Update: Four Varieties of Kozhukattai (steamed stuffed rice flour wraps) have been given below. We prepare this for Ganesha Chaturthi. Scroll down for recipes.
I humbly Offer this to the lotus feet of the Supreme Mother Goddess Raja Rajeshwari.
VaralakshmiViratham is Observed by most families in south India. Varam is boon. Varalakshmi is the goddess who bestows upon her bhakthas, health, wealth, prosperity, joy, peace, etc.(Ashta Aishwaryam).
Though as Iyengars my family does’nt observe this festival, being a devotee of the goddess Raja Rajeshwari I always perform a simple Varalakshmi puja on this day. I have collected details of puja procedures from my neighbour, an Iyer aunty, Mrs.Rajam Sunderajan. Thankyou mami!
On thursday, the kalasam is made and decorated as Amman. For the kalasam you can use a jar or sombhu made of silver, bronze or brass. Even mud pots were used for kalasam in olden days. Fill the pot with a little rice, toor dal, 4 betal leaves, 2 betal nuts, 2 turmeric pods, a 1 rupee coin, 1 lemon. place 5 different kinds of leaves or 5 mango leaves on the mouth of the pot and cover with a coconut that is smeared all over with turmeric powder(manja thengai).
I also read in Devi Bhagavatham another method to make the kalasam. You can fill the pot partially with holy water from any river and place some gold jewellary. cover the mouth of the pot with 5 mango leaves and a coconut smeared with turmeric.
If you have a ambhals Mugam(Face) you can attach it to the kalasam. you can also draw the face of Goddess on the kalasam.If you have a statue of the goddess You can decorate that for the puja. kalasam is further decorated with jewels and silk saree. All this is done in the puja room or a place at home where you want to do the puja. Manja pongal is prepared as prasadam on thursday. At the beginning of the puja Devi is invoked in the Kalasam (Aavahanam). From now we will refer to kalasam as Devi. The devi can be placed on a special platform(mandapam) decorated with Vaazhai kannu or young plaintain trees and maavilai thooranam.
The method of making the kalasam varies, you can stick to the method passed on by your family. Devotion and faith are most important for the puja.
On friday, the day of varalakshmi puja, the front yard is cleaned and decorated with kolam(As we do everyday). Devi is carried from the front door to the puja room and placed in the Mandapam.
Now the Kalasa pujai, archanai, ashtothra pujai and charadu pujai are performed by a sasthrigal(purohit). If you live in a place where you cannot invite a purohit you can do the puja yourself. puja CDs are easily available. Neivedyam is performed.(offering).
The charadu(yellow thread) is worn in the wrist and the purohit is honoured with sambavanai (Vaayanam).*Thambhulam is distributed to ladies.
On saturday punar pujai is done for the Devi and the neivedyam offered is sundal. Thambulam is distributed to ladies. This culminates the puja.
On saturday night after Deeparaadanai the kalasam is kept in the rice pot for a day.
May the world be blessed by the Goddess Vara Maha Lakshmi!
I humbly request The Devi and all my visitors to forgive any mistake in the procedure.
The neivedyam prepared on the day of the puja are
- Kozhukattai (kadubu, moodak) prepared with 4 variety poornams (fillings)- which has been posted below.
- Appam
- Vadai
- Idli made from raw rice.(Paccharisi idli)
All recipes will be posted in a day or two.
Sweet Kozhukattais/ Modhaks steamed in the Microwave. Green container is perforated and the yellow is filled with 1/2 cup water
Kozhukatai(Modhak)
Ingredients
For the outer cover
- Rice flour -3 cups
- salt to taste
- Water 3 cups
- Oil – 1 table spoon
For the Coconut filling
- Grated coconut – 1cup loosely packed
- Jaggery – 1/2 cup
- Cardamom – 1 no
For the sesame filling
- Sesame seeds (Til) – 1/2 cup
- jaggery – 1/2 cup
- cardamom – 1 no
For the urad dal filling
- Urad dal – 1/2 cup
- green chillies – 1 no (finely chopped)
- curry leaves – 1 twig(finely chopped)
- Oil – 1 table spoon
- Hing – 1/4 teaspoon
- salt to taste
- mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon
For the channa dal filling
- Channa dal (kadalai paruppu) – 1/2 cup
- jaggery – 1/2 cup
- cardamom – 1 no
- Grated coconut – 1 table spoon
Method
For the outer cover
- Bring the water to boil in a heavy bottomed pan.
- Reduce the flame to medium and add the oil and rice flour and stir well to get a smooth dough.
- Take off the flame and mix further to remove lumps thouroughly.
- Cover and allow to cool.
For the Coconut filling
- Melt jaggery with a little water, in a kadai on a medium flame.
- Add coconut and cardamom powder and cook for 2 minutes.
- The filling will become thicker when it cools.Transfer to a container.
For the sesame filling
- Dry roast the sesame seeds till they crackle.
- Allow to cool and grind in a mixer.
- Mix with powdered jaggery and cardamom.
For the urad dal filling
- Wash and soak urad dal for 1/2 hour.
- Drain well and grind coarsely adding salt and hing adding 2 table spoons water.
- Heat oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds.
- when it crackles add the curry leaves, green chillies and the ground urad dal.
- Cook on a low flame stirring well for 3 minutes. Urad dal will be cooked by now.
For the channa dal filling
- Wash and cook channa dal with 3/4 cup water on a medium flame till all the water is absorbed and channa dal looks translucent.
- Allow to cool and grind to a powder.
- Add the coconut, jaggery and cardamom powder and grind to form a dough.
- Keep in a microwave safe glass bowl and micro for 2 minutes stirring in between.
How to proceed
- Make 1 and 1/2 inch diameter balls out of the rice dough. Shape it into a cup with your fingers.
- Place 1 teaspoon of the prepared filling and cover to form a modhak shape – i.e bring all the end of the cup together. You will get a round ball with a cone on top.
- Make these modhaks or Kozhukkatais with all the fillings.
- Steam in a pressure cooker without weight for 3 minutes. You can place the kozhukatais on an idli stand to steam.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the cooker.
- Your kozhukatais are ready for neivedyam (offering to Lord Ganesha).
Update: To see the microwave version of steaming head over here.
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