Festivity is in the air as Navarathri celebrations begin, with different communities living in the city observing the festival in their traditional ways. This is that time of the year when the Goddess is worshipped with fasting and rituals.
It is also that time of the year when delicacies intrinsic to many regions are prepared. MetroPlus met residents from different states in India and found many special flavours during a taste trail.
Bengali spread
Rasmalai Photo: P.V.SIVAKUMAR
It is the biggest festival celebrated under the auspices of Trivandrum Bengalee Association. There is dance, music, theatre, and, of course, a food festival.
“Everything is home made. Luchi (a poori look-alike made with maida), usually eaten with potato or chana curry is a must. Then we have different types of desserts,” says Suparna Sengupta, a resident of the city for 16 years.
Sandesh, or Shondesh as the Bengalis say, made of cottage cheese, coconut-based sweets, laddus, malpua (crisp pancake coated with sugar syrup), rasagulla, rasmalai, patishapta (thin crepes with coconut-jaggery filling)... are some of the treats.
Even a non-vegetarian dish is prepared, especially on the last day (Dashami/Vijayadashami).
“Usually we cook mutton, but now that it has become so costly we opt for chicken. We have a community lunch open to all members,” adds Mahamaya Chatterjee.
Gujarati flavour
Batata vada prepared by Gujarati community
The Gujarati community has a swinging time with music and dance during the festival and food comes second only to Dandiya raas and Garba nights for the community.
“We make sweets, snacks and other eats where we conduct the Navarathri celebrations,” says Arun H. Patel.
The sweets include laddus, mohanthal (groundnut flour barfi loaded with dried fruits), rice, dal, gota (a kind of pakora), batata vada and bhajji.
Maharashtrian menu
Marathi sweets and dishes
For the Maharashtrian community, the celebrations are slightly different.
It is called Sarada Utsavam and the important ritual is ‘Ghatasthapana’, when wheat seeds are sown in a pot filled with moist soil and a decorated coconut is kept in the pooja room.
Sabudana kichdi
“We fast for nine days and it differs from one household to another. Some people abstain from taking cereals and vegetables... We usually make sabudana (sago) khichdi and a particular variety of millet that is cooked with potato and red chilli when we fast. Leafy vegetables are avoided. There is a grand feast on the final day with shrikhand, basundi, poori, and masale bath (a kind of spicy rice preparation) on the menu,” says Veena Madhav Dekhane.
Shrikhand
Odiya specials
Members of Odiya Samaj feel that the celebrations are not as grand as it would have been in Orissa. However, the 40-plus families in the city observe the rituals associated with the season and prepare special Odia dishes. “Kheeri, which is like kheer or your payasam, and different varieties of pithas (type of cake/bread/dimsum) are usually cooked,” says Chitaranjan Pany, former office-bearer of the Samaj. Chakuli pitha (with rice flour and white lentil), kakara pitha (atta or suji is used), arisa pitha (sweet pancake), manda pitha (steamed version with semolina) and poda pitha (rice and coconut) are among the pitha varieties. “We also make sweets such as badam halwa, suji halwa, rasagulla and chenna poda (a cheese dessert),” he adds.
Telugu connect
A sweet from Andhra Pradesh. Photo: K. Ananthan
Families in the Telugu community prepare different kinds of food to be offered to the deity during the nine days. There is ghee with pulagam (like pongal), sugar and curd rice, milk and sweet pongal, ghee rice and appam, payasam and bananas, honey and pulihora (tamarind rice), jaggery and paramannam (payasam), cashewnuts and coconut and puffed rice (pelaalu) and payasam.
“On the 10th day, we have a maha nivedyam with eats such as atukulu (rice flakes), processed Bengal gram, churma, Chekkilalu (resembles murukku), Garelu (an uzhunnu vada look-alike), poornam boorelu (a sweet dumpling), Appalu (sweet deep fried in ground nut oil)... and fruits,” says Kishorenath V, Secretary, Telugu Samskrithika Sangham.
Kannada treats
Sundal made with corn
The nine-day Dussehra festivities of the Kannada community involve arranging the kolu (bombe habba) and preparing a variety of dishes as offering for the diety.
“We usually invite kids to see the kolu and make mini versions of idlis and dosas for them. Curd rice is prepared everyday. Lemon rice is usually prepared on the fifth day. We make erayappa, made of rice dough, coconut and jaggery on the day of Saraswati puja. It can be made as a dosa or is deep fried.
“Sharkkara pongal is made on the eighth day. Obuttu or a boli look-alike is a special on Vijayadashami day. It comes with a filling of mashed toor dal, coconut and jaggery filling,” says Uma Prakash, a Kannadiga living in the city for 30 years now.
Kosambari, a kind of salad made with legumes and seasoned with mustard, is also prepared.
Tamilian platter
'Puliyodharai' Photo: K.V. Srinivasan
It is the season of Bomma Kolu for the Tamil Brahmin community and sweets and snacks are prepared as offering to the diety.
“While sharkkarapongal (sweet pongal) and vada are prepared in the morning, sundal is prepared in the evening to be offered to the diety and to be distributed among those who visit the household to see the kolu arrangement.
“Although each day we are expected to prepare a different variety of sundal now most households make it with chickpeas only due to practical reasons,” says Krishnaveni S., secretary of the Brahmana Sabha.
Tulu delights
Sweet Pongal Photo: R. Ravindran.
Special delicacies are made on all the nine days by the Tulu Brahmin community.
“Venpongal, tamarind rice, sharkkara pongal, kadamba sadam (prepared with vegetables), curd rice, coconut rice, lemon rice, payasam, and karavada are cooked. “Our payasam is generally made with broken wheat, jaggery and milk. Influenced by the Tamil community, some households make sundal also,” says Sunita Rao, committee member of Madhwa Mahila Mandal, Samajam.
