Mahalaya lunch menu day 14 and Day 15

Mahalaya Lunch menu : Day 14

🍀raw Mango rasam

🍀Chenai / sweet potato aracha Kuzhambu

🍀Cluster beans usili with Usili podi

🍀moong dal Pakoda Mor Kuzhambu

🍀Plantain chips

🍀rice , moong dal , ghee / nei

🍀Pumpkin Thogayal

🍀Curd

Recipes:

1. Raw mango rasam

Chop a raw mango into cubes after peeling the skin . Pressure cook for 3 whistles , aftercadding turmeric pieder . Open cooker after pressure is released naturally. Mash the contents roughly .

Add some hot water to dilute , place on heat after transferring contents to another vessel .

Add salt , curry leaves , pepper powder. When mixture comes to a gentle boil , add 1 cup moong dal water ( made of 3 tbsp mashed cooked moong dal ) Keep consistency to your desire .

Garnish with fresh grated coconut ( optional )

For tempering : 1 tsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Add this to prepared rasam .

2. Yam / Chenai / and sweet potato aracha kuzhambu . ( any no of mixed vegetables can be used according to Mahalaya paksha custom ) 1 cup mixed yam , sweet potato , broad beans chopped .

2. Add to a vessel with 1 cup thin tamrind water . Add pinch of turmeric powder , salt , curry leaves

3. Take a pan , to roast add 1 tbsp udad dal ,

1/2 tsp pepper ,

1 tsp white sesame seeds

4. Add some curry leaves ,

add 1/2 cup grated coconut.

Sautee these till aomatic .

4. Grind everything to a smooth paste .

5. Add 1/2 cup mashed cooked moong dal to the cooked vegetables in tamrind gravy .

Add the ground paste , adjust consistency of the kuzhambu .

6. Add a tempering with 1 tsp coconut oil , splutter 1/2 tsp mustard seeds .

Add few curry leaves .

Pour over the prepared aracha Kuzhambu.

Cluster beans moong dal paruppu usili podi :

This recipe Is preoared to suit Mahalaya Paksha cooking needs

1 cup moong dal , cleaned well with a dry cotton cloth

Dry roast till aromatic .

Powder In a mixie jar with few pepoer corns and 1/2 tsp cumin seeds.

Do not powder finely .

Take a pan , add 1 tbsp sesame oil , add the blended powder , sautee In oil .

Remove when the colour starts changing lightly . This is paruppu Usili podi .

To use , just sprinkle on cooked vegetables .

It will mix well with vegetables , coating it well . Gives a good taste of usili too .

Yam, Sweet Potato & Broad Beans Aracha Kuzhambu

1 cup mixed chopped yam, sweet potato, broad beans (any Mahalaya-permitted mix works). Cook in 1 cup thin tamarind water with a pinch turmeric, salt, curry leaves. Roast 1 tbsp urad dal, ½ tsp pepper, 1 tsp white sesame seeds, curry leaves, ½ cup grated coconut till aromatic. Grind everything to a smooth paste. Add ½ cup mashed cooked moong dal to the cooked vegetables, then the ground paste, adjust consistency. Temper with 1 tsp coconut oil, ½ tsp mustard seeds, curry leaves; pour over.

Moong Dal Pakoda Mor Kuzhambu

Pakoda: 1 cup moong dal (soaked 1–2 hrs, drained), 1 tsp cumin, ½ tsp pepper (or karima podi), 2 tbsp grated coconut, chopped curry leaves, salt. Grind coarsely, mix in coconut and curry leaves, shape into small pakodas, fry till golden, drain.

Kuzhambu: 1 cup whisked thick sour curd, ¼ cup grated coconut, 1 tsp cumin, ½ tsp pepper, 1 tbsp split urad dal, ¼ tsp turmeric, salt, curry leaves, 1 tsp coconut oil. Grind coconut, cumin, pepper, urad dal with a little water to a smooth paste. Mix with whisked curd, turmeric, salt. Heat gently on low — don't boil. Add fried pakodas, soak 5 min. Temper with coconut oil and curry leaves.

Raw Plantain Chips

2 raw plantains, peeled, sliced very thin and even. Rest in lightly salted water a few minutes, drain, pat dry. Fry in coconut oil on medium heat, small batches, till crisp and golden. Drain, sprinkle salt and pepper powder (optional) immediately. Cool completely before storing.

Pumpkin Thogayal = same as Day 9's Parangikai Thogayal, already shared .

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

Mahalaya Amavasya, also referred to as Sarvapitri Amavasya, Pitru Amavasya, or Pitra Moksha Amavasya, is an auspicious day in the Hindu calendar dedicated to honouring and remembering one's ancestors.

This day signifies the last day of Pitru Paksha and is a significant opportunity for Hindus to conduct Shraddha (ritual offerings) for deceased family members, regardless of their specific death anniversary.

Mahalaya Amavasya is considered an extremely potent day for seeking the blessings of the ancestors. According to Hindu beliefs, it is during this period that ancestors leave their heavenly abode and descend to the earth to receive offerings made by their descendants. It is said that those who fail to perform the Shraddharituals during Pitru Paksha may face the negative effects of Pitra Dosh. This dosh is believed to bring misfortune and obstacles in the lives of the family members.

Day 15 Mahalaya Ammavasai : most of the recipes are already shared in my day wise lunch menu recipes for Mahalaya . Do check them out . For immediate response , shoot me a message in facebook or Instagram. I will respond asap . Happy Mahalaya 🙏🙏

delicious lunch this final day of Mahalaya

🍀Cumin rasam

🍀Podalangai poricha kootu

🍀Raw plantain Kari

🍀Avarakkai Paruppu Usili ( with moong dal )

🍀Bonda Morkuzhambu

🍀Sweet potatoes Kari

🍀Podalangai curd pachadi

🍀Cucumber curd pachadi

🍀Ulundh vadai 🍀Suzhiyam

🍀moong dal coconut milk payasam

🍀plantain chips

🍀rice , moong dal , ghee

🍀Curry leaf ginger thogayal

Karima podi is the basic spice powder for all disges Recipe :

Karima Podi 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 .

Sweet Suzhiyam

Filling: 1 cup moong dal, ¾–1 cup jaggery, ¼ cup grated coconut, ½ tsp cardamom powder (if permitted), pinch salt. Soak dal 1–2 hrs, cook soft, drain, mash. Heat jaggery with a little water, strain if needed, add mashed dal and coconut. Cook till thick and leaving the pan sides. Add cardamom and a tiny pinch of salt. Cool, shape into small balls.

Outer covering: 1 cup raw rice, ¼ cup urad dal, pinch salt, water as needed. Soak rice and dal 3–4 hrs, grind to a thick smooth batter with salt. Dip each sweet ball in batter, deep-fry medium heat till golden. Drain, serve warm.

Ulundh Vadai (Medu Vada)

1 cup whole urad dal (reserve some for suzhiyam), ½ tsp peppercorns, few curry leaves, 1 tsp grated ginger, salt to taste, 1 tbsp rice flour.

Soak and drain dal completely, grind with a pinch of salt and peppercorns to a very thick batter (add water only by the tbsp if needed). Mix in curry leaves, ginger, rice flour; beat till light and airy. Grease a ziploc bag/banana leaf, wet hands, shape balls, flatten, make a center hole. Heat oil till a bit of batter sizzles and rises instantly; slide in vadas, fry medium till golden and cooked through. Don't let shaped vadas sit — fry right away. Reserve some batter for small bondas (soak in warm water, squeeze, add to mor kuzhambu just before serving).

Payatham Paruppu Coconut Milk Payasam

Dry roast ½ cup moong dal till aromatic, pressure cook with 2 cups water, 2 whistles, till mushy. Add a pinch of cardamom powder and 2 cups thick coconut milk, gentle boil, switch off. Add melted jaggery syrup (do not boil after). Finish with ghee-fried cashews and raisins.

Milagu Rasam (Pepper-Cumin Rasam) — for 2 cups

Extract juice from a lemon-size ball of tamarind in warm water. Pour into a vessel, add 2 tsp salt, curry leaves, and 10-12 tsp raw pepper-cumin (broken/coarse, not fine powder). Boil till the raw tamarind smell goes. Add ½ ladle cooked moong dal, cook a bit. Add reserved dal water, gentle boil. Remove from heat, add the cumin-mustard tempering set aside earlier.

Given below Lunch menu from previous years : you can prepare a simple meal too by choosing one or two dishes , no need to prepare a full leaf menu if it’s difficult. Ultimately it’s the thought and not the quantity of food prepared that matters . Respectful and austerity , food prepared and served with devotion is what’s called as soul satisfying.

Lunch menu : with pic below

rice , ghee and moong dal

Cumin pepper rasam

Bitter gourd sambar

Podalangai Kari ( Snakegourds)

Raw plantain Kari

Avarakkai and raw plantain poricha kootu

Ginger Thayir pachadi ( curd pachadi )

Moongdal coconut 🥥 milk payasam

Ulundh vadai ( Medu vadai )

Susiyam ( jaggery filled udad dal Bonda )

Mor Kuzhambu with udad dal Bonda

Curry leaf 🍃 Thogayal

Bitter gourd fries

Raw plantain chips