Naga Chathurthi - Festive Sweet Balls

Naga Chaurthi Upvas is dedicated to Nagas or Snakes and is observed on the fourth day of the Shukla Paksha (waxing phase of moon) in the month of Shravan. The day after Naga Chaturthi is Naga Panchami/Garuda Panchami, one of the most popular festivals dedicated to Nagas(Snake god). Special pujas and rituals are held on the day. In 2009, the date of Naga Chaturthi is July 25 which is today.

Naga Chaturthi is of great importance in parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka and in the Telegana region of Andhra Pradesh. Since I am a telugu girl living in Tamil Nadu, i celebrate this festival too. :)

Some people fast from morning to evening and only consume a single meal on the day. Special Naga pujas are held on the day. Some Hindu communities fast during the daytime and eat food only after sunset. Some people avoid salt and deep fried on the day.

It must be noted that Naga Chaurthi is held in the Kartik month in some regions.

We serve sweet balls as neivithiyam(Prasadam) to snake god along with fruits, milk, sprouts etc.

Here I am going to put down the recipe for three kinds of sweet balls which can be had as all time snacks. :)

Sesame Sweet Balls

Ingredients:

Sesame seeds - 1 cup
Jaggery - 1 cup

Method:

Powder sesame seeds in mixie. Add finely grated jaggery to it and once again powder it together. Once done roll balls with the powder. The balls look glossy due to the oil that sesame oozes out when ground. These balls are easy to make, yummy to eat and at the same time healthy too. :) Sesame is a rich resource of vitamin B, E and Iron.



Roasted Gram Sweet Balls

Ingredients:

Roasted gram - 1 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Ghee - 1/4 cup

Method:

Powder the roasted gram and sugar separately. Seive it finely. In a pan take the ghee and once it is slightly warm pour the powders and mix well for 5 min in low flame. Remove from fire and once again run it in the mixie. This is to avoid uneven mixing of the ghee. Once done immediately make balls when it is hot.

These are simple to make and extremely yummy. :)



Peanut Sweet Balls

Ingredients:

Roasted Peanuts - 1 cup
Jaggery - 3/4 cup

Method:

Powder the peanuts coarsely. Add finely grated jaggery to it and run once in the mixie again. Make balls with the powder.

Peanuts are rich source of proteins so you can royally call it protein balls. :) Happy making.




Festivals make life interesting and for sure one of the biggest reason is such sweets and savories :) :) :) Happy Naga Chathurthi to all. :)


Written by: Nithya
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