Here is a festive special lunch menu that we prepare for Garuda Panchami with all the delicacies, including payasam, vadai, chigali, and akki tambittu.
Disclaimer – Like the postpartum diet, every family has their own set of the lunch menu for these festivals. I am sharing what we do in our household. Also, depending upon the time situation, especially if it falls on weekdays, I try to modify the menu and plan them. Even in this one, I have skipped kozhukattai. :-)
Our habbada menu & what I do-
“Habba” is a kannada word meaning festival. And in our family, we celebrate Aadi Amavasya, Garuda Panchami, Mangala Gowri, Varamahalakshmi vratham, Gowri habba Vinayaka Chaturthi. Of course, Avani avittam is also there. In our family, we don’t follow Naga Chaturthi.
And for all these festivals, we need to make the below dishes and the other dishes like sambar/rasam/curry/gravy all without onion and garlic.
- Kozhukattai | Sihi kadubu | Sweet modak
- Chigali | Sesame seeds laddu
- Akki tambittu | Rice flour laddu
- Raw rice idli
- Kheer | Payasam
- Vadai
- Kosambari
- Pachadi | Ratia
My mom and my MIL make this thali effortlessly; I struggle especially on weekdays as I need to prepare and pack the lunch before 8 AM. So I tend to skip a few like kozhukattai and vadai mostly. The point is, I don’t strictly follow the menu. :-)
I usually make the chigali and tambittu the day before, and it makes it easy. I also make a variety-rice or bisi bele baath on these festive days as I can pack them for our lunch.
But today for this thali, I made an elaborate meal but skipped kozhukattai as I mentioned before.
Garuda Panchami & why we celebrate-
The ashada or the aadi month is full of festivals, and we celebrate the Garuda Panchami on the Panchami tithi (day) that falls after aadi Amavasya.
There is a small story behind this, and we recite this story as a part of the pooja. Here is the gist of the story.
There was a family with seven brothers and one sister. The brothers were farmers, and the sister used to take them food every day. One fine day, she makes some gruel and keeps the pot open. At the same time, an eagle catches a snake and flies in the sky. The snake omits some poison, and it falls in the gruel pot.
The sister, without realizing, carries them and serves the gruel to her brothers. Upon drinking, they become unconscious, and the sister panics and cries. At that time, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi appears and asks her to do the Naga pooja. She duly does, and she drizzles the milk that she used for abishekam and neivediyam on her brothers. They regain their consciousness and come back to life.
For the sake of our brothers well being, we do this pooja every year and worship Nagar (Naga gods).
In some version of the stories, they say six brothers and one sister, and in some version, they say seven brothers and one sister. We also make a small rice flour bowl and seven small balls, signifying the brothers and sisters.
Rice bowl with dumplings-
- I take 1/4 cup of store-bought rice flour and add a pinch of salt and oil. Add little water and form a dough.
- Then I make seven small balls like below.
- I grease a bowl with oil and use the remaining dough and shape it like a bowl by pressing the dough along the bowl edges.
- Now place the seven balls inside, and I steam it along with the idli.
Garuda Panchami Lunch Menu
Except for the raw rice idli (I will be posting it soon) and akki tambittu (coming as part of another thali), you can find all the other recipe links below.
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Good to read about the traditions and procedure you follow. Never know about this festival and thali looks so inviting with each dish complementing each other
Thank you.
Wow, that is a quite an elaborative and impressive spread Srividhya. Planning such a big thali requires a lot of time and planning at the same time. Love the thali.
Thanks a lot. :-)
It’s very interesting to read about the festival and your culture . We all have some such stories behind these festivals . Even though we do not follow any such festivals , I like to read about them .
The thali looks very festive and each and every dish looks delicious . I am loving those ladoos , as I am very fond of sesame ladoos .
Excellent thali , very well plated , executed and explained ! ?
Thank you so much, Vaishali.
Quite an impressive spread Vidhya! It was interesting to read the story behind the festival, I haven’t heard it before.
Thanks a lot Rajani
Oh, that’s a fantastic story behind. I have never really read about these festivals and don’t even follow them except the big ones and even those I normally do what’s convenient to me..heheh..Our culture is so full of different stories and reasons..its always nice to know and observe…its good to know that this is observed for the brother’s wellbeing..your thali looks so well done and planned Srividhya…good efforts
So true about the cultures and stories. Thanks a lot Valli.
It seems like a blend of festivals from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and you end up with more festivals to celebrate. :) I too had no idea such an elaborate spread is cooked for Garuda Panchami and I am surprised that you manage to cook a festive meal before leaving to work, how simple it might be. BTW, the meal looks so festive that can be served for any celebration.
Oh yeah… We follow all the rituals and celebrations. :-)
Very interesting and delicious spread, Srividhya. My mom celebrates Garuda panchami but I don’t remember ever my mom making an elaborate food. Shall have to check with her.
Oh ok. Some times I keep it simple with kheer, sesame seeds ladoo, and rice flour ones alone too.