayaka Chavithi Recipes | Ganesh Chaturthi Recipes 2014 | Vinayagar Chathurthi Recipes

'Vinayaka Chavithi' also known as 'Ganesh Chaturthi' is on 29th August. It is my favourite festival from childhood and I always look forward to this festival as we celebrate it in a grand manner. In Karnataka this festival is called Gauri Ganesha where the previous day before Ganesh Chaturthi - is celebrated to worship the Goddess Gauri and we have a tradition to distribute the Vayanam(a set of items laid together) among the married ladies.I am reposting my recipe collection  with few updated recipes so that it is helpful to plan the menu.
The menu differs from state to state. In Andhra, the menu would be like Undrallu, Bellam Kudumulu, Undralla PayasamChintapandu Pulihora, Medu Vada, Semiya Payasam  or Sago Kheer along with sundal, stir fry, Pappu Chaaru etc. In Karnataka we prepare Holige for Gowri Habba and on Ganesh Chaturthi we prepare Kudumulu with various fillings or Karida(Fried) Kadubu, Idli with rice rava, Undralla Payasam, sundal, Kosambari, stir fry, Kandunta Majjiga Pulusu, rasam etc. Whereas in Maharasthra Modak or Puran Poli are prepared as main sweets and along with Varan Bhaat and other items on the menu.
I am compiling various set of recipes from all the regions so that it would be convenient to choose according to your preferences.

                  
       Kudumulu-3 types                Bellam Kudumulu            Fried Bele Kadubu

                      
          Puran Poli                       Modak Peda                      Undralla Payasam

                    
          Pappulo Undrallu            Dry Fruit Modak              Ammini Kozhukattai

              
         Palathalikalu                         Kayi Kadubu                    Mango Sheera
    
             
        Boorelu/Poornalu           Bele Holige(Obbattu)              Garugu Holige

                    
          Karanji                               Paal Payasam                      Sago Kheer

                     
          Rava Payasam                Moong Dal Kheer                Semiya Payasam             

                         
          Rava Pulihora                 Nimmakaya Pulihora          Chintapandu Pulihora

                
          Aava Pulihora              Mango Gojju Annam             Coconut Rice

                  
          Undrallu                           Ambode                                 Dahi Dal Vada

                      
           Kosambari                        Chana dal Kosambri              Corn Sundal

                   
          Kala Chana Sundal          Kabuli Chana Sundal             Ground nut Sundal

                   
          Kandunta Majjiga Pulusu      Special Toor dal Rasam      Pappu Chaaru

I would like to mention the menu ideas as well as it is more convenient to pick it up if you are in a hurry to decide the menu.

Typical Andhra Menu for Vinayaka Chavithi(at my MIL's place):

Breakfast: Undrallu or Idli with Coconut Chutney
Main Sweet: Bellam Kudumulu or Undralla Payasam
Rice Varieties: Chintapandu Pulihora or Nimmakaya Pulihora or Rava Pulihora
Vada/Snack: Medu Vada or Masala Vada(with out onions)
Payasam: Semiya Payasam  or Sago Kheer
Stir fry: Cabbage Carrot stir fry or  Cabbage Moong dal fry or Beans Stir fry
Sundal: Kabuli Chana Sundal or Kala Chana Sundal 
Dal: Pesara Kattu
Rasam: Pappu Chaaru or Drumstick Rasam or Lemon Rasam

Typical Karnataka Menu for Ganesh Chaturthi(at my Mom's place):

Breakfast:  Idli with Coconut Chutney
Main Sweet: Kudumulu with various fillings or Karida(Fried) Kadubu
Rice Varieties: Chintapandu Pulihora or Nimmakaya Pulihora
Vada/Snack: Masala Vada(with out onions) or  Kandunta or Capsicum Kandunta
Payasam: Undralla Payasam
Stir fry: Cabbage Carrot stir fry or Beans-Carrot Palya or  Beans Stir fry
Kosambari: Kosambari  or Chana dal Kosambri
Sundal: Kabuli Chana Sundal  or Kala Chana Sundal 
Dal: Pesara Kattu
Rasam: Kandunta Majjiga Pulusu and/or Special Toor dal Rasam

Other Options
Main Course:

Monday, August 25, 2014

Kayi Kadubu(Deep fried Version) | Kobbari Karjikai | Ganesh Chaturthi Recipes

kobbari kudumulu

Ganesh chaturthi is a very big festival for us and also it is the most favorite one for me as I have sweet memories associated with this festival.Right from the childhood I used to wait for this big festival as it was always fun to arrange the things for the festival and also indulge in one of my favorite sweet(kudumulu).
                     kayi kadubu
Every year on the day of festival morning I used to accompany my dad to bring the colorful Ganesh Idol and all the other necessary items for the festival.It was always fun to decorate the pooja room and arrange the idol and decorate with flowers and all and it was my fixed job every year while mom would be busy making prasadam and festival specials.Though the pooja process is bit lengthy it was really fun as this is the only festival where our entire family sit together and do pooja till the end with so much of attention.The menu for this festival is almost fixed every year due to the restrictions of the ingredients to be used and also they are apparently lord Ganesha's favorites.
Our usual menu on this festival includes Nooka Idli(not the regular idli rawa one) with coconut chutney for breakfast and of course kudumulu are served along with breakfast and the lunch menu varies with different vegetables,sundal,rasam,dal and also we make different lentil dumplings for this festival especially.
                   kayi kadubu
'Karida Kayi Kadubu' means 'Deep Fried Coconut Sweet Dumpling'; while the outer layer is crispy made up of all purpose flour or chiroti rava and the inner filling is sweetened coconut mixture.This recipe is very similar to the Karjikai(Karanji) sweet but the filling is different.In Karjikai the filling is made up of a mixture of fried gram,dry coconut,sugar and dry fruits,in Karida Kadubu the filling is made up of toor dal or chana dal or coconut sweetened with either jaggery or sugar.Today I am posting our family version of coconut Kadubu,Kadubu with coconut stuffing.It is very tasty and I just can't stop myself from eating more than one.
                   kobbari karjikai 

 Check out other important recipes for Vinayaka Chavithi:

For a complete list of various options for Ganesh Chaturthi menu, check out here.
                  coconut karjikai

Karida Kayi Kadubu | Coconut Kadubu | Fried Coconut Modak Recipe:

Yields12-14 pieces
Prep time:30 mins | Cooking time:30 mins | Total time: 1 hr
Cuisine: South Indian | Category: Sweets/Festival Specials

Ingredients:
for outer layer:
1 cup Maida/All purpose flour
1/2 cup Chiroti Rava(fine rava)
a pinch of Salt
1 tbsp hot Oil

for stuffing:
1 cup grated Coconut
1 cup grated Jaggery
1/2 tsp Elaichi powder

Oil,for deep frying

Method:
for covering:
  • Mix maida,rava,salt and oil and add enough water to form a stiff dough.It should be stiffer than the regular chapati/poori dough.
  • Keep aside for 1/2 an hour and cover it with wet cloth.
  • Knead the dough well until it becomes soft and pliable.
 for coconut stuffing:

  • In a kadai mix grated coconut and jaggery and cook it on a low-medium flame until the jaggery melts and coats the coconut and form a thick dry and sticky lumpy mixture.It takes 10-12 minutes and keep stirring it occasionally.If you want a soft textured kadubu,grind coconut with jaggery to a slight smooth paste and then cook on low flame.
  • Add cardamom powder to it and mix well and let the mixture cool completely and store it in air tight container.
  • You can make it on the previous day itself and store at room temperature which eases the process on the festival day.
for Kari kudumulu:
  • Clean and wipe the kadubu moulds nicely.If you don't have them you can still follow another process which I mentioned below.
  • Make small balls from the maida dough and roll it out to very thin chapatis of 4-5" diameter.
  • Meanwhile heat oil in a thick kadai over medium flame.
  • Put the rolled chapati on top of greased karjikaya mould.press it on the edges making sure it will sit on the mould properly.
  • Keep the oval flattened coconut stuffing in it and wet the edges slightly with water.
  • Close the mould to seal the kudumulu/modak and remove the extra dough pressed out of the edges.
  • Remove the kudumu/modak from the mould and keep them aside.
  • If you do not have karjikayi mould you can even take a sharp edged 3" steel lid and cut the chapati using it and then keep the filling inside and close it to the other side forming a half moon and take a fork and make the impressions around the corners or pinch the edges with your fingers or you can even pinch the edges and roll them inwards to form a beautiful pattern.See the image below for better understanding about how to shape them.

  • Drop 2-3 at one time slowly in to the oil and fry them on reduced flame(low-medium) till crisp and golden in color.Try to pour the hot oil from the sides using the slotted spoon on top of the kadubu which helps in puffing up nicely.
  •  Drain them on a paper napkin.
Serve them hot/cold or at room temperature.They would be crispy if you serve them immediately.If they loose their crispness after sometime you can warm them in oven for 4-5 mins,they come out very crispy.

Variations:
  1. You can even replace jaggery with sugar and follow the same recipe.
  2. The outer layer can also be prepared with wheat flour,replace maida with wheat flour in the recipe.
  3. You can use stuffings like toor dal/chana dal stuffing,sesame or groundnut filling instead of toor dal stuffing.
  4. For a Vegan version avoid ghee in the stuffing.
coconut kadubu