Ugadi means beginning of New Astronomical cycle. Telugu and kannada speaking people celebrate it as New Year, it falls on the first day of the month of Chaitra, as per lunar calender. Ugadi begins with oil bath, homes decorated with kolams and mango leaves strung door ways to herald positive energy.

Ugadi pachchadi(as spelled as pachadi) is very important dish for this day as it blends all tastes and signifies life. Pachadi is a mix of all tastes in life, the sweet, the sour, the bitter, the spicy and the salty. It is made with raw mango and neem flowers where neem flowers is a must.

Ugadi Recipes:

• Neem Flower pachadi
• Raw mango pachadi
• Dhal Vada
• Poli both with dhal and coconut

Neem flower Pachadi recipe

Ingredients:

Fresh neem flowers – 1 tablespoon( cleaned)
jaggery – 1 cup

Method:

1. Prepare jaggery syrup and filter it to another pan and heat it again until it starts thickening.
2. Add the neem flowers to it after frying them in little ghee.

Neem flower pachadi is ready.

Raw mango pachadi Recipe

Ingredients:

Raw mango – medium size 1
Jaggery – 1 cup

Method:

1. Peel off the raw mango skin and cut them to pieces and get them cooked.
2. Prepare jaggery syrup and add the cooked mango to it and allow it to boil a few mins.

Raw mango pachadi is ready.

Dhal Vada Recipe

Ingredients:

Tor Dhal – 1 cup
Channa dhal – 1 cup
Dry red chilli – 3
Green chilli – 2
curry and coriander leaves – 1 table spoon
grated coconut – 3 tsp
salt – to taste
Ginger – a small piece
Oil – for frying

Method:

1. Soak the toor dhal and channa dhal in water for 2 hours and get them grinded along with dry chilli, green chilli, curry, coriander leaves, coconut, salt, ginger.
2. Do not make it too fine.
3. Also do not add too much water. Make sure the mixture is thick.
4. Take small quantities from the grinded mixture and prepare small flattened vadas and deep fry in oil until they turn golden brown.

Dhal vada is ready.

Poli – Dhal Poli recipe

Ingredients:

Channa dhal – 1 cup
Jaggery – 3/4 cup
Grated coconut – 2 tsp
cardamom powder – 1/2 tsp
Maida – 1 cup
turmeric powder – a pinch
Salt – a pinch
water – little
Oil – as required

Method:

1. Add little salt, turmeric to maida and add sufficient oil, water and prepare soft dough. keep this prepared 1 hour before.
2. Cook the channa dhal and remove off the excess water.
3. Grind cooked channa dhal, jaggery, coconut and cardamom. Do not add water while grinding.
4. Add 1 tsp ghee to frying pan and add the ground paste and allow it to thicken.
5. Prepare medium sized balls with the grounded mixture after it cools down. Stuffing is ready.
6. Take a clean plastic sheet or plantain leaf and grease it with oil.
7. Make small balls with the maida dough and keep each one in the leaf and flatten it a bit and keep the stuffing.
8. Properly close the maida and flatten again using hand. (just like thin poories but little small in size)
9. Cook them in a tawa adding ghee and oil. Cook until they are cooked on both sides.(again like chappathi)

Dhal poli(parupu poli) is ready. While serving add little ghee.

Coconut Boli Recipe

Ingredients:

Coconut – 1 full(grated)
jaggery – 2 cups
Cardamom – 1/2 tsp
Maida – 1 cup
Turmeric – a pinch
Salt – a pinch
Water – little
Oil – as required

Method:

1. Add little salt, turmeric to maida and add sufficient oil, water and prepare soft dough. keep this prepared 1 hour before.
2. Grind coconut and jaggery and fry them in ghee to thicken. And stuffing is ready.
All other steps remain the same like dhal Poli.