I read this today on a blog by the Isha Yoga Center on Navaratri, and it truly resonated with me:
“To approach these nine days, and every other aspect of life in a celebratory way is most important. If you approach everything in a celebratory way, you learn to be non-serious about life but yet absolutely involved. The problem with us human beings right now is if we think something is important, we get serious about it. If we think it is not so important, we become lax about it—we don’t show the necessary involvement. The secret of life is in seeing everything with a non-serious eye but being absolutely involved, like a game.”
Simple yet profound words of wisdom. This thought can apply to every festival we celebrate, no matter where we are in the world. If we could move through each day by celebrating the positives, without getting overly serious or weighed down by the negatives, while still being fully present, perhaps we would unlock the secret to lasting bliss. Easier said than done, of course.
On Day 7, we worship Goddess Kalaratri, considered the fiercest form of the Mother Goddess. She is the destroyer of demons, ghosts, spirits, and all negative energies, and is also known as Shubhankari, the giver of auspiciousness and good.
Devi Prasadam for Day 7
- Pumpkin Payasam
- Coconut Rice
- Black Eyed Peas Sundal
(Karamani in Tamil or Lobiya in Hindi)
Recipe for Pumpkin Payasam
Ingredients
- Pumpkin – 1½ cups, chopped
- Coconut milk – 1 cup
- Jaggery – ¼ cup, or to taste
- Nutmeg – a pinch
- Cardamom – ½ tsp
- Chopped nuts – 1 tbsp
Method
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Peel and roast the pumpkin cubes in the oven for about 20 minutes, until soft.
Blend the roasted pumpkin with a little hot water to achieve a thick, soup-like consistency.
Transfer to a pan and heat over medium flame. Add the melted jaggery.
Stir in the cardamom and nutmeg and cook for 5–10 minutes.
Add coconut milk and adjust the consistency as needed.
Garnish with chopped nuts before serving.
Recipe for Coconut Rice
Ingredients
- Basmati rice – 1 cup, cooked
- Grated coconut – 1 cup
- Salt to taste
For Tempering
- Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
- Urad dal – 1 tsp
- Curry leaves – 1 sprig
- Dry Arbol chilies – 3
- Asafetida – ¼ tsp
- Green chilies – 2
- Oil – 2 tbsp
- Coconut oil – 1 tsp, for garnish
Method
Heat oil in a pan and temper all the ingredients listed.
Add the grated coconut and sauté lightly.
Mix in the cooked rice and salt, stirring gently.
Finish with 1 tsp coconut oil and a little extra grated coconut before serving
(a tip from the Chitra Viswanathan app/blog).
Recipe for Black Eyed Peas Sweet Sundal
Ingredients
- Black eyed peas – 1 cup
- Jaggery – 1 cup
- Cardamom powder – ½ tsp
- Ghee – 2 tsp
- Grated coconut – ¼ cup
Method
Dry-roast the black eyed peas for about 5 minutes, then soak them for 6 hours.
Pressure cook for 3–4 whistles until soft.
Melt the jaggery in a pan with 1–2 tbsp water.
Strain the jaggery syrup and return it to the pan, boiling for a few minutes.
Add the cooked and drained black eyed peas and stir until the mixture thickens and moisture evaporates.
Add grated coconut and sauté briefly.
Finish by garnishing with cardamom powder.
