Thiruvathirai kali recipe for the festival to offer as prasadam. A traditional sweet adai which is our family practice - two in one post with step by step pictures, quick videos.
Jump to:
🎉 About the festival
Thiruvathirai or Arudra Darisasam is a Hindu festival (Shaivite) celebrated in south Indian states, Tamil nadu and Kerala. The star thiruvathirai belongs to Lord Shiva.
It celebrates the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva.
In Chidambaram Sri Natarajar temple, it is celebrated for 10 days in a grand manner. It is celebrated amongst the other 5 sabhas in Madurai, Thiruvalangadu, Tirunalveli and Kutralam.
🗓️ When?
Thiruvathirai festival is celebrated on full moon day in the Tamil month of Margazhi, which usually falls on December or early January.
🙏How to celebrate?
In our family, we prepare Thiruvathirai kali, a sweet thiruvathirai adai and kootu with 7 vegetables. It is offered early in the morning and perform poojai, worship lord Shiva.
We celebrate Thiruvathirai festival without any break, even if someone passes in family still it's mandatory that Thiruvathirai alone should be celebrated.
I wish to make this festival a mandatory one at home to make sure my kid knows about it. So I too every year will definitely celebrate this one.
What to offer as Prasadam?
At our home, it is a ritual to make Kali with roasted and pound rice, dal cooked with Jaggery, cardamom, ghee and coconut as main ingredients.
Our special offering is Sweet adai which we make 7 in numbers. It is supposed to be in same size, and should not break before offering. Top it with fresh butter and offer.
Both of these along with 7 vegetable kootu. Other than this, we make the regular festival menu such as south Indian paruppu, no onion no garlic sambar, nellikai thayir pachadi, poriyal.
I keep it simple as ours is a small family and do less items keeping kali, kootu and adai alone a must.
How to make Thiruvathirai Kali
To make Thiruvathirai kali - Firstly, Roast rice and moong dal until it turns golden in color. Secondly, powder it, cook in jaggery syrup to get a sweet Kali.
We make fluffy kali, so we break the rice instead of powdering it too fine like a flour. We even use a grain grinder in stone (enthiram) just like how we have ammi, ural- ulakkai or kodagal.
So break rice carefully in the enthiram. Unlike mixie, enthiram gives evenly broken grains, perfect for the kali.
These grains take longer time to get cooked than the fine powder.
So I cook the rice and dal first, later add jaggery syrup and cook furthermore to get Kali ready.
RELATED POSTS
Recipe card
Thiruvathirai Kali recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup Raw rice
- 2 tablespoon paasi paruppu moong dal
- ½ cup Jaggery
- ¼ cup Coconut
- 1 pinch Cardamom
- 1 teaspoon Ghee
- 1 cup water
- salt - A pinch
Instructions
Roasting
- Heat a pan and dry roast rice and dal well until it turns golden in color.
- You can roast separately or even together. Do not do in low flame, do it in high flame or medium flame to ensure nice browning which gives distinct flavor to the kali.
- Cool down completely.
Grinding
- Grind in small batches to coarse powder, I like to keep it as noi (grits) rather than coarse flour. It's your choice, both way it works well only texture differs.
- If ground in single batch, chances are there for un even powdering, so do it in batches and use pulse option in the mixie.
Jaggery syrup
- Take jaggery in a vessel and add water just to immerse it.
- Heat until jaggery dissolves.
- Filter it to remove any impurities. Use as below.
Pot in pot method
- Take ground rice + dal in a vessel. Add salt, 1 cup water (1: 2 water ratio).
- Pressure cook for 3 whistles.
- Since I do with less water ratio, I do in pot in pot method to avoid burnt bottom.
- I did pot in pot method. That is keep a vessel inside pressure cooked to cook.
- Once pressure is released naturally, add jaggery syrup, cardamom, coconut to it.
- Cook in a pan until the syrup is absorbed and becomes fluffy (4 mins appoximately in medium flame)
- Add ghee towards end.
One pot method
- You can also do directly but take care not to burn. Depending on pressure cooker, it may take 1 whistle to 3 whistle. Refer notes for tips.
- For this method, take pond rice + dal, water (water ratio is 1:3), salt, Jaggery (or syrup)
- Once pressure is released naturally, open the cooked. There may be some jaggery syrup in the top.
- Switch on the stove again, add coconut, cardamom powder and cook furthermore.
- Add ghee gradually and cook until syrup is absorbed.
Cashew garnish
- Depending on your preference, heat some ghee and roast cashews until golden.
- Add to the kali and serve.
Video
Notes
- I powder the rice to little bigger particles, so cook it first and then add jaggery. Adding jaggery along rice will make rice cooking difficult. So I feel the rice in kali not cooked properly. That's why I adapt cooking rice rice and then adding jaggery. If you feel it's not traditional, you can choose to cook rice powder in jaggery syrup.
- Few of you doubt if this is same tasting as pongal but no, it is not. Since we roast the rice until flavourful, it is totally different in flavor as well as texture.
- Roast the rice really well until reddish, then only it will turn flavorful. If not, it may also turn gooey instead of fluffy result.
- Some rice take more water to get cooked. Also roasting makes it absorb more water. So increase water as needed while cooking in direct pressure cooker method.
- To avoid burnt bottom in direct cooker method, notice the whistle duration. Some will come fast (smaller cooker) and some may take longer. So keep an eye after one whistle, if it takes too long, you can switch off the stove accordingly.
- Making the flour too fine will easily lead to burnt bottom, so cook carefully.
📸 Step by step photos
Roasting
1. Heat a pan and dry roast rice and dal well until it turns golden in color.
2. You can roast separately or even together. Do not do in low flame, do it in high flame or medium flame to ensure nice browning which gives distinct flavor to the kali.
3. Cool down completely.
Grinding
1. Grind in small batches to coarse powder, I like to keep it as noi (grits) rather than coarse flour. It's your choice, both way it works well only texture differs.
2. If ground in single batch, chances are there for un even powdering, so do it in batches and use pulse option in the mixie.
Jaggery syrup
1. Take jaggery in a vessel and add water just to immerse it.
2. Heat until just jaggery dissolves. Filter it to remove any impurities. Use as below.
Pot in pot method
1. Take ground rice + dal in a vessel. Add salt, 1 cup water (1: 2 water ratio).
2. Pressure cook for 3 whistles.
3. Since I do with less water ratio, I do in pot in pot method to avoid burnt bottom.
This is pot in pot method. That is keep a vessel inside pressure cooked to cook.
4. Once pressure is released naturally, add jaggery syrup, cardamom, coconut to it.
5. Cook in a pan until the syrup is absorbed and becomes fluffy (4 mins approximately in medium flame)
6. Add ghee towards end.
Cashew garnish
Depending on your preference, heat some ghee and roast cashews until golden.
Add to the kali and serve.
Sweet adai for Thiruvathirai
For thiruvathirai, most of the people make only Kali and kootu. Adai is our family special. Its a must for us to make this and we should also make this carefully without breaking the adai for the well being and goodness of the family.
Ingredients
- Rice flour - 1 cup
- Jaggery - ¾ cup
- Coconut ,grated - ¼ cup
- cardamom, powdered - 1
- Salt - a pinch
- water - 1 cup (May vary if using store bought rice flour or home made rice flour)
Sweet rice adai method:
- Usually my mom, MIL uses freshly ground rice flour, but I used the ready made idiyappam flour, which always gives a handy help to me. If you are using rice flour that usually available in market or fresh homemade rice flour, dry roast just a little to heat up the flour. Boil water with jaggery.
- Stir till jaggery dissolves and remove (strain)any impurities.
- Add the rice flour,coconut gratings, cardamom, salt and stir well.
Making dough
- Initially it will look like forming lumps, but if you continuously stir it you will get a smooth non sticky dough.
- The key is the dough should be already ¾ th cooked. Then only we will get soft and non breakable adais.
- Also the dough should not be too stiff and tight, it should be soft, then only you will be able to flatten the dough without the sides breaking.
- In case it is stiff, keep some boiling water ready and add to the dough to soften it.
- Make 7 equal sized balls out of it and flatten in a greased butter paper, (or in plantain leaf)one by one.
- I used my butter paper for this. Once the adai is flattened, transfer to the tawa by inverting the paper/ banana leaf over hot tawa. Toast both sides with ghee little drizzled in the tawa in medium flame.
- Cook slow, do not flip often. press gently for even browning. Take care not to break the adai as these are meant not to be broken.
Top with butter and enjoy!! Tastes heaven 😊.
Notes:
- Don’t roast the rice flour too much as it will make the adai break. My mom and mami roasts until flavourful though.
- Turn just once,if you keep on turning then too the adai will break.
- As you cook the adai, stack it in the plate you are going to offer to god, to avoid breaking during transferring.
Anu
Wow awesome adai & kali.... Kalakuringa..
Pari
Looks great Raks. Wish u and ur family a very happy new year.
Sushma Mallya
lovely pics raks,wish you have a wonderful new year...
shanthi
awesome dishes and arumaiyaana photos
indhu
lovely pictures... it this 7 kari kootu similar to thalagam that is usually made for thiruvathirai?
- Indhu (www.thayirsaadham.com)
simply.food
All these dishes are very new to me but look interesting will surely try.Happy New year to you.
RAKS KITCHEN
Indhu,
Yes,this is similar to the thalagam,we call this 7 kari kootu,thats it 🙂
jayasri
lovely pics, just makes you pick them up, you are rocking girl with awesome step by step photos and instructions, keep it up, Wishing you and your family a very happy new year dear
Prathibha
Delicious looking adai's n kali.....Never heard of thiruvathirai...
rekhas kitchen
I heard a lot about this adai but never made it, mouthwatering plater Raks WISH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A VERY HAPPY NEAW YEAR.
A 2 Z Vegetarian Cuisine
Looks fantastic. Wishing you and your family a Happy 2010.
Tina
Fabulous pics and recipes dear...Happy new year to uuuu
LG
Happy new year to you family. slurrop adai looks yummy Raks..
Dershana
lovely pics! happy new year! we make thiruvadirai puzhukku. making kali for thiruvadirasi is new to me.
Laavanya
They do look perfect!
Happy New Year to you & yours Raks.
Preeti Kashyap
Lovely Raji! Yummmm!
meeso
Yummy, I had to bookmark this one! Way too tempting 🙂
Sharmilee! :)
Adai super Raji!
Sailaja Damodaran
mouthwatering....nice click
kothiyavunu
Adai looks & sounds Great..Nice one!!Wish u & ur family Happy & Prosperous New Year!!
Cham
Such a lovely adai!
Wishing You and Your Family a Happy New Year 2010!
Siri
Dear Raks,
Wishing you and your family a very Happy and Joyous 2010. May all your dreams come true. Both adai and kali look delicious..:)
Cheers,
Siri
SE(Denufood)
Its been great to know you in 2009 and wishing you and your family a very happy and prosperous new year !!!
Gita
Everything looks so tempting and yummy dear 🙂 Wish You a Very Happy New Year!
sowmya.s
Happy new year..I made kali too..my recipe is entirely different..had posted last year..yours look yumm
Priya
happy new year raks...yesterday,i did the same recipe sans dal..nice click too..
Priya
Wow fantastic adai & kali...Beautiful dishes..
Wishing you and ur family a happy 2010..
Cynthia
Happy New Year!
Home Cooked Oriya Food
looks so yum! Have a wonderful decade ahead!
the blogger formerly known as sansmerci
wow that adai is soooo appetising to look at! m gonan try this out!
Sush
happy new year. Adai looks great.., never heard of this before.
Mahimaa's kitchen
happy new year! never tried this kind of adai. looks delicious and kali is my fav... looks tempting 🙂
Cilantro
Wish you a very happy New Year! We make Adai for Thiruvadirai too, I make them a little thick and always use the fresh ground rice flour.I could not take pics to post them, got too busy with the poojai & New Year`s Eve party.
Yasmeen
Tasty sweet delicacies.My best wishes for 2010,Raks 😀
notyet100
hppy new yr 2010,..traditional post...;-)
Anonymous
Now only from the look of them...my mouth is watering...so only could imagine how tasty that will be....lovely dishes & the photos...Wish you have the very best of the New Year ahead...
MR
lovely I am sure going to try the adai it looks delicious
Nags
love the pics of the kali, especially 🙂 happy new year Raks!
my kitchen
Adai & Kali looks great.Your pictures makes me hungry
jayasree
Lovely pics. I have known abt kali and kootu only for thiruvadirai. This adai is new to me.Thanks for sharing.
egglesscooking
I came here from EC's Super Blogger Sunday. The pictures and recipes are excellent Raks. I don't know how I missed your blog all these days. Will be lurking regularly.
We prepare kali but the adai is new to me. When do we add the coconut etc to the adai? While mixing the rice flour to the jaggery syrup itself?
RAKS KITCHEN
Madhuram,
Thank you for your kind words and your compliments!! Its a honor to hear from you 🙂
I forgot the ingredients in the procedure,now updated the post,thanks for bringing to my eyes,we add that before adding rice flour.
RV
It is really long since I had this kali..didn't know it was served with Adai...
Admin
thanks for post
RENU
hi rajeshwari
happy new yr....hope ur new yr is good..thanks a lot ofr the recipe..i will be making for the first time.......was nervous....its nice to learn ths way.
thanks
jayanthi
Janani
excellent as usual so good.I dont know how u follow all these festivals regularly so proud of u dear.
Nithya Rajaraman
hi,
Happy New Year Raks.... Thanks for all ur recipes dear....
Regards
Nithya.
Nithya Rajaraman
hi,
Happy New Year Raks...... Thanks for all ur recipes dear...
comic
hi, in kali recipe, in step 4, you have mentioned jaggery twice.i.e when should i add jaggery? after opening the cooker or before itself? thanks
Raks anand
No I think I confused you. I meant either you can do as soon as you open the cooker or first cook it, cool down, keep aside and later also do by adding jaggery later.
Senthil
Really super and useful
dewdrops
Hi
I made your adai recipe but when I mixed the dough the consistency was not like in your photo. I added more rice flour almost half cup extra to get near to the one shown here. I used store bought one. Where to correct? Please suggest how to get your photo consistency of dough. In Kali recipe you have not mentioned when to add coconut please guide in that also. Thanks in advance.
Raks anand
If your dough is watery after you add the flour, keep mixing in low flame or medium flame until it becomes solid. I used idiyappam flour so its super fine flour, it gets cooked as soon as I add. If its ordinary rice flour, it takes time to get cooked and absorb the water. Thats y, it will take time to get solid dough.
dewdrops
Hi, In the Kali recipe you have mentioned coconut as ingredient but which step it should be added. Please review the recipe to guide me. In the adai recipe the rice flour jaggery water ratio u mentioned I got a very inconsistent dough. I added extra rice flour to get adai consistency. Please correct me how to rectify the error. I used store bought flour. Thanks
Radhika Thyagarajan
I have always tried your recipes and it comes out really well..Thanks!!
Kindly share nei payasam recipe