ChaturmAs Food

During shaak vrat - no vegetables other than amla, mango, agastya leaves. Different mutts follow different rules on coconut/ mustards being allowed. Pepper instead of chillies, mango/aamchur instead of tomatoes/ tamarind for tanginess.

So almost everyday, it is plain moong dal with a little bit salt and cows ghee, plain unsalted curd, puris/rotis fried in ghee. Nothing can be more ambrosial than simple moong dal with ghee mixed piping hot rice.  Pentagon for panchami.

Appi payasa, mango moong dal tart, hayagreeva, poori, agastya moong dal vada, Side dish: Amla pacchadi, Agastya chutney, Raw Mango green moong salad

Mango Moong kosambari

Black jeera, thipli/pippali, pepper mango for rasam

Mango moong tarts

Poli/ubattu

Layered parantha

Agastya Keerai parantha with agastya keerai paneer, with amla pacchadi, mango cube, moong dal rice with cows ghee.

Recipe:
Nellika thayir pachadi by Radhu mami
Agastya leaves paneer
     Saute agastya leaves, a little bit of cumin seeds, black pepper in cows ghee for a 2-3 minutes, grind them in mixie after cooling. Add paneer and cook, till it gets soft.

Medicinal benefits:
antioxidant, anti ageing, restores body after fasting - Venkateshwarlu et al
wound healing, gastro intestinal disorders - Malviya et al
Amla
Agastya Leaves - Sesbania grandiflora

In paranthas, agastya leaves are good, no bitterness due to cows ghee effect. In paneer, after hunger was satiated, realized the bitterness. Could not eat the last two pieces of paneer on my plate, once stomach was full.

Pepper mango thokku, Ghee laced moong dal, mango, Agastya keerai dosa

Pepper mango thokku - stir fried shredded mango along with pepper in gingelly oil with salt to taste, absolutely tangilicious.
Added agastya leaves paste to dosa batter to make crisp ghee roasts.

Fourth month which is the last month is dwidala:
Few exceptions: Chow chow aka seema badnekayi is allowed, since that is Hayagreevar's favourite neivedhyam. Also moong dal is dear to lord, hence allowed. Roots, tubers, plantain products are allowed, what more does one need.

Bhumyamlaki parantha with amlaki chutney

Moong dal pesarattu with corriander chutney

Aloo parantha with corriander chutney, mango pepper pickle, moong dal

Moong dal mini idlies, moong dal sambhar, coriander chutney

Ven pongal, moong dal sambhar with chow chow, coriander chutney

Moong dal dosa with murungai keerai, chow chow moong dal sambhar, coriander chutney, GJ

Chow chow sambhar, vaazhai poo murungai keerai vadai

Nei moong paruppu, Vaazhai poo drumstick leaves kootu, arisi vathal, GJ, curd

Chapathis with Taro root roast/ sepankilangu roast

Aloo poha with mango pepper pickle

Nei moong paruppu, maanga thokku, maanga pepper pickle, GJ, vaazhai thandu thayir kootu, curd

Aloo parantha with raw plantain roast

Pudhina Aloo poha, kuchi valli kilangu, mango pepper pickle

Chow chow moong dal, kuchi valli kilangu, maanga thokku, mango pepper pickle, GJ, curd

Paribhadra aka kalyana murungai aloo parantha with chow chow moong dal, taro root roast, mango pepper pickle

Kurinja aka meshashringi parantha, moong dal, mango thokku, sAbu dAna aka jawarisi plantain flower vadai, mango pepper pickle. Outer cups: jawarisi payasam, ponnakanni keerai kootu, curd

Keelanezhi aka bhumyamlaki parantha with taro root roast, palak stems poriyal, mango pepper pickle, sAbu dAna pudding

Ponnakani keerai poori with chow chow moong dal

 

Outer cups: Jawarisi/sAbudAna payasam, Mor Kolambu, Curd
 Moong dal with liberal dose of ghee
Plantain flowers / vaazhai poo kootu
Mango thokku
Plantain flowers taro root / vaazhai poo jawarisi vadai
Mango pepper pickle

Crisp ghee roast - Instant dosa with rava, maida, moong dal powder with meshashringi aka kurinja leaves, curd
coconut chutney with pepper and ginger
Plain salted moong dal, tadka with curry leaves and garnished with corriander leaves

 Moong dal, with manathakali keerai moong dal paruppu usili, mangao thokku

 

paneer parantha with taro root roast