01
Nolambu Salt Adai
Rare
Nolambu Salt Adai - a savoury rice flour cake, the salt counterpart to the sweet version made for Nolambu.
Roasted rice flour cooked with green chilli, ginger, coconut and curry leaves, shaped into small adais and steamed.
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AMMAMMA'S NOTES.
Rice flour
1 cup
Oil
4 spoons
Green chilly
3-4, cut
Ginger
small piece
Coconut
1/4 cup
Mustard
1 spoon
Urad dal
1 spoon
Curry leaves
as needed
Asafoetida
1/4 tsp
Salt
to taste
Cowpea
4 tbsp
01
Dry-roast the rice flour in a pan until light brown, then remove from heat.
02
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard, urad dal, asafoetida, cut green chilly, ginger, curry leaves and coconut; stir for 2 minutes.
03
Add 2 cups of water and salt, and bring to a boil.
04
Add the roasted rice flour and stir until thick, then remove from heat and let cool.
05
Grease hands with oil, shape small portions flat, and steam in an idli cooker for 10 minutes without weight.
Nolambu Sweet Adai
Roasted rice flour cooked with jaggery, karamani, elaichi and ghee, shaped into small adais and steamed.
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Nolambu Adai
Adai made specifically for Nolambu, a Tamil festival observed by married women
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ONLY MADE ON NOLAMBU DAY (I DONT KNOW WHAT ITS ACTUALLY CALLED) — I LOVE THIS PREPARATION BUT FORGET ITS NAME ALMOST EVERY YEAR WITHOUT FAIL. SAVITRI MADE THIS ADAI IN THE FOREST AS AN OFFERING TO YAMA WITH ANY AND ALL INGREDIENTS AVAILABLE IN EXCHANGE FOR SAVING HIS LIFE. BEFORE THE FESTIVAL, AND BEFORE I DEVOURED IT, THATHA WOULD TELL ME THE STORY BEHIND IT AND CRACK THE SAME JOKE, AND I'D LAUGH THE SAME WAY EVERY TIME — IT WAS WONDERFUL. THATHA'S VERSION SAYS THAT YAMA LEFT SAVITRI'S HUSBAND BECAUSE THE ADAI WAS SO DISGUSTING, NOT BECAUSE IT WAS AN OFFERING.
YAMINI VENKATESAN
WHAT'S FOR LUNCH, 2026