POHA / ATUKULU / AVAL RASMALAI / BEATEN RICE DESSERT

This dessert is my ode to my MUM-In_law. In fact I owe everything I make during the festival of Ugadi to her. She makes porridge with beaten rice which is delicious to the hilt. I wanted to give it my touch with a beaten Rice Rasmalai. All I can say, if you try making this dessert, it cooks up in a jiffy and the end dish is completely a party for your taste buds.

Challa Punugulu Recipe / Ugadi Recipes / Refined Wheat Flour And ButterMilk Fritters Recipe ~ Ugadi Special

ON THE EVE OF UGADI (THE NEW BEGINNING)...

New beginnings always brings with it a lot of hope, happiness and a sense that everything around you will take a turn for the better. I too am hoping for the same as Ugadi heralds its way into our lives once again, bringing with it good luck, health, prosperity and all round joy. Sitting amidst a bunch of friends who have come home to commence the Ugadi celebrations, even in all the din and chatter, my mind still walks out with a loud wish that there will peace in the World and my little one will grow in a surrounding of love and compassion, where every person is only judged by his/her deeds and not by any other parameters and violence and senseless acts paining others are unheard of. Honestly dear friends if Ugadi can bring in with it a wave, which would wash away any trace of hatred from every part of our globe, how wonderful it would be. A wave which splashes ever child in this world with warmth and smiles, a healthy environment where they grow to spread harmony and well being of one and all. I truly hope that this Ugadi brings with it this and much much more.

Holige Saaru Recipe / Ugadi Recipes / Obbattu Saaru Recipe ~ Ugadi Special

UGADI PREPARATIONS IN FULL SWING...

Dear friends, Ugadi is just a day away, so the festive fervour has reached it's crescendo in my home. All the silverware, copperware & brassware are out, polished and shinning, ready to be part of the celebratory rituals, the day after tomorrow. New clothes are being paired with bangles, neckpieces and bindis, even nail paints, to get the right match, in time to be donned on the festive day. Few friends will be visiting today, tomorrow and offcourse on the day of Ugadi, there will be lots of friends coming over to share with us the festivities. Overall there is not a single dull moment in my home. Lots of things happening in all sections, but as usual the prime activity is totally kitchen centric. The whole house is being flooded with the aroma of ghee, which my mum-in-law is smearing  lavishly over the bobbatlu or Indian flatbread stuffed with spiced fragrant lentil and jaggery paste, which she is dishing out one after the other, making my taste buds dance with glee. I simply loooovvveee this festive fervour and eagerly wait for it.

Menthya Soppina Chitranna Recipe / Ugadi Recipes / Lemon Rice With Fenugreek Leaves Recipe ~ Ugadi Special

Continuing with the Ugadi Special Recipes here, as we inch closer to the Ugadi celebrations with each passing day. My entire home is undergoing a deep cleaning and every nook and corner of my home is being spruced up. There is a lot of din throughout the day as from ceilings to a/c vents to sofas to carpets, you just name it, everything is being sprayed, soaped, mopped, wiped and made squeaky clean. All this intensive cleaning will be over by this noon and then immediately after, the entire family will get into a shopping spree including little D. The excitement is so clearly visible on each and everyone's face. This is what I love about festivals, the joy and happiness it brings with it, even days before it arrives.

Raw Mango Halwa Recipe / Ugadi Recipes / Kachche Aam Ka Halwa Recipe ~ Ugadi Special

Ugadi or the Telugu New Year is on the 8th of April and the hustle bustle in my home is quite palpable. I am so glad that little D is learning about the diverse cultures that she belongs to with her parents hailing from different parts of India. Little D gets to enjoy and celebrate so many different festivals and she is lucky that her grand~mum enriches her with all the legends behind the various celebrations and rituals. I can see that her tiny fingers still have faint traces of the colours of Holi, which she joyfully celebrated only a few days back and here she is again getting ready to revel in the festive spirit of Ugadi. This weekend she will go shopping for new dresses, ornaments and many other things with her grandparents as we all will get ready to welcome the New Year with great pomp and joy.