By Vanitha Ananthan
The marundhu (medicine in Tamil) is normally had only on an empty stomach and on Deepavali day.
After we take an oil bath, we consume a spoonful of this Deepavali Marundhu/ Legiyam and then only we are allowed to have the delicious sweets and savouries made for Deepavali.
The recipe is:
Ingredients
Coriander seeds (dhaniya) 2 and 1/2 tbsp,
Omam (ajwain) 2 and 1/2 tbsp,
Jeeragam (Cumin seeds) 2 tbsp,
Black pepper 2 tbsp,
Sukku (dry ginger) a small piece,
Jaggery 3/4 cup,
Ghee 2 tbsp,
Sesame oil 1-2 tsp (optional)
Method
- Soak coriander seeds, cumin seeds, omam, and black pepper in warm water for 3 hours.
- After 3 hours, grind this into a fine smooth paste. Use the water we soaked for grinding. Add dry ginger powder to this.
- If using sukku, then soak a small piece and grind it together.
- For 1 cup of paste, jaggery is 3/4 th cup. Melt the jaggery in a pan by adding 1/4 cup of water. 5. When the jaggery has dissolved, filter it to get rid of the impurities.
- Boil this filtered solution for 2 minutes.
- Add the ground paste to this and mix well.
- Saute this mixture on a low flame for 15 minutes till it reaches halwa consistency. Add ghee at small intervals. When it is completely cool, store it in a clean dry vessel.