Today is celebrated as “Ram Navami” by Hindus. This festival is celebrated on the 9th day from Ugadi, Hindu new year. Ram Navami is celebrated as the birth day of lord Rama, from epic Ramayana. On all the 9 days from Ugadi to Ram Navami, poojas and bhajans are performed in the temples.


Usually panak is a must during this festival. Other dishes vary from temple to temple. I will post recipes of other 3 dishes soon. After the pooja, god’s idol is taken in palanquin in a procession. The palanquin is placed on many of the Ashwatha katte(a round structure created around the Ashwatha tree) in many places across the village and different people offer pooja to the idol. In many small villages, towns and cities all across India these Ashwatha katte can be found. Devotees, believers normally are found making pradakshina (rounds) in the morning, which is also beneficial to health because of the fresh air around trees.

Ingredients:

2-3 tbl spn jaggery

2 cups water

1/4 tea spn cardamom powder

1/2 tea spn pepper powder

1/2 tea spn grated ginger(optional)

1 tea spn lemon juice(optional)

Method:

Mix all of the above till jaggery is dissolved in water. Make a paste of ginger and add it. Mix well.

Recipe for panakam today.

Though in Kerala, panakam had only jaggery, chukku (dry ginger) and cardamom powder, in Karnataka they add some lemon juice also to the panakam, which gives it a special tang.

Ingredients:

Serves 4

Jaggery: 200gms

Dry ginger powder: 2 tsp.
or

Fresh ginger : 2" piece

cardomom powder: ½ tsp.

Juice of 1 lemon.

Method:

Melt the jaggery in ½ cup of water. Strain to remove sand particles. Boil it until the raw smell disappears. Cool. Add 4 cups of water, lemon juice, ginger powder and cardamom powder and mix well. If using fresh ginger, cut the ginger into small pieces and blend it in the blender with little water to extract the juice. Strain and add to the panakam.

Yugadi/ Ugadhi Festival is celebrated by the people of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, the people of Maharashtra term the same festival, observed on the same day, Gudi Padwa.



Ugadi is a New year festival for Telugu and Kannada people. Also called as Gudi padva in Maharashtra.
1 of making pachadi.
Ugadi pachadi is a combination of 6 tastes/flavors( Shadrachulu) each standing for a special character a man experiences in life. That is salty, spicy, tangy, bitter, sour and sweet. The significane of making this pachadi is for us to understand that life is a mixture of all emotions, good /bad/happy/sorrow and we have to face each one equally.
In Karnataka it is called as Bevu Bella where fresh neem leaves are mixed with jaggery pieces.


Salt - 1/2 tsp - For Saltness( Uvarppu)- To represent scareness
Red chilli powder/Black Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp( Spicy/Hot) ( Kaaram)- To represent Angry
Raw Mango - Few cut into small pieces - For Tanginess( Pulippu)- To represent excitement.
Neem flowers( Methi seeds) - 2 tsp - For Bitterness( Kasappu)- To represent sorrow.
Tamarind( Lemon Juice) - One small lime size- For Sour( Thuvarppu) - To represent Mischieveness.
Jaggery( Honey or Sugar) - 2 - 3 tbsp - For Sweetness ( Inippu)- To represent Happiness.

Soak tamarind in water for 20 minutes and extract a dilute pulp . Mix in jaggery until it melts. Add mango pieces, salt and chilli powder. Mix well and add neem flowers. Mix and have a tbsp or 2 .

Dry Bevu Bella

Ingredients

Fresh tender neem leaves

Jaggery proportionate to the number of neem leaves.

Preparation

Mix tender leaves and jaggery and serve dry.

Another preparation during Ugadi is the Neem flower pachadi or Veppam poo pachadi.