Bio-wise and otherwise

Rice puddin' for the Elephant-God

In India, many festivals occur during the monsoon season, when the rain finally shows mercy on the parched earth. Thereafter, a riot of greenery bursts forth, and the air is filled with the sweet scent of moist earth.

India has always been predominantly an agrarian society, so after the farmers have sown the seeds in the soil, they really have to wait for months to reap their harvest. But then, no one's complaining! The wait is well worth it, and is even blessed by the Celestial Gods.

So from July to October, there is a celebration for every God, or God-concept. True spirituality declares that God, Soul, Nature, Spirit is One. But there are several  manifestations of this Spirit that cater to every whim and fancy and desire and 'fetish' of  mankind. And that's where all the fun really begins.

So during this festive season, the doorstep of every Hindu home is brightened with a sprig or two of mango leaves. The women of the house use rice powder to decorate the entrance with beautiful traditional motifs (art form is called 'Rangoli').

 A 'rangoli' drawn with rice flour

September 15th  is celebrated all over India as the festival of Ganesh, the Elephant-God.

There is a beautiful fable around how Ganesh got the head of an elephant. Goddess Parvati, the wife of Lord Shiva wanted to bathe and needed a guard to ensure that no one entered the cave where she dwelt. So she created a young boy with turmeric, and breathed Life into him. The boy took his job rather seriously, so much so that he refused to even allow Lord Shiva to enter his own abode. Lord Shiva grew angry, and chopped off the boy's head. Naturally Mother Parvati was terribly upset and Lord Shiva regretted his hasty action. So he brought the head of a sleeping elephant and fixed it to the beheaded boy. So that was how Ganesh was 're-born'.

Baby Ganesh with his parents, Shiva and Parvati 

Ganesh is the God to be invoked at the beginning of every ritual, or at the beginning of any new venture. We pray to him that there are no obstacles in all that we do.

Today, in honor of the Ganesh Festival, I made rice pudding for the Elephant-God.

Rice pudding is prepared in many ways but  I have my very own recipe.

I wash a cup of Basmati rice (even ordinary large-grained rice does well) in a steel vessel and add twice the measure of milk to it. I put it for boil for about 30 minutes till the rice is soft and tender. I take a heavy base pan (called a 'kadai') and add a large spoonful of ghee (clarified butter). I then put in some chopped cashewnuts, almonds and raisins to the heated ghee and saute the mix until the nuts turn a golden brown color. Then I add the rice boiled in milk, into the pan. I add more milk and stir like my life depends on it. At this point you can sprinkle some cardamom powder and/or saffron, but I personally find these flavors too sharp.

Finally I add jaggery (unrefined sugar) to sweeten the pudding. Now some folks add sugar, in which case it is roughly one cup of sugar for a cup of rice. Jaggery, however is less sweet, so I add more than just a cup. As soon as jaggery is added, the pan needs to be taken off the fire before stirring in the jaggery. This is because jaggery can curdle milk if heated any further.

Jaggery has several benefits over sugar. It is made of sugar cane (scientific name: Saccharum species) or date palm. Ayurvedic doctors prescribe Jaggery for lung and throat infections. It is rich in iron, vitamins and minerals. According to ancient medicinal scriptures, jaggery is said to purify blood, prevent rheumatic disorders and even disorders of the bile.

After chanting mantras in praise of the Elephant-God,  I  sat myself down with a large portion of rice pudding served on a freshly washed banana leaf.

Hmm...it tasted so good.

E-G got the Prayer, while I got the puddin'.

Creamy Rice puddin' for the Gods

Pic taken from: http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/512369

Posted at 02:06AM Sep 15, 2007 by Manju in Mystic masala  |  Comments[0]