Ask here - The recipes you want from ChitVish

My dear Vidya & Radha V,
Your question has relevance to both food & rituals ! So, you are justified in asking it here as well !
One of the culture thread topics I am planning to post is "Fasting" ! It is ready.
But now I will answer your question. I hope you do not mistake me for my answer - I am more practical in following these than traditional or sentimental. Please understand that !
My MIL was famous for observing many vratams & fasting. Ours was a joint family then & so, we DIls were at her beck & call to do all service & run errands. She used to observe no-salt, no-rice etc. But the next day, she used to feel so low, that I remember the next-to-fasting day was a real nightmare to me ! She would become very weak & pick on anybody who came her way. That made me feel, that the people surrounding her were paying the penance for her fasting !!

Now, with practically no one to fuss around us (least , the dear husband), I think we should be more practical. If your system can stand, avoiding salt, then have chappathis with jaggery or sugar or raw tomatoes, or kodumai vella dosai,fruits & milk.
If you do not mind including salt, you can have lapsi upma with vegetables, sabudana upma, moong porridge, or any non-rice tiffins, fruits & milk - any one as per your choice. Avoiding rice is very often prescribed. Or I prefer to go on fruits & lightly steamed vegetables. Porridge with moong dhal & jaggery is advised for shivaratri. Eat minimum & do not indulge. You can have a simple veg soup like my convalescent soup.This is my personal advice. Do not weaken yourself by going overboard & become the target of everybody's irritation.

For Chathurthi, the puja is done in the evening. After Chandra darishanam, you can have any of the above. The whole day avoid rice & tiffins - have milk & fruits.
Love,
Chithra.

 

Dear Chitra,

It is exactly this character of your's that has endeared you to me immensely. Time and again, you have proved that you are a pious, illustrious and sincere lady with a highly sensible attitude to life.
I love the way you give respect and regard to our culture and at the same time strive to avoid any superstition attached to such sentiments.
When Vidya came up with her query about fasting food, I too was awaiting your reply for it. I was glad to note that you share my feelings about these practices. I see fasting as being created by our wise ancestors to develop our will power and to aid healthy living. Attaching a sentiment to it may be a motivation. I have fasted in the past eating only salad and fruit, then modified it and only avoided onions, garlic and rice and rice products. Being surrounded by Eurpean friends made it extra inconvenient to fast. I noticed that I was weak and bad tempered on those days and my family definitely did not profit from it. Therefore, I placed the fasting practice at His feet and asked for His blessings! Hope I am not a hopeless devotee

L, Kamla

 

My dear Kamla,
Thankyou for your sweet words.
If we were to vote for the most sweetly-worded lady of I L forum, you will win unanimously !:2thumbsup:
Fasting is more a self - imposed form of discipline. Now nature cure tells us, that it is the method of detoxification as well.
But either way, one should decide to follow one's own body rhythm, which is of paramount importance.
I find it irritable to interact with ladies who go on saying " nan innikki patni....." endlessly. I hate to talk about it to anybody. We do it for our own benefit & not asking for pity or appreciation.
Thanks for your post & for sharing your thoughts.
Love,
Chithra.

 

dear chithra madam,
i just want to know that, iam not having idli mould,will it be possible to make idlis in small cups.
thanx in advance.
bye,
vivbass.

 

Mrs.C,

I thank u for the answer. Fasting is said to instill some discipline in us and so we can think of God at the same time. I admire your flexible approach and I fully believe that we should not brag about it all the time. Somewhere I read fasting helps us in the detoxification of the body. The choices you have mentioned are totally doable.

How do we make Sabudhana upma and I also wanted to know how to make fried kozhakattais for Vinayagar?

Thanks for explaining things in the best way that you always do!

Take care:wave

 

Dear Vivbass,
Yes, you can mae idlis in small cups as well. If shallow cups are around, that is best. If the cups are "regular", no problem - but remember cooking takes a few more mts. Make sure, a skewer inserted comes out cean, to make sure cooking is complete.
Love,
Chithra.

 

My dear Radha,
Thankyou for your F B.
Sago kichdi is sabudhana or javvarisi upma. It is 54 in tiffins thread.
Fried kozukkattaius are given in Old is gold No; 38 as poricha kozukkattai.
Love,
Chithra.

 

Dear Chithra,
I feel guilty when some people tell me that they are fasting on so and so days. I used to feel that I was not strong enough mentally to avoid food. Your reply and Sujata's reply has put my mind on rest, I feel a heavy load off my mind.
Actually, I used to fast on Shashti before marriage. Like you said, I did not have any responsibility and so could do what pleased me. After marriage, my mil strictly told me that I should not be fasting - young people and newly weds are not to fast, according to her. I could not dream of going against her words, so stopped that.
Now it is like what Sujata says, just when I plan to fast or diet, hubby will make me eat what I was trying to avoid. So stopped all that.
Now with both your posts, I feel peaceful.

 

idly

Dear chithra mam,
i just want to know,is it possible to prepare idly in microwave oven,if yes,pls give me the settings.
thanx in advance...
bye,
vivbass.

 

Dear vivbass,
I have dried steaming idlis in MW - but find that the results are not uniform.
Of 10 idlis, atleast 2 come out uncooked in patches arond the centre. So I only heat, but do not make idlis in the M W.
Evn mini-idlis are slightly less successful.
Anybody who is uniformly successful, may please share their experience here.
Love,
Chithra.