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An Amazing Food Guide For Vishu And Puthandu – 4 Tasty Recipes!

With Vishu and Puthandu aka Tamil new year at the doorsteps, the thought of celebrating them in all best ways possible has  filled everyone with excitement. Auspicious days, other than being religious, also offer an amazing and tasty variety of delicacies. Food is the reason why most of the younger generation usually awaits for the festivals. So, what better than trying out some yummy festive recipes from the southern part of the country. This food guide is not only for people who celebrate Vishu and Puthandu, but it also can be tried by those who love to eat. Let’s get started!

food for vishu and puthandu

 

Mangai Pachadi

As mentioned previously, Mangai Pachadi is the traditional recipe cooked during Tamil new year and Vishu. Made from fresh raw mangoes and healthy jaggery, this recipe is a must try.

mangai pachadi

Image source

Add some chopped mangoes to a pan along with some turmeric powder and a pinch of salt and let it cook for 8-10 minutes. Side by side, add some tablespoons of water to a pan with jaggery, and give it a nice boil, your jaggery syrup is done. Add the strained syrup to the mangoes and cook it for another few minutes. Make a mixture of mustard seeds, curry leaves and dried red chillies and add to the pachadi mixture. Your Mangai Pachadi is ready to serve. Want to make your dish more healthy? Grab these awesome and nutritious Karupatti aka palm jaggery online and add some health to taste. We ship all across the country.

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Pasi Paruppu Pradhaman

Indians don’t need a reason to dig into sweet dishes and Payasam is everybody’s favourite. Payasam is the traditional dish of every festival in South India including Vishu and Puthandu . Made with the goodness of coconut milk and moongdal, this variety of Payasam is a very healthy option.

Like every other Payasam recipe, first you have to prepare thin and thick coconut milk. Next,  fry  the moongdal and cook it in a pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles along with rice and 1/2 cup of water. Mash the mixture for later use. Prepare the jaggery syrup along with this.

Strain the jaggery syrup and boil it for 5 minutes. Then cook the syrup  with mashed rice and dal mixture. Next add the thin coconut milk to it and boil it for another few minutes. Now, add the thick milk to the mixture and remove it from flames. Serve hot with cashew and coconut peices.

Moong dal payasam

 

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Thakkali Thokku

Thakkali Thokku aka Tomato Thokku is also an important dish prepared during Vishu. Be it spread, pickle or just side dish, you can eat this yummy tomato recipe the way you like.

tomato thokku

This mouth-watering recipe starts with blanching of tomatoes and cutting them into smaller pieces. Next, saute mustard seeds and curry leaves in a pan for a while. Then, add the chopped tomatoes to it along with turmeric powder, red chilli powder and cook it again. You can add tamarind if the tomatoes aren’t too tangy, else it can be avoided.

After 25-30 minutes, when the tomatoes have become mushy and there is no juice left, add grated jaggery and fenugreek seeds. Remove the dish from  flames and allow it to cool for sometime. Store it in an air-tight container and refrigerate the dish. Your Tomato Thokku is now ready to be eaten with curd rice, idli or chapatti. It sounds  yummy, doesn’t it? So, how about adding some healthy jaggery to it? Buy our variety of fresh karupatti and savour the authentic flavour. We promise to provide you with the best always!

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Aviyal Kuzhambu

Here, I have the ultimate vegetarian recipe filled with the goodness of yummy veggies. Cut  Raw banana, drumsticks, potato, brinjal, snake gourd , cucumber and carrot into length-wise and cook it in a vessel with water and some turmeric. Meanwhile, soak the rice in tamarind juice for sometime.

Add the soaked rice, coconut, cumin seeds with some red and green chillies in a mixer and grind it into a fine paste. Next, add some tamarind extract and a pinch of salt to the half cooked vegetables. Then, add the ground paste to the vegetables and turn off the flame when the mixture starts boiling. Add some curry leaves and coconut oil to complete this mouth-watering recipe. Serve it hot and enjoy the flavours of different vegetables cooked together.

aviyal kuzhambu

Now that you are familiar with these amazing delicacies, how about trying it out for your family and friends? Cook these traditional and tasty dishes and let us know in the comment section how did you enjoy them .

Wishing You All A Very Happy, Healthy And Prosperous Festive Season From The Team Of South Indian Store! Spread The Joy Through Food!

 

External Reference

Recipe for Vishu and Puthandu

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6 Interesting Facts You Should Know About Vishu And Puthandu

India is a diverse country with every state having its own distinct identity. This is formed by various cultures and traditions followed by people living in that state. South Indian culture forms an integral part of the Indian culture. Tamil Nadu is located in the extreme south of the sub-continent, surrounded by the states of Kerala on the west. Both these states celebrate new year, on April 14 every year. New year is the day when the beginning of the new calendar is observed. Tamil Nadu celebrates new year as ‘Puthandu” while Kerala does so as ‘Vishu’. Let’s explore the amazing celebrations of these two festive occasions!

new year

Vishu – Malayali New Year

Vishu which means ‘equal’, is the astronomical new year celebration of Hindu’s in the states of Kerala. It signifies the completion of spring equinox. During this time, the sun passes to the Aries zodiac or the Mesha Raashi. This festival is celebrated joyfully with preparations of auspicious items and amazing decorations across the state.

1. Vishu – Lord Vishnu :

The festival is marked by viewing Lord Vishnu as the first thing on the day. It is being believed traditionally, that one’s future is a function of what one experiences, and new year will be better if one starts this day by viewing Lord Vishnu as the first thing.  People visit various Lord Vishnu temples to receive the blessings of the lord.

lord vishnu

2.The Preparation:

Women spend an entire day before the festival on decoration and preparation of auspicious food items. This is the first thing that devotes see on Vishu. Vishukkani setting includes various items like rice, cucumber, jack fruit, coconut, etc. The most important ingredient is the Konna flower which blooms during the Vishu season. This is followed by one interesting tradition where one member of the family, usually the elderly lights the lamp at dawn, blindfolds other members of the family, and brings them to see the setting of Vishu.

3. Vishu Kanji And Vishu Padakkam:

The celebration of Vishu is incomplete without Vishu Kanji and Thoran. Vishu Kanji is made up of coconut milk, rice and spices, is the main dish. Thoran is the side dish. Fireworks also referred to as Vishu Padakkam, constitute a huge part of Vishu celebration. In different regions of North Kerala, everyone engages in bursting crackers the evening prior to Vishu and also in the morning.

The Malayalam New Year is observed to be a great day to forget past and give a fresh start to life.

Puthandu – Tamil New Year

Puthandu or Tamil New Year is celebrated in the month of chitterai, the first month of the Tamil Solar calendar. It  is believed that on this auspicious day, Lord Brahma began his creation, hence it is considered to be very religious. Tamilians greet each other by saying ‘Puttantu valttukkal’, meaning happy new year. On the eve of Puthandu, a tray with 3 different fruits such as mango, banana and jackfruit along with other necessary ingredients is prepared.

rangoli

1. Arpudu And Por Thenkai :

Tamil new year is celebrated with event of ‘Arpudu’, the first ploughing of the ground for the preparation of fresh agricultural land. The game of ‘Por Thenkai’, also known as coconut wars between the youngsters is played in villages through out Tamil Nadu. The festive season of Puthandu is a reunion for all family, friends and relatives.

2.Mangai – Pachadi :

The festival is marked by a grand feast with ‘Mangai – Pachadi’ being the main dish. It is prepared from a variety of flavour. These traditional dishes which are made of combination of several flavours, depict that one must expect and experience all flavours in the coming new year. Jaggery, raw mango, bitter neem and various spices form the constitute of this special delicacy. As we have mentioned, Jaggery is an important ingredient of the food prepared during Puthandu, so why not opt for something healthy? We have already provided you with the various benefits of Karupatti, so buy Karupatti now and enjoy the several dishes that can be made using it.

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3. Porutkatchi And panchangam :

During this occasion, huge exhibitions and fairs are held, known as ‘chitterai Porutkaatchi’. Another amazing highlight of Puthandu is the reading of Panchangam or the almanac. This traditional activity is performed where everyone sit together and the elderly person reads out about the ensuring year.

fair

Tamil New Year reminds of the various aspects of life and how it should be dealt with equal equanimity. It reflects that events of life are not completely sweet or bitter, but it is a mixture of both and should be accepted and experienced that way.

Wishing you all a very happy Vishu and Puthandu in advance from the whole team of The South Indian Store!

External References:

Vishu and Puthandu – Festivals of India