Vinayaka Chaturthi is celebrated with much enthusiasm at home. Festivals are always a time when Amma excels herself with many varieties of goodies prepared for Nievedyam. Each festival/ Pooja is marked with a specialty dish that she makes and we eagerly wait for each of the festival to savour these traditional dishes.

As kids, I remember going to the market to get the Vinayaka Idol in the morning. When I started riding, I used to go with my brother and used to get the idol. This year, Hubby dear tagged our daughter along, to get the Idol in the morning. Hubby dear is always very fond of this pooja as he says its celebrated with much fun and frolic at his native.

I try to keep the spirit by continuing the tradition. But since I never really learnt how the traditional goodies are made, it always used to be just polis, but this time wanted to please God with all his favorite dishes. After installing the Idol in the mandap, hubby dear decorated with flowers and ornaments and Umbrella. As a kid, I used to collect the Umbrella for so many years.

After marriage, Amma said I am grown enough to stop such sentiments. I was quite sad but had to listen to her, I was only happy when I saw that my daughter wanted to safekeep the Umbrella!. We either keep the Idol for 3 or 5 days depending on which day of the week it falls. But all the days that we have the Ganesha Idol at home, we get up early and make neivedyam for offering and observe strict rules.

The entire city is seen busy with this celebrations. Huge idols will be seen installed in different areas and celebrated. The celebration is normally continued for 10 days, end of which long processions take the Ganesha Idols of different sizes to the beach and immerse them. Few years back, it fell on a Sunday and we happen to go for drive and saw the entire procession. It was really fun and lively.

From Left to Right - Borugullu - Pappullu, Sundal, Kudumulu, Nugul-untallu (Sesame Seeds Laddo), Polis. Garallu is missing from the picture as I couldn't fit in on time for Pooja.

Sundal ~ Chickpea Salad

Channa / Chickpeas - 1 cup
Grated Fresh coconut - 2 tbsp
Red Chilies - 1

Salt to taste

Seasonings:

Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard + Urud dal - 12/ tsp
Curry Leaves

Red Chilies - 1
Hing / Asafetida a pinch

Method to prepare:

Soak Channa/ Sennagallu overnight. Pressure cook for 3 - 4 whistles or till fork tender, with salt and water just enough to cover it. Remove water.

Run coconut and 1 red chilli in blinder to get a coarse paste.

Heat 1 tsp of oil and add seasonings with hing. Then add the cooked chenna, sauté well. Garnish with the coconut & chilli paste.

Kudumulu

This is my most favorite dish all time and what Amma makes has always been so excellent. Mine also came out well but still longed for Amma's. I remember the many occasions when we used to sit and make so many of these Kudumulu as Amma gives it to the neighbors too. She also had those impressions that looks more like a full Garlic bulbs. Couldn't find those on time to make it with it. But it used to be a labour of love. How it used to taste with that filling coming out after it was streamed. Amma used to prepare the flour herself the previous day and keeps everything ready. I made use of the ready made rice flour. It did come out quite well though.

Ingredients needed

For the Outer layer:

Rice Flour - 1 & 1/2 cup
Water - 3 cups.
Salt to taste

For the Filling/ Stuffing

Grated coconut - 3 tbsp
Jaggary - 3 tbsp
Cardamom powder a pinch.

Method to prepare

Traditionally, Amma used to wash the rice in water and dry it for sometime, till it is quite dry but still has little dampness left. She then grinds it into fine powder.

I used the rice flour, so saved the time on cleaning and drying and powdering!

In a bowl, take the flour and make a smooth paste with enough water. This is to ensure, you don't get lumps when you cook the flour. Boil the rest of the water in a pan with salt. Once it starts boiling, add the rice flour mix. and cook. Making sure there are no lumps.

Add 1 tsp of oil and keep stirring. You can remove when it forms as solid with the sides leaving. Remove and cover with a damp cloth so that it remains hot.

For the filling, grate coconut and jaggary. Take the jaggary in a pan, add just enough water to cover the jaggary, melt and remove if any impurities are found. Then add the grated coconut and cook to get a thick syrup. Remove to a bowl and keep it aside. If required, you can scoop this stuffing into small balls.

For making the kudumulu, smear your hands with oil so that rice flour doesn't stick to your hands. Gather the cooked rice flour the size of a lemon, press in middle. You will get a shape thats thick in the middle, the sides are thinner, stuff it with the coconut jaggary fillings. Bring the sides together towards the middel and close the ball, to form a shape as a drop.

Continue if you are done with all the rice flour and fillings.

Once everything is done, stream it for 10 mints.

At times you may find it tough to shape them, you can plaster those areas by coating with wet rice flour.

Nugul Untallu (Sesame Laddoo)

Sesame Laddoos tastes out of the world. This one of the traditional sweets that Amma makes. I managed to prepare them this time. This is traditionally prepared with the black seeds with the skin on. You can get this all preped by washing them sesame seeds the previous day and dried under sun.

Dry roast the Sesame seeds in a tawa and allow them cool. Once the Sesame seeds are cooled, take it along with about 2 - 3 tbsp of grated or powdered jaggary and run in a mixie. The amount of jaggary normally depends on the formation of laddoo. When you make a laddoo, it should stay in shape. Then you know the amount is enough. Also it depends on the fineness of the sesame powder. When you run in mixer, it becomes little oily which will help in holding the laddo shape.

For about 100 gms of Sesame seeds, I must have used about 3 tbsp of Jaggary. This should easily stay for a week. But at home it vanishes in no time! I got around 12 -15 laddoos with the size I made.

Regarding the Sweet Polis, as I had said in my Coconut Poli, it deserves a post on its own. So will talk about it separately. To mention on that, we also made the Vankai Urulagada Kura for it and enjoyed. All in all Vinayaka Chaturthi pooja was good.

Hope everybody enjoyed and had a great time.

Sending this to The Yum Blog for their event on Vinayaka Chaturthi.

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Vinayaka Chaturthi Tradition and Nievedyam for God!

Cuisine Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu

Occasion Ganesh Chaturthi

Dish Type Festival Savories

Author Srivalli

Tried this recipe?Mention @cooking4all or tag #cooking4all!

Comments

Cinnamon says

September 17, 2007 at 1:14 pm

Nice Naivedyam Siri...
I guess even gaarelu came out delicious... dont worry abt the picture, it is indeed tough to finish everything on time for the pooja 🙂

Siri says

September 17, 2007 at 2:09 pm

Hi Srivalli,

chala bagunnayi ne vantakalu..:D

I made undrallu, boorelu and payasam naivedyam.. thanks for the yummy kudumulu and laddos..:)

lakshmi says

September 17, 2007 at 2:41 pm

your modhakams look so nice - you should see the giant sized ones that i made. lol.

Asha says

September 17, 2007 at 12:33 pm

Looks great Sri,I am sure you made Ganesha very happy!!:))

Jyothi says

September 17, 2007 at 7:20 pm

Hi Srivalli! Happy Vinayaka Chathurthi. Looks great. Thanks for sharing.

bee says

September 17, 2007 at 2:38 pm

wow. you've been busy. thanks for these traditional recipes.

Mishmash ! says

September 17, 2007 at 2:51 pm

Belated greetings of the season. Those polis look very tasty and tempting me a lot 🙂

Shn

musical says

September 17, 2007 at 8:48 pm

Happy Ganesha Chaturthu, dear! I am eyeing the sundal and modaks! Lovely neivedyam!

Happy cook says

September 17, 2007 at 3:19 pm

Beautiful spread.

Tee says

September 17, 2007 at 3:47 pm

looks fabulous! Ganesha sure will be happy with all these treats :)Its great that you could manage to make all this and take a picture! 🙂

Latha Narasimhan says

September 17, 2007 at 3:57 pm

Nice post sri! Picture is quite good!
My son felt I ate something leaving him :D! So I prepared gothuma dosa again, but made it crisp by cooking on low flame!Lakshmi refused to believe that he ate gothuma dosa!:))

Suganya says

September 17, 2007 at 5:09 pm

My greetings Srivalli. Vinayaka Chaturthi is the my favorite morning in the whole year. The whole city is like a carnival. The colourful umbrellas, the extra clay we get with the idol and my experiments with that and best of all kozhukattai. I so dearly miss the spirit of this festival here 🙁

Sirisha Kilambi says

September 17, 2007 at 6:58 pm

Nice spread Valli....I liked the Polis...look yumm 🙂

Jeena says

September 17, 2007 at 9:51 pm

Lovely post it all looks so yummy. 🙂

Sharmi says

September 17, 2007 at 11:20 pm

that is a treat to eyes. hope you had a great one! may Ganesh bring happiness!

Timepass says

September 18, 2007 at 6:36 am

Looks very yummy, Srivalli.

Roopa says

September 18, 2007 at 2:38 am

looks yummy and great loved the seseme laddos haven't made for a while 🙂

bindiya says

September 18, 2007 at 9:48 am

you have a lovely blog too! and such a zeal for cooking,and of coure lovely spread!

Srivalli says

September 18, 2007 at 6:59 am

Asha, thanks, I hope so!

Cinnamon, thanks for the nice words

Siri, great...am sure yours tasted very good too

bee, yes and welcome

lakshmi, haha..waiting to see them

Shn, thanks and welcome

Happy cook, thank you!

Tee, yes I was praying that I should be able to do everything without any problem

Lathamma, very nice of you!

Suganya, thank you..and wish you the same. Bad that you don't have the fun there...but am sure you did celebrate without the town joining you!

Sirisha, thanks for the nice words

Jyothi, thank you

musical, very nice of you, thanks

Jeena, glad you like them

Sharmi, thanks for the nice words

Roopa, glad you liked them

ramya says

September 18, 2007 at 2:45 pm

Hi sri,
Nice nievedyam to little ganesha.I miss the clay vinayaka and everything is super 🙂

HAPPY VINAYAKA CHATHURTHI

Siri says

September 18, 2007 at 4:38 pm

Hey Srivalli,

Oka chinna favor.. nenu ninna na blog template marchanu.. Can u plz let me know if it is loading properly for you. Are you able to see the text?.. Me input chala valuable. thank Srivalli..:D

Cynthia says

September 18, 2007 at 1:42 pm

Greetings to you and the family.

swapna susarla says

September 18, 2007 at 5:33 pm

Hi srivally
happy vinayaka chaviti1!

SeeC says

September 26, 2007 at 8:41 pm

Lovely spread.
Hope your family had a great treat.

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