Thiruvathirai Adai Recipe | Thiruvathirai Roti with step by step pics and a short Youtube video. This is a special sweet dish offered to Lord Shiva on the day of Arudhira Darshinam day. The preparation starts with soaking raw rice, drying, grinding, and finally making Homemade Rice Flour, which is a ritual. But if you are pressed out of time, then go ahead with readymade rice or idiyappam flour, where the process starts from dry roasting the flour slightly, not for a long time, else the adai cracks. Also, I wish to jot down an important note here: this adai should not break while preparing for the pooja, the step where you should be a little careful is, never add jaggery quantity more than mentioned, do not toast the adai in high flame and don’t flip it often. It is auspicious to prepare 7 adai on the day of Arudhira Darshinam, furthermore, it is offered to Lord Shiva along with Thiruvathirai Kali and 7 Kari Kootu.
Significance of Arudhira Darshinam:
It is a special event that is considered as the birthday of Lord Shiva’s dancing form, Nataraja. The cosmic dance of Lord Shiva represents five activities that sustain this universe – Creation, Protection, Destruction, Embodiment, and Release. In essence, it represents the continuous cycle of creation and destruction. Arudra Darshan celebrates this ecstatic, cosmic dance of Lord Shiva.
Grand Abishekams is performed for Lord Nataraja and Sivakami, his consort. These rituals are held in the pre-dawn hours when the Moon is shining brightly. A grand procession is taken through the streets. Thiruvathirai (Arudra) in Tamil means “sacred big wave”. Arudra Darshan is essentially a Shaivite festival that celebrates the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva, which is represented by his Nataraja form.
The most important and grand celebration of Arudra Darshan takes place at the Chidambaram Nataraja Temple, Tamil Nadu. In Thillai Chidambaram temple, a 10-day festival is held during Thiruvathirai. Many people observe fasting/Nombu Vrat on this auspicious day. Women will observe fasting during the day time. They usually take food before sunrise and start their fasting; they break the fast after witnessing the moon rise. Some people observe fasting for 10 days. So Nombu (fasting) starts nine days before and ends on Thiruvathirai day.
Check Lord Shiva favourite food Recipes like
1. Panchamrut / Panchamirtham
2. Thandai
3. Sabudana Kheer / Javvarisi Payasam
4. Fruit Chaat
5. Milk Kheer / Paal Payasam
6. Panakam
Thiruvathirai Roti
Thiruvathirai Adai Recipe | Thiruvathirai Roti
Equipment
- Stovetop
- Dosa Tawa
- Kadai / Pan
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Homemade Rice Flour / அரிசிமாவு Link for Homemade Rice Flour
- ¾ Cup Jaggery / வெல்லம்
- 1 to 1½ Cup Water / தண்ணீர்
- 3 Pods Cardamom / ஏலக்காய்
- 1 tbsp Grated coconut / துருவிய தேங்காய்
- Ghee / நெய் As Required
Instructions
- I used Homemade Rice Flour (click the link here). It is a tradition to prepare rice flour at home, but if using readymade rice flour, slightly dry roast for less than a minute (if roasted for a long time the adai cracks). Now, measure and keep all the ingredients ready. Don't add more jaggery than mentioned, else the adai breaks.
- To a pan, add the jaggery, crushed cardamom pods, and then pour 1 cup of water- differs accordingly up to 1.5 cups to the variety of rice flour used).
- Heat till the jaggery dissolves completely, no string consistency is needed.
- Strain the jaggery juice to remove the impurities.
- Boil the jaggery juice slightly and simmer the flame fully.
- Slowly add the rice flour and grated coconut to the jaggery juice.
- First, it may look like forming lumps, just keep stirring to mix the rice flour nicely in the jaggery juice. At one stage it will form a mass without sticking to the pan, this is the right stage to switch off.
- When it is warm enough and hand bearable, knead it to a smooth dough. If the dough sticks in your hands, just add a tsp of sesame oil or ghee and knead again.
- Form 7 equal-sized balls (size is your preference), it is auspicious to make 7 adai's on that day.
- Grease a ziplock cover or plastic cover or banana leaf with little ghee or sesame oil. Then, place a ball and slightly flatten it (don't use rolling pins, If doing so lay another plastic sheet on top and then roll it).
- Press it with your fingertips to 1/4 inch thickness. If the dough is sticky, grease your hands with oil and pat the dough. Use oil or ghee generously whenever needed. Do the same till the dough is finished.
- Heat a dosa tawa and place the rolled adai. Simmer the flame and drizzle few drops of ghee, after 2 minutes flip to the other side.
- Cook for another 2 minutes, till it turns to golden color, also do not flip the adai very often as it may break.
- Stack all the adai on a plate, so the softness will be retained.Try this Thiruvathirai Adai Recipe for this coming Arudhra Darshan festival.
Video
Notes
Tips for Thiruvathirai Roti
1. Use Homemade Rice (click here) only, to get soft Thiruvathirai Roti. Also, it is a tradition to prepare the rice flour from scratch. 2. If using readymade rice/idiyappam flour, dry roast for few mins till smoke appears then use it. Don't over roast which will end up breaking the adai's. 3. The amount of water depends on the quality of the flour. Homemade flour requires more water than a store-bought one. Even among the store-bought flour, it differs from brand to brand. So start with 3/4 cup and add gradually if required. 4. Never add jaggery more than the mentioned quantity, otherwise, the adai will definitely crack, while toasting. 5. Always filter the jaggery to remove the impurities, no string consistency is required. 6. Ensure the dough is lump free and do the whole process in low flame only. The dough should be soft and smooth. 7. If the dough is sticky, drizzle few drops of sesame oil or ghee and then knead again. 8. Do the toasting in low flame and never flip the Thiruvathirai Adai Recipe very often as it may break. 9. The cooked dough can be cling wrapped and refrigerated for a week. But bring it to room temperature before preparing.
Thiruvathirai Adai Recipe
Method for Thiruvathirai Adai Recipe
1. I used Homemade Rice Flour (click the link here). It is a tradition to prepare rice flour at home, but if using readymade rice flour, slightly dry roast for less than a minute (if roasted for a long time the adai cracks). Now, measure and keep all the ingredients ready. Don’t add more jaggery than mentioned, else the adai breaks.
2. To a pan, add the jaggery, crushed cardamom pods, and then pour 1 cup of water- differs accordingly up to 1.5 cups to the variety of rice flour used).
3. Heat till the jaggery dissolves completely, no string consistency is needed.
4. Strain the jaggery juice to remove the impurities.
5. Boil the jaggery juice slightly and simmer the flame fully.
6. Slowly add the rice flour and grated coconut to the jaggery juice.
7. First, it may look like forming lumps, just keep stirring to mix the rice flour nicely in the jaggery juice. At one stage it will form a mass without sticking to the pan, this is the right stage to switch off.
8. When it is warm enough and hand bearable, knead it to a smooth dough. If the dough sticks in your hands, just add a tsp of sesame oil or ghee and knead again.
9. Form 7 equal-sized balls (size is your preference), it is auspicious to make 7 adai’s on that day.
10. Grease a ziplock cover or plastic cover or banana leaf with little ghee or sesame oil. Then, place a ball and slightly flatten it (don’t use rolling pins, If doing so lay another plastic sheet on top and then roll it).
11. Press it with your fingertips to 1/4 inch thickness. If the dough is sticky, grease your hands with oil and pat the dough. Use oil or ghee generously whenever needed. Do the same till the dough is finished.
12. Heat a dosa tawa and place the rolled adai. Simmer the flame and drizzle few drops of ghee, after 2 minutes flip to the other side.
13. Cook for another 2 minutes, till it turns to golden color, also do not flip the adai very often as it may break.
14. Stack all the adai on a plate, so the softness will be retained.
Try this Thiruvathirai Roti for this coming Arudhra Darshan festival.
Thiruvathira Adai
Welcome to my blog www.asmallbite.com. Thanks for reading my blog! I hope you’re enjoying my recipes to make the taste forever. I am Priya Santhamohan, writer and photographer (with hubby’s help) of this blog. 
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