Margazhi Recipes

Margazhi means Ven Pongal, and Pongal is listed among the healthy breakfast options. Carbohydrates and proteins are in proper proportions and when combined with a vegetable or chutney combination we have a balanced meal.

Here are the recipes for Ven Pongal, Brinjal Gothshu, Mixed Vegetable Masiyal and Sakkarai Pongal.

Ven Pongal

Ingredients

• Rice-1cup
• Payatham paruppu(Moong dal-1/2 cup
• Salt-1tsp
• Ghee-1/2 cup
• Ginger-peeled and cut into fine pieces-1 Tbsp
• Curry leaves-a sprig
• Asafoetida(perungayam)-1/4 spoon
• Pepper-5-6
• Cummin seeds(jeeragam)1/2 tsp
• Cashew nuts-4-5

Method

• Wash the rice 2-3 times.
• Dry roast the payathum paruppu ,it is enough to get it just hot.
• Take the rice, payathum paruppu, perungayam(hing),and cook with 3 cups of water in pressure cooker till it is mushy.
• Heat the ghee and put in the pepper, cummin, cashew nuts, ginger pieces and curry leaves.
• When the cooker cools open the lid, put salt and the items fried in ghee and mix thoroughly.Offer it Perumal after adding a spoonful of ghee.

Brinjal gotshu

Ingredients

• Brinjal-the huge ones
• Green chillies
• Tamarind -lemon sized
• Oil-1 tbsp
• Mustard-1/4 tsp
• Urad dal-1/4 tsp
• Jeera-1/4 tsp
• Curry leaves-a few
• Corriander leaves-finely chopped

Method

• Rub oil on the brinjal after washing and place it on the gas flame turning it round so that it gets black. Remove and cool. Remove the black skin and mash the brinjal well.
• Extract juice of tamarind -you should get about 1 cup .
• Put the mashed brinjal in the tamarind water, add salt,
• Heat oil put in mustard, urad dal, hing( the mustard should splutter and the dal should turn red), jeera, green chillies and curry leaves.
• Pour it on the brinjal in tamarind water and stir well after adding finely cut corriander.

Mixed Vegetable masiyal

Ingredients

• Lady fingers-6-8
• Brinjals-2-3(small)
• Sweet potato- a small piece
• Beans-7-8
• Peas-a handful
• Pumpkin-a few pieces
• Tamarind-lemon sized
• Salt to taste
• Oil-1Tbsp
• Mustard- 1/4 tsp
• Urad dal-1/4 tsp
• Channa dal-1/4
• Methi seeds-3 -4
• Green chillies

Method

• Chop vegetables into fine pieces, any other vegetable can be used. Splutter the mustard ,add urad dal,channa dal,methi green chillies and put in the mixed vegetables. Stir fry after adding haldi and salt.
• Extract tamarind juice and pour on the vegetables and allow to cook on simmering heat. Once cooked add rice flour paste to thicken masiyal. Can use cooked tuvaram paruppu if desired.

Sakkarai Pongal

Ingredients

• Rice -1cup
• Jaggery-1and 1/2 -2cups
• Payatham paruppu(moong dal)-1/2 cup roasted slightly
• Ghee-1cup(more can be used if desired)
• Cashew nuts-6-8 pieces
• Raisins-6-8 pieces
• Cardamon, pachaikarpooram, saffron and a small piece of nutmeg (jadhikkai) made into a fine powder.

Method

• Cook the rice after it has been washed thoroughly, along with the moong dal with four cups of water in a pressure cooker.
• Make a syrup with jaggery. Add as much water as would soak the powdered jaggery. string syrup should be good.
• Once the cooker cools remove the rice moong dal and pour on the syrup.
• Take the ghee and put in the cashews and raisins. When cashew reddens put it on the rice-dal in the jaggery syrup and stir continuously till a halva-like consistency is obtained.
• Sprinkle the powderd cardamon etc.stir again add a spoon of ghee before offering to Perumal.

Courtesy: Smt Vyjayanthi Sundararajan; Photo Courtesy: Smt Uma

General guidelines for healthier food – Both body and mind:

• One should be thinking about Perumal (Nama Smaranam) while cooking, and the purpose should be to offer the preparation to Him.
• Once the food is prepared, it should be offered to Perumal first. While offering, one should make sure that the food is neither too hot nor cold. It should be offered with love and affection.
• Please do not offer either pre-cooked food bought from outside or any pre-consumed food.
• Please follow thiruvaradanam kramam as instructed by your respective acharya. (http://anudinam.org/2012/03/08/bhagavad-tiruvaradhanam/)
• Follow ahara niyamam as much as possible. Atleast make sure that onion and garlic are not used at all.(http://anudinam.org/2012/06/11/srivaishnava-ahara-niyamam/)
• Please ensure that food which are not prasadams are not consumed.