Here is a list of Tamil new year recipes |Tamil puthandu special recipes | Tamil Varusha pirappu recipes for pooja and lunch menu. On Tamil new year day, we prepare full meals / Vazhai ilai virundhu by offering mango pachadi, arisi paruppu payasam, neer mor and panakam to God. Apart from this, we make no onion no garlic lunch menu by making sambar, thayir pachadi with gooseberry or carrot or lady's finger, kootu or poriyal, urad dal vada with pepper.
This menu is more like amavasya food / no moon day lunch. Some people also make 5 rice varieties like lemon rice, tamarind rice, coconut rice, sweet pongal and curd rice instead of making full meals. People call it as tamil new year thaligai. But usually I make Lady’s finger sambar, Gooseberry or carrot thayir pachadi, raw mango pachadi, raw banana poriyal or broad beans poriyal, rice and moong dal payasam, urad dal vada. I have given the links for all these recipes below. I have also shared the links for other options. Do check it out and try the menu according to your convenience and family practice.
All the above recipe links are for variations. You can try any based on the availability of ingredients. Its not a hard and fast rule to make a full meals and offer GOD. Some people celebrate Tamil new year just by offering a payasam and vada.
If you are a bachelor and wish to do the pooja, you can simply soak Poha/Aval in milk adding sugar & cardamom and offer to God. GOD will accept everything and anything if done whole heartedly. The celebration procedure I have shared here is based on my family practice. It may vary as per your tradition and custom. So beginners, please consult the elders of your family and do the pooja.
Wish you all a very happy and prosperous Tamil New Year !!
அனைவருக்கும் இனிய தமிழ் புத்தாண்டு நல் வாழ்த்துக்கள் !!!
Yesterday I prepared this South Indian style arisi payasam for Tamil new year celebration. We make this payasam mainly for Tamil new year ( Tamil Varusha pirappu/Tamil Puthandu) and Ganesh Chaturthi festival. Sometimes we prepare this sweet dish for Friday Mahalakhsmi pooja neivedyam too. Today I have shown the basic arisi payasam recipe/Rice kheer with jaggery and milk using a pressure cooker.
Arisi Paruppu payasam is our family favorite payasam variety. To prepare this Indian style rice kheer raw rice, moong dal, water, jaggery and milk are the major ingredients. Sometimes I use coconut milk instead of boiled milk if making for guest or special occasions. Adding coconut milk makes it more rich and flavorful. Whenever Sendhil gets stomach upset or stomach inflammation problem, I make this for his breakfast with less rice, more dal and coconut milk as both have healing property. I will make a separate post on it later.
In this recipe, I have used boiled milk. For variations, you can use coconut milk in place of regular milk by all means. Sometimes I prepare the same payasam adding condensed milk(milkmaid) or sugar instead of jaggery just like paal payasam. This kheer can be done easily. Try this yummy, healthy payasam for Tamil new year and enjoy ! You can also make arisi thengai payasam on Tamil new year. Now lets see how to make arisi paruppu payasam/Rice payasam with jaggery with step by step pictures and a video.
Arisi paruppu payasam recipe
Arisi paruppu payasam recipe - Rice moong dal payasam recipe
In a pressure cooker base, heat 1 tsp of ghee. Roast the moong dal till dal becomes aromatic and golden brown.Remove in a plate. Add 1 tsp ghee and roast the rice. Roast till it turns puffy and white. Its optional to roast the rice. But roasted rice gives more flavor to the kheer. So the choice is yours.
After roasting the rice add 2.5 cups of water. Add the roasted dal and pressure cook in very low flame for 3 whistles till they cook mushy. Remove after the steam is released. Mash it really well.
Add grated jaggery and 1/2 cup water. Mix well in low flame until jaggery melts completely. ( If jaggery has impurities, you should boil separately and melt the jaggery in 1/2 cup water, filter it and then add the syrup to the cooked rice). After the jaggery is completely mixed with the rice, let it boil for sometime till raw smell of jaggery goes off. If needed, add 1/2 cup water while boiling. Add cardamom powder & mix well.
After the payasam becomes slightly thick, switch off the flame and add 1/2 cup boiled milk or thick coconut milk. Mix well and check for consistency. Add more milk if needed. Heat ghee in a small pan. Roast cashews, cloves and crushed mace till cashews become golden. Mix well and add to the payasam. Serve hot.
This rice kheer becomes very thick when it cools down.So you should add more milk, water or coconut milk to adjust the consistency, check for taste. Add more sugar or jaggery syrup if needed. Give a boil and serve hot.
Enjoy !
Note
Roasting rice is optional.But it gives a nice flavor to the payasam.
If you feel jaggery has impurities, you should mix it with 1/2 cup water. Boil and melt in medium flame. Once its melted completely, strain it through a metal filter. Then add this syrup to the cooked rice+dal mixture.
The quantity of milk depends on the desired consistency of payasam.
You can use 1/2 cup coconut milk instead of milk.
Add equal quantity of milk and coconut milk if you wish.
Adding cloves and small piece of mace gives a awesome flavor to the kheer. So do not skip it.
Try this yummy arisi paruppu payasam at your home for festivals and enjoy !
Kalkandu( Rock sugar in English & Kal Sakkare in Kannada) sadam aka Kalkandu pongal was in my to-do list for years. I had a recipe in my cook book which was waiting for me to try. Pongal is around the corner. This is the perfect time to blog this recipe. Actually it was mentioned as kalkandu bath recipe in my cook book. But whatever be the name its method was very similar to our sakkarai pongal/sweet pongal using milk & sugar. I tried it this morning for the first time and it came out finger licking good. We all loved it very much. I packed it to my school moms friends. Everybody liked it so much & gave thumbs a big up!!
This kalkandu pongal is a very rich sweet rice recipe. We can make it for any special occasions & festivals. Rice cooked in milk gives a super rich taste & flavor. Please don’t forget to add the spices i’ve given here. That’s the highlight for this recipe. One thing I would like to say is “ Do not compromise on the quantity of ghee”. It not only makes the pongal tasty but also helps to balance the body heat developed by rock sugar. My MIL usually tells us to consume kalkandu pongal in moderate quantity because over eating may upset your stomach ( i.e may cause loose motion / Diarrhea). I am not sure about this. So take care and consume less.
Ok, Lets see how to prepare this yummy kalkandu pongal/rock sugar pongal.
Wish you all a very happy Pongal 2015 ! அனைவருக்கும் எனது இனிய பொங்கல்நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள் !!
Kalkandu pongal recipe
Kalkandu pongal for thai pongal festival !
Cuisine:Indian
Category:Sweet
Serves:4
Prep time:5 Minutes
Cook time:15 Minutes
Total time:20 Minutes
INGREDIENTS
Raw rice - 1/2 cup
Yellow moong dal – 1 tbsp(optional,i dint use)
Raw milk - 2.5 cups
Water - 1/2 cup
Sugar candy/rock sugar - 1/2 cup( heaped) OR Powdered rock sugar - 3/4 cup+2 tbsp
Salt - a pinch
Spices for flavor
Ghee - 3-4 tbsp
Cardamom - 2 seeds( crushed)
Cloves - 1 no
Saffron threads - few
Nutmeg/Jathikai - a very small piece
METHOD
Wash and soak the rice for 10 minutes. In the mean time, boil raw milk + water in a pressure cooker base. When it comes to a boil, add the washed rice draining the water.Let it pressure cook in low flame for one whistle. It takes nearly 10-12 minutes. After the steam is released, remove the lid & mash the rice well.Keep aside ( Note : If you want to add moong dal, roast it in a tsp of ghee & add to pressure cooker along with rice.)
Take the rock sugar and break it using a hammer or rolling pin by wrapping it in a news paper. Now it will be broken into small pieces & easy to powder in mixie. If u grind the rock sugar without breaking,mixie blade may break. So its better to follow this procedure. Suppose if u have small candies ( ie diamond kalkandu)u can powder it directly.
After opening the cooker, add the powdered rock sugar & mix well. It will melt soon & mixes with the rice.The mixture will become watery now. Keep stirring by adding a tbsp of ghee. Keep the flame medium.
In the mean time,roast the cashews,clove & nutmeg.Powder the nutmeg & cardamom.Add it to the pongal.Add saffron threads too.Mix well.After some time,Pongal will turn thick and start to leave the sides of cooker.Now add all the remaining ghee along with roasted cashews.Remove & let it cool.No problem if the pongal is slightly thin.It will thicken completely once its cooled down.
Please make sure the pongal has moisture content when u switch off. ( ie it should be slightly watery n mushy. Don’t make it very thick .) This is very important ..
Once it cools down,the consistency will be correct else it will become very hard.If u feel , all the water is absorbed and if it looks dry , add little boiled milk, Mix well and switch off the flame.
Add a tsp of ghee & serve.
Enjoy !
Note
I have not used moong dal as per the recipe given in the book.If u wish to add,roast it in a tsp of ghee & add to rice in cooker.
Adjust the quantity of sugar candy as per your taste.I felt the ratio of rice & rock sugar should be 1:1.5 for perfect sweetness.U can also add 1:2 ratio if u have sweet tooth.
Do not compromise in the quantity of ghee.It not only makes the pongal tasty but also helps to balance the body heat developed by rock sugar.
My MIL usually tells us to consume moderate quantity of kalkandu pongal because over eating may upset your stomach ( ie may cause loose motion trouble).I am not sure about this.So take care and consume less.
Prepare this rich,creamy,delicious kalkandu pongal for this pongal festival and have a great celebration !
Tamil Varusha pirappu /Tamil puthandu / Varuda pirappu is celebrated on the first day of Tamil month chithirai. Every year it falls on April 14th. Its a most important festival for Tamil people. We make a simple yet inviting lunch menu with sambar, poriyal or kootu, 2 pachadi varieties, vada, payasam and curd. Neer mor and Panakam should be prepared only when we keep panchangam in neivedyam otherwise it is not necessary.
Among these recipes, Mango pacahdi, Payasam and Vada are mandatory. We don’t keep appalam as it is not homemade. But Mor milagai I have kept is homemade. I have shared that recipe in a separate post. I have shared how to prepare this Tamil new year special lunch menu under one hour at the the end of this post. Instead of making full meals, you can make Tamil new year thaligai with 5 rice varieties like lemon rice, tamarind rice, coconut rice, curd rice and sweet pongal.
Actually I planned to post this lunch menu during last tamil new year but couldn’t as I was in Salem. Yesterday I asked my MIL and prepared this menu with the vegetables I had in hand. Sendhil loved the entire platter & especially he gave credits for Vendakkai sambar. He had the same for dinner too. I have posted sambar recipe separately as I want to have it as a dedicated post in my food book. Please check the link for sambar recipe below.
Here, I have shared raw banana curry and carrot raita recipe. I have also shared other options for making this lunch menu. Do visit the links for other recipes. Try this No onion No Garlic lunch menu for Tamil New year / Tamil puthandu. Let this year be filled with happiness & fortune!!
அனைவருக்கும் எனது இனிய தமிழ் புத்தாண்டு நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள் !!
Tamil New year lunch menu recipes
Tamil New year lunch menu recipes - Paruppu, Vendakkai sambar, Raw banana curry, Carrot pachadi, Raw mango pachadi, Rice payasam, Pepper vada, Instant Mango pickle
Cuisine:Indian
Category:Lunch menu
Serves: 2
Prep time:30 Minutes
Cook time:60 Minutes
Total time:90 Minutes
RECIPE LINKS Check out THIS POST for Tamil new year celebration procedure.
Instead of making full meals, you can also make 5 rice varieties like lemon rice, sesame seeds rice or tamarind rice, curd rice, sweet pongal, coconut rice. Please watch the video below on how to cook these rice varieties easily.
RAW BANANA PORIYAL/CURRY RECIPE
Prep time-5 min | Cook time-10min | Total time-15mins
Ingredients
Raw banana - 1 no
Sambar powder – 1 tsp
Salt & water – as needed
Moong dal – 1 tbsp
Grated coconut – 3 tbsp
Tamarind – A very small piece(optional)
Asafetida/hing – 2 pinches
To temper
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Urad dal – 1/2 tsp
Finely chopped ginger – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – few
Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
Method
Wash and peel the skin of raw banana. Remove and cut the raw banana into slices. Keep immersed in water or rice washed water ( Kazhani thanni) till use to avoid discoloration.
In a cooking bowl, take the moong dal, raw banana, sambar powder, salt and a small piece of tamarind with required water and salt.
Cook until raw banana becomes tender. Make sure it is not over cooked. It should stay firm in shape. If you prick the cooked raw banana with a fork, it will go easily at the same time it will not break.
Remove and drain all the excess water..
In a kadai, temper all the ingredients given above and add the cooked raw banana, moong dal mixture. Saute well in low flame for 5 minutes. Make sure you don’t break the veggie. Do it gently. Lastly add grated coconut, mix well and saute for 2 minutes. Switch off the stove.
Serve with sambar sadam ! NOTE
Adding tamarind is optional but it helps to reduce the slight bitterness from raw banana. Add very little tamarind otherwise poriyal will become too tangy.
Adjust sambar powder as per your need. Sometimes I add red chilli powder + sambar powder half and half.
CARROT RAITA/THAYIR PACHADI
Prep time – 5 mins | Cook time-2 mins | Total time – 7 mins
Ingredients
Carrot – 1 no
Curd – 1/2 cup
Salt – as required
Green chilli – 1 no (finely chopped)
To temper
Cooking oil – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Urad dal – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – few
Method
Wash and grate carrot. Take in a bowl with finely chopped green chillies , required salt.
Just before serving, mix the curd and temper the above said ingredients.
Serve with dal rice/paruppu sadam!
HOW TO MAKE TAMIL NEW YEAR LUNCH MENU
Wash and soak urad dal for vada and keep in refrigerator till you grind. It takes nearly 30 minutes to 1 hour for soaking. Wash and soak big gooseberry sized tamarind for sambar, small gooseberry size tamarind for rasam. Dry roast moong dal till golden and raw rice till puffy. This is for payasam. Set aside. Grate or slice one full coconut. You can use it for making pachadi, kootu and poriyal.
Take 2 pressure cookers ( 3 litre cooker is better). In first cooker bottom, add washed toor dal for sambar, turmeric powder, a drop of oil and required water. (If you are using broad beans, cluster beans for sambar, add to dal. I used lady's finger. So I made sambar in a different way).
Take a small box with lid. Add moong dal, turmeric powder, hing, a drop of oil and water for paruppu. Keep it inside the pressure cooker.
Take another small box with lid. Wash and peel raw mango. Chop into big pieces and add to the box. Add chopped green chillies, little salt and water. Do not add more water. Keep in inside the first cooker.
Take a round plate suitable for first cooker. Spread chopped raw banana, moong dal, sambar powder, salt, turmeric powder and a pinch of tamarind. Sprinkle little water and place the plate covering the first cooker. Close the cooker lid.
In the second cooker bottom, add washed rice, required water. Take a small round box, add dry roasted moong dal and rice for arisi paruppu payasam. Add required water and keep in inside the rice. If you want to make kootu, add the chopped vegetable, moong dal, salt and water in another small box and keep that inside the cooker. Close the cooker with the lid.
Pressure cook both the cookers in low flame for one whistle. (i.e Keep the flame high till steam comes out. Put the weight valve and then lower the flame completely. Cook for one whistle in low flame. It takes nearly 10 to 12 minutes based on the cooker make.) Switch off the flame. Let the steam release naturally.
In the mean time, heat oil in a kadai. Temper mustard seeds, methi seeds, red chilli, curry leaves. Add chopped lady's finger till golden brown. Add chopped tomato and saute till mushy. Add tamarind extract from big gooseberry size. Add sambar powder, salt and hing. Boil till raw smell goes off and lady's finger cooks soft.
Grind chopped gooseberry, grated coconut, green chilli, salt and hing adding required water. Add to curd and set aside. Do the tempering at the end. Pachadi is ready. ( I made carrot pachadi. For this grate carrot, finely chop one green chilli. Add to curd and temper with mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves.)
Grind coconut + rice flour for kootu and mango pachadi. Set aside.
Now both the cookers will be ready to open. Open the dal cooker first. Remove the plate and boxes kept inside. Mash the dal and add to sambar kadai. Boil and garnish with coriander leaves. Sambar is ready.
Open the paruppu/ moong dal box and mash well. Add tempering in ghee. Mix well and set aside. Paruppu is ready.
Open the mango pachadi box. Heat oil in a kadai. Temper mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves. Add cooked mango pieces. Add jaggery and ground coconut paste. Mix well and boil till thick. Mango pachadi is ready.
Take the poriyal plate and drain excess water if any. Heat oil in a kadai, temper and add cooked raw banana mixture. Mix gently and add grated coconut. Mix and switch off the flame. Transfer to a bowl. Poriyal is also ready.
Now open the second cooker with cooked rice. Remove the payasam box and kootu box.
Add ground coconut paste to the kootu box. Temper mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves in coconut oil. Add the kootu mixture. Boil for few minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Kootu is done.
Lastly open the payasam box. Mash the rice+dal. Take in a wide bowl. Add required water, powdered jaggery or jaggery syrup after removing impurities. Add crushed cardamom. Boil till raw smell of jaggery goes off . Roast cashews, cloves and a pinch of mace powder in ghee. Add to payasam. Lastly add boiled milk or coconut milk in room temperature. Boil in very low flame just for 30 seconds and switch off the flame else it may curdle. Payasam is ready now.
Now take the soaked urad dal and grind to smooth paste adding green chilli, hing, pepper and cumin seeds. Add water carefully. Make thick paste and transfer to a bowl. Beat the batter with your hanads for few minutes till fulffy. Add finely chopped curry leaves and salt.
Mix well and deep fry vada in hot oil. Remove and fry the papad / appalam, more milagai.
If you want to make raw mango pickle, chop finely. Add salt, red chilli powder, a pinch of roasted methi seeds powder, hing and mix well. Temper with mustard seeds with sesame oil. Mix well and serve.
Lastly make neer more and panakam. For this, take curd. Add water and salt to make buttermilk. Add crushed ginger + green chilli to the butter milk and finely chopped coriander leaves. Temper mustard seeds, curry leaves and hing. Add to buttermilk. Neer more is ready.
To make panakam, take one cup of water, add grated jaggery, lemon juice, a pinch of salt, crushed cardamom, cloves and mix well. Panakam is ready.
Rice, paruppu, 2 pachadi, poriyal, kootu (optional), payasam, vada , pickle, neer more and panakam are ready to serve for neivedyam.
This is how I make Tamil new year lunch menu every year under one hour. You too try this way and finish your work quickly.
Make this yummy platter on Tamil New year day, Offer to God, Get his blessings and enjoy !
Wish you all a very happy Tamil new year / Tamil puthandu Vaazhthukkal !!
I wanted to post instant sweet appam with wheat flour (Godhumai maavu appam) in my blog for long time. I learnt this from my MIL. We make this wheat flour appam with jaggery for Gokulashtami and Ganesh Chaturthi. My MIL makes this for occasions / festivals and for guest as evening tiffin along with filter coffee. We can make this appam in two ways. It can be deep fried or shallow fried in paniyaram pan.
Today, for Friday pooja, I made this appam using wheat flour and I made it in paniyaram pan. It was very soft , spongy and delicious. My MIL makes a savoury version too. I’ll post it soon. Mostly my MIL makes this appam with maida and very rarely with wheat flour. Enjoy this guilt-free appam as evening tiffin along with bonda/bajji and coffee !
INGREDIENTS 1 cup - 250ml
Wheat flour – 1 cup
Ripe banana – 1 no
Rice flour - 1.5 tbsp
Grated jaggery – 1/2 – 3/4 cup
Cooking soda – 1/8 tsp
Salt – A pinch
Elachi – 2 nos ( crush to powder)
Oil – to drizzle
HOW TO MAKE WHEAT FLOUR APPAM - METHOD
In a bowl , take the banana & mash well. Add the wheat flour, rice flour, salt, baking soda , jaggery & cardamom powder.
Add the required water to make a smooth paste. Use a whisk for mixing without lumps. The consistency of batter should fall like a ribbon.
Heat a paniyaram pan and add 1/2 tsp of oil in each hole. Pour a small ladleful of batter, cover & cook for sometime in medium flame.
Flip it after few seconds and again add 1/2 tsp oil. Cook for a minute & remove.
Serve hot !!
NOTE
For variations, you can use maida instead of wheat flour.
Sometimes my MIL adds sugar instead of jaggery.
For kids, you an deep fry & give. To get a proper shape while deep frying, keep little oil and pour the batter & fry on both sides till golden brown. U’ll get a nice shape.
In this post, I have shown how to make sweet pongal in pressure cooker easily. Usually I make aval payasam or moong dal payasam for Friday pooja. Today being Aadi velli, I made this sweet pongal ( Chakkara pongal/sakkarai pongal in Tamil) in a pressure cooker. You can make the same in instant pot too. I usually make sakkarai pongal for Aadi velli, Aadi perukku & Thai pongal festival. For the other occasions, we make rice payasam mostly.
I have already posted an authentic, traditional sakkarai/ sweet pongal about how to make sakkarai pongal in venkala paanai (pot). In this post, I have mentioned our usual method of making sweet pongal using pressure cooker. To make perfect sweet pongal, always use good quality raw rice & dark colored jaggery ( paagu vellam) to get the best results in color & taste. Its very flavourful , tastes similar to Kovil pongal/temple pongal and you’ll love it for sure. Try this & let me know dearies.
Sweet Pongal Recipe
Sweet Pongal recipe-Sakkarai pongal -How to make Temple style sweet pongal recipe at home using pressure cooker.
Cuisine:South Indian
Category: Sweets
Serves:3
Prep time:10 Minutes
Cook time:20 Minutes
Total time:30 Minutes
INGREDIENTS 1 cup - 200ml OR 240ml
To pressure cook
Raw rice – 1/2 cup
Yellow Moong dal – 1 tbsp ( add 2 tbsp for more dal flavor)
Water – 2.5- 3 cups (varies as per the quality of rice)
Salt – a pinch
For syrup
Jaggery – 3/4 cup ( use 1 cup for more sweetness)
Water – 1/2 cup
For Flavor
Ghee – 3 tbsp
Cardamom – 2 nos
Edible camphor – A pinch
Jathikai / nutmeg – A pinch
Cloves – 2 nos
Cashewnuts – 5-7 nos
Raisins / Dry grapes – 5 nos (optional , I dint use)
HOW TO MAKE SAKKARAI PONGAL IN PRESSURE COOKER - METHOD
In a kadai , heat 2 tsp of ghee and roast the cashews , raisins, cloves & jathikai. Powder the jathikkai and set aside.
In the same ghee , roast the moong dal till golden brown with a nice aroma. Wash the roasted moong dal and set aside.
In a pressure cooker base, take the washed rice & 3 cups of water. Add the roasted moong dal along with a pinch of salt. Pressure cook for 4-5 whistles till rice & dal turns mushy. Open the cooker & mash the rice , dal very well with a ladle..
In the meanwhile , prepare jaggery syrup. In a wide bowl , take the jaggery with 1/2 cup of water and allow the jaggery to melt completely. Strain the impurities and again boil the syrup till it becomes frothy. Remove & add this syrup to the cooker.
Mix well and add 2 tsp of ghee to avoid the pongal sticking to the bottom. Stir very well for 4-5 minutes till all the syrup gets mixed.
Pongal will start to thicken and leave the sides of the cooker . At this stage add the remaining 2 tbsp of ghee and the roasted cloves , cardamom powder, edible camphor powder & roasted jathikai powder.. Mix well & switch off the stove. Initially it will look semi solid in consistency. But it will thicken as time proceeds. Before serving, you can reheat it adding little milk or water.
If your pongal looks dry when warm , add little ghee & milk , reheat it and serve ! It tastes divine !! Enjoy !
Note
Always add more ghee at the end for a nice flavour. It also makes the pongal soft & non sticky.
Use good quality ghee & rice for better flavour n taste. Adding jathikkai & cloves gives a superb smell. Don't skip it
Milk can be added if pongal looks dry or hard. But addition of milk reduces the shelf life, color will slightly change and also the sweetness gets reduced. For the above recipe you can add 1/4 cup of milk.
Use dark colored paagu vellam to get a nice color.
