Karadayan Nombu Adai

Last year Karadayan Nombu was the first time I tried the nombu adai both the sweet and salty version. I know its hardly two more months for this year's nombu and I am posting this now :-) but I saw that this post was in my draft all along. Hence thought would publish it anyway so that it is useful atleast this year. It had come out really well so wanted to share it with enthusiasts who want to give it a try.

The story is that Savithri fought Yama the god of death and won the life of her husband Satyavan by praying. So on the day of Nombu at a specific time married ladies and young girls tie yellow thread(manjal chardu) and pray for the long life of their husbands and a good husband to be.
Nonbu Adai is made and offered as neivedyam .

Here goes the recipe for both adai.

Vella Adai (Sweet)

Ingredients:

1. Rice flour- 1/2 cup
2. Water - 1 cup
3. Elaichi powder - 1/4 tsp
4. Coconut -1/2 cup (Fresh/Frozen, Chopped/Grated)
5. Jaggery - 1 cup
6. Boiled black eyed beans (Also known as chavali, lobiya or karamani) - 1/8 cup

Method:

1. Roast rice flour for 5-10 min. Do not let it change color.
2. Bring the water to a boil in a pan and add the jaggery.
3. Add elaichi powder and let the liquid come to a boil.
4. Add the boiled beans and coconut and mash it well with a wooden spatula.
5. Turn the heat down and slowly add the roasted rice flour and mix it into the liquid as smoothly as possible without letting it form any lumps and take it off the heat once you have gathered the whole mixture together. The mixture should be of the consistency of chappati dough probably a little harder.
6. Once the dough cools down, make them into small balls. Grease idli plates with ghee or oil Press the balls into medium thin round shape. Make a small hole in the middle. Steam for 7-10mins.
7. Serve hot with unsalted butter.

Uppu Adai (Salty)

Ingredients:

1. Rice flour - 1 cup
2. Water - 1 1/2 cup
3. Green chilly finely chopped (1-2)
4. Finely chopped fresh coconut -1/2 cup
5. Curry leaves chopped (4-5)
6. Boiled black eyed beans (Also known as chavali, lobiya or karamani) - 1/4 cup
7. Asafoetida (hing) a pinch
8. Salt to taste
9. Oil - 1 tbs
10. Mustard seeds-1 tsp

Method:

1. Roast rice flour for 5-10 min. Do not let it change color.
2. In a pan heat the oil and add mustard seeds. When they have burst open, add chillies and curry leaves and fry them for 1 min. Then add the water and let it boil.
3. Add the hing and salt to the boiling water
4. Add the boiled beans and coconut
5. Turn the heat down and slowly add the roasted rice flour and mix it into the liquid as smoothly as possible without letting it form any lumps and take it off the heat once you have gathered the whole mixture together. The mixture should be of the consistency of chappati dough probably a little harder.
6. Once the dough cools down, make them into small balls . Grease idli plates with ghee or oil press the small balls into medium thin rounds.Make a small hole in the center. Steam for 7-10mins.
7. Serve hot with unsalted butter.