Vishu Recipes | Simple Vishu Sadya Recipes | Vishu Sadhya lunch menu

In this post, I have shared a collection of Vishu recipes / Vishu Sadya recipes. Vishu (Malayalam: വിഷു) is one of the most important Hindu festivals celebrated in Kerala. Its also called as Malayali New Year in Kerala, India. Vishu falls on the first day of the month of Medam in the Malayalam Calendar (April 14 or 15 in the Gregorian calendar). Its the traditional new year of Kerala.

 Vishu festival is marked by family time, preparing colourful auspicious items and viewing these as the first thing on the Vishu day which is called as Vishukkani. The Malayalam word "kani" literally means "that which is seen first", so "Vishukkani" means "that which is seen first on Vishu". The traditional belief is that the new year will be better if one views auspicious and joyful things as the first thing on Vishu. Therefore, Malayali's spend the day before preparing a tray full of auspicious items like golden blossoms of the Indian laburnum / Konna flowers (Kani Konna), money, silver items, cloth (pattu), mirror, rice, coconut, betel leaves, arecanut, cucumber, fruits and other harvested products. All these are arranged in a tray and kept in front of idol of Vishu / Guruvayurappan/ Krishna. This setting is the first thing they see when they wake up on the Vishu day. 

Mirror in Vishukani is a symbol of seeing yourself as a part of abundance you see in the form of kani. The tradition is that elders light the lamps after waking up, then wakes up juniors in the family. As soon as you wake up, you walk to the kani eyes closed, and sees Kani as the first scene of the year. Please watch THIS VIDEO for more details. 

Days before Vishu, people start bursting fireworks at their houses and it concludes with lot of fireworks on day of Vishu. People wear new clothes Puthukodi or Vishukodi and they eat a feast called Vishu Sadhya.There is also a popular tradition of elders giving money to younger ones or dependents of the family. This is called Vishukkaineetam.

 

Sadhya (feast) is a major part of all Kerala festivals, special dishes called Vishu Kanji, Thoran and Vishu katta are also made on this day in some parts of the state. Vishu Kanji is made of rice, coconut milk and spices. Vishu katta is a delicacy prepared from freshly harvested rice powder and coconut milk served with jaggery. Thoran is a side dish that is prepared with different vegetables. Other important Vishu delicacies include Veppam poo rasam (a bitter preparation of neem) and Mambazha pulissery (a sour or ripe mango soup).

SOURCE : WIKIPEDIA and my Malayali friend Sowmya.

I will try to share Vishu Kanji and Vishu katta recipes in future. Today I have shared a simple Vishu sadya recipes menu which I prepared last year. I wanted to share it along with other Vishu sadya items list. I hope you will find the recipes, method of preparation and list of items useful to make sadya on your own. Ok, lets see the easy Vishu sadya recipes menu with 16 items spread in a banana leaf (plate).

Check out my Onam Sadya Recipes for more sadya recipes ideas. 

• Simple Onam sadya 1

• Onam sadhya menu 2

• Onam sadya menu 3

• Onam sadya menu 4
• Onam Sadya menu 5

 

Vishu sadya | How to make Vishu sadya

Vishu sadya | Vishu sadya recipes list | How to make Vishu sadya

 

Cuisine: Kerala

Category: Lunch

Serves: 3

Prep time: 30 Minutes

Cook time: 60 Minutes

Total time: 90 Minutes

 

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

On the banana leaf Kerala matta rice / Red rice Parippu curryParippu curry Kerala Sambar Rasam Beetroot pachadi Avial Mixed veg thoran Potato or beans mezhukkupuratti Mango pickle or lemon pickle Inji puli Shakkara varatti Nendran banana chips Pazham / Banana Pappadam / Papad Salt Pink palada payasam Ada pradhaman Water Curd or sambaram Other Vishu sadhya items Kootu kari Cabbage thoran Kalan Olan Mambazha puliserry Erissery Moru curry Beans mezhukkupuratti Ulli theeyal Shakkara payasam Jackfruit payasam Semiya payasam Rice Payasam Click HERE for more details

HOW TO MAKE VISHU SADYA

1. Shop and collect all the required items for sadhya the previous day and keep it ready.
2. Wash and chop all the required vegetables. Wash and soak the matta rice, Ada for pradhaman. Soak tamarind for sambar and puli inji separately.
3. Grate or slice the coconut into pieces and grind it to take coconut milk for payasam. Set aside.
4. Take the required coconut. Add green chilli, cumin seeds and grind it for avial, thoran and parippu curry.
5. Take 2 to 3 cookers. Place toor dal adding water, turmeric powder, a drop of oil for making sambar. Keep a small container inside the cooker and place the chopped vegetables for sambar.
6. Place a plate over the bowl and arrange the chopped vegetables for avial. Add salt and little water. Cover the cooker and pressure cook for 2 whistles in low flame.
7. In another cooker, take the chopped veggies for mixed veg thoran. Keep a small container and place the grated cabbage for thoran. Place a small plate and keep the grated beetroot for pachadi. Cook everything in low flame for one whistle.
8. In the 3rd cooker, take the matta rice and pressure cook till done.
9. Once the veggies are cooked well, take them out and add the coconut paste for avial, thorans, beetroot pachadi and boil them.
10. Make sambar and puli inji. Lastly make payasams.
11. Serve all the items in banana leaf following this order. Enjoy !

Try this yummy Vishu Sadhya at home and enjoy with your family and friends !

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Masala Puri Recipe | Bangalore Style Masala puri Chaat

 

Masala puri is one of the most popular chaat recipes in Bangalore. Being in Bengaluru for the past 20 years, I have tasted this masala puri in many street side chaat shops. It has a special flavour and taste. We all love it.

Recently when my daughter was asking me to make masala puri at home, I tried to recreate the chaat shop style version after watching many YouTube videos. Actually there are two versions of Bangalore masala puri recipe.

Today I have shared the version which was close to the ones I tasted in chaat shops. Friends, do try this recipe and let me know your feedback.  

Masala puri recipe | Bangalore chaat shop style masala puri

Masala puri recipe | Bangalore chaat shop style masala puri for evening snacks

 

Cuisine: Karnataka

Category: Snacks

Serves: 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

 

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Dried green peas - 1/2 cup Potato - 1 Water and salt - as needed To grind Cinnamon - 2 inch piece Cloves - 3 Ginger - 1 inch Garlic - 10 cloves Cardamom - 1 Tamarind – Gooseberry size Big onion – 2 Jaggery - 1 tsp Pepper corns – 1/4 tsp Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp Byadgi Red chilli – 4 to 6 Mint leaves - a handful Coriander leaves - fistful Roasted gram dal / Daliya / Pottukadalai - 1/4 cup Water and salt - to grind To make masalapuri Readymade puri - 15 Big onion - 1 (chopped) Carrot - 1 (grated) Coriander leaves - Few Bhujia /Sev / Omapodi - to garnish on top Sweet chutney - optional Chaat masala - a pinch Roasted jeera powder - a pinch

HOW TO MAKE MASALA PURI CHAAT

1. Wash and soak dried peas overnight. Pressure cook adding peeled potato, water, salt for 2 whistles in low flame.
2. Open the cooker. Drain the excess water and mash the potato.
3. Grind all the ingredients given under “to grind”. Add to the peas water.
4. Boil for few minutes till flavourful. Gravy will thicken slightly. Switch off the flame.
5. To make masala puri, arrange the fried puri in a plate. Crush it coarsely.
6. Top it with cooked peas, gravy, chopped onion, grated carrot, coriander leaves, sweet chutney, a pinch of chaat masala, cumin powder.
7. Finally garnish with bhujia/ Sev. Serve immediately, enjoy !

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and soak dried peas overnight. The next day drain the soaked water. Take the soaked peas in a pressure cooker base. Add required water, salt and peeled potato. Pressure cook in low flame for two whistles. Open the cooker and drain the cooked water in a bowl. Reserve it. Mash the potato and add to the cooked peas. Mix well and set aside. Grind all the ingredients given under “ to grind” to a smooth paste. Add to the peas cooked water, mix well. Add more water and salt if needed. Boil the gravy for 10 minutes till you get nice aroma and thickness. Switch off the flame and set aside. Deep fry readymade puri and set aside.    To make masala puri, take a plate. Arrange the fried puri. Crush it coarsely. Add the cooked peas, required gravy, sweet chutney, a pinch of chaat masala, a pinch of jeera powder, chopped onion, tomato, coriander leaves. Finally garnish with sev. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

Note

Adjust the quantity of spice powders as per your taste. You can skip potato but it gives a thickness to the gravy. Do not forget to use mint leaves as it gives a nice flavor. Addition of Sweet chutney is optional. But I used it as my daughter loves that way.

Try this Bangalore style Masala puri chaat and enjoy !

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Mangalore Cucumber Sambar | Southekayi Sambar Recipe

Mangalore Cucumber sambar (Southekayi sambar in Kannada) was in my try list for years. I have tasted this kind of sambar in temples and marriage functions. When I was looking for the recipe, I came across this one in Udupi recipes YouTube channel. I tried it for the first time. It came out so well, colourful and tasty with a nice aroma. Its taste was so close to the Karnataka temple style sambar and more like Brahmin's arachuvitta sambar recipe. I am glad to share this post in my blog. 

Friends, do try this Karnataka temple style sambar with Mangalore cucumber and enjoy with plain rice adding ghee. Tastes great !

Mangalore Cucumber sambar | Southekayi sambar

Mangalore Cucumber sambar | Southekayi sambar recipe

 

Cuisine: Karnataka

Category: Side dish 

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

 

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

To Pressure cook Mangalore cucumber (Southekayi) - 1/2 Tamarind – Big Gooseberry size Jaggery - 1 tbsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Toor dal - 1/3 cup Salt & water - as needed To temper Cooking Oil or Ghee - 2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad dal - 1/2 tsp Red chilli – 1 Curry leaves - few To roast and grind Cooking oil - 1 tsp Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp Urad dal - 2 tsp Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp Cumin seeds - 1 tsp Byadagi red chilli - 2 to 3 (Add more for spicy taste) Curry leaves - few Grated Coconut - 1/3 cup

HOW TO MAKE MANGALORE CUCUMBER SAMBAR

1. Wash and chop the cucumber into big pieces. Soak tamarind in water and take the extract. Set aside.
2. Pressure cook toor dal adding turmeric powder, few drops of cooking oil and water. Set aside.
3. Keep a box inside the cooker and place the cucumber pieces.
4. Pressure cook in low flame for one whistle. Open the cooker and remove the bowl. Mash the dal. Add the cooked cucumber pieces to the cooker.
5. In a kadai, heat a tsp of oil. Roast all the ingredients given under “ to roast and grind” till nice aroma emits. Grind everything to a smooth paste adding coconut.
6. Add the paste to the cooked toor dal. Add tamarind extract, jaggery, salt and required water.
7. Boil well for few minutes till its aromatic. Lastly switch off the flame. Temper the ingredients and add to it.
8. Garnish with coriander leaves. Enjoy with plain rice.

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and chop the cucumber pieces with skin. Keep it in a bowl. Soak tamarind in required water and take the extract. Set aside. In a pressure cooker, take the dal, add required water, turmeric powder and little oil. Place a bowl inside the cooker and keep the chopped cucumber pieces. No need to add water. Close the cooker. Pressure cook for one whistle in low flame. Open the cooker after the steam is released. Heat oil in a small kadai. Roast all the ingredients given under “ to roast and grind” till golden and aromatic. Grind everything to a smooth paste adding grated coconut. In a bowl, take the tamarind extract, ground masala paste, cooked toor dal, turmeric powder, salt, jaggery and cooked cucumber pieces. Mix well and check the consistency. Add more water if needed. Boil the sambar for few minutes till raw smell of tamarind goes away. Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves. Temper in ghee and add to the gravy. Mix well and serve with plain rice. Enjoy !

Note

You can use chow chow / Chayote or mixed vegetables instead of cucumber. Make sure the cucumber pieces are not over cooked. No need to add water in the bowl that you place inside the cooker. You can also add little sambar powder for variations.

Try this temple style Mangalore Cucumber sambar and enjoy !

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Palak Keerai Masiyal | Pasalai Keerai masiyal without Dal | Spinach Masiyal

Recent days I have been trying out varieties of Keerai masiyal and Keerai kadayal recipes for our lunch. Mostly I try to make a simple keerai masiyal or kadayal recipe without dal and coconut. I feel addition of dal or coconut gives more yield and tastes more like kootu but I wanted to consume more keerai. So I make it plain with simple tempering.

Recently I came across this Kongu style keerai masiyal without dal and coconut in Chef Deena’s YouTube channel. Actually they showed it with Panna keerai but I made it with pasalai keerai i.e Palak. It came out so well and tasty.

Friends, do try this simple and easy Coimbatore Kongu style Keerai masiyal recipe. You will love it like me.

 

Palak keerai masiyal recipe

Palak keerai masiyal recipe | Pasalai keerai kadayal recipe

 

Cuisine: Tamil nadu

Category: Side dish

Serves: 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 10 Minutes

Total time: 20 Minutes

 

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Palak / Pasalai keerai /Spinach - 2 cups Green chilli - 1 Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Sugar - a pinch Salt - as needed To temper Ghee - 2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad dal - 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Red chilli - 1 Hing – a pinch Big onion or small onion - 1 or 10 Garlic cloves - 5 (finely chopped)

HOW TO MAKE PASALAI KEERAI MASIYAL

1. Wash and chop palak leaves roughly.
2. Cook it with green chilli, turmeric powder, sugar and salt.
3. Cool down and grind to a smooth paste.
4. Temper mustard seeds, urad dal, red chilli, hing and cumin seeds in ghee.
5. Saute onion, garlic cloves till transparent. 
6. Add to palak and mix well. Serve with rice adding ghee.

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and chop the palak leaves roughly. Cook it with green chilli, turmeric powder, a pinch of sugar and salt adding required water in a kadai. Cool down the mixture and grind to a smooth paste.  Instead of grinding the keerai, you can mash it with a masher too. Heat ghee in a small kadai. Splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds, red chilli and hing.  Saute onion, garlic cloves till transparent. Add to the ground palak. Mix well and serve with plain rice adding ghee. Enjoy !

Note

Adding a pinch of sugar and turmeric powder while cooking palak helps to retain its bright green color. Adjust the quantity of green chilli as per your taste.

Try this easy, yummy Pasalai keerai masiyal for rice and enjoy adding ghee.

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Rice Bath Recipe | Karnataka style Rice Bath Recipe

I love Karnataka style rice bath recipe in hotels here especially Darshini and SLV rice bath is my favorite. Though the ingredients are similar to veg pulao, its cooking method, taste and flavor is slightly different from Karnataka Veg palav recipe. I tried this recipe from Rekha aduge YouTube channel. It came out so well in my first attempt itself.

My Karnataka style veg pulao recipe which I have shared long back is a super hit recipe in my blog. I recommend you try this rice bath recipe as well. It tastes and smells so good. This recipe and taste will surely remind you some restaurant.

Friends, do try this easy and yummy Karnataka style rice bath recipe. You will love it. Lets check out the recipe.

Rice bath recipe | Karnataka hotel style rice bath

Rice bath recipe | Karnataka hotel style rice bath

 

Cuisine: Karnataka

Category: Main course

Serves: 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

 

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml Raw rice or basmati rice - 1 cup Cooking oil – 2 tbsp Bay leaf – 1 Kalpasi / Black stone flower – 1 Mixed vegetables – 1/2 cup (Carrot, potato, beans, green peas, cauliflower) Water - 2 cups Salt - as needed To saute and grind Cooking oil - 1 tbsp Cinnamon - 1 inch Cloves - 2 Cardamom - 1 Big onion - 1 Tomato - 1 Ginger – 1 inch Garlic – 4 cloves Red chilli – 1 to 2 Green chilli – 1 to 2 Coriander leaves – 1 tbsp Mint leaves – 1 tbsp Grated Coconut – 2 tbsp

HOW TO MAKE RICE BATH

1. Wash and chop vegetables, onion, tomato. Wash and soak raw rice for 15 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a kadai. Saute cinnamon, cloves, cardamom.
3. Saute onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, chillies, coriander leaves, mint leaves.
4. Grind to a smooth paste adding coconut. Set aside.
5. Heat oil in a cooker. Saute bayleaf, black stone flower, onion. Add all the vegetables.
6. Add the masala paste, salt and water. Mix well till aromatic.
7. Pressure cook in low flame for one whistle. Open the cooker after the steam is released.
8. Fluff the rice gently. Serve with raitha. 

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and soak raw rice for 15 minutes. Wash and chop vegetables, onion, tomato. Heat oil in a kadai. Saute cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, red chilli, green chilli, mint and coriander leaves. Lastly add coconut and switch off the flame. Cool down. Grind to a slightly coarse and thick paste. Set aside. Heat oil in a cooker base. Saute bayleaf, kalpasi. Add the chopped onion, chopped vegetables, salt and ground masala paste. Saute for a minute till nice aroma wafts through the house. Add water and mix well. Check for salt and spice taste. Pressure cook in low flame for one whistle. Open the cooker after the steam is released. Fluff the rice gently and serve hot with raita.

Note

Adjust the quantity of chillies as per your taste. For variations, you can grind all the ingredients raw without sauting. But the taste and flavor would be completely different. Water quantity varies based on the rice we use. For basmati rice, soak it for 15 minutes and use 1: 1.5 cups of rice and water. For jeera rice, 1:2 ratio without soaking. For most of the Karnataka rice varieties, Sona masoori rice is used. So I have used the same in this recipe. You can also use knol khol / Kholrabi along with other vegetables. Some hotels use this veggie too.

  
  Easy and yummy hotel style Karnataka rice is ready to serve. Enjoy with onion raitha !

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Kerala rice payasam with jaggery – Ari Payasam | Sharkara Payasam recipe

During Onam festival, people make different types of payasam for Onam sadya. I have already shared Payasam varieties of Kerala in my Onam sadya posts. Here is yet another traditional Payasam recipe of Kerala that is prepared using raw rice and jaggery. It is called as Sharkara payasam/ Ari payasam/ Unakalari payasam / Nei payasam / Ney payasam/ rice payasam with jaggery/ Kerala rice kheer.

Its consistency and taste is more like Sweet pongal / Sakkarai pongal. This payasam is more popular in Kerala temples. This payasam is prepared using Kerala raw rice that looks light pink in color. It is called as Unakalari in Malayalam.

Traditionally Ari payasam is prepared in a big uruli but I used a pressure cooker to finish the job quickly. So you cannot achieve the authentic taste but its equally good. In Kerala, people make this payasam adding thin and thick coconut milk. But there is another version that uses ground coconut paste instead of coconut milk. I followed that recipe. Soon I will try to share the temple style authentic Sharkara payasam.

Now lets see this easy version of making Kerala style rice payasam with jaggery in a pressure cooker with step by step pictures.

Please check out my other KERALA RECIPES too !

Kerala rice payasam with jaggery / Ari payasam - Nei payasam

Kerala style rice payasam with jaggery. It is called as Ari payasam / Sharkara payasam / Nei payasam in Malayalam.

 

Cuisine: Kerala

Category: Sweet

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

 

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

Kerala raw rice / Unakalari - 1/2 cup Powdered dark jaggery - 1 cup Water - 2 cups Ghee - 1/4 cup Grated coconut – 1/4 cup Cardamom - 2 (crushed) Dry ginger powder - 1/2 tsp Edible camphor / Pachai karpooram - a dash Salt – a pinch

HOW TO MAKE KERALA RICE PAYASAM WITH JAGGERY

1. Wash and take the rice in a pressure cooker. Add water and a pinch of salt.
2. Pressure cook in low flame for one whistle. Make sure rice is not over cooked and mushy. It should retain its shape.
3. In the mean time, melt jaggery in little water to make a syrup. No need of any consistency.
4. Filter the syrup and add to the cooked rice. Mix well and boil for few minutes.
5. Add grated coconut or thick coconut milk and boil for a minute. Add ghee at regular intervals and mix till thick. 
6. switch off the flame once it becomes thick, creamy and glossy. Roast the cashews and add to it. Add cardamom powder and a pinch of edible camphor.
7. Mix well and serve !  

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and take the rice in a pressure cooker. Add water, a pinch of salt and cook in low flame for one whistle. Alternately you can cook the rice in open pot too. Pressure cook in low flame for one whistle. Make sure rice is not over cooked and mushy. Rice should be cooked but its should retain its shape. Open the cooker after the steam is released. Mash it gently. Melt jaggery adding water and strain the syrup. Add to the cooked rice. Add grated coconut, mix well. Boil for few minutes. When it starts to thicken, add ghee at regular intervals till the payasam becomes creamy and saucy. Switch off the flame and let it rest.  In the mean time, roast cashews, coconut pieces till golden and add to payasam. Add cardamom powder, dry ginger powder and mix well.   Serve hot or warm as you like. Enjoy ! This payasam looks like sweet Pongal once its cold. So you can serve as such or add little coconut milk or warm milk to adjust the consistency.

Note

Adjust the quantity of jaggery as per your taste buds. Traditionally 1:2 of rice and jaggery is used. You can add thin coconut milk instead of grated coconut, let it boil and finally add thick coconut milk before switching off the flame.

  
  Enjoy this delicious, Kerala style Sharkara payasam @ nei payasam with pazham and papadam !

 

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