Yesterday I made a post on kozhukattai dough using store bought idiyappam flour/ kozhukattai flour in 3 ways. In continuation with that, today I have shared how to make homemade rice flour for kozhukattai dough/ Kozhukattai maavu preparation traditionally in 2 methods. One by soaking raw rice, grinding to a fine powder, sieve and make kozhukattai outer covering dough with that homemade processed rice flour. My MIL always follows this method.
Second method is to soak the rice, grind to a thin batter and then cook to make a thick kozhukattai dough for outer cover/ Kozhukattai mel maavu. I learnt this one from my friend Shalini. She told me to make this post during last year Ganesh Chaturthi as this is her fool proof method of making homemade kozhukattai maavu. She told beginners would find it useful.
Last year I couldn’t do it. So I badly wanted to make this post at least this year. Tomorrow I will try to post some interesting kozhukattai variety. Ok, lets see how to make homemade kozhukattai dough recipe / Kozhukattai maavu with step by step pictures and video.
How to make Kozhukattai dough - Kozhukattai maavu, traditional method in 2 ways
How to make Kozhukattai dough/Kozhukattai maavu at home
Raw rice - 1 cup (Use good quality Sona masoori rice or dosa rice/Maavu arisi)
Water - as needed ( 2 cups for method 2)
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Sesame oil or ghee - 1 tsp
Sesame oil - to grease hands
How to make homemade Kozhukattai maavu in 2 ways
METHOD 1 : Wash and soak raw rice in water for 2 hours.
Spread rice in a cloth. Dry for 15 minutes.
Grind to fine powder, sieve.
Dry roast the flour for 2 minutes.
Remove in a plate and cool down.
Grind the roasted flour to remove lumps. Store in a box.
Homemade kozhukattai flour is ready. You can use this as Idiyappam flour too.
METHOD 2: Wash and soak raw rice in water for 2 hours.
Grind to a smooth paste to thin smooth batter. Use the soaked water for grinding.
Heat a kadai with ghee and add rice flour batter.
Mix till thick in low flame. Knead after it becomes warm.
Wrap the dough with wet cloth and cover with a lid till use.
Kozhukattai dough / Kozhukattai maavu - Step by step photo
Always prepare the stuffing/pooranam before making kozhukattai dough because fresh dough gives best kozhukattai.
METHOD 1: Wash and soak 1 cup of raw rice for 2 hours.Drain the excess water and spread in a cotton cloth.
Let it dry for 15 minutes. Remove the rice and grind to a smooth powder. Sieve and grind the coarse particles again. Sieve twice.
Dry roast the sieved flour for 2 minutes in medium flame till it heated. Make sure you do not heat it more. When you roast it, small lumps may form.So grind to a fine powder after it cools down.
Alternatively you can steam the flour in idli pot for 10 minutes. Spread in a plate, cool down and grind it.Homemade rice flour for making kozhukattai or idiyappam is ready. You can store in a box for months. For 1 cup of raw rice, you get approx. 2 cups of flour.
For making dough with this homemade rice flour, boil 1.5 cups of water adding 1/2 tsp salt and oil/ghee.
Add 1 cup of rice flour to it. Mix in low flame till it becomes a thick dough.
Remove in a plate and knead using greased hands. Dough will become non-sticky after kneading.
Cover with a wet cloth and lid above it till use. Never allow the dough to dry.Kozhukattai may crack.
METHOD 2: Wash and soak 1 cup of raw rice using 2 cups of water.Grind to a smooth batter without any grits. Grind for long time. Use the soaked water for grinding.Batter should be thin like dosa batter.
Heat a kadai with 1tsp ghee. Add the rice flour batter. Mix in low flame.It becomes a thick dough. Keep stirring to avoid lumps. When the dough becomes very thick and leaves the pan completely, switch off the flame.
Cover with a lid till warm. Transfer the dough to a plate. Grease your hands with oil and knead the dough for 5 minutes till it becomes very smooth without any cracks.
Remove the dough to a plate and cover till warm. Grease hands and knead well for 5 minutes till dough becomes completely non-sticky and smooth without cracks.
Cover the cloth with a wet dough and keep aside till use. Keep the stuffing inside the dough and make kozhukattai.
Notes
First make the stuffing part/pooranam before making the dough because dough should not sit for long time.
Kneading is important to make the dough crack free.
Dough should be non-sticky and smooth without cracks to make perfect kozhukattai.
Homemade rice flour shown in method 1 can be used to make idiyappam as well.
You can also use dosa rice/Maavu arisi instead of good quality raw rice.
How to make Kozhukattai dough( Kozhukattai maavu in Tamil) with step by step pictures and video. Dough for kozhukattai outer covering (Mel maavu) can be prepared at home using raw rice or with store bought rice flour / idiyappam flour / Anil Kozhukattai flour (unroasted rice flour).
Kozhukattai made using homemade processed rice flour always gives the best and soft kozhukattai. But many of us like to ease our job by using store bought kozhukattai flour or idiyappam flour. Yes, ready made kozhukattai maavu or idiyappam maavu also gives decent results when compared with the traditional ones.
So I have shared 3 methods of making kozhukattai outer cover using store bought rice flour. You can try any based on your liking. I learnt method 1 & method 2 from my MIL. Method 3 is from my friend Shalini. She also taught me a traditional method of homemade kozhukattai dough. I will share it tomorrow. I personally like method 2 because I follow the same procedure for making idiyappam. So I am used to this method and its more convenient to me.
There are few points you should keep in mind to make soft and crack free kozhukattai. I have shared few tips and tricks to make perfect kozhukattai dough. I have also made a short video on the making of this dough in 3 ways. I hope beginners would find it useful.
North Indian style modak dough differs in method and ratio of water & flour. I will share that post later. Now Lets see how to make kozhukattai maavu using rice flour with step by step pictures and video.
Kozhukattai dough - Kozhukattai maavu in 3 ways
How to make Kozhukattai dough using store bought rice flour
Store bought kozhukattai flour or idiyappam flour - 1 cup ( I used Anil kozhukattai maavu)
Water - as needed ( 1.5 to 1.75 cups)
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Sesame oil or ghee - 1 tsp
Sesame oil - to grease hands
How to make Kozhukattai Maavu in 3 ways
Method 1 : Heat 1.5 cups of water in a bowl adding salt and oil.
When the water roll boil, add the rice flour.Stir without lumps.
Mix well in low flame till its thick.
Dough will be formed.Remove from flame.
Cover till it becomes warm. Remove in a plate and knead with greased hands.
It will become smooth and crack free.Cover with wet cloth and lid till use.
Method 2 : Boil 2 cups of water adding salt & oil/ghee.
Let the water roll boil.Add the required water to 1 cup rice flour, mix well.
Knead when warm. It will become smooth and crackfree.Wrap with wet cloth and cover with lid till use.
Method 3 : Mix 1 cup rice flour and 2 cups of water adding salt & oil/ghee.
Heat a kadai and add the rice flour batter.
Mix till thick in low flame. Knead after it becomes warm.
Wrap the dough with wet cloth and cover with a lid till use.
Kozhukattai dough - Step by step pictures
Always prepare the stuffing/pooranam before making kozhukattai dough because fresh dough gives best kozhukattai.
Method 1: Measure 1 cup of store bought idiyappam flour or kozhukattai flour. Boil 1.5 cups of water in a kadai adding salt and oil/ghee.
Add the rice flour to the water and mix well till it becomes thick and forms a dough. Touch the dough with your fingers to see if its sticky. If its slightly sticky or non-sticky, dough is done.
Switch off the flame, transfer to a plate.Let it become warm enough to handle. Grease the hands with oil and knead the dough for 5 minutes till smooth and crack free.
Wrap the dough with wet cloth and cover it with a lid till use. You can store the dough for 6 to 8 hours without refrigeration.
Method 2: Take 1 cup of rice flour in a plate. Keep aside.
Boil 2 cups of water adding salt and 1 tsp oil/ghee in a wide bowl.
When the water roll boils vigorously, remove and add to the rice flour gradually. Mix with a ladle.Add water little by little and keep mixing. Kozhukattai maavu takes 1.25 to 1.5 cups and not more. But I always boil more water and keep it ready in hand to mix if needed.So I have mentioned 2 cups of water.
Mix to become thick,non-sticky dough. Transfer to a plate and cover till warm. Knead with greased hands for 5 minutes till smooth and crackfree.
When the water roll boils vigorously, remove and add to the rice flour gradually. Mix with a ladle.Add water little by little and keep mixing. Kozhukattai maavu takes 1.25 to 1.5 cups and not more. But I always boil more water and keep it ready in hand to mix if needed.So I have mentioned 2 cups of water.
Method 3: Mix 1 cup of rice flour with 2 cups of water and 1/2 tsp salt. Whisk to make a thin batter.Heat 1 tsp ghee in a kadai and add the rice flour batter.
Mix in low flame till it becomes a thick dough.It leaves the pan and becomes a smooth dough. Keep stirring continuously to avoid lumps.
Remove the dough to a plate and cover till warm. Grease hands and knead well for 5 minutes till dough becomes completely non-sticky and smooth without cracks.
Cover the cloth with a wet dough and keep aside till use. Keep the stuffing inside the dough and make kozhukattai.
Notes
First make the stuffing part/pooranam before making the dough because dough should not sit for long time.
Kneading is important to make the dough crack free.
Dough should be non-sticky and smooth without cracks to make perfect kozhukattai.
I used Anil Kozhukattai maavu.You can use idiyappam flour as well.
Water quantity may vary as per the flour you use. Anil kozhukattai maavu takes 1.25 to 1.5 cups of water.
Make this kozhukattai dough using store bought rice flour and ease your job !
White sauce pasta recipe with step by step pictures and video. My daughter loves penne pasta in creamy white sauce (bechamel sauce) than red sauce. So I made this Indian vegetarian, creamy garlic flavored white sauce pasta at home for our breakfast yesterday. Basic white sauce can be prepared with 3 major ingredients - butter, all purpose flour and milk. It makes the white sauce thick and rich without cream. Garlic and Oregano is used to give a nice Italian flavor. So never attempt this recipe without these ingredients. Original Italian white sauce pasta calls for using heavy cream instead of milk. But I used very simple and easily available ingredients in this recipe.
I referred the terrace kitchen YouTube video for this recipe. It came out really well. To make white sauce pasta more colorful and healthy, we can add vegetables like sweet corn, carrot, broccoli, mushroom etc. After trying this recipe, I learnt the knack of making white sauce without lumps. Yes, the secret is to add more butter and milk than maida. I have also used cheese slice to make the sauce more creamy. But adding cheese is optional. You can use it if your kids like it. Even though this dish is high in calories, its a tasty indulgence. You can make and enjoy it once in a while. If you want to make a low calorie version, you can use olive oil instead of butter and skip cheese.
Lets see how to make penne pasta in white sauce with step by step pictures and video.
Recently I got a herb grinder from FLINTSTOP online. You can find many useful and technologically advanced cool gadgets for the entire house. They also provide Corporate Gifting for different multinationals along with their company logo and customization as per the requirements. I used this herb grinder for garnishing pasta with oregano and dried basil. I loved this gadget. I am planning to use it in my South Indian cooking as well. You can find the picture of the herb grinder below.
In a wide bowl, boil 6 cups of water. Add cooking oil and salt. Chop the garlic and capsicum finely.
When the water starts to roll boil, simmer the flame and add the penne pasta. Stir well else it may stick to the bottom of bowl. Boil for 10 minutes stirring now and then. Cook al dente. Cover the bowl partially and cook for last 5 minutes. I do this to cook the pasta soft. Take one, break it and check for doneness.
Drain the cooked pasta in a colander, set aside. Wash with cold water and drain the water completely.
Heat 1 tbsp butter in a kadai and saute the finely chopped garlic till golden. Add capsicum, frozen sweet corn and saute for a minute. It should remain crunchy in taste. Remove in a plate.
In the same kadai, heat 3 tbsp butter. Add 2 tbsp maida and roast till its raw smell goes off. Lower the flame. Add milk in one hand while stirring with a whisk in other hand. This helps to avoid lump formation. So keep stirring with a whisk while you add the milk. Mix till there are no lumps.
Add sauteed vegetables, red chilli flakes, pepper powder and some salt. Let the sauce boil till thick. Lastly add the cooked pasta, mix well. Tear the cheese slice into small pieces. Add to the boiling sauce. Mix till it melts. Garnish with oregano, basil and other spices if you like. Remove and serve hot.
Notes
Adding oil in the water helps to cook the pasta non-sticky.
I like my pasta to be soft. So I cover & cook it for 5 minutes. But usually people won't do that.
Adding cheese is optional. But it makes the white sauce more creamy.
You can replace cheese slice with cheese cubes or grated cheese. Mozzarella or even cheddar cheese is fine.
Try this easy, yummy kids friendly white sauce pasta recipe at home and enjoy !
Pappu unta in Telugu is nothing but our paruppu urundai recipe ( steamed lentil balls in English) made of toor dal and urad dal.In Telugu, it is called as Kandi pappu unta i.e toor dal balls. My friend Shalini told me to try this recipe during last year Varalakshmi Vratham. Some people in Tamilnadu and Andhra have the tradition of offering this paruppu urundai for Varalakshmi pooja. They offer 9 balls to God and add the remaining to more kuzhambu( Pappu unta majjiga pulusu).
Shalini shared her mom’s recipe with me which is different from Tamilnadu style paruppu urudai recipe. In this recipe, I have used toor dal and urad dal. Shalini gave some tips to make soft balls. I followed her instructions to the dot. The result was great. Paruppu urundai was very soft and tasty. I am yet to try majjige pulusu recipe. This time I had it as snack. Its also a good side dish for curd rice. Friends, Do try this paruppu urundai recipe for this Varalakshmi vratham festival and share your feedback with me. Lets see how to make Andhra style paruppu urundai recipe with step by step pictures.
Do check out my Chettinad style paruppu urundai kuzhambu recipe, Varalakshmi vratham pooja procedure.
Pappu unta recipe / Paruppu urundai recipe
How to make Andhra style Pappu unta / Paruppu urundai recipe
Wash and soak toor dal and urad dal in a bowl adding enough water. Soak for 4 hours.
Drain the water completely. Take the dal, grated coconut, green chilli, cumin seeds, ginger, hing and salt. Grind to a thick coarse paste without adding water.
Collect the batter in a bowl. If the batter is slightly watery, add 2 tsp of gram flour/besan flour and mix well to make it thick. To the batter, add finely chopped coriander and curry leaves.Add 1 tsp oil, a pinch of cooking soda and mix well.
Make small balls out of the batter and arrange them in a greased idli plate.
Steam in an idli pot for 10 minutes. Remove after it becomes warm else balls may break while you remove them. If the balls goes flat after cooking, water content is more in the batter.So add some besan flour and make it thick for next batch. For trouble shooting, take the warm balls and shape it round. If the batter is too thick and dry, balls may come out slightly hard. So batter should be thick yet moist just like masala vada batter.This is the key to make soft paruppu urundai.
Pappu unta/ Paruppu urundai is ready. Take 9 balls in a plate and offer to God. If you are adding these balls to more kuzhambu/ Majjige pulusu, you can add finely chopped onion, garlic to the batter if you like.
Notes
For Tamil nadu style paruppu urundai, add chana dal instead of urad dal. Use red chillies instead of green chilli while grinding.
If you are .
For variations, you can soak the urad dal separately. Grind to a smooth paste, remove in a bowl.Then grind the soaked rice+ poha + methi seeds to a smooth batter. Mix both the batter and ferment it.
This post explains a simple method of how to perform Mahalaxmi puja / Thiruvilakku Pooja every Friday at home. I have included Puja vidhi/ pooja procedure, slokas, mantra and songs required in Tamil & English. I have given a simple Lakshmi pooja method for working women and a detailed procedure with 108 potri for housewives. I have also shared a downloadable PDF format for Lakshmi Pooja slokas, mantras in Tamil. Please download it by clicking the link.
In South India - Tamil nadu, most of the housewives do this thiruvilakku poojai regularly at home in a simple way by chanting 108 potri. We worship Goddess Mahalakshmi in the lamp and perform this pooja.When I posted Friday neivedyam recipes, my readers requested me to share our Pooja vidhanam with Ingredients needed, Pre-preparation, Pooja kolam/Rangoli, songs in a detailed manner just like my other festival procedures post.
Few readers wanted me to share a simple pooja that helps working women and busy moms. So I have shared the pooja procedure in two ways by referring my Friday pooja book in Tamil. One is a very simple version( Panchopachara pooja) that hardly takes 5 to 10 minutes to do it. It would be ideal for working women to do it either in the morning or evening around 6 pm.
Not just on Friday, you can do this pooja everyday. The second one is my family’s traditional way with 108 potri which I learnt from my MIL. Some people make it in an elaborate way by keeping kalasha. If you are looking for the authentic Mahalakshmi pooja vidhanam with shodasha upachara puja, please refer my in-laws blog – Learn kolam. I have shared it in detail.
Basically Lakshmi puja is performed by married women seeking long life for their husband, health, wealth, peace of their family.This pooja gives us immense benefits if done whole heartedly with full faith. In North India, this puja is performed during Diwali in a grand manner.
Today I have shared this post mainly for beginners and newly wedded girls. I have also mentioned the benefits and significance of this pooja. I have shared all the pictures from my pooja room. Hope it would be useful for you all to get some ideas.
When I was young, I have seen Thiruvilakku pooja performed in Amman temples & Murugan temples in Tamil nadu. But I never thought it can be performed at home till my marriage. I came to know about it from my MIL. She used to do this pooja every Friday at home. Initially I was just a listener sitting along with her and watching it. After 5 years of my marriage, I started doing it on my own by following her method while she continues to do it in our Salem house even at this age.
After buying a own house, I performed Vaibhava Lakshmi pooja by keeping Kalasam for 11 weeks as advised by my neighbor. Its an elaborate pooja just like Varamahalakshmi festival. So I will share it later. In this post, we will see how to do Friday Mahalakshmi pooja at home in a simple way without keeping kalasam/Kalasha.
As usual, this post would be very lengthy as I have given all the sloka in English and Tamil. So please bear with me. If possible. I will try to make a separate post in Telugu and Hindi with the help of my friends and try to make a PDF of them in near future. Thanks for visiting this page. If you find this post helpful, please share a few words in the comment section which will make me happy.
Click THIS LINK to download the PDF format of sloka, mantras in Tamil.
1. SIGINIFICANCE & BENEFITS OF MAHALAKSHMI POOJA
Mahalakshmi pooja is performed by married women or young girls at home seeking health, wealth, harmony and long life for their husband, removal of sins and black magic. By doing this pooja, It is believed that Lakshmi, wife of Lord Vishnu and the Goddess of wealth visits her devotees house during this pooja and bless them with abundant wealth and good health.
Goddess Lakshmi prefers clean house. So devotees clean their houses, decorate them with lights and flowers, prepare sweet delicacies/neivedyam as offerings and do the pooja. We believe that when the God is more happy at her visit, we get more blessings from her. Lakshmi pooja can be done performed by a single person or by a group of ladies at home. It is considered to be more auspicious to do this pooja on Pournami day( Full moon day).
People can get various types of benefits if they do it in Tamil months from Chithirai (April) to Panguni (March).
Chithirai : Blessed with increased production of Pulses.
Vaigasi : Blessed with Money
Aani : Blessed with Marriage
Aadi : Blessed with Long Life
Aavani : Blessed with New Born Children
Purataasi : Blessed with more Cows
Aipassi : Blessed with Food
Karthigai : Blessed with Moksha
Margali : Blessed with Good health
Thai : Blessed with Victory in life
Maasi : Blessed with removal of sins.
Panguni : Blessed with Dharma
2.INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR LAKSHMI POOJA
1. Lamp ( Thiruvilakku – 1 no, Big or small)
2. Wooden plank or plate or peeta for placing the lamp.Banana leaf or plate for offering sweets/Neivedyam. Thoobakal for sambrani stick, incense stick stand
3. Betel leaf & Nuts ( Vetrilai Paaku – 2 or 4 nos)
4. Banana - 2 nos ( You can keep in even number count)
5. Coconut – 1 no
6. Kumkum, Turmeric, sandal powder
7. Flowers ( Uthiri poo or malai / garland)
8. Incense stick, camphor, Dhoop / Sambrani in Tamil( Benzoin in English)
9. Gingely oil/Sesame oil & Ghee to light the lamps
10. Wick/ Thread for lamps ( Thiri nool or panchu thiri)
11. Match box, Plates to keep fruits, coconut.
12. If you wish, you can keep a set of blouse piece, bangle, turmeric piece(Virali manjal), small mirror, comb, black chain(Karugamani), kumkum packet etc. Please refer the above picture.
13. I have 108 silver flowers which I use it for archanai. Please check the picture given above. You can use uthiri poo/ flowers instead.
3. PRE-PREPARATION FOR POOJA
On the previous day i.e Thursday night, Sweep the house clean. Wash all the lamps and pooja accessories. Dry them and decorate it by keeping sandal and kumkum dots. You can draw kolam in the entrance on previous day night of you wish. Please visit my in-laws blog Learn Kolam to get some padi kolam ideas.
4. POOJA TIMINGS
Mostly we do this pooja in the morning before Rahu kalam ( 10.30am to 12 noon) or yamagandam (3:00 pm to 4:30pm) on Friday. So we do it around 8 to 9 am after sending the kids and husband to school & office. It is also auspicious if you do this pooja in the evening around 6 pm. So keep all the things ready before pooja timings.
5. HOW TO ARRANGE FOR POOJA
A. Near the pooja room, draw a kolam/rangoli on the floor. You can draw either maakolam( Kolam with wet rice flour paste) or with usual rangoli powder. My MIL draws padi kolam with hrudaya kamalam in the center. But I draw padi kolam with a simple flower kolam in the center as I am not good at drawing hridaya kamalam kolam .Please visit my in-laws blog Learn Kolam to get ideas on padi kolam.
Place the wooden plank or peeta over the kolam. Keep the lamp on the plank or peeta. Lamp should always face the East or North direction. South & west should be avoided. Make sure you leave some space around the lamp for Pradhakshinam ( circumambulation). Please refer the above picture for pooja arrangements.
B. Decorate the lamp, idols with flowers.Garland it if you wish. Keep sandal & kumkum dots. Add gingely oil/ sesame oil or ghee generously. Lamp should not go off while doing pooja. So add more oil before starting the pooja. Put 5 wicks or minimum 2 wicks in the lamp.
C. Decorate the idols and photo frames with flowers. Some people keep kumkum dots for all the photo in pooja room every Friday. But I do it only for festivals. Prepare the neivedyam. Mostly I make Payasam/Kheer or sweet pongal/ Sakkarai pongal in pressure cooker as sweet pongal is meant to be the favorite for Goddess. You can also make Ven pongal, rava kesari or sweet dishes with aval/poha and jaggery. I will try to make a separate post for neivedyam ideas soon.
D. Place the neivedyam bowl, broken coconut, banana, betel leaves & nuts in a plate or banana leaf. Place them in front of the lamp.
E. Keep the incense stick in the stand. Do not pierce it over the banana. Place the sambrani/dhoop stick in the stand or thoobakal. Keep some ash(viboodhi/thirueeru) in the camphor plate and place the camphor over it.If you don’t have a plate to place camphor, you can keep it over the betel leaf or banana leaf. Do not use the betel leaf which you have kept for neivedyam.
F. Place a mat for you to sit in the side of lamp. We call it as Thadukku in Tamil. Keep all the sloka books nearby. You should sit facing North or East. Avoid facing south.
6. HOW TO DO FRIDAY VILAKKU POOJA – SIMPLE METHOD
Click THIS LINK to download PDF format of sloka, mantras in Tamil
This method is for people who have very less time in hand for doing pooja. It would be ideal for working people. This is called as “Panchopachara Pooja” ( Five fold worship).
In fact, this pooja can be performed everyday. You can do this pooja by standing in the pooja room.No need to keep the lamp separately in a peeta or plank. If you do not have the offerings/ pooja items in hand, you can do manasa pooja. ie. Assume that you are offering all the 5 things.
The second method is by offering all the 5 in real. If you have prepared any neivedyam recipe, you can keep it in a plate in front of the lamp/Thiru vilakku and do this pooja and offer sandal paste, flowers, dhoopam, dheepam, neivedyam and mangala harathi/Karpooram.
Panchopachara pooja in English Chant these lines if you are doing manasa pooja ( Imagine the offerings)
Finish the Pooja by doing namaskaram in front of the God.
7. HOW TO DO THIRUVILAKKU POOJA – METHOD 2
Click THIS LINK to download PDF format of sloka, mantras in Tamil.
Do this pooja in the morning before rahu kalam OR do it in the evening around 6 pm. Light all the lamps other than the one you have kept for pooja because we should light the main lamp only after reciting Ganapathi sloka.
Basically any pooja should be done by worshipping Lord Ganesha at the beginning. So Vigneshwara pooja is to be performed by reciting Lord Ganapathi slokas. So lets start with Ganapathi song. I have given all the mantra and songs in Tamil and English.
1. Ganapathi Vaazthu
Ainthu Karaththanai aanai mugathanai Indhin Ilampirai polum eyitranai Nandhimagan thanai gnyanak kozhunthinai Punthiyil vaiththadi potrugindrene Now light the lamp. While lighting the lamp, chant the following : ”ஓம் ஒளிவளர் விளக்கே போற்றி” – “Om Olivalar Vilakke Potri “
Continue this with Thiruvilakku Archanai (108 potri). You can chant thiruvilakku Ashtothram in Sansrit or Thiruvilakku archanai song in Tamil with 108 potri which I have given below. We offer flowers ( uthiri poo) or kumkum in the feet of lamp while chanting this potri. You can offer a combination of 54 flowers & 54 kumkum archanai.I use my 108 silver flowers for this. Please check the image given above ingredients section. You can buy this silver flowers & golden flowers in all jewelry shops.
Click HERE to listen Thiruvilakku Archanai sthothram in Sanskrit. 108 Potri in English
oṁ śrī mahālakṣmyai nama: śrīmahālakṣmiprītyarthe samasta upacāra pūjān samarpayāmi - – Show karpoora harathi
Finish the pooja with devi vaazhthu.
Sarva mangala Mangalye Shive sarvartha sadhake, Saranye tryabike devi, Narayani namosthuthe. Lastly do the pradhakshinam( circumambulation of lamp ) – 3 times and do the namaskaram in front of the pooja place. Move the lamp slightly towards the east. This shows the end of pooja. Now you can offer kumkum and thamboolam prasadham to the married ladies and young girls if you wish. Quell the lamp with a flower.If you have offered kumkum for archanai, you can keep it on your forehead and mangal sutra for daily use.Take the flowers used for pooja and put it in a flower pot.Pour the water in tulsi plant or any other plants. Please do not get too much hung up on the methods/procedures. More than anything, Bhakthi/Bhavana is important. Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita 9th chapter:
patram puspam phalam toyam
yo me bhaktya prayacchati
tad aham bhakty-upahrtam
asnami prayatatmanah’'
Meaning : If one offers me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, water, I will accept it.
Shubam !! DISCLAIMER : I have shared the pooja methods based on my family’s tradition. Please consult your elders in family, change it and follow as per your custom.
Last year I couldn’t do it. So I badly wanted to make this post at least this year. Tomorrow I will try to post some interesting kozhukattai variety. Ok, lets see how to make homemade kozhukattai dough recipe / Kozhukattai maavu with step by step pictures and video. 
