Karadaiyan Nombu or Karadayan Nombu (pronounced kaar-adai-yaan nom-bu) is a major festival for the Tamil Brahmin community that is celebrated in the month of March. It’s observed by married women who pray for a long-life for their husbands by fasting until an auspicious time on that day (side note – this auspicious time changes each year and can land at any time of day…or night). Food is a central part of any festival across cultures, and a special offering, called Kār-adai, is prepared to break the fast. An “adai” (a thick rice pancake) is prepared with rice harvested in the Tamil season of “Kār” (Indian monsoon between June and August) – hence the name Kār-adai. There are two versions of this dish, sweet and savory. If you’re interested in the savory version, hop over here. The sweet version is called vella adai (vellam = jaggery in Tamil) and is made with a few basic ingredients readily available in the kitchen. It is a delicious, healthy snack (and gluten-free to boot). Let’s get to making Karadaiyan Nombu vella adai…

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

Note: 1 cup = 235 ml

1. ¼ cup red cow peas (also called kārāmani -Tamil, or laal chawli – Hindi/Marathi) pressure cooked
2. 1 cup rice flour
3. 1 cup powdered jaggery
4. 2 cups water with a smidgen of salt
5. ¼ cup grated coconut
6. ½ tsp. cardamom powder
7. A few drops of ghee / any cooking oil

Kitchen Tools

1. Instant pot / pressure cooker / stock pot 
2. Heavy flat bottom pan / heavy bottom wok (kadhai)
3. Flat ladle
4. Strainer
5. Potato masher – optional
6. Idli stand / steamer plate

PREPARATION (with step-by-step photos)

Step 1: Soak ¼ cup red cow peas in 1 cup of water for 2 to 4 hours (you can even soak it overnight)

Step 2: Rinse the soaked red cow peas and pressure cook with just enough water to cover the peas. Cook in manual high for 2 minutes with vent in sealing mode if using an Instant Pot, and for upto 2 whistles if using a regular pressure cooker. If using a stock pot, add double the amount of water and cook until the peas are tender but not mushy. Set the cooked peas aside

Step 3: Set a heavy flat bottom pan on medium heat and dry roast 1 cup rice flour with a flat ladle until it starts to turn light brown, but do not burn. This will take about 5 minutes. Set the roasted rice flour aside

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Step 4: Bring the pan back to medium heat, pour 2 cups of salted water and mix in 1 cup jaggery. Let the jaggery melt but there’s no need to get it to boil

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Step 5:Remove the pan from heat and strain the jaggery syrup using a strainer to remove any dust particles that are typically found in jaggery

Step 6: Bring the jaggery syrup back to the pan on medium heat and let it come to a boil. Slowly add in the roasted rice flour little by little with one hand while mixing it in the boiling syrup with a ladle in the other hand to avoid lumps from forming. Another technique is to add the roasted rice flour all at once and mix vigorously using the flat ladle. Regardless of the technique, I like to use a potato masher instead of a ladle for this step since it makes the process of eliminating lumps easier. The end result should be a well cooked, soft dough with zero lumps

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Step 7:Fold in ¼ cup of pressure cooked red cow peas, ¼ cup grated coconut, and ½ tsp. cardamom powder to the dough, and cook for about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool down for about 20 minutes

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Step 8: Grease the idli stand / steamer plate and your hands with a few drops of ghee or oil

Step 9: Divide the mixture from step 7, into 12 equal parts and roll them into balls. Now press these balls in between the palms to form a patty and make a hole in the center with your pointer finger similar to the way you would make for a Medu Vada / Donut. Set them on the greased idli/steamer plate

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Step 10: Set the Instant Pot on Sauté mode and add 2 cups of water. When the water starts to boil, place the idli stand / steamer plate containing the vella adais, secure with lid and steam cook for 8 minutes with the vent on the venting position. If using a pressure cooker, set it on medium heat, follow the above instructions and do not place the weight. If using a stock pot, follow the same instructions as in Instant pot, and make sure you have a secure lid with a vent for steaming

Note: Make both vella (sweet) and uppu (savory) adais together and steam them side by side

Step 11: Turn off the heat and allow the pot / cooker to cool off for about 5 minutes

Step 12: Open the pot and remove the idli/steamer plate and let it cool for a minute before serving

Step 13: Enjoy your sublime Karadaiyaan Nombu Vella Adai with softened butter 😋

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Karadaiyan Nombu usually falls on the 14th of March, when the Tamil month Maasi ends and Panguni begins. This festival is called Karva Chauth in Northern India and is traditionally celebrated in October/November. In Tamil Nadu and Kerala, this is celebrated by married women who worship Goddess Parvati and pray for the longevity and well-being of their husbands. A little known fact is that this day also happens to be the birthday of Goddess Parvati! Unmarried women and girls also participate in this, seeking good health for their future life partner. They try to echo the devotion and love shown by Savitri (Princess of Madra) for her husband Satyavan (Prince of Salwa). 

The story of Savitri and Satyavan is found in Vana Parva (“The Book of the Forest”) of the Mahabharata (one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Ramayana). Here is the gist of the legend for curious readers. Savitri’s devotion towards Goddess Parvati gave her the strength and wisdom to win back her husband’s life from Yama, the Lord of death. She won the battle not by arms or ammunitions, but by her clever conversations with Lord Yama, who was walking away with her husband’s soul. She follows Lord Yama relentlessly and talks to him about how she cannot give up on her soulmate. Impressed by her love, faith, and wisdom, Lord Yama decides to grant her boons with the exception of Satyavan’s life. Among other things, Savitri asks for the gift of eyesight for her blind father-in-law, restoration of his lost kingdom, sons for her father (who had none), and shrewdly asks that she may bear a hundred sons to Prince Satyavan as strong, brave, and handsome as he was. This last wish creates a dilemma for Lord Yama, as he would have to grant the life of Satyavan to fulfill it. Lord Yama was so impressed that not only did he grant her the life of Prince Satyavan, but also granted them both four hundred years of life. Reminds me of how Aladdin smartly got an extra wish out of Genie 😀  

On this day, married women take a holy bath, dress up in their traditional madisaar (nine-yards saree), and decorate the prayer area in the house. They recite a special verse and tie a sacred thread dyed with turmeric, around their neck. They then offer sweet and savory karadais with butter to goddess Parvati and eat them to break their fast. I grew up watching my mother religiously perform this ritual and the best part for me as a child was eating these delicious snacks and showing off the sacred thread to my friends at school and pretending that I was married. My sisters and friends also indulged in friendly competition to see who keeps the thread intact for the longest period of time. While this may seem funny and silly today, those nostalgic memories still kick in whenever I indulge in this sublime recipe 😋.

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