Recipe: Nonbu Adai

Among the various things that delayed my blogging as I said yesterday, was the continuing power shutdowns, we have been experiencing since last week. The power shout downs are anywhere between 1 hr to 8 hrs of duration many times a day. With the result, by the time, I settle down to blog, the power fails and by the time the power is restored I am busy with something else. Today we had a power shutdown from 10am to 6 pm and again from 6.30 pm to 7.30pm. They say, there is problem in the orissa grid.

Before we have another power shutdown, let me write about Nonbu neyvedyam.

Nonbu Neyvedyam

As Savitri was in the forest, the neyvedyam for the nonbu was made from very simple things immediately available at the forest. The raw materials are riceflour, jaggery , coconut and moongdal.  It is called Nonbu adai.We have invented a savoury form of adai also to go with it, as in the olden days, we fasted until the nonbu time and that was the first meal we were eating on that day.

Nonbu Adai.

Ingredients:

Rice flour 1 cup
Moong dal 2 tbsps
Jaggery 1¼ cup
Coconut gratings ½ cup
Cardamom powder 1 tsp.

Plantain leaves to steam the adais.

Method:

Roast the rice flour to a golden colour. Roast the moong dal also to a golden red colour. Cook the moong dal with just enough water, until half done. Melt the jaggery in 2 cups of water. When the jaggery is melted add the half cooked moong dal, coconut gratings, cardamom powder and roasted rice flour and cook until all the water is absorbed. Allow to cool.

Make small pieces of plantain leaves. Make small balls of the cooked rice flour (the size of a small orange) and keep on the plantain leaf.  Flatten with the palm  and make a small hole in the centre. Keep the plantain leaves on a steamer and steam for 10 mnts. This is offered with a blob of butter.

Savoury adai.

Ingredients:

Rice flour: 1 cup
Moong dal 2 tbsp.
Coconut gratings ½ cup
Green chillies 2 or 3 cut into small pieces
Mustard 1 tsp
Urad dal 1 tsp
Hing ½ tsp.
Curry leaves a few sprigs
Oil 1 tbsp.
Salt to taste

Plantain leaves to steam the adai.

Method.

Roast the rice flour and moong dal separately to a golden brown colour. Cook the moong dal in just enough water, until half done. Heat the oil in a pan and add the hing. Add the mustard. When mustard starts spluttering, add the urad dal, green chillies and curry leaves. Add 2 cups of water, salt to taste and the coconut gratings. When the water starts boiling add the half cooked moong dal and rice flour and cook until all the water is absorbed. Allow to cool.

Make balls of the cooked rice flour and flatten on plantain leaves and steam for 10 mnts.