Indian weddings...

Its a cushy feeling one has at the thought of a wedding.. I was recently at a wedding (Indian Hindu wedding) and even though the main event as such whizzed by before, we even gathered our thoughts and cherished the moment, the pre-preparations that went into preparing for the event were the key to the main event itself. Indian weddings are colorful to say the least.. Hindu weddings at that, have yards of silk draped by the women and men alike, with glittering jewels and the mild fragrance of flowers & perfume, with the smell of the holy pyre and the appetizing array of food and loud music- all this that makes for a wholesome event..

In my experience its more fun attending someones else's wedding than being the one getting married .. :) The intensity and the number of functions that the bride and groom have to partake in a Hindu ceremony, far outweigh the fun that can be had at the wedding... As a spectator you actually get to enjoy the music , food and the chitchats which is a far cry for the bride and groom :)

A typical south Indian Iyer wedding is chartered for a minimum of 2 days . The pre events to those two days can last anywhere between 2-4 more days.. Those pre-events include the sumangali prarthna, samaradhanai and in some case mav villku for the family deity and Ganesh pooja (at home) before leaving for the wedding venue. Now that the fun aspect of other cultures is fast being adopted by most families, mehandi ceremony is one such sought after function by the young and old (women).

On the morning before the actual wedding day after oil bath, the bride and groom perform specific functions with their respective families. The girls family/parents perform the naming ceremony of the bride, while simultaneously the grooms family does the Viradam where they tie a yellow thread signifying the start of a function and as a rule, the groom and his parents are not to step outside the venue until the wedding is done. (the same is the case with the bride and her family). That evening is the nishchayadartham /engagement ceremony. Often times this is also doubled up as the reception.

The morning of the wedding starts with a whole array of ceremonies that are to be performed by the groom. Personally I feel the bride (until the thaali- which is when the man takes the woman to be his lawfully wedded wife) is a model walking up and down the dais , changing from one attire (given to her during the functions) into another , until the thaali ceremony.

We fast forward to the ceremony after Thaali when both the bride and groom perfom the agni homam together as a couple for the first time and also take their first steps (7 pheras) around the homa kundalam while being blessed by the elders.

After all the functions including gruhapravesham of the bride, and lunch the families settle down to Vilayaadal (games) where the bride and groom settle down for a few of the traditional games that include breaking papads on each other, finding the ring in the murky (with milk) water and rolling the coconut.

After the games married women from both the families empty out the danyam in a bucket filled with water (a sign of prosperity for the newly weds) and dance around it (gummi adikarthu which is more or less like dandhiya) to signify the start of happiness in the lives of the newly weds.

Then with Kattu saadam or pre packaged meal for the wedding party the bride is blessed and sent away with her new husband to his house to start their life as a couple.

These concepts and functions have a meaning deeper than what is understood by the not so traditional at heart and young couple . Unfortunately due to shrinking budgets, knowledge and interests, most people opt out of the ceremonial parts of the wedding function and the emphasis is on wasted opulence . I for one cherish the memories these ceremonies create and hope there are more to look forward to in the future.

Soups

On a cold winter day nothing works better than some hot soup.. Its always been my family tradition to have soup especially on Sundays during winter months. My mom would whip up some really awesome tomato soup that we would slurrrrp down..

I love making different types of soups myself.. and here are some of my very own recipes :)

Tomato Soup

Ingredients :

1 small Red Onion cut (maximum 3 tablespoons) , Beef stake Tomatoes 6-8 approx, Light Cream 1/2 cup, Salt to taste, whole Peppercorn 1-2 tablespoons (crushed with a mortar), Ginger Garlic paste 1/4 tsp, Cumin powder 1/2 tsp , Garam masala 1/4 teaspoon, Butter 1 tablespoon.

Method :

Wash and Boil whole Tomatoes in a big vessel until the skin starts peeling off. Peel the tomato skin and set it aside. In a saute pan heat the butter and add Ginger garlic paste with crushed peppercorns , cumin powder and Garam masala add onions and saute them till they are transparent add the peeled tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from gas and let it cool a bit . Grind it all to paste and transfer back onto soup pan with approx. 5 cups of water (it should be thick tomato juice consistency) Add salt and let it boil. When the quantity starts reducing add the light cream and boil. Serve hot with bread crumbs and ground pepper garnishing.

Mixed Vegetable Soup

Ingredients :

1 medium or large Red Onion cut , 2 medium Tomatoes ,1 big Potato 1 cup mixed Zucchini & Squash,1 big Carrot, few String Beans, Corn kernels, Celery stick , Salt to taste, whole Peppercorn 1-2 tablespoons (crushed with a mortar), Ginger Garlic paste 1/4 tsp, Cumin powder 1/2 tsp , Garam masala 1/4 teaspoon, Butter 1 tablespoon, cooked (2 tablespoon each)Chickpeas, Green lentil, Blackbean and Blackeyed peas, a pinch of Chives, Basil Leaves & Oregano, 1 teaspoon Tamarind paste, Tippali 2-3 (ground into a powder)

Method :

Cut all the vegetables into pea size pieces. In a big saucepan heat the butter and add Ginger garlic paste with crushed peppercorns , cumin powder, Tippali powder and Garam masala add onions and saute them until they are transparent. Add cut celery sticks and saute with onions. Add the tomatoes and saute for a minute. Add the remaining vegetables and saute them while adding 4 cups of water to this vegetable mixture . Add salt and Tamarind paste let it boil. When the vegetables are cooked (check by mushing the potatoes and carrots) add the cooked lentils, Chives, Basil Leaves and Oregano and let it boil until the raw smell goes off. Turn the gas into simmer and drain out a couple of ladles of vegetables and lentil mixture into a blender and pulverize while the rest of it simmers.. Transfer the contents of the blender back into the simmering vegetable mixture, with approx. 1-2 more cups of water and let it boil. When the quantity starts reducing add a teaspoon of butter. Serve hot with bread crumbs.

Creamy Pea Soup

Ingredients : 

Frozen & thawed green peas (2 cups) , Mozzarella cheese, Black Pepper 1 tsp.

Method :

In a saucepan boil green peas in 3-4 cups of water. In a blender add the Mozzarella cheese and top it with the hot boiled peas and Black pepper. Blend until its smooth flowing mixture. Serve Hot.

Asparagus Soup

Ingredients :

1 small Red Onion cut (maximum 3 tablespoons) , 1 celery stick , Asparagus bunch, Light Cream 1 cup, Salt to taste, whole Peppercorn 1-2 tablespoons (crushed with a mortar), Ginger Garlic paste 1/4 tsp, Cumin powder 1/2 tsp , Garam masala 1/4 teaspoon, Butter 1 tablespoon, a handful of cut(the same size as peas) boiled carrot, corn and peas mixture.

Method :

Wash the Asparagus and set aside. In a sauce pan heat the butter and add Ginger garlic paste with crushed peppercorns , cumin powder and Garam masala add onions and celery stick and saute them until they are transparent add the asparagus and saute till its cooked. Remove from gas and let it cool a bit . Grind it all to paste and transfer back onto soup pan with approx. 4 cups of water (it should be thick tomato juice consistency) Add salt and let it boil. When the quantity starts reducing add the boiled carrots corn and peas mixture and simmer for 5 minutes add the light cream and boil. Serve hot with bread crumbs and ground pepper garnishing. Ps: You can also garnish it with a few sautéed Asparagus pieces.

Devasam

So finally I decided to get moving and writing up my thoughts and experiences onto this blog.. As I sit down to write this , the thought foremost in my mind is the devasam / remembrance date for the departed souls in our families.

It is customary for Tamil Brahmans to observe this date on the hindu calendar according to the death anniversary of the departed soul every year . It gets to be especially difficult to observe if you live far from your homeland.. This year we decided to observe this at the temple.. so 80% of the work was "outsourced" (interesting term in todays world :) ) to the temple authorities ..

Usually every year we perform the said function at home which entails the following .. the previous day
1.shopping for all the necessary groceries (after all everything revolves around food ..!!) including banana leaves to serve food on (as against the plates)
2.cleaning the items that are required for the ceremony including the panchpatiram (tumbler) and udrini (spoon), 2/3 tambalams (big brass /copper plates), 4/5 katoris (Brass or copper cups )
3.cleaning the venue of the devasam and the kitchen .
4.making the homam kundam ready
5. washing and drying the dhoti and 9yds sari blouse etc. for madi

The next morning i.e. on the day of the shraddham , after a head shower the first person to take the shower usually removes the madi clothes from the dryer/ clothesline while donning wet clothes himself/herself. They then change into the dry madi clothes.. and then part of their duty is to provides the others who shower with their respective madi clothes so they dont have to don the wet clothes. The men wear panchakacham while the women wear 9 yds in the traditional Iyer/ Iyengar style. The ladies of the house then get busy cutting vegetables and cooking for the devasam as per their family practice. Onions and/ or garlic are not used in the devasam cooking.

In our family we have a wide array of items that are cooked. Once my cooking is over I generally wait for the priest to direct me as to how and when to serve the food..

I always thought that the devasam procedure is pretty much the same irrespective of which ever vedam u follow (sama/ yajur/ rig /atharva vedam) but it turns out there are slight variations . For non believers I always say, since you r doing it for your loved ones that are no more.. either do it or go ahead and remember the departed souls by feeding some needy people on this day. As busy as life is these days, we never stop to think even for a minute about those that are the reason for our very existence. Am glad there is a day that forces us to stop and remember them even if thats just once a year..!!