HYDERABAD: Ugadi brings with itself the freshness of a new year and happiness among people. The first day of the Hindu lunar calendar, in the month of Chaitra, is celebrated as Ugadi. Preparations for Ugadi celebrations start a week before the festival. House entrances are decorated with mango leaves, as it signifies a fresh start and bringing fresh energy into the house and the floor with flowers and rangolis. Devotees, along with their families, start the day with an oil bath and worshipping Lord Vishnu and welcoming the New Year.
Mythology
The name Ugadi is derived from the Sanskrit words yuga (age) and adi (the beginning). As per Hindu mythology, it is believed that Lord Brahma started the creation of the universe on Ugadi. Then went on to introduce days, weeks, months and years in order to keep track of time. Hence, it is believed that Ugadi marks the beginning or the first day of the universe.
Celebration
Ugadi is mainly celebrated in the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. There are numerous customs associated with the Ugadi festival, one of them is making of the Ugadi pachadi, a special concoction made using raw mango, neem flower, jaggery, tamarind, salt and chilli. It is stated that Ugadi pachadi is said to highlight the essence of life. It also celebrates the new crop for the year.
For people living in Hyderabad, even though the annual festival is celebrated as a family affair, for people who want to step out with the family or for those who couldn’t go home for the festival, Ugadi buffets and food festivals across restaurants in the city are very prominent this year.
Tradition and culture
In a unique fusion of north and south, Kunal, business analyst by profession, enjoys the best of both festivities with his family in Hyderabad. “For us, the festivals Holi and Ugadi have a lot to do with bringing good energy into the house. Being in Hyderabad for so many years, it’s now a wonderful incorporation of both the traditions. Doing pooja together and decorating our house with flowers is a very special tradition, and then of course, there are many delicacies full of different flavours. It’s great that more and more people are learning about the significance of our Indian culture and festivals,” says Kunal.
According to M V Suresh and wife Bharathi, currently residing in Hyderabad, have been celebrating Ugadi together for the last 25 years. Speaking to CE, they say, “It’s always been a very important festival in our household. We’ve travelled and have lived in a number of states around India, though have never stopped celebrating the authentic Telugu way, being from Andhra Pradesh. But there’s also the joy of learning how other cultures celebrate it as well.
We always make sure to make Ugadi pachadi the traditional way, decorate our house with mango leaves, make a number of delicious food items, have pooja in the house and spend time with our relatives and friends.” Adding more about the importance of the festival, Suresh says, “We believe Ugadi brings a sense of renewed hope and has always been about starting afresh. It’s also important to preserve and celebrate these traditions. The panchangam, which is a set of astrological predictions, is also presented. Pachadi, as mentioned before, a must-have dish during Ugadi, symbolises the ‘flushing out’ of the bitterness of the past year and also has a lot of medicinal values. As it’s the start of a new year, it’s beautiful getting to begin on a good mindful note. ”
UGADI PACHADI
Ingredients
Water 1 cup | Tamarind 1 small lemon sized | Raw mango 1 tbsp chopped | Neem flower 1 tbsp | Powdered jaggery 1 tbsp | Pepper powder 1/4 tsp | Salt to taste
Method
● Rinse the mango, trim the edges peel off the skin and chop into small cubes and set aside.
● Take tamarind in a bowl, add 1/2 cup water to it. Squeeze and extract juice from it. Discard the fibre part.
● Add remaining 1/2 cup water to it. Then add powdered jaggery to it.
● Mix well with a spoon. Now add chopped raw mango pieces.
● Add neem flower to it, then required salt.
● Finally add pepper powder and give a quick stir and Ugadi Pachadi is ready!
Notes
● You can use jaggery syrup instead of powdered jaggery too.
● Make sure to plus or minus ingredients and make a balance
of the ingredients used.
Poornam Boorelu
Ingredients For the outer layer:
| Urad dal/White lentil – 1/2 cup |Raw Rice – 2 tbsp |Salt – 1/4 tsp Ingredients for the Filling: |Chana dal/split chickpeas – 1 cup |Grated Jaggery – 1+1/4 cup |Fresh Coconut – 1/2 cup (grated) |Green cardamom – 2 |Vegetable Oil for deep frying (Sunflower Oil)
Method
● Wash Chana dal and soak for an hour. Pressure cook dal with enough water till its soft and cooked.
● Add cooked dal, jaggery and coconut in a pan and let it simmer for few minutes. Simmer on low flame till water is completely soaked and thickens. Keep stirring. Remove seeds from cardamom pods and crush it lightly. Add cardamom powder and mix well.
● Remove from the flame and let it cool down completely.
● Once it cools down completely, take a portion of the stuffing and make a lemon size ball. Make equal size balls and keep it ready.
● Wash and soak Urad dal and rice for 3 hours and grind to fine paste along with salt. Add very little water as the batter should be thick.
● Heat oil in frying pan. Once the oil is hot, lower the flame. Then dip each ball in the Urad dal batter.
● Drop them into the hot oil. Turn and cook on all sides till they start turning light brown.
● Drain excess oil on to a tissue and serve.
— By Chef Satya Pandhari, Executive Sous Chef, Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre
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Vivaha Bhojanambu specialising in Telugu cuisine, is offering a special Ugadi thali with Andhra delicacies, served on a proper banana leaf with garelu, mamidikkai pappu, saggubiyyam payasam, chintapandu pulihora and other such.
Simply South offers a variety of classic South Indian dishes in their special Ugadi menu, like vadiyala pulusu, pappu, chakra pongal, bobbatlu etc.
Palle Vindu offers a plethora of homemade style dishes for the festival, ulli gaarelu, poornam vankaya, fresh mango pappu, miriyala rasam, kobbari rice bellam jalebi and more.