Friday, January 23, 2009

Kanum Pongal 2009

I was all ready to post my Kanu spread, when I came down with severe bronchitis which had me out of action for a good many days. I had travelled from Hyderabad to Bangalore during Pongal and the change in the weather was perceptible. From a minimum temperature of 20deg. C., I was exposed to a maximum of 20 deg. with the night temperatures dipping to 12 deg. and 14 deg. I have never liked wearing a sweater so I braved it for the first 2 days, and then I had no other go but to wear real thick sweaters as I was shivering with cold. Well the worst is over and I am left with a hoarse throat and a generally rundown feeling. I hope I will be alright in a couple of days, in time to travel to Hyderabad.

This is the Kanu podi I offered for the crows.

The Kakkai Chatham or offering for the crow is done in different styles in different families. We make curds rice the previous evening by mixing the rice offered to Surya Bhagawan in the morning and curds. On Kanu day, we make 9 or 11 small balls of the rice and keep them on a piece of banana leaf and top them with a piece of raw turmeric, jaggery and coconut and offer to the crows with the verses, Kakkai podi vechen. Some people make few balls of curds rice, few balls of the previous day's Sarkkarai pongal and few balls of rice mixed with turmeric powder.

Later for the Lunch, we had Tomato rice, Pineapple rice, Thayir sadam, Thayir Pachadi, Vazhakkai Mezhukkuvaratti, Keerai Masiyal, Ambode, Sugiyan and Vadam and Karuvadam. I don't usually prepare such an elaborate spread.

I usually don't prepare such an elaborate spread. This time around, our handsome and charming son was with us on Kanu day after many many years and was leaving on tour on the very same day so I crowded the plate (leaf) with all the goodies I wanted to prepare during my Bangalore visit.

I did not make the ellupodi, however. I was too exhausted.

I shall post the recipes for all the above in due course.

8 comments:

Pushpa said...

Hello Ammupatti,

Hope you get well soon. I had left a comment for some reason it did not appear... Anyway hope u r fine by now and thanks for the comment on the kanum pongal,... nice to hear of some things... Have a speedy recovery.

Jen Kumar said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jen Kumar said...

Hi Ammupatti...sorry to hear you're not feeling. Get some rest and drink a lot of rasam :)

I really like this post and the photos too.. descriptive. Also, some of my friends in Chennai used to do the kakkai chatham daily, not so elaborately, though. It was simply putting first cooked rice out for the crows on the balcony. It's a nice tradition. Here we try to keep bread pieces for the squirrels!

I have linked this post to my pongal post here.
Thanks again!!

Janaki Gopikrishna said...

Hey Ammupatti,

I am recent reader of your blog. I tell you I enjoy your blogs thoroughly.
Kakkai podi vechen, Kanu podi vechen, Kakkaigal ka ellam kalyanam kalyanam.

You should have included that sentence to. Since my mother is away in Mumbai, I keep checking your blogs for iyer receipes for all religious functions.

In one of the blogs you should also cover Saddi Chapad items.

Ammupatti said...

Hi Pushpa

Thanks for your wishes.

Ammupatti said...

Hi Jennifer

Thanks. The daily offering of cooked rice to crows is different from the offering on Kanu day. The daily offering signifies offering of the cooked food to the departed souls.

Ammupatti said...

Hi Janaki

Welcome to my blog. I am glad you enjoy reading my post.

If you go through my earlier posts on Kanum pongal, you will find the verses, "Kakkai podi vechen". You can also find most of the Saddi menu covered in my earlier posts. Happy Searching

Jen Kumar said...

Ammupatti. I think I understand. The difference for Pongal is that the offering for Kanu Pongal is made from the previous day's offerings, rather than for the daily offering, fresh foods. For daily offering it is for departed souls- for Pongal does Kanu offering have a meaning?