Ekadashi Farali Bhat – A to Z Maharashtrian Sweets
It is interesting how you come about a dish. Especially when you least expect it to happen. While my list was almost filled up, there were a handful of alphabets that seem so tough to crack. E was one of them and I was literally breaking my head (just for dramatics)
Apart from scanning whole of the net, I was pestering my Maharatrian BM buddies as well. In the process, I pinged
Varada. I told her I need help with E and she said there may not be much choice for E, and suggested I could do Ekadashi something.
Well, that was all the lead I needed. Until then I never realized there are so many Vrat Ki Khanna. I knew it was a very important aspect of our religious cooking. Since I never fast and also the fasting rules in our place is different, I never really looked into it.
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| Ekadashi Farali Bhat |
Though we had our paternal grandparents living with us for major years of my growing, there were not much of these religious outlooks on the younger generation. We believe one can be pious and not overly religious in our habits. So Amma was the only one who fasted and she never forced it on us.
Fasting in our home during pooja time would be either to skip the meal, as she will be busy cooking or else only have a light tiffin for dinner on certain days. So the concept of cooking Fasting or Farali dishes is uncommon to us. I updated myself to know that “farali”refers to fasting.
So when Varada said Ekadashi, then so many things came up. However, I had to pick up a sweet right. So I landed in
this site and happy to see so many special Ekadasi dishes and a sweet dish as well. I had no other thought other than doing it for E.
Ekadashi Farali Bhat is a sweet made with moriyo or Little Millet. Though I am familiar with little Millet and have got it for Athamma, I personally never cooked it or tasted it. I have eaten Foxtail Millet or Korralu.
The Little Millet in known in Gujarati Samo / Moriyo / Gajro / kuri, in Marathi Sava, Halvi, vari, “Bhagar’ or “Vari cha Tandul”, in Hindi it is called “Mordhan” or “Sava ka chawal” / Moraiyo, Kutki, Shavan. In Bengali, it is called as Sama. In Tamil, it is called Samai. In Telugu, it is called as Samalu. In Oriya, it is called as Suan.
These millets are prepared mostly as Khichadis and consumed mainly during festival fasting days. So finding a sweet dish was my luck.
Ekadashi Special Farali Bhat
Ingredients Needed:
Sava chaval/ Moriyo/ Samo seeds / Little Millet – 1/2 cup
Coconut (Fresh/Dry) – 1/2 cup, I used fresh coconut
Milk – 4 cups (4 times your dry mixture)
Sugar – 3/4 cup (or as per your taste)
Ghee – 1/2 teaspoon, to roast coconut and moriyo
Cardamom powder
Clove – optional
Chopped and roasted Almonds, Pista and Cashew as per taste
Saffron few strands
How to make the Bhat
In a nonstick pan, heat ghee and roast coconut and samai for 4 to 5 mins.
Then add milk, stir and then add sugar. Cover and let it cook for 10 mins, in interval keep stirring.
After about 10 mins when the pudding starts to thicken, turn off the heat.
Add Cardamom powder. If you are using Cloves, roast it with coconut and moriyo. For color, you can add saffron.
Garnish with dry fruits.
22 comments
Sama rice bhat looks so saatvik.My mom makes kheer and khichdi of it during fasting.Even I was introduced with the term Farali few years back.
I never noticed special food prepared for fasting though I have read on non south Indian blogs about vrat ki khana. Sweet looks so good.
Yes this is very popular in Gujrat and delicious too. Some alphabets are really tough to crack but you hit the nail on the head . Nicely done Bhat .
So this is like our equivalent of Pongal or paramannam and it must have tasted yummy.
I have had sama khichdi, pattice and kheer. Your bhat recipe looks amazing. Time to try it out on next Ekadashi!
I guess it is time to start keeping vrat on Ekadashis. If I was allowed to eat something like this, I will not mind fasting 🙂 Looks amazing and love your vocabulary in all the language.
everyone is always fasting on some day or other in maharashtra, and this one tells the reason for it…it is something i am tempted to make for shlok's dabba as well
This is so much like our pongal recipe. I have never fasted and so I have no idea about all these foods cooked during fasting. Very interesting to know..
That is such a delicious looking dessert with little millet. It looks sooo good. I've a packet of samo in the fridge waiting to be used, will try to make this dish soon.
Vrat khana with little millet rice is so interesting. Great share valli.
When we fast, we are either skipping a meal or eating fruits as a substitute so didn't get much into vrat recipes. Some of my North Indian friends used to say about special food… Interesting share Valli. Should try it soon:)
Fasting usually means no food for us, but the varieties of fasting food makes one think again ;-). Jokes apart, the traditions are so different in different parts of India that even after years of staying in one place you will always find something new!
Sounds interesting Valli, nice recipe with little millet..
my neighbours are maharashtrians so I got to taste this and liked it.. good to read abt the fasting too …
How can I forget commenting in your space!!! anyway That's a healthy recipe bookmarked.. I do fasting, specially when I was fasting I don't get ideas what to cook for my self this one is a good choice.
Never tried this kind of vrat dishes for fasting, though we do fasting. Farali bhat looks very delicious, definitely an interesting fasting dish.
This looks more like a sweet treat than a fasting food!! The fasting foods are very different between my maternal and paternal grandparents. Now I feel I have to record those dishes even though I don't fast…
since I like creamy sweet puddings this is my kind of dish
Looks simple and delicious valli. I know how happy one feel when u find a recipe for toughest alphabets during Mega BM!!!
Sounds like samai payasam… BTW what is little millet called in malayalam? Even I need to find it out.
I havent blogged about fasting food till now.And i realised that there are so many types including this sweet one. Bookmarked valli. Looks good
simple and delicious sweet. I think this Vrat ka khana is more popular in the North. All we have is kanji and fruits and milk. 🙂