My girls always used to wonder what the significance of their father's middle name is, given that it wasn't part of the family name and such... so the story began with how their grandfather was a bhakt (devotee) of Lord Shiva, and gave each of his children a middle name that is one of the many names of one of the three main Gods of the Hindu religion - the Hindu trinity that includes Brahma (the Creator), Vishnu (the Preserver or the Protector) and Shiva (the Destroyer).
And therefore the significance of Mahashivratri, a festival celebrated annually in honor of Lord Shiva. Unlike most Indian festivals, this festival is primarily celebrated through the night, and devotees offer their prayers through a night of chanting, meditation and fasting.
And a typical vrat-friendly (fast) preparation is the Sabudana Khichadi, which is what I'll share with you and the girls in a minute. But before that, I wanted to share with them the story behind the concept of fasting... apparently, the good guys (the Gods) and the bad guys (the demons) were always at loggerheads with each other. However, there was this one time that they decided to team up, which was when Vishnu suggested they churn the Ocean of Milk together to create amrit, the nectar of immortality: I guess they were incentivized! They used the serpent king that sits coiled around Shiva's neck, as a rope to help do the churning, and the serpent spewed poison (surprise!)... in order to save the Gods and the demons from the poison, Shiva drank up the poison, but worried that the poison may cause him pain, his wife Parvati, held his throat for a full day and night to prevent the poison from spreading through his body. Since Parvati fasted the entire day and night at this time, it has since become a tradition to fast and stay awake all night during the festival of Mahashivratri!!
And now, for the Sabudana Khichadi :):
What you'll need:
2 cups sabudana (tapioca), soaked overnight or for at least 6-7 hours
1/2 cup peanut pd (you can roast peanuts, and then grind in a blender to a coarse powder); 2 tsp salt; 1 tblsp sugar
2 tblsp ghee (clarified butter); 1 tsp cumin seeds; 2 green chillies, finely chopped; 1/2 tsp red chilli pd; 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish
Rinse the sabudana with water a few times, until the water is clear... then add water to the bowl until the sabudana is just about covered with water, and let this soak overnight. take the peanuts and dry roast them in a pan, until these are browned (if you have roasted peanuts, you can skip this step!) - you want to grind the peanuts to a coarse powder. When the sabudana is ready, drain the water, and mix in the peanut powder, along with the salt and sugar, so the ingredients are blended together.
Next, you want to heat up the ghee, add in the cumin seeds, and once they start crackling, add in the green chillies, red chilli pd and the potatoes, and mix well so that the spices coat the potatoes nicely! Cover the pan, and cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes, to semi-roast the potatoes. Then, fold this into the sabudana mixture, and arrange in a vessel you can use to steam in, under pressure. Cover the vessel with aluminium foil, and steam for about 15 minutes. Remove the foil, mix in the chopped cilantro and chomp/serve right away... I usually make a meal of this wholesome, scrumptious delight, and make it whenever I feel like a quick, easy, comfort-food like meal... and its comfort food for sure!
Comments