Neivedhyams for Navarathri|Navarathri Recipes

Navarathri is the festival of dolls, festival where and when woman is honoured and worshipped. In southern states of India, especially in Tamilnadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh dolls are arranged in steps. Every day morning and evening neivedhyams are done and prasadams are distributed. Kids, especially young girls dress up beautifully go to every house and sing songs that they know. Every kid be it a boy or girl is given with a packet of that day's prasadam, mostly Sundal. Fridays are special and Rice Puttu is made on this day as a special neivedhyam. Onions and Garlic are avoided on all the days of Navarathri. It is better to avoid grinding masalas and podis during these days as it is believed that Ambal lives in the house and she should not be given any discomfort. 

Mixed Rice varities as neivedhyam in the morning:

• Chakkarai Pongal
• Kalkandu Sadam
• Venn Pongal
• Tamarind Rice
• Lemon Rice
• Coconut Rice
• Sambar Sadam
• Tomato Rice 
• Mango Rice (If you get Mangoes in this season, you can make this)
• (make it without onions)
• Tomato Pongal
• Kali
• Dates Honey Pongal
• Chakkarai Pongal using Sugar
• Vaangi Bhaath
• Curd Rice

Payasams that could be offerred as Neivedhyam:

• Paal Payasam
• Gothumai Rawa Payasam
• Moong Dal Payasam
• Semiya Payasam (in microwave)
• Rawa Payasam
• Mysore Pa Payasam
• Sabudana Payasam Javvarisi Payasam
• Aval Payasam
• Badam Kheer
• Coconut and Rice Kheer
• Carrot Kheer
• Dry Fruits Kheer

Sundals for Navarathri:

• Masala Sundal
• Sweet Sundal
• Kondai Kadalai Sundal
• Channa Dal Sundal
• Moong Dal Sundal
• Kosambari
• Corn Sundal
• Thengai Mangai Pattani Sundal
• Mixed Dal Spicy Sundal
• Rajma Sundal
• Ground Nut Sundal
• White Karamani Sundal
• Kollu Sundal
• Puttu special neivedhyams on fridays

Other dishes that can be kept ready all through Navarathri to give it to guests who come in the day time, or who come quite late (after that day's neivedhyam gets over)

• Healthy Snack Bag
• Pottukadalai Podi
• Rawa Ladoo
• Maa Ladoo
• Masala Peanuts
• Carrot Halwa
• Moong Dal Halwa
• Beetroot Halwa

Mixed Dal Spicy Sundal

Ingredients:
Bengal Gram Dal - 1/4 cup
Moong Dal - 1/4 cup
Cow peas (Brown) - 1/4 cup
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Green Chillies - 2 nos
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Broken Urad Dal - 2 tbsp
Asafodeita - 1 pinch
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:
Wash and pressure cook the dals. Strain the excess water if any. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they splutter add the broken urad dal, asafodeita and saute for a min. Slit green chillies and add it to the pan. Add the dals and mix well. Add the grated coconut and salt and mix thoroughly.

Makes an evening neivedhyam during Navarathri.

Mixed Dal Sweet Sundal

Ingredients:
Bengal Gram Dal - 1/4 cup
Moong Dal - 1/4 cup
Cow peas (Brown) - 1/4 cup
Cardamom - a pinch
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Jaggery - 150 gms
Ghee - 4 tbsp

Method:
Wash and pressure cook the dals. Strain the excess water if any. Grate or powder jaggery Heat a hard bottom shallow pan and add jaggery. Let it dissolve thoroughly. Add the grated coconut and cardomom powder and when it comes to a boil add the cooked dals.

Add ghee and mix well. This makes a great neivedhyam for Navarathri.

Moong Dal Sundal - Navarthri special recipe

Moong Dal, which can also be made as Kosambari/Kosumalli

Ingredients:
Moong Dhal - 1 cup
Grated Coconut - 3 tbsp
Salt - as per your taste
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad Dhal - 1/2 tsp
Green Chilly - 2
Curry Leaves - some A
Asafodeita - a pinch
Oil - 1 tsp
Ginger - a small piece.


Method:
Cook the dal in water on stove top (If pressure cooked the dal will become mashed too much.). Drain the excess water.


In a pan add oil and mustard seeds. When it splutters add urad dal and hing. Add curry leaves, green chilly and ginger (grated or cut into small pieces). Stir for a min till the urad dal turns golden in colour. Add the cooked dal, salt and grated coconut and mix thoroughly in low flame.


Remove from flame and let it cool. Neivedhyam is ready.

How to make masala sundal for Navarathri Neivedhyam

For neivedhyams, no onions or no garam masalas. But as the powder that is to be added for the sundal is made ready and added along with the sundal that is made every day. The powder is a bit spicy and thats why it is named as Masala Sundal.

Ingredients needed for the spicy powder:
Urad Dal whole - 1/2 cup
Channa dal - 1 cup
Red Chilly - 20 nos
Dhaniya (Coriander seeds) - 2 cups.
Hing - 1 inch piece (solid hing)
Grated coconut - 1 cup (fry it in a dry pan till they turn slightly golden brown in colour)
Oil - 2tbsp

How to make the spicy powder:
In a pan add  1 tbsp of oil and fry Dhaniya first and then add remaining ingredients except hing and Red Chillies. When the dals turn golden brown, remove and spread it on a plate and let it cool. Add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil and fry hing first and then add red chillies to the oil so that the smell will not spread the entire house.

Grind all the ingredients together to a fine paste along with the coconut. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

How to use this powder to make spicy masala sundal:
Pressure cook the dals (especially green peas, Kabuli channa, chick peas, white peas, rajma, double beans, whole moong dal) after soaking it over night. Drain the excess water. In a pan add oil and mustard seeds and when it splutters add the cooked dal and mix well. Add the required quantity of salt and add 2 tbsp of the masala powder to it and mix well.

Masala Sundal for Navarathri Neivedhyam is ready.

How to make sweet sundal for Navarathri

Though spicy sundal is the main neivedhyam for Navarathri, whole moong dal, Karamani dal, Bengal gram dal can be made as sweet sundal using Jaggery. (It is better not to use sugar).

Ingredients:
Broken Channa Dal (Bengal Gram Dal), Moong dal or Karamani - 2 cups
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Cardamom powder - 2 pinches (or made from 4 to 6 nos)
Jaggery - 1 cup

Method:
Soak the dals (except broken channa dal) over night. Pressure cooks the dal. In a pan add 1/5th cup of water and jaggery. Make thick jaggery syrup. Filter it and pour it back again to the pan after washing it. Add the cooked dal. Allow the extra water to evaporate. Add grated coconut and cardamom powder and mix well.

Sweet sundal is ready for Neivedhyam

How to make Sundal for Navarathri

Coconut Sundal or Regular Sundal
          This type of Sundal can be made very easily and it is very simple too.


Ingredients needed:
Any kind of whole dal  - 2 cups
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Red chilly - 2 to 4
Salt to taste
Asafodeita - 1 pinch
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Broken Urad Dal - 2 tbsp
Curry Leaves - a few
Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch (optional)


How to make?
Soak the dal over night. (if it is broken dal, soak for 2 hours and cook in open pan). Pressure cook the whole dal. Drain the water completely. Heat a pan and add oil add mustard seeds and when it splutters add urad dal, hing powder, turmeric powder and red chillies. Add the cooked dal and salt. Mix everything thoroughly. Add curry leaves and grated coconut and mix again. 


Neivedhyam is ready.

Recipe for Rice Pittu - Neivedhyam on fridays during Navarathri

It is very auspicious to make Pittu during Navarathri Fridays.

Ingredients:
Processed Rice Flour - from 4 cups of rice (you will get 2 to 3 cups of rice)
Jaggery - 4 cups
Coconut - 1 no. Big
Cashew Nuts - 20 nos
Thoor Dal - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Cardamom - 10 to 12 nos


Method to make Pittu:
In a pan dry roast processed rice flour till it turns slight red in colour. Seive the flour and ensure that there is no lumps formed.  Transfer the bowl to a big shallow basin. Heat 2 cups of water along with salt and turmeirc powder. Let the water be warm.

Grind the thuvar dal to a fine powder. Mix it well with the rice flour. Add the water slowly to the rice flour and mix the entire rice flour slowly. It should be mixed thoroughly by hand ensuring that no lumps are formed. Transfer the entire content to a thin cloth and steam it in cooker. Once done, transfer it to a flat basin. Grate the coconut and mix it well with the steamed rice flour. Grind the cardamom into fine powder and add it to the rice flour. Cut cashew nuts into small pieces. Fry it in a tbsp of ghee till golden brown. Add it to the steamed flour.

In a pan add 1/5th cup of water and jaggery. Make a double string consistency jaggery syrup. Add the syrup little by little to the steamed rice flour. Rub the flour thoroughly with the back of a flat laddle and mix it completely.

Add half cup of liquidified ghee to it. Mix everything thoroughly.

Note:
If the Jaggery is not sweet add 1 or 2 more cups and if it is sweeter reduce 1 cup.

Channa Dal Sundal for Navrathri

Whenever it is Navarathri, the evening Neivedhyams are only Sundals. Channa Dal Sundal is one among them.

Ingredients:
Channa Dal (Bengal Gram Dal) - 2 cups
Oil - 2 to 3 tbsp for tempering
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Red Chilly - 2 nos
Green Chilly - 2 nos
Curry Leaves - a few
Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup

Method:
Soak the Dal in warm water for an hour. Cook in open flame till the dal become soft and tender. Do not over cook. Drain the excess water and let it cool for some time.

In a pan heat oil and add the mustard seeds when they splutter add urad dal, curry leaves, green and red chillies. Add cooked dal and add necessary salt. Mix everything together without breaking the cooked dal. Add grated coconut and mix again. Remove from pan and transfer it to bowl. 

Semiya - Bengal Gram Dal payasam recipe

Wanted to make something different for Payasam for friday Neivedhyam. Tried out making one using both Bengal Gram Dal and also Semiya (Vermicili). I was ofcourse quite afraid as to how this would turn out but this recipe did turn out really well.

Ingredients I used to make Semiya Bengal Gram Payasam:
Roasted Vermicili - 1 cup
Bengal Gram - 1/2 cup
Milk - 1 1/2 litre
Jaggery - 2 cups
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Cashew Nuts - 12 pieces
Cardamom Powder - 2 pinches

How to make Semiya Bengal Gram payasam:
Pressure cook Bengal Gram Dal and keep it separately. Boil 1 litre of milk and cook semiya in it till it becomes soft and tender.  Add the cooked dal to it and mix well by constantly stirring it so that lumps will not be formed. Add Jaggery and let it boil in low flame. Fry cashew nuts in ghee and add to payasam. Remove from flame and add cardamom powder and mix well.

Before serving add remaining milk. This can be served hot or cold.

Recipe for Kosumalli / Kosambari

This is a dish which is my all time favourite. When ever I feel like eating Salad, I just prepare this and eat it and it is really yummy. I make the simplest version of the below given recipe. I dont add carrots, or grated coconut when I want to make it in a jiffy.

Ingredients:
1 small cup Moong dal - soak in water for 1/2 an hour and drain the water and completely
1 medium size cucumber (check whether it is not bitter)
1 carrot - grated
2 - 4 green chilly - finely chopped
1 sp lemon juice or grated or finely chopped mango
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
1/2 sp mustard seeds
1 sp oil
Salt

Method:
In a bowl take the drained moong dal and add the carrot, cucumber, green chilly and salt and mix well. If you are adding mango leave the lemon juice. Add the mango along with the carrot and cucumber. In a pan add oil and add the mustard seeds. When it is ready pour it on the mixture. After mixing it well, add the grated coconut.

If you are adding lemon juice add it after you do the seasoning and not before that.

If you are so concerned about your health, avoid the grated coconut.