KARADAIYAN NOMBU ADAI | SWEET AND SAVOURY VERSION.

Karadaiyan Nombu (காரடையான் நோம்பு) is one of the major festivals celebrated among the Tamil Brahmin community usually in the month of March. It is celebrated at the moment when Tamil month Maasi  ends and month Panguni starts. Karadai is a special type of offering made on this day which is had after the Nombu which signifies fasting or Vratham. To know more about this festival and the rituals followed therein, do check out my sister’s post on Karadaiyan Nombu. Married women fast for the longevity of their husbands and break the fast by tying the yellow thread (manjal charade) around their neck and eating the sweet and salted Karadaiyan Nombu adais which have been offered to God. I usually make the Nombu adais using the homemade rice flour, however, to save time these adais can be made using store bought rice flour or idiyappam flour. Let us now proceed to the recipes of both the versions.

Karadaiyan nombu sweet adai

  Preparation Time : 15 mins | Cooking Time : 25 Mins |Yields: 15 adais approx.

     Rice flour | Idiyappam flour   1 cup
     Water   2 and 1/2 cup (approx)
     Karamani| black eyed bean   2 tblsp
     Jaggery | vellam   1 cup
     Sesame oil   1 tsp
     Coconut (finely chopped)  1/4 cup
     Cardamom powder   2 pinches
     Ghee    few drops
     
     

Method

• In a pan add the balck eyed beans|karamani and roast this for 2 minutes, without getting it burnt. Add 1 cup of water to this and cook it till the beans becomes soft. Even you can soak this for 10 minutes and cook. Karamani gets cooked soon. It cooked in around 10 minutes. Do not over cook. 
• Drain the water and keep it aside.

• In a pan add the jaggery and add 2 and 1/2 cup of water. Water quantity depends on the texture of the rice flour. So add 2 cups of water first and keep 1/2 cup of hot water separately. Later if needed will use it. 
• Boil till the jaggery dissolves. Filter the impurities.

• Add the chopped coconut, cooked karamani(black eyed beans) and elachi powder to the water and bring it to a rolling boil. 

• Keep the flame low now and add the rice flour to this. Mix well without any lumps.
• If you feel the mixture is getting dry, add little hot water to this. Cook till it comes to a whole mass and at the same time do not make it too dry. Else the adais will crack .

• When it is warm ,grease your hand with ghee and take a lemon sized ball out of the dough. Make small patties. Put a hole in the center. 

• Steam it in greased idli mould for 10-12 mins. The adais will be glossy once you take it out from the steamer. Allow this to cool for 2 minutes and then take it out. Else they will break. 

.

• Sweet adai is ready for neivedhyam, 

     Notes:

1. While making pinwheels if you feel it is breaking, just sprinkle some warm water to the jaggery dough mixture and make it.
2. If the mixture is little watery(normally it wont come like that, just keep in a low flame and stir well for 3 minutes.
3. Do not add the rice flour to the cooked dough while making the patties. 
4. Always keep the dough covered while making the patties. Else it will become dry and crack.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Karadaiyan nombu savory adai

  Preparation Time : 15 mins | Cooking Time : 35 Mins |Yields: 15 adais approx.

     Home made rice flour | Idiyappam flour   1 cup
     Water   2 and 1/2 cup
     Karamani |black eyed beans   2 tblsp
     Salt  as needed
     Coconut (finely chopped)  1/4 cup
     Green chili   1-2
     Ginger   a small piece
     Curry leaves   few
     Mustard seeds   few
     Oil    3 tsp   
     
     

Method:

• In a pan add the balck eyed beans|karamani and roast this for 2 minutes, without getting it burnt. Add 1 cup of water to this and cook it till the beans becomes soft. Even you can soak this for 10 minutes and cook. Karamani gets cooked soon. It cooked in around 10 minutes. Do not over cook. 
• Drain the water and keep it aside.

• Chop the ginger,Green chilli and curry leaves finely.
• In a pan, add 2 tsp of oil and throw in the mustard seeds, ginger, green chili  and curry leaves.
• Add the water and let it boil for few minutes. Add 2 cups of water first and keep 1/2 cup of hot water ready, if needed we will use it later.
• When it boils nicely add the karamani(black eyed beans) and coconut.  Add salt to this.

• When the water starts boiling, keep the flame low and add the rice flour to this.
• Mix well without lumps and cook till the water gets absorbed and it comes to a whole mass.

• When it is warm make small balls and flatten it into patties and make small holes in the middle as we do for pinwheels.

• Repeat this for the rest of the dough. 
• Grease the idli mould and steam these savoury adai for 10-12 mins.

• Savory adai is ready for neivedhyam. 

Notes:

1. For making this savoury adai also,if it breaks while you are making patties,just sprinkle some warm water and make it.
2. In any case if you feel the flour mixture is watery do not add flour while making adais, as it is not cooked.
3. If the mixture is loose, add it back to the pan and cook it for few more minutes. It will thicken.
4. Do not make it too thick as it will make cracks in adai.
5. Always keep the dough covered while making.