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    Home » Sweets » Thiruvathirai Kali

    Thiruvathirai Kali

    Posted on September 16, 2020 · Last Updated on September 15, 2020 · By Srividhya G · 15 Comments

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    thiruvathirai kali in a tray and donnai with text overlay for pinterest

    Thiruvathirai Kali – a traditional sweet prepared with rice, moong dal, and jaggery on the auspicious Thiruvathirai day!

    Check out how to make this delicious kali in the stove-top pressure cooker with detailed step-wise pictures.

    sweet pudding for thiruvathirai served in leaf bowl and tray

    I have been posting some festive lunch menus without any onion and garlic. You can find Amavasya special lunch, Aadi Perukku lunch, and Garuda Panchami lunch on my thali collection. Before posting the Thiruvathirai special thali, I wanted to share this traditional sweet – kali.

    I have explained in detail about the Thiruvathirai function and why we make this sweet and sambar, the popular combo kali and kootu on this day in my Thiruvadirai sambar post. Please do check it out.

    Now coming back to this Thiruvathirai kali, it is a distant cousin of sakkarai pongal. For this kali recipe, we roast both the rice and moong dal and also coarsely grind them. We don’t use milk as well. 

    It’s hard to interpret these traditional Indian dishes in English. The kali is more like a thick pudding, but if you grind the rice and dal nicely, it will be more like halwa. Again halwa is translated as pudding. :-) 

    Anyways, for this kali, we always grind the roasted rice and dal coarsely. 

    thiruvathirai kali with roasted coconut and nuts on top served in a traditional leaf bowl

    The Thiruvathirai kali preparation is very straightforward-

    ✔  We first roast the rice and moong dal separately. Let it cool and grind them together coarsely.

    ✔ Then in the pressure pan/cooker, melt the jaggery and add the ground mixture and flavorings. 

    ✔ Pressure cook it and finally add some nuts and coconut roasted in ghee.

    Before getting into the recipe, let me share some jaggery-based sweets from my archives.

    South Indian Jaggery Based Desserts-

    • Vella sadam | Jaggery rice
    • Sweet pongal | Sakkarai pongal
    • Vella aval | Sweet poha
    • Moong dal kheer
    • Deepavali ukkarai
    • Instant Pot Hayagreeva 

    Now let’s see how to make this Thiruvathirai Kali-

    How to make Thiruvathirai kali in the pressure cooker-

    • Heat 1 tsp of ghee in a pressure pan or a kadai. When the ghee melts, first roast the rice till it turns light golden brown and bulges. Take it from the pan and set it aside.
    • In the same pan, add ½ tsp of ghee and add the moong dal and roast for a minute or two over medium-low or until you smell the aroma and it slightly changes color. 
    roasted rice and lentils
    • Allow it cool down and pulse it coarsely.
    ground lentils and rice
    • Now add 3 cups of water to the pressure cooker or pan and 1.5 cups of powdered jaggery. Allow the jaggery to dissolve.
    thiruvathirai kali step set
    • Add the cardamom powder and mix well.
    • Next, add the ground rice and dal mixture. Mix it and make sure there aren’t any lumps. 
    • Close the pressure cooker and pressure cook for three whistles. Let the pressure subside naturally. Then open the cooker and mix the kali. The kali will thicken as it cools down.
    • Meanwhile, heat a small pan and add the remaining 1.5 tsps of ghee. When the ghee is hot, add nuts of your choice and 2 tbsps of grated coconut. Roast until the coconut turns light brown.
    roasting the coconut and nuts
    • Add this mixture to the kali and serve warm.

    Recipe Notes-

    • Adjust the jaggery amount as per your taste. We like it sweet, I have added 1.5 cups of jaggery.
    • I used powdered jaggery, and it did not have any impurities. If you feel your jaggery has impurities, please strain it as soon as it dissolves.
    • Along with cardamom powder, you can add nutmeg powder or edible camphor. You can find the homemade cardamom powder recipe on my YouTube Channel.
    • Instead of grated coconut, you can use finely chopped coconut as well. And use nuts of your choice. I went with slivered almonds.
    • You can add up to 2 tbsps of ghee for this measure. But I went with approx 1 tbsp.
    • I highly recommend raw rice for this recipe. 
    thiruvathirai kali served in donnai - hand holding shot

    PS: Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more gardening and recipe updates. If you try this Thiruvathirai kali, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will get to it asap.  Make sure to follow me on my Pinterest for more healthy and delicious ideas!

    kali served in traditional serveware and donnai
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    5 from 4 votes

    Thiruvathirai Kali

    Thiruvathirai Kali – a traditional sweet prepared with rice, moong dal, and jaggery on the auspicious Thiruvathirai day!
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time40 mins
    Total Time45 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Tamil Nadu
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 343kcal
    Author: Srividhya G

    Equipment

    • Pressure Cooker
    • Saucepan or kadai

    Ingredients

    Measurement Details: 1 cup=240ml; 1 tbsp=15ml;1tsp=5ml;

    • 3 tsp ghee divided
    • ¾ cup raw rice I used sona masoori variety
    • ¼ cup moong dal
    • 1.5 cup jaggery powdered
    • 3 cups of water
    • ½ tsp cardamom powder
    • 1 tbsp slivered almonds
    • 2 tbsp coconut grated

    Instructions

    • Heat 1 tsp of ghee in a pressure pan or a kadai. When the ghee melts, first roast the rice till it turns light golden brown and bulges. Take it from the pan and set it aside.
    • In the same pan, add ½ tsp of ghee and add the moong dal and roast for a minute or two over medium-low or until the aroma comes and slightly changes color.
    • Allow it cool down and pulse it coarsely.
    • Now add 3 cups of water to the pressure cooker or pan and 1.5 cups of powdered jaggery. Allow the jaggery to dissolve.
    • Add the cardamom powder and mix well.
    • Next, add the ground rice and dal mixture. Mix it and make sure there aren’t any lumps.
    • Close the pressure cooker and pressure cook for three whistles. Let the pressure subside naturally. Then open the cooker and mix the kali. The kali will thicken as it cools down.
    • Meanwhile, heat a small pan and add the remaining 1.5 tsps of ghee. When the ghee is hot, add nuts of your choice and 2 tbsps of grated coconut. Roast until the coconut turns light brown. Add this mixture to the kali and serve warm.

    Notes

    • Adjust the jaggery amount as per your taste. We like it sweet, I have added 1.5 cups of jaggery.
    • I used powdered jaggery, and it did not have any impurities. If you feel your jaggery has impurities, please strain it as soon as it dissolves.
    • Along with cardamom powder, you can add nutmeg powder or edible camphor. You can find the homemade cardamom powder recipe on my YouTube Channel.
    • Instead of grated coconut, you can use finely chopped coconut as well. And use nuts of your choice. I went with slivered almonds.
    • You can add up to 2 tbsps of ghee for this measure. But I went with approx 1 tbsp.
      I highly recommend raw rice for this recipe.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 343kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 75mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 51g | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg

    I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @vidhyasvegetariankitchen or tag #vidhyasvegkitchen
    For Video RecipesCheck out My YouTube Channel

    Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#116

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    Filed Under: Sweets Tagged With: Blogging Marathon

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ravi says

      December 30, 2020 at 5:55 am

      5 stars
      Thank you very much Vidhya for the recipe. I made it today and was able to offer the prasadham to Lord Shiva – the divinity who resides in each one of us and we need to realize it.
      I just had one question. Would you be able to clarify whether you washed the rice and daal before roasting them in ghee or should I have washed it the previous night and let them dry overnight?

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        December 31, 2020 at 8:49 pm

        Thanks a lot and glad to hear your feedback. And regarding washing rice, no I didn’t wash the rice. Just used both dal and rice without washing.

        Reply
        • Ravi says

          January 01, 2021 at 5:57 am

          Thank you Vidhya for the reply.

          Reply
    2. Renu says

      October 14, 2020 at 5:01 am

      5 stars
      This is something new and interesting. Never combined rice in a halwa or a sweet based dish like this. I love the texture of this, yummy and delicious.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        October 14, 2020 at 10:35 am

        It’s more like pongal but slightly different as we pulse the rice as well.

        Reply
    3. Harini Rupanagudi says

      September 17, 2020 at 4:48 pm

      5 stars
      What an interesting and traditional dish this is. As you said it sounds like a distant cousin of sakkarai pongal. But the use of jaggery changes the texture and taste of the sweet. Shall try it out sometime.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        September 18, 2020 at 8:05 pm

        Please do try. I am sure you will like it.

        Reply
    4. NARMADHA says

      September 17, 2020 at 4:12 am

      5 stars
      Kali looks so divine and delicious. Its been on my to do list for long time. now I have your autentic recipe to try.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        September 17, 2020 at 1:02 pm

        Thank you. I hope you like it. :-)

        Reply
    5. Srivalli Jetti says

      September 16, 2020 at 8:16 pm

      I have made this kali with just urad dal and loved it to the core…this is an excellent one..

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        September 16, 2020 at 8:25 pm

        Yeah ulutham kali is really good as well. :-)

        Reply
    6. Suma Gandlur says

      September 16, 2020 at 8:01 pm

      I understand that this must be a classic dish and sounds very yummy. I will give this a try some time later. Bookmarking it.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        September 16, 2020 at 8:12 pm

        Thanks Suma. I am sure you will like it.

        Reply
    7. Vaishali says

      September 16, 2020 at 10:16 am

      The Kali is an interesting recipe , I have never heard about this . I have a book on South Indian festival dishes , which needs to be pulled out !

      The sweet sound interesting , and a perfect one for ghe festival .

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        September 16, 2020 at 8:27 pm

        Yup. It’s very nice. Do try it when you get a chance. Thanks

        Reply

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