Ugadi Essentials

Telugu people world over are celebrating Ugadi - New year eve today.  The most important recipe on this festival day is "ugadi pachidi".  This is made as liquid drink in Telangana region and Andhras make it semisolid and eat.  This will have six main ingredients --

                                                                                             new tamarind pulp

                                                                                                                 jaggery                                           

                                                                  salt

                                                                   oma

                                                                                     unripe raw mango

                                                                                      neem flowers         

New earthen pot is purchased.a day before or on the same day of Ugadi.  The pot is washed and cleaned well.  Tamarind pulp is diluted in water in the pot.  Powdered jaggery is added.  Neem flowers, wholly (tastes bitter) or only petals - a teaspoon added.  A pinch of salt and oma are added.  Raw mango is peeled and either grated or cut into very small pieces and a table spoon added to the water.  All the ingredients are added so as to feel all the tastes of salt, sour, spicy, sweet, tangy and bitterness.

We face different situations and emotions in life and all these are tasted with 'ugadi pachadi'.  This is the elixir of life.  Ingredients added in such quantity so as to have a particular taste sweet or sour depending on one's tastes.  In the early days of summer this will be really a very relishing drink.

In Warangal District in addition to these ingredients puffed bengal gram, banana pieces, grapes, grated coconut, and saunf.  It will be a good nourishing fruity drink.





Sankranti

Sanskranti is the only Hindu (Indian) festival which falls on the same day of English Calendar. Makara Sankranti comes on 14th January (15th in leap year) every year. This is the time when farmers get their produce home. It is celebrated in pompous gaiety with all the family members coming together for three day festivities.
In Telangana this is celebrated also as festival of kites. Rangoli (drawing colorful muggus) in front of the house is part of the festival. The most important item that is prepared on this festival day in Telangana is ‘Sakinalu’. This is the specific item that is made in good quantities to last for a month or so. Every household will make it a ritual of this preparation. As large scale 5-10kg of Sakinalu are made, women join in groups and help one another in its preparation. Even professionals who make it at home are also available.
Ingredients:
Rice – 1kg
Sesame – 100-200gms (as per taste)
‘Voma’ – 1-2 teaspoons (as per taste)
Salt to taste.
Oil to fry

Preparation: soak the cleaned rice in water for about 4hrs. Drain the water. Get the rice pounded to flour by hand or machine. Wash sesame and ‘voma’ and add to the rice flour. Add salt. Mix the flour well with added ingredients. Take thick cloth and spread it on the floor or any table. Take small quantity of the mixed rice flour into small bowl and add water to make soft dough. Take lime size of this dough onto the palm and string it out between the thumb and index finger and make circular sakinalu with at least two complete loops. There should not be gaps between the loops of the circles. If there are gaps these will break when they are picked up by the spatula from the cloth. Before picking up the Sakinalu allow these to partially dry. Allowing the sakinalu to be left for about an hour are two will result in excess water being absorbed by the cloth. This will make picking up Sakinalu easy. Pick up sakinalu onto a small plate. Put these in heated oil and allow them to deep fry, or until the sakinalu turn ivory white or faint brown. Remove from oil put it in a bowl. Once they are cold put them in an air tight container and store. These can be kept for more than 2-3 months.
Sakinalu taste good when eaten as such or eaten with tomato chutney or gravy of mutton or chicken or any other hot sauce.

Vinayaka Chavithi - Special Recipes

Every Hindu festival is celebrated with special preparations specific to that festival. On Vinayaka Chavithi the specials made are ‘Pasham’ and ‘Kudumulu’.
Pasham is prepared differently in different areas. I prepare it this way.

Talikala Pasham:

Ingredients:
250 grams wheat flour
25 grams poppy seeds
25 grams rice flour
250 grams powdered jaggery
One tablespoon of Ghee
Five cardamoms.

Method:
Add one litre of water to jaggery and allow it to dissolve. Add adequate a quantity of this water to wheat flour and make a soft dough as for ‘chapatis’ and keep it aside. Roast the poppy seeds and grind them into fine powder. Take the dough in small balls and stretch them into thin strands (talikalu) by rolling it on chapati platter. To avoid sticking of the strands sprinkle rice flour as strands are being made or when put in a plate. Boil the jaggery syrup. As it is boiling add the wheat talikalu and allow them to get cooked. Add some ghee and stir. Add little water to poppy powder to make thick liquid. Add the remaining rice flour to this. Add this liquid to the cooking talikalu. As it is getting cooked, stir frequently to avoid any lumping. Also add powdered cardamom. After it is cooked remove it and transfer into another vessel smeared with ghee. Hot or cold pasham is sweet and delicious.

Kudumulu:
Ingredients:
Rice flour as per requirement
Ghee 1-2 teaspoons

Method:
Add ghee and water to rice flour and knead it into soft dough. Take a little portion of the dough and make small flattened balls – similar to idli. You can also use your artistic skills and make different shapes of kudumulu. Keep these in a vessel and cover it with a lid and cook in a pressure cooker till you get 2-3 whistles. Alternately cook under steam for about 15 minutes. These can be eaten bland as such or with chutney or any sauce. These are bland (chappidi undrallu)
Some stuff these kudumulu with grated coconut with jaggery to make them sweet (modak)