Hello !! After a short break due to moving cities, I’ve finally found some time to start blogging again 🙂
Sri Rama Navami is a popular Hindu festival – the birthday of Sri Rama, one of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu. This day is considered auspicious and celebrated across hindu homes in India. Typically, South Indian Brahmin homes make certain set dishes on account of this festival. The menu includes two drinks called Panagam ( a jaggery based drink) , Neer Mor (spiced buttermilk) and Kosumari (a type of salad with soaked lentils). The drinks and the salad are meant to be light, improve your digestion, cool your system and quench your thirst as this festival occurs during the summer months in India where temperatures soar to unbearable heights.
Recipe – Panagam:

Ingredients:
- Jaggery – 1/2 cup
- Dry ginger powder – 1/2 tsp
- Cardamom, crushed – 3 cloves
- Black Peppercorns – 3-4
- Edible camphor (pachai karpooram) – a pinch
Directions:
- Dissolve the jaggery in water.
- Pound the cardamom and black peppercorns together to form a coarse powder.
- Add the dry ginger powder, cardamom and pepper powder and mix well.
- Add the edible camphor and mix well.
Recipe – Neer Mor:
Ingredients for Mor:
- Thick curd – 2 tsp
- Salt – 1/4 tsp
- Coriander finely chopped – 1 tsp
- Jeera powder – 1/2 tsp
- Finely chopped fresh ginger – 1/2 tsp
Tempering:
- Curry leaves – 3 to 4
- Hing – a pinch
- Black mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
- Finely chopped green chillies – 1
Directions:
- Whisk all the ingredients together by adding water until you get buttermilk consistency.
- Heat some oil and add all the tempering ingredients – mustard should splutter and curry leaves must crackle. Remove from heat.
- Allow to cool and add to the buttermilk and mix well.
Recipe – Kosumari:

Ingredients for Kosumari:
- Moong Dal – 1 tbsp
- Salt – 1/2 tsp
- Coriander finely chopped – 1 tsp
- Freshly scraped Coconut – 1/2 cup
- Fresh Grated Carrot – 1 cup
- Fresh Grated Raw Mango – 1/2 cup
- Fresh Grated Cucumber – 1/2 cup
- Lemon juice – 1 tsp
Tempering:
- Curry leaves – 3 to 4
- Hing – a pinch
- Black mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
- Finely chopped green chillies – 1
Directions:
- Wash, and soak the moong dal in water for an hour.
- Drain the water and set aside.
- Combine the moong dal, coconut scrapings, grated carrot, cucumber, mango, coriander, salt and lemon juice.After 5-10 mins, you can drain out the excess water if required.
- Heat some oil and add all the tempering ingredients – mustard should splutter and curry leaves must crackle. Remove from heat.
- Allow to cool and add to the salad and mix well. Adjust for salt if necessary.
Enjoy!!!! 🙂