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Thiruvathirai kali
Rice and moong dal with jaggery
திருவாதிரை களி: roasted rice and moong dal cooked with jaggery, coconut and ghee for Arudra Darshan
On Arudra Darshan in the Tamil month of Margazhi, temples across Tamil Nadu, Chidambaram above all, celebrate Shiva as Nataraja, and homes offer him kali with ezhu kari kootu at dawn. The rice and a little moong dal are dry-roasted until fragrant, ground to a coarse rava and then cooked in jaggery water until soft and set, a loose, grainy sweet rather than a smooth halwa. Grated coconut, cardamom and plenty of ghee finish it. Common mistake: grinding the roasted rice to a fine flour, which cooks into a sticky paste; you want grains like fine semolina, and the kali is done when it leaves the sides of the pan and the ghee glistens on top. Chef's tip: roast the rice only until it smells like popcorn and turns faintly golden; any darker and the kali tastes bitter.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the kali
- 5 ½ oz raw ricewashed and dried on a cloth
- 2 tbsp split moong dal
- 7 oz jaggerygrated
- 2 ½ cups water
- 1 ¾ oz fresh grated coconut
- ½ tsp ground green cardamom
- 1 pinch salt
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Dry-roast 5 ½ oz raw rice and 2 tbsp split moong dal in a heavy pan over a medium-low heat, stirring, for 8–10 minutes until the rice turns opaque, faintly golden and smells toasted. Cool completely.
10 minStep 2: Grind to a coarse rava, like fine semolina. Do not grind to flour.
2 minStep 3: Heat 2 ½ cups water with 7 oz jaggery in a heavy pan until the jaggery dissolves, then strain and return to the pan. Bring to the boil.
6 minStep 4: Lower the heat and pour in the ground rice-dal mix in a thin stream, stirring all the time so no lumps form. Add 1 ¾ oz fresh grated coconut and 1 pinch salt.
2 minStep 5: Cover and cook on the lowest heat for 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until every grain is soft and the kali thickens and starts leaving the sides of the pan. Add a splash of hot water if it is still gritty but dry.
15 minStep 6: Fry 12 cashews in 4 tbsp ghee until golden. Pour the ghee and cashews over the kali with ½ tsp ground green cardamom and stir well for 2 minutes until it looks glossy. Serve warm with ezhu kari kootu.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does thiruvathirai kali take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of raw rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of jaggery?
- Dark brown or muscovado sugar, same amount.
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