Sweet Karadai

Hindu women of all communities have at least one special occasion to honor and pray for their husband's (or husband-to-be's) health and longevity. It entails different forms of worship of Goddess Lakshmi. Last week, the Tamil Brahmin women had such an occasion known as Nombu. This Nombu is known as Karadaiyam Nombu, named after the the kind of dishes that are prepared during the day. As is the case with all our festivals, there is one sweet and one savory dish that marks the special day. 

This is the recipe for the sweet Karadai, also known as Vella Adai that is offered to the Goddess.

Ingredients (serves around 8-10 adais):

1. 1 cup roasted rice flour (dry roast the flour on low-heat until it begins to brown slightly)
2. 1 cup powdered jaggery
3. 1/4 cup black-eyed beans (I like to add a little more beans than usual. You may reduce the quantity to 2 teaspoons if you're not a fan).
4. 2 - 2.5 cups water (depending on the kind of rice flour. 2.5 usually works)
5. 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
6. 2 tablespoons grated coconut
7. a few spoons of sesame oil

Preparation 

1.  If you're using uncooked, un-canned beans, roast the black-eyed beans for a few minutes and cook them until almost done.
2. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the powdered jaggery and stir (on low-medium heat) until it dissolves. The mixture should be boiling and bubbling a little at this point.
3. Add the coconut gratings and the cooked (and drained) beans.
4. Immediately add the roasted flour, stirring continuously to avoid lumps.
5. Keep stirring the flour mixture (on medium heat) lest it sticks to the bottom of the pan. When the mixture comes together as a thickened mass of dough, and it glistens a little (a sign that the flour is almost cooked), remove from heat.
6. Sprinkle with cardamom powder and mix well. Let the dough cool to touch.
7. Grease idli plates with a bit of sesame oil (or grease any steamer with a little bit oil). 
8. Make 1/2 - 1 inch balls of the prepared dough, flatten them slightly with your palm, make a little hole in the middle to ensure even cooking, and place on the steamer/idli plate.  Grease your fingers with oil to handle the dough.
9. Steam for 12-15 minutes on high heat or until the little adais are cooked. 

This is usually served with a generous slab of unsalted butter. A day of indulgence for the ladies!

The karadais will crack as they cook.