Masi Charadu Festival/ Karadaiyan Nombu Adais

Karadayan Nonbu is a major Tamil festival which is celebrated at the time on Meena Sankranti . It is celebrated at the moment when Tamil month Maasi ends and month Panguni starts.. This nombhu is observed by all married women for the wellbeing of their husband and that the couples should remain together always. Unmarried women also observe Karadaiyan Nonbu and pray to Goddess Lakshmi to get good men as their husband

Karadai is the name of a unique Nivedyam prepared on this day .The puja starts and the naivedyam is offered to Goddess Lakshmi &  Goddess Parvathi,While offering the women chant this mantra:

"Urugada Vennaiyum Oradaiyum Naan Tharuven

Orukaalum En Kanavar Ennai Piriyadirukkanum"

which means I offer butter and the rice made out of kaara arisi bless me that i live happily with my husband.

After performing the puja the Nonbu Charadu is tied around the neck. While wearing the Nonbu Charadu, women chant this sloka:

"Throram Krishhnami Subhake Saharithamdharami Aham

Bharthuayushya Sidhartham Supreethabhava Sarvadha."

After wearing the sharadu (sacred yellow cotton) the ladies partake of the prasadam of adai  with butter on their leaves.

The sharadu should ideally not be removed until the next Karadaiyan Nonbu.  The tradition of Kaaradayan Nonbu every year is believed to attain a long married life.

Karadaiyan Nonbu festival is celebrated with great importance on the Southern states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.

There are two types of adai for neivedyam. One is salt and other one is sweet .

Sweet Adai Recipe

Ingredients

Raw Rice                                    2 cup

Karamani (Dried cowpeas)           2 table spoons

Grated Jaggery                           1 cup

Cardamon powder                       1 teaspoon.

Grated coconut                           ½ cup

Ghee                                           2 Teaspoon

Method:

• Roast the cow peas and soak them in hot water for 4 hours. Cook the cow peas and keep it aside.
• Heat one teaspoon of ghee in a pan, fry the coconut and cardamom powder in it. Keep aside.
• Wash and soak the rice for 1 hour. Drain water and dry the soaked rice in a white cloth under shade. Dry grind it to a fine powder.
• Roast the rice flour – stop when it is off white to light brown color& nice fragrance comes out of it. The consistency should be like the rice powder used for drawing kolams. Once roasted properly keep the rice flour aside.
• Add a little water to the jaggery, when jaggery is dissolved well,. Filter it and allow for boiling. Add the fried grated coconut, fried rice powder and cooked cow peas.
• Cook the dough on small or medium flame. Keep stirring until the dough thickens. Allow dough to cool.
• Now add remaining ghee in it and make a soft dough ball.
• Roll the dough into balls. Take some balls and flatten in the form of small circular or disc adais Make a hole in the center. The remaining balls are to be shaped into adais.
• Steam the adais in an idly-cooker or pressure cooker with steamer trays. Cook for 10 minutes. In the case of pressure cooker, cook without putting the weight.
• Now sweet adai is ready for neivedyam.

Salt Adai Recipe

Ingredients

Roasted rice flour -                       2 cup

Karamani (Dried cowpeas) -          2 table spoons

Grated coconut                            ½ cup

Salt                                              To Taste

Water                                           1 cup

Seasonings:

Coconut oil                                   2 Tablespoon.

Mustard seeds                               1 Teaspoon.

Urdh dhal                                      1 Teaspoon

Finely chopped green chilies          2 Tablespoon

Finely chopped curry leaves           1 Tablespoon

Grated fresh ginger                        1 Tablespoon

Asafetida (Hing)                             ½ Teaspoon

Method:

• Heat the oil in a pan, put mustard seeds, when it spluttered , add the urad dhal,chillis, curry leaves and the ginger. Sauté' for a few minutes and add the  grated coconut , asafetida and salt.
• Pour water in it and bring to boil. Reduce the stove heat to moderate.
• Now add the flour while stirring it in water. Stir well to avoid lumps.
•  Cook until mixture leaves the sides and get thickened, remove from the fire and allow to cool.
• Make a lemon sized ball from the cooked and cooled batter and flatten in the form of adais .
• Steam the adais in an idly-cooker or pressure cooker with steamer trays. Cook for 10 minutes.
• Now uppu adai is ready for prasadam.