Vinayagar Chathurthi

To buy prior day:

• Thengai ( coconut )
• goyya pazham (guava)
• berikkai (pear)
• vazhaipazham (banana)
• mambazham (mango)
• grapes
• vethalai paaku ( betal leaf , nut)
• erukkam maalai, other flowers including arali poo, lotus, jasmine, rose, etc whatever is available 

If you can, you can also make pooranam (2) for kozhakattai the evening before ( suthama irukanum ). Arisi maavu (3) also can arachu/grind and keep. Also the mothaga kozhakattai maavu (4) , sundal (5) can be kept ready. 

Thengai Pooranam :

Ingredients:

• 1 cup thengai thuruval
• 1 cup vellam
• elakkai/cardamom podi  1/2 tsp
• 1 tbsp ghee

How to do:

• Take a thick bottom vessel. 
• Add vellam to it & add 2tsp water to it
• let the vellam dissolve/karanjufy
• add coconut 
• add the ghee and elakkai to it
• let it become thick with the water and vellam all absorbed  ( nalla surula varanum ). It should not be watery. As soon as it can be taken in a spoon or made into a ball with hand, you can remove it from stove. Dont let it harden too much 
• once it cools off, keep it in a box. Do not close the lid and leave it open sometime. 

Ellu pooranam:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sesame seeds ( black )
• 1 cup vellam
• elakkai/cardamom podi  1/2 tsp
• 1 tbsp ghee

How to do:

• dry roast sesame seeds until it pops
• cool the above in a plate
• grind the roasted sesame and vellam + cardamom in a grinder
• keep in a box 

Arisi Maavu :

Ingredients:

• 3 cups arisi (pacha arisi /sona masuri) rice as needed 🙂

How to do:

• wash the rice in water a couple of times. 
• let it dry in a towel until it is dry. 
• grind in mixer until it is very soft ( no water should be added & rice should not be too wet )
• The rice powder can be kept in towel to air dry sometime
• put in box

Mothaga kozhakattai Maavu:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup arisi (pacha arisi so can be sona masuri)
• 1/4 cup paasi paruppu
• elakkai/cardamom podi  1/2 tsp

How to do:

• dry roast arisi(rice) and paasi paruppu (moong daal) until it turns aromatic golden 
• add elakkai 
• remove, cool off & grind in mixer. not too powdery. should be like thin sooji/semolina size

Sundal:

Ingredients:

• 100 gm kondakadalai ( brown channa daal)

How to do:

• Soak in water for the night 

Early morning 

• clean home ( sweep & wipe, dust )
• put kolam in swami idam & put kolam in the manai/stool/palagaai
• keep the Vinayagar picture or statue whatever is available , on a manai(palagai, stool). Also if you make a pillaiyar or buy a clay pillaiyar keep that on the manai also. 
• decorate the idols/photos with flowers

To cook for the day:

For neivethiyam

• thengai/coconut pooranam kozhakattai
• mothaga kozhakattai
• ellu/sesame kozhakattai
• sundal
• vadai
• appam
• payasam
• pori + pottukadalai + aval mix and keep in one bowl 
• fruits mentioned above 
• vethala paaku + thengai + flowers 

For samaiyal

• Satham
• Sambar ( dont use onion / garlic)
• Rasam
• kaai (any besides spinach and bitterguard)
• buttermilk/yoghurt 
• paruppu ( keep some from what was used for sambar/rasam ) 
• ghee

Recipes 

First make the kozhakattai maavu 

• in a thick bottomed vessel, add 6 cups water ( for 3 cups rice ), add a spoon of oil ( olive oil/canola ) and let it boil 
• when the water boils, add rice flour slowly and mix while you add the rice flour . 
• keep the fire in sim and keep mixing until it becomes thicker
• keep it aside to cool 

 Making pooranam kozhakattai

•  rub your palms with oil so it does not stick
• make a little ball of the above flour 
• nalla flat a thattitu , keep a little ball of pooranam in the center and close the edges 
• oil idly plate and arrange the kozhakattai in it. 
• steam it for 15mins

 Making sesame kozhakattai

•  rub your palms with oil so it does not stick
• make a little ball of the above flour 
• nalla flat a thattitu , add the sesame powder made in the center and close the edges 
• oil idly plate and arrange the kozhakattai in it. 
• steam it for 15mins

Making Modaga kozhakattai

•  add 1 cup vellam in a thick bottom vessel . 
• add water so it is above the vellam
• add either little pieces of coconut or grinded powder coconut 
• when the water boils, add the already grinded mothaga kozhakattai maavu in it
• mix it and once it is cooked a bit ( not raw , but half boiled – the water reduces and becomes thicker) remove from stove and let it cool
• once it is cooled, make little balls of it ( like in pic ) and keep in idly paathiram and steam it 

Sundal 

• wash the soaked kondakadalai 
• add water to the cooker and the washed kadalai. The water should be above the kondakadalai
• steam/pressure cook for 2-3whistles 
• cool it. Then drain the water. 
• add some oil, add mustard. once it pops add urad, green chilly, curry leaves, ginger ( pieces) and add the cooled sundal. 
• add coconut thiruvi at the end to add flavor. 

Appam

• add equal amount of rice flour, wheat, maida(all purpose) and rava 
• add vellam powder ( 1:3/4 = rice:vellam) 
• add thin slices of coconut 
• add water and mix like dosa batter 
• keep aside
• heat oil & once heated
• put a spoonful into oil . it will settle in first & come up. 
• toss around 
• take when both sides are brown and floating

Vadai 

 * urad vadai recipe

Payasam

• channa daal or paasi parupu (moong) 
• dry roast the above
• steam it for 1-2 whistles until cooked 
• in a bowl add vellam and let it boil 
• then add the steamed daal 
• grind coconut and cardamom in mixer and add it 
• let it boil for 1 min 
• remove and cool
• in a separate little tawa , roast cashew, raisins in ghee and add it to this 

 

Keep a sample of everything in small bowls before Ganesha

Ganesha slokams + Vinayakar ashtothram

Oothubathi + sambirani 

neivethiyam kaati 

then karpoora aarthi 

then mangala aarthi :  manjal sunnambu kalanthu aarthi kaamichu pour out in door step. 

 

Next morning : 

Punarpooja do ( with flower and athchathai potu, neivethiyam fruits + flowers )

keep paise and put the handmade or clay pillaiyar in water ( sea, pond, or well )