MASTERCHEFMOM: Deepavali Marundu | Deepavali Legiyam Recipe

Thursday, October 12, 2017

Deepavali Marundu | Deepavali Legiyam Recipe

Hi Supermoms,

'Deepavali', the biggest Indian Festival means 'Light of the Lamps'. Deepavali or Diwali means indulging in loads of sweets and snacks. No Indian Festival is complete without delicious food and Diwali is the most indulgent of all.

Though many know of the sweets and snacks that are popularly served during this festival, not many are aware of the ' Deepavali Marundu' that literally translates to ' Diwali Medicine'. It is also known as 'legiyam'.

You might be intrigued by this name and why I would be sharing a medicine recipe. Well, there is a lot of memories associated with this ' Deepavali Marundu'.

It is a tradition in our family to eat a very small spoonful of this legiyam on empty stomach on the early morning of Deepavali ( we used to get up at 4 am to get ready😁😁). The marundhu /legiyam has a mix of sweet and spicy taste and helps in digesting all the rich food that we would be indulging in.

So , our celebration always starts with this dish. So glad that this year, I am starting my Deepavali/ Diwali recipes with this one. Though , each home has it's own recipe of making the marunthu , I am sharing my family recipe with you all.

This Legiyam also helps women gain strength and heals them internally after their delivery/post partum. In simple words, this is a dish with so many medicinal properties that helps heal our body .

Recipe Courtesy - Mrs. Prema

Deepavali Marundu | Deepavali Legiyam Recipe

Preparation time : 30 minutes

Cooking time : 30 minutes

Serves : 15

1 cup = 250 ml cup

Storage : Stays good upto 3 months when stored in a clean, dry, odour free container .

Important Note : If you do not get all the ingredients, you can still make this using the ingredients that you have at home.

Ingredients :

To roast and grind :

3 teaspoons coriander seeds/dhaniya

1 teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon carom seeds/ajwain

1 teaspoon poppy seeds/khus khus

1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder

5 pieces Arisi Thipili /Pipli ( long pepper)

1" Licorice/ adimadhuram/mulethi

1" cinnamon stick/dal chini

1 " dry ginger ( coarsely crushed)

10 cloves / laung

1-2 mace/ jaathipatri

1 nutmeg ( crush coarsely)

Other Ingredients :

5-6 dates ( de-seeded)

10-12 raisins

300 gm Jaggery OR 2 cups Jaggery ( powdered)

1/4 cup ghee/clarified butter

3 teaspoons honey

Method :

1. Soak the dates and raisins in water for 30 minutes.

Chef tip : You can also soak coriander seeds and cumin seeds in water and grind instead of roasting and grinding. They taste great both ways.

2. Heat a wide pan/kadai and dry roast the ingredients given under ' To roast and grind' till they are fragrant .

3. Transfer the roasted ingredients into the jar of a mixer , grind into a fine powder .

4. Add raisins and dates into the mixer along with the ground mixture .

5. Add 1/2 cup water ( adjust) and grind the mixture to a smooth paste and set it aside.

6. In a heavy bottom pan , add the grated jaggery and 1/2 cup of water.

7. Place the pan over medium heat and keep stirring so that the jaggery melts and starts to boil.

Note : Once the jaggery melts, you can filter it for any impurities and transfer it back to the pan.

8. The jaggery has to boil and come to a pulpy consistency ( we call it 'Thakkali padam' ) .

Chef tip : To check for right consistency, keep a small bowl of water near the gas stove. Take a drop of jaggery syrup and drop it into the bowl. If you are able to separate the jaggaery and make a loose ball out of it, then your jaggery is ready .

9. Now add the ground mixture and keep stirring till the mixture thickens.