Mahalaya Lunch menu Day 12 & Day 13

Mahalaya Paksham lunch Day 12

🍀Paruppu urundai Kuzhambu ( using only moong dal )

🍀Arbi / Chepankizhangu roast

🍀Snakegourds / Podalangai coconut milk curry

🍀Cucumber Kosambari

🍀Cucumber curd pachadi

🍀Curd , pickle

Recipes :

Moong dal Paruppu Urundai kuzhambu for Mahalaya .

This is not a recipe for the Urundai kuzhambu prepared on normal days . As we cannot use toor dal and chana dal , I have used Moong dal to prepare the urundai . Ingredients:

1 cup moong dal washed and soaked for 1 hour .

Few pepper corns

Curry leaves

Salt ( asafoetida is not used for Mahalaya cooking )

Grind the drained dal without adding water to a thick and slightly coarse paste . Meanwhile extract the tamrind water from a orange size Tamrind ball .

But make sure to dilute with water .

Add the Tamrind plus water about 3 cups to a vessel .

Add turmeric powder , salt , curry leaves .

Add 2 tbsp of the udad dal cumin pepper powder that is used during Mahalaya, or use sambar podi if preparing for normal days .

Let this mixture keep boiling . Meanwhile make small balls of the moong dal paste . Steam it lightly ( not fully ) and drop into the boiling mixture .

If you are confident, then shape into small balls , roll in rice flour and drop directly into the boiling Kuzhambu. Add the washed water from mixie jar , to the boiling kuzhambu, it will help thicken .

Do not disturb the balls for 1-2 minutes as they may crumble .

With the help of a spoon , make sure to move them from bottom of the vessel .

Do not over boil , as it will make the lentil balls hard . Add thin dal water with 1 tsp rice flour as a slurry to slightly thicken the gravy .

Add some roasted coconut

Karima podi : specially for Mahalaya paksha cooking by many families .

Recipe for the blended spice powder for use on Ammavasai and for Srardham

Dry roast 1/3 cup udad dal ,

1 heaped tbsp cumin ,

1 tbsp pepper ,

few curry leaves ,

1/2 cup grated coconut can be roasted and powdered with above but it will have short shelf life though it will be useful during the Mahalayha fortnight and can be used up , saves griding time also .

some families do not use coconut for ammavasai and for srardham so you have to make these changes and skip where mentioned .

Method

Roast all these till fragrant . Then powder it fine

. This is the only basic spice used in all Sraradha samayal ,for Ammavasai or for Mahalaya days , for all Kari , kootu , sambar and rasam . Increase spice and cumin according to your preference .

Red chilies are not used so only pepper is the main spice . Again small variations may be there in different families , this is what we follow

Podalangai Coconut Milk Curry (Snake Gourd)

2 cups chopped snake gourd, ½ cup thin coconut milk, ¼ cup thick coconut milk, 1 tsp cumin, ½ tsp pepper (or karima podi), 1 tbsp split urad dal, curry leaves, ¼ tsp turmeric, salt, 1 tsp coconut oil. Cook gourd with turmeric, salt, a little water till tender. Roast urad dal, cumin, pepper till fragrant, grind with a little water to a coarse paste. Add thin coconut milk and paste to the gourd, simmer gently 3–4 min. Lower heat, add thick coconut milk, warm 1–2 min without boiling. Temper with coconut oil and curry leaves.

Cucumber Kosambari

1 large cucumber, finely chopped, 2 tbsp grated coconut, ½ tsp cumin, ¼ tsp crushed pepper, curry leaves, salt, ½ tsp coconut oil. Salt the chopped cucumber. Add coconut, cumin, pepper, mix gently. Temper with coconut oil and curry leaves, pour over. Serve fresh and slightly chilled.

(Note: this is the plain version, without moong dal — different from Day 9's Cucumber Moong Dal Kosambari.)

Arbi/Chepankizhangu Roast — repeat from Day 3, already shared .

Cucumber Curd Pachadi — repeat from Day 7, already shared.

Curd, Pickle — as usual.

Day 13 lunch menu

Our Mahalaya Lunch menu Day 13 keeping it simple .

🍀Pongal

🍀Thalagam with assorted vegetables

🍀coconut chutney

🍀lemon 🍋Rasam

🍀Avarakkai Thoran

🍀Raw plantain pepper stirfry

🍀Rice , moong dal , ghee / nei

🍀Curd

🍀Pirandai Thogayal ( adamant creeper )

Ven Pongal

1 cup raw rice, ½ cup moong dal, 1 tsp cumin, ½ tsp crushed pepper, 1 tsp ginger, 1 tbsp grated coconut (optional), curry leaves, 1–2 tsp ghee, salt, 4–5 cups water. Lightly dry-roast moong dal till fragrant. Wash rice and dal together, pressure cook with water and salt till very soft and mushy. Heat ghee, add cumin, crushed pepper, ginger, curry leaves, sauté briefly. Mix tempering into the cooked rice-dal. Adjust with hot water for soft, creamy consistency.

Thalagam (Mixed Vegetable Curry)

1 cup yellow pumpkin, 1 cup yam, 1 cup ash gourd, 1 cup raw banana, ½ cup avarakkai, ½ cup cluster beans. Masala: ¼ cup grated coconut, 1 tbsp split urad dal, 1 tsp cumin, ½ tsp pepper (or karima podi), curry leaves, small tamarind piece, salt, 1–2 tsp coconut oil, turmeric. Roast urad dal, cumin, pepper till fragrant, add coconut, roast briefly, grind to a coarse paste. Cook harder vegetables (yam, raw banana) first with turmeric, salt, water. Add pumpkin, ash gourd, avarakkai, cluster beans, cook till just tender. Add ground paste and tamarind water, simmer 5–7 min till thick and combined. Temper with coconut oil and curry leaves.

Coconut Chutney

1 cup grated coconut, 1 tsp cumin, ½ tsp pepper, 1 tbsp split urad dal, salt, curry leaves, 1 tsp coconut oil, water as needed. Lightly roast urad dal, cumin, pepper till fragrant. Grind with coconut, salt, a little water to a smooth or slightly coarse chutney. Temper coconut oil with curry leaves, pour over, mix.

Raw Plantain Stir-Fry

2 raw plantains, peeled, thin sliced, 1 tsp cumin, ½ tsp crushed pepper, 1 tbsp split urad dal, 2 tbsp grated coconut, curry leaves, pinch turmeric, salt, 1–2 tsp coconut oil. Keep sliced plantain in salted water to prevent discoloring. Roast urad dal, cumin, pepper till fragrant in oil. Add curry leaves and drained plantain, turmeric, salt. Sprinkle water, cover, cook medium-low till tender. Uncover, roast 3–4 min till lightly crisp. Add coconut, toss, cook 1 min more.

Lemon Rasam, Avarakkai Thoran, Pirandai Thogayal — all repeats, already shared .

Rice, Moong Dal, Ghee, Curd — standard, as usual.