Gowri- Ganesha Habbada Shubhashayagulu – 2 wonderful festivals and a feast!

Wishing all of you a very Happy and Prosperous Gowri-Ganesha habba!!

Gowri and Ganesha festivals are two prominent and widely celebrated festivals in India. The Gowri Pooja is more confined to the houses and women, dressed in colourful and richly embroidered sarees worship the Goddess, a form of Parvathi, the consort of Lord Shiva. Ganesh Chaturthi on the other hand is a pooja performed by the male members of the family. In the absence of male members, women folk do this pooja too. This festival is celebrated almost all over India but more prominently in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.

The festival time meant going to the market, shopping for required fruits and pooja items, not to forget mud idols of Gowri and Ganesha. We celebrated this festival on a grand scale, with family and friends. I really miss those times now that we are away from home, but that doesn’t dampen my spirits or enthusiasm and I do all I can to make it as special here as well. Poojas are done elaborately while keeping upavaasa till the pooja is complete.

Today's pooje picture :

The best part after that was the yummy goodies! Bele Holige on Gowri habba and Steamed Kadabus or Modakas on Ganesha habba.

Here’s a platter for both days in two posts…filled with delicious varieties of authentic habbada adige.

Gowri habbada Adige

Steamed White Rice, Holige Saaru, Obbattu (Holige), Chitranna, Beans/Carrot Palya, Kosambari, Bele Thovve, Ksheranna, Curd rice

Bele Holige/Obattu

This is made traditionally with Tuar Dal, Jaggery and coconut stuffed and rolled into thin holiges. The same dish is made in North India using a Chana Dal based filling called Pooran Poli. It can also be made using only coconut and jaggery without the dals.

You will need:

For the Filling – Bele Hoorna:

¼ kg Tuar Dal
4 fistfuls fresh coconut gratings
375 gms jaggery (powdered)
1 tsp cardamom powder

Boil Tuar dal on stove top till dal splits on the edges. Fry dal, coconut and jaggery on a low flame till jaggery melts. Add cardamom powder and fry till fragrant. Blend this in a mixer to a smooth paste using as less water as possible. The mixture should be thick enough to be rolled into balls.

Outside Layer:

2 cups All Purpose Flour (Maida)
1 cup Peni (Fine) Rava/Sooji
Oil
Salt a pinch
Water as required

Mix the Maida and Rave with water to make a soft dough. Soak in oil for atleast 1 hour or more.

Now take this dough(a small ball) pat it onto a plastic coated sheet(smeared with oil), make it flat in the size of a small puri, place a ball of hoorna in the centre and take remaining sides and place over hoorna to cover it. Then again flatten it as much as possible. Use another plastic coated paper smeared in oil to help spread the dough into a thin chapathi like form. Place this on a hot tava and roast on both sides.

Serve hot with ghee drizzled on top.

Bele Thovve

Thovve is nothing but boiled Tuar Dal with a bit of mustard seasoning. It is traditional side dish served as the first item on a banana leaf or on a plate. When you boil the Tuar Dal for the Holige, keep aside some in a bowl for Thovve.

Holige/Obattu Rasam:

This rasam is like any other Rasam made with Tuar Dal but the difference is it gets a good dose of the Bele Hoorna made for the Holige. This adds a lot of flavour and is called Obattu Saaru.

You will need:

½ cup Tuar Dal
½ cup Bele Hoorna (see above)
2 1/2 tsps Rasam powder (add link)
1 tsp Tamarind paste
Few curry leaves
Mustard seasoning (Mustard fried in little oil with hing)
Chopped coriander
Salt to taste

Pressure cook Tuar Dal till its very soft. Mash into a pulp with the help of a spoon. Add the rasam powder, tamarind paste and bele hoorna. Bring to a boil. Add the curry leaves, salt to taste & mustard seasoning. Garnish with chopped coriander.

Chitranna: (Lime Rice)

4 cups Steamed white rice
2 tbsps Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Urad Dal
½ tsp Chana Dal
½ tsp Turmeric powder
6 Green chillies (slit)
Few curry leaves
½ cup Boiled Peas or Avarekai
Salt to taste
1 ½ tbsps Lime juice
Chopped Corriander

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and when it begins to splutter add the urad and chana dal. Add the green chillies and curry leaves. Stir and add the turmeric powder. Add the boiled peas/ averekai. Now add the steamed rice and salt. Garnish with chopped coriander.

Beans/ Carrot Palya:

This is a basic stir fry and can be made on any day, since on festivals we don’t use onions or garlic, this is the simplest.

You will need:

1 cup Chopped Carrot/Green Beans
1 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Urad Dal
½ tsp Chana Dal
3 Green chillies (slit)
Few curry leaves
Salt to taste
2-3 tbsps grated coconut

Boil carrot/green beans till its soft. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When it begins to splutter add the urad and chana dal. Add the green chillies and curry leaves. Now add the drained boiled carrot/green beans. Add salt and mix well. Add grated coconut and serve.

Ksheranna:

This is kept as Neivedyam to the goddess and is served as prasadam.

It is a mixture of steamed rice, milk, sugar and a few saffron strands.

Kosambari:

A traditional Karnataka dish, refreshing and good for any occasion.

You will need:

1 Cucumber thinly cubed
½ cup Moong Dal (split) Hesrebele
3 tbps Fresh grated coconut
Salt to taste
1 tsp Green chilli paste (Green chillies ground to a paste)
Mustard seasoning
1 tsp Lime juice

Soak moong dal in water for about 10-15 minutes. Wash thoroughly to get rid of raw dal smell. Add this to the cubed cucumber. Add the green chilli paste, grated coconut, salt, lime juice and mustard seasoning. Mix well and serve immediately. If it sits for too long, it becomes watery.

You can also add a cup of pomegranate if available.

The complete food platter

Watch for tomorrow's Ganesha habba platter :)