Yesterday was Varamahalakshmi festival. This festival is celebrated usually in the southern part of India on the Second Friday or the Friday before full moon day – in the month of Shravana (Aug-sept),auspicious month for Hindus.As the name says, on this day Goddess Laksmi is worshiped & it is believed that worshiping her on this day brings wealth,prosperity and a long life to the family.
To celebrate this occasion, I prepared a traditional rice dessert “GUDANNA/BELLA DA ANNA”. “Gud or Bella” is jaggery in kannada and “Anna” is rice .It is a special naivedyam offered to Goddess. Basically it is rice sweetened from jaggery and flavored with cardamom.Sounds simple,right ? Yes, it is a very simple & quick dessert and there isn’t anything that you can mess up here.Im sure, this dish would turn yummy even when prepared by the newbies.This dish i learned from my mom-in law, who used to prepare it often as it can be prepared in a jiffy..So here goes the recipe:
| Servings |
serving
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- 1 big cup Cooked Rice cooked and cooled
- 1 1/2 cups Jaggery -Approx (Depends on your sweet level)
- 1 cup Grated dry coconut / kopra ( you can vary this measurement also )
- 4 Tbsps Ghee
- 6 - 7 pods Cardamom crushed into fine powder
- Cashews
- Raisins
Ingredients
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- In a heavy bottomed vessel/kadai,add a tea spoon of ghee and fry cashews till they change in color. Fry raisins as well in the same pan till they fluff up. Keep it aside
- To the same vessel ,add jaggery and little water (Just enough to cover the jaggery). Stir occasionally to melt all the jaggery
- When jaggery gets dissolved and plain jaggery syrup is ready, add cooked rice and coconut to it.Mix well so that there are no lumps.
- Keep on stirring on low flame, so that the rice absorbs the jaggery syrup.
- While continuing to stir, add ghee in intervals.
- When the mixture forms a lump and leaves ghee then it is done.This process may take around 10 to 15 minutes.You ll get a creamy kind of texture.
- Finally add , fried cashew nuts, raisins and cardamom powder. Mix it well.
- Now gudanna/nei payasam / jaggery rice is ready to offer to Goddess Lakshmi.It tastes wonderful when served either hot/warm/cold.Choice is yours .. have as you like.... and let me know how you liked...
NOTE:
- Be little generous in adding ghee to gudanna. It gives nice flavor and taste.
- The rice should not be neither mushy nor too separate.
- You can use Fresh Coconut also.
Thanks for reading the post....plz drop ur valuable comments.. it really motivates me...
7 Comments
Nivedhanams Sowmya
September 4, 2013 at 12:26 pmdelicious!!! Thanks for linking it to my event!! Looking for more yummy recipes!! please add the LOGO!!Sowmya
Smitha Kalluraya
September 5, 2013 at 8:44 amThx Sowmya.. have added the link n the logo…
Nayna Kanabar
September 8, 2013 at 5:31 pmThis rice looks really lovely and delicious, thankyou for sending it to lets cook with coconut event.
Nivedhanams Sowmya
September 30, 2013 at 4:43 amoh that is beautiful!!! Thanks for linking it to my event!! Looking for more yummy recipes!!Sowmya
Priya Shiva
August 8, 2014 at 11:24 amHappy Varamahalakshmi! Nevidyam look delicious!
Linsy Patel
August 8, 2014 at 6:32 pmbeautiful prasad.
Nalini Somayaji
August 10, 2014 at 6:10 pmGod Bless you ..Smitha Kalluraya..perfect prasadam…Goodaanna..