Thiruvadirai Kali, a traditional dish made with rice & dal, during the festival of thiruvadira. A festival celebrated in glory of Lord Shiva in the southern state of Tamilnadu and Kerala.
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What is Aarudra/Thiruvathira
Thiruvadirai is the star of Lord shiva. Margazhi Thiruvadirai, a fesival celebrated on the full moon day, also called as Aarudra Darisanam. The festival celebrates the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva.
The Food
The traditional offering made on this day is called Thiruvathira kali and 7-kari kootu. The Thiruvathira kali , made with rice and moong dal, is sweetened with jaggery . The kali is then served with a stew made of 7 different vegetables, 7-kari kootu. One of the festivals where we offer a sweet paired with savory side, signifying life is a balance of all tastes.
If you are looking for a kali recipe with millets, an alternate grain to rice, check this Kuthiravali kali recipe, made with barnyard millet and moong dal.
How to make Kali
Start by dry roasting rice and moong dal and pulsling it to a coarse mix. This mix of rice and dal, then cooked in jaggery water until soft. Add cardamom powder and finish it with a generous addtion of roasted cashewnuts.
Thiruvadirai Kali | How to make kali in cooker
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
Ingredients
- ½ cup rice i use sona masuri/ raw
- 1 tbsp moong dal
- 1 cup grated jaggery
- 4-5 pods cardamom, seeds alone crushed
- 3 tbsp cashewnuts
- 1 tbsp ghee for roasting cashews, use oil for vegan
Instructions
- In a pressure cooker, dry roast the rice until it turns reddish brown. Take care not to burn, keep the flame low and roast it. Take it off the flame. Let it cool.
- In the same cooker, dry roast the moong dal also to golden brown. Let it cool. Take both rice and dal in a mixer and grind it little coarse powder.
- In the cooker, add the grated jaggery and 2.5 cups of water, let it boil and jaggery melt. Take it off the flame and strain for impurities.
- Take the strained jaggery syrup back to stove in the cooker, when measured it was 2 cups, now add another 1 cup of water and crushed cardamom to this.
- When the mixture starts boiling, add the coarsely ground rice-dal mixture, mix well. Add a tbsp of ghee to this, mix well. Close the cooker, put the whistle on.
- Pressure cook in a medium flame for 3 whistles. Let the pressure release on it own.
- Remove the whistle and mix well, garnish withroasted cashew-nuts. Serve it along 7-Kari Kootu
Serve this traditional thiruvadirai kali warm, with 7-kari kootu, a tangy stew made of mixed vegatables and beans. Enjoy the flavors of sweet and savory in your palate.
If you have tried this recipe and like it, give it a star rating or let me know in the comments below. You could also share it with me on Instagram using #icampinmmykitchen and tagging me @priyasrinivasan.
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More Festive Recipes
- Black urad dosa – Azhagar temple prasadam
- Thirattipal – Andal temple prasadam
- Kalkandu panagam – Narasimhar temple prasadam
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An old recipe from 2013, updated with new content for better engagement.
Nice kootu recipe,sounds interesting and flavorful.We do make this for Thiruvadirai slightly different with moong dhal.Kali and kootu is such a wonderful combo,I can feel the taste and flavor from your clicks…
super delish and tempting kootu.
Such beautiful pictures and nice reading about our poojas..
both dishes look amazing – love all the veggies in the kootu
kali and kootu looks so delicious and yummy !! very nice clicks 🙂 very nice pressure cooker recipe !!
Wow! love the first picture with the smoke from the incense stick…very nice traditional dishes!
Love both the traditional dishes served in traditional brass dishes.
Can we substitute rice rava in the dish?
Both Kali and Kootu look delicious. I loved the vessels in which you have served them.
Both the dishes sound delicious. Very traditional.
Loved the description about Lord Shiva's dance. The traditional recipes kali and kootu look so good and i can feel the aroma reading your lovely recipes.
Wonderful share.
The dish looks delicious. Love the lord Shiva story. Will try it on Shivratri.
Priya, knowledge about this tradition is so enlightening. I just love how we learn so much from each other. Coming to the both the sweet and savoury offering, both look so tempting.
This is indeed a treat Priya. Loved reading your post and reading the recipes, I can almost smell the aroma of these wonderful traditional recipes.
Both are looking & sounding delicious but as sweets/desserts are my weakness, I was wondered to see such a delicious and easy recipe of Thiruvadirai Kali. Would love to try it sometime.
I have not tried many south Indian style sweets or desserts, but this simple and delicious looking dish is so tempting. I love it's colour and texture.
Both the dishes look super tempting and delicious…Love such traditional recipes!! I can imagine the flavours and I'm sure they must have tasted out of the world!!
I have fond memories of my mother every time I make this kali or even read about it. She made the best Tiruvadharai kali and I make it often now to keep her kai manam alive. Looks lovely and such a festive presentation.
Looks flavoursome with all those spices. This sweet is often made at home and it tastes good with jaggery.
This is the classic recipe and reminds me my childhood days. The thiruvathira kali looks delicious.