Karadaiyan Nombu is a festival celebrated by South Indian married women in Tamil Nadu. The premise is that married women pray to never be separated from their husbands. This is the prayer told while tieing the nombu saradu..tamizh version: “உருகாத வெண்ணையும் ஓர் அடையும் வைத்தேன், ஒரு காலும் என் கணவர் என்னைவிட்டு பிரியாமல் இருக்க வேண்டும்”. It means Oh Lord! I pray that my husband leads a long life and stays with me forever. This years Nombu being tomorrow(14 March 2009) I wanted to share these recipes from my Mom’s Kitchen..

Sweet Adai Recipe:

Ingredients:

Raw Rice flour - 2 cups

Jaggery - 1 cup

Grated Coconut - 2 tsp

Cooked karamani - 4 tsp

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Water - as required

Butter - for garnishing

Note: Soak the rice for sometime in water and dry it in sun and then make flour by grinding.

Also fry the rice flour in a dry pan before starting with both the recipes.

Method:

1. Prepare jaggery syrup by adding 1 cup water and heating it.

2. When you get the syrup, the dust will be accumulated at the bottom and so shift to another vessel leaving out the dust and keep stirring in low flame.

3. Now add rice flour by continuous stirring along with cardamom powder, coconut and karamani.

4. The rice flour will blend well with the jaggery and come to the consistency like the chappathi dough. That’s when you must turn off the stove and set it aside to cool down a bit.

5. Make small balls and prepare like flat vadai.

6. Steam cook the flattened adais for 10 mins.

While serving add a bit butter on the top and serve to enhance the taste.

Kara Adai or White Adai:

Ingredients:

Raw rice flour - 2 cup

Cooked karamani - 4 tsp

green chilli - 2 chopped

Coriander and curry leaves - 3 tsp

Salt - as required

Coconut - 3 tsp

Mustard - 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Water - as required

Method:

1. Take a thick bottomed vessel, add oil, mustard,  green chillies and coconut.

2. Allow it to fry for few mins and add karamani, salt and asafoetida.

3. Now add 2 1/2 cups of water and allow it to boil for few seconds.

4. Add the rice flour by continous stirring and add corriander and curry leaves and mix well.

5. Allow it to cook till the flour blends and comes to chappathi dough consistency.

6. Allow it to come to room temperature and make the adais and steam cook them for 10 mins.

Serve with butter.