The rains have always been special. It’s when we are spoilt for choice when it comes to celebrations and special preparations
BY MALATI K. VIJAY
The month of Shravan is considered holy across India. And in South India, it’s filled with lots of festivals and cultural events. The month also heralds the onset of the South-West Monsoon, so it’s a joyous time for farmers. It’s a time for enjoying the season as everything around turns green and looks fertile.
Taking advantage of the auspicious period, people take up several vrats or fasting. While the entire month is propitious, Monday, Tuesday and Friday are considered extra special. Monday is set aside for worshipping Lord Shiva by observing a fast, Tuesdays are for Goddess Parvati, called the Mangal Gouri vrat, and Fridays are for propitiating Lakshmi.
Apart from these special days, there are many festivals celebrated this month— Nag Panchami, Varalakshmi Vratam, Rig and Yajur Upakarma and Krishna Janmasthami. The last day of Shravan is celebrated as Pola, when the bull, the friend of the farmer, is worshipped in Maharashtra and parts of Karnataka.
There are some special dishes prepared using til (sesame) and nuts that are nourishing during the monsoon. Laddoos made of sesame, groundnuts, puffed chickpea, puffed rice, puffed wheat, and so on are healthy as well as tasty with the addition of jaggery. Usli or sundal is a mild spicy South Indian well flavoured dish with a basic tempering and topped with grated fresh coconut.
CHANA USLI INGREDIENTS
• Boiled brown chickpeas or chana: 2 cups
• Grated fresh coconut: ½ cup
• Oil for seasoning: 1 tbsp
• White urad dal: 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds: ½ tsp
• Asafoetida (hing): one pinch or ¼ tsp
• Chopped green chillies: 3-4 or more if
you like more spice
• Curry leaves: a few
• Salt: 1 tsp or to taste
METHOD
Heat the oil in a pan, add mustard and white urad dal, let the mustard sputter, throw in the curry leaves, chopped green chillies and asafoetida (hing). Add the boiled chickpea/chana, sprinkle salt and stir well. Add coconut and chickpeas, turn for a few seconds and take the pan off the heat. Enjoy the tasty and nutritious usli.
SESAME LADDOO
INGREDIENTS
• Sesame seeds (til): 2 cups
• Powdered jaggery, loosely packed: 2
cups
• Roasted and husked peanuts: ½ cup
• Desiccated (or dry) coconut: ½ cup
• Water: ½ cup
• Cardamom powder: 1 tsp
METHOD
Dry-roast sesame seeds and dessicated coconut and peanuts separately on medium heat.
Crush peanuts coarsely and combine the
three ingredients along with cardamom
powder.
In a thick-bottomed vessel, on a medium
flame, dissolve jaggery in water until it
thickens.
Mix the jaggery syrup with sesame,
coconut and groundnut.
Cool and make laddoos.
