Karidayan or Karadayan Nombu is one of the South Indian festivals which is celebrated in Tamil Nadu by the tamil speaking people. This is one of the festivals that I did not celebrate before marriage given my Andhra background.
Nevertheless I take pride in saying that I have been celebrating this festival over two and half decades and also religiously dishing out the famous Adais – both sweet and savoury, which is the most significant treat of the day.
This day is very important in the lives of the ladies – both married and unmarried – the “married” pray for long lives for their husbands and the “unmarried” pray for a good husband and their longevity!!
A yellow thread is tied around the neck of the lady to signify this with a short prayer, which seeks the blessings of the Goddess for a happy married life…chanting as follows:
‘I offer this unmelted butter and the adai to you – and I pray that my husband and I never be separated from each other”
The salt or savoury adai is prepared with rice/rice flour, black eyed beans and some spices
Ingredients to make approximately 10
Salt or Savoury Adai
2 Cups Rice Flour
1/4 Cup Black Eyed Beans
3/4 Cup Water (to cook the beans)
4 Cups Water
Small Pieces of Coconut (optional)
1 Tbs Oil
1 Tbs Butter or Ghee
A pinch of Asafoetida
1 Tsp Mustard Seeds
1-2 Green chillis
Sprig of Curry Leaves
1 Tsp salt
Karadiya Adai (Salt)
Preparation
Dry roast the black eyed beans for a few minutes
Grind it into a coarse powder (this is optional – you may wish to cook the beans without powdering it)
Pressure cook the ground beans with the three quarters cup of water for a couple of whistles and set aside
Roast the rice flour in a pan for a few minutes on a medium flame till the colour changes slightly
Bring 4 cups of water to the boil and keep it handy
Heat the tablespoon of oil
Add the mustard seeds, when it crackles add the asafoetida and the green chillies
Stir through the cooked beans, coconut pieces, butter or ghee and pour the flour
Add the boiling water and fold all the ingredients together swiftly for a few minutes till it solidifies
Take a handful of the portion of the mix and pat it into individual circular shapes
Steam as many as you can placing the individual portions in the dish or idli plate in the pressure cooker without placing the weight OR
Place it in a steamer in a dish or the idli plate
Let it steam for 5-7 minutes
Remove from the steamer and it is ready to be served