This post had to be posted long ago took so long to appear. It was busy month visiting my friends houses in the evenings and sweets and sweets and kara with all the yummy frieds crisp vadas. Basically every other day we ended up with lot of yummy food.
Here comes my lakshmi pooje. Usually it is celebrated on the 2nd friday of shravana. This year I celebrated on the 3rd friday due to time constraint. I had decided to take photos at each step but failed to get everything in time. The previous day I make ready with the cleaning the pooja room and get ready with all the items. My day started at 5 in the morning. By the time I started my son is wide awake thinking his mum is gonna leave him to work asking her to come to bed and pat him with the cosy cosy look …. oh no so i carry him on my waist try to make him sleep he is not happy try various ways this went on until 6.45. Well finally got him to wake up and start with the day with oil bath and sent him for an hour to play now got time. Just rushed and prepared kadale haigreeva, kesari and kadale usuli. Made ready to fry Ammanavra Vade. By then gang is back is back amma i am here. Washed him up sit for the pooja along with him.
Varalakshmi pooja is given in various websites. This custom I follow as given in the book Varakshmi pooje book. Pooja starts with kalsha stapane,ganapati pooje, chanting strotras on lakshmi and finally naivedyam. For naivedyam panchgajaya, panchamruta, kadale maddi/haigreeva, usuli and amman vade is considered auspicious and most liked by lakshmi. The kalasha is decorated stapane made on a bed of rice. This year I failed to buy banana leaves on which the plate of rice is placed. My son was a playfull and let me continue with the pooja. At last when I bought the items for naivedyam one by one vada and usuli started to dissapear who else our little krishna Anku was all the while eyeing it and gulped as it was placed 
In the evening i had invited my friends around my place and was really tiring day. For the evening I prepared vangibhath, rava iddilis and ginger-coriander chutney, rave kesari bhath and fried vadas so was like a full day work. It so happened i expected guests even before planned I could not take a photo too :0.
Haigreeva/kaddale maddi
All you need
channa dhall - 1 cup
toor dhall - 2 tbsp
jaggery - 1.5 to 2 cups
cashew/almonds/raisins - handfull
cardomom powder - 1 tsp
Method
- Wash channa dhall and toor dhall pressure cook until soft but still in shape
- Mean while in another bowl mix jaggery with 1/4 cup water boil until jaggery dissolves strain to remove any impurities
- Return the jaggery mixture to heat again until slightly sticky mix in dhall mixture and let it simmer until all liquid evaporates
- Fry cashew/almonds/raisins in Ghee until golden brown and add to the dhall mixture
- mix in cardamon powder add a tbsp of ghee and mix.
Ammavara vade( most recommended to try)
This is one of most flavoured urad vada and only vadas made during lakshmi festives with a hole at my home. my son ate the maximum vadas and in no time I started to feel whether it would be enough for my friends coming over. Luckily it was just nice since some of my friends were not able to make it too This is my entry for RCI hosted by one ofmy favorite blogger Asha from foodieshope!
All you need
urad dhall - 1 cup
chiroti rava/semolina - 1.5 to 2 cups
rice flour - 1/4 cup
coconut grated - 1/2 cup
dry chilles - 4-5
coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
jeera seeds - 1 tsp
Methi seeds - 1 tsp
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
tamarind paste - 1 tsp
jaggery - 1 tbsp
curry leaves - cut finely
ajwain - 1 tbsp
Method:
- soak urad dhall in water for 1 hour
- grind coconut and masala like chillies, coriander,jeera,methi, mustard to a fine powder
- Grind urad dhall along with the fine powder, tamarind salt and jaggery to a fine paste using minumum water
- Mix rice flour and Rava to the urad dhall paste . i did not measure rava i added as much to make the paste thick like for vadas
- mix ajwain and curry leaves (very important) to the paste
- Deep fry the vadas until golden brown. make sure you make it slightly thick with a hole in the centre else the taste will be raw and will not fry well.
