Thiruvathirai Kali Recipe

Recipe

The sweet Kali is prepared during the holy month of Margazhi as called in Tamil or Margashirsha in Hindi. This falls around the months of November - December and Kali is made as an offering or Prasad to Lord Shiva or Nataraja. This treat tastes absolutely divine. 

Download Thiruvathirai Kali Recipe PDF

Ingredients:

Raw Rice - 1 Cup

Jaggery - 1.5 Cup

Split Green gram/Yellow Moong Dal - 2 tbsp (1/8 Cup)

Clarified Butter/ Ghee - 3 tbsp

Grated Coconut - 1/4 Cup

Cashew nuts/ Kaju - 8-10 Pieces

Water - 3 Cups

Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 3 pieces (Crushed)

Method of Preparation:

• Heat a pan and add in the split Green gram or Moong Dal. Roast it until it turns brown. Make sure to keep it on a low flame and roast. Keep it aside once done.
• Now it is the turn of the rice. Add in the rice to the heated pan and roast this as well on a very low flame until the rice turns golden brown/ reddish brown. It should not turn black. Stop the flame just before this stage. This will give a nice aroma or flavor to the Kali that we are going to make. 
• After cooling down, take both the roasted ingredients into a mixer jar and grind it to a powder. The consistency of the powder should be slightly coarse i.e not to smooth and not too coarse. Even if you grind the powder too smooth there will be no issue in taste, but it will have halwa like consistency which may not be the desired outcome.
• Now heat water in a pan, and allow it to boil. Add jaggery to the water and wait for it to completely dissolve. There is no need to make a syrup of any consistency just allowing it to dissolve should be fine.
• Once the jaggery is dissolved add the grated coconut to it and mix it. Add one tablespoon of ghee or clarified butter now. This Ghee will help to dissolve the lumps once the flour is added.
• Now it is time to add the flour that was ground. Add the flour and switch off the flame and mix it, which helps to mix it well. Once mixed, again switch on the flame and for two minutes keep stirring it and then transfer it to a small pan and put this pan inside a pressure cooker/ pan. Close it with a lid and then give it four to five whistles time.  Make sure you put a lid on the small pan before closing the pressure cooker to avoid it from burning.
  
  
  
  
  
• The Kali is now almost done. Now heat a pan and add 1 tbsp Ghee to it and when it becomes hot add in the cashew nuts and roast until golden brown and add in these cashew nuts to the Kali. Add crushed Green Cardamom or Elaichi to it and give it a good mix and Kali is done.
  
  

  An interesting fact about Thiruvathirai Kali, a traditional sweet dish from Tamil Nadu, is that it is intricately tied to the festival of Arudra Darshanam, which celebrates the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva (Nataraja). The dish is prepared as an offering during this festival and is symbolic of harmony, with its main ingredients—rice, jaggery, and lentils—representing balance and simplicity.

  Another unique aspect is that Thiruvathirai Kali is always paired with Ezhukari Kootu, a savory mixed vegetable stew. This combination represents the duality of life—sweet and savory, joy and challenges—emphasizing the importance of balance in one's spiritual and worldly journey.