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Friday, August 26, 2005

Krishna Jayanthi is here!

Krishna Jayanthi...brings back vivid images from childhood ......

I would go with my grandfather to the mill to get the rice flour,a week prior to the janmashtami day. The rice flour would then be spread on some newspapers, for it to cool down..(it would be very hot,as soon as we return from the mill)

Then the rice flour would be stored in some aluminium vessels.On the day of the festival, the preparation for the cheedai would start early in the morning. Then we would be asked to roll the cheedai maavu into small spheres. It is quite a task i tell you, if you don't make it into a proper sphere, there is a chance that upon being fried, the cheedai may break into smaller pieces.

And then my favourite, vella cheedai (sweet cheedai, vellam for jaggery). This would have to be rolled properly too....The jaggery syrup would be poured over the flour, mixed properly and then our work would start......

and then appam would be made....my mom adds banana to the appam maavu (do i call it batter??? or dough..i don't know..i would stick to maavu...) and then she would fry them...and that amazing aroma would come to the hall, carried by the breeze....wow!

Not yet! We can't eat them yet! The pooja would be done only in the evening..we would have to wait till then..offer it to god, then eat , we would be told!!!

Then we would progress to the next task of drawing tiny feet on the floor...to indicate that LOrd Krishna is coming to our house. Some people use small kids, they would dip the kid's feet in the water-rice flour mixture and make the kids walk...there you have the tiny feet of Krishna!!

And finally in the evening, we would get to eat our favourite cheedais....
:)

I am a hard core foodie, just like my grandfather...I can still remember my grandfather mumbling in his sleep, "Idi chakkai paagama irukkaa??"
(idi chakkai is a dish made with jackfruit that is not yet ripe!)

22 comments:

divyasurendiran said...

Hi Monu,
Hope you have cheedais today :)

monu said...

@divs
me at office!
:((
cheedais in the evening!

expertdabbler said...

hello

innaiku office leavea?

monu said...

@PK
floating holiday!
:)

monu said...

@smyta
thanks!
hope u get some cheedais too..me cant wait to go home for cheedai!

monu said...

@kary
me too....i like them a lot more than murukku and uppu cheedai!
:)

Jeevan said...

U have left one, the main thing is Vennai this is the favorite of Krishna. Happy Krishna Jayanthi Monu

monu said...

@jeevan
hmm...u have a point there
happy krishna jayanthi 2 u too!
:)

Anonymous said...

waiting till the evening to get a hand on the seedais-my god what patience.

Vivhyd said...

hmm.. cheedais.. how much I miss eating them.. among other stuff..

BB said...

Oh man...you took me to those old days with all the bakshnams. well,where wud I find it here...!? May be should make some I guess...!! :(

Ganesh said...

Happy Krishna Jayanthi Monu

Enjoy the Cheedais,thattais etc

Mukkiyama Kutti Krishnan Maranthudatheenga ;)

Anjali said...

hey monu!NOw this is not rampant theses days.Its all from ambika apalam,grand sweets,krishna sweets or private caterers.Happy janmashtami.I remeber amma vurutarthe i used to steel those raw rice balls of seedai and eat them without her knowledge.It was fun.

Sriram said...

Escoos me pliss.. me the coming here after a long time.. anyways,, what's wtih a LOT of people talking about krishna jayanthi... ellam pesaradha niruthittu, enakku oru ara kilo seedai anuppungo!

jac said...

You adore your G.father, dont you ??

~phobiac~ said...

aagaaaa......monuuuuuu....thirippi cheedai nyabaga padithitiya..... !!!

weekend fulla verum thattai,cheedai thaan...

aana my fav.. buttrt mixed with sugar....atha appadiye vellacheedaila touch panni saaptaaa....aaaggaaaaaa !!!

ada-paavi!!!! said...

evening aathukku porathuku munnadi updatea??

monu said...

@vatsan
aamaam..karthaala muthal velaiya blog update panninaa dumeel than!
:)

@phobiac
u seem to be a foodie too
:)

@jac
yes i do!
lost of stuff i picked up from him, like my love for curd...he was a good cook's delight!
he could dish out the best of food with the simplest of ingredients!!
:)

@sriram
naane panni anupparen!
appram unga vayila pal irukkaadhu!
:)
ange kedaikaadha??
we oueslef got it from a shop this time!
:(

@anjali
u r so true!
my mom didn't make at home this time..but my sis made it for the first time in her place..so i guess tradition lives on...
:)

me too..i eat gulab jamun balls before they are fried!

@ganesh
ellam weekend poora saaptaachu!
:)
yaaru antha kutti krishnan??
u mean the GOd?

@bharath
i guess u could learn to make them...
:)

@vivhyd
hmm....so sad!
i had a good deal during the weekend!

@sakshi
hope u had a great time

@vasanthi
patience is a virtue particularly if the thing in question is food!

Unknown said...

Monu, also find a few minutes to offer your prayers to Krishna :)

monu said...

@jayan
I did!
:)

Anonymous said...

innum kondaa...ditikitte irukeengala

~phobiac~ said...

foodie-a ?

poranthathulerunthu seyara 2 nalla works....eating and sleeping !!