An easy ‘sundal’ recipe for Navratri
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Vidhya Ramachandran, a Chennai home-maker, is busy prepping for Navratri, when golu (figurines and dolls) are displayed in a step arrangement, depicting scenes from mythology, culture and daily life. She is also planning the daily naivedyam (offering), of which sundal is a staple.
It is a dry, tasty preparation of legumes tempered with a few spices and freshly grated coconut. “Traditionally, a ladleful of sundal is served in a donne (dried palm leaf cups)," informs Chennai chef Shri Bala, owner of the south Indian restaurant Yercaud Kitchen. This year, Navratri begins on October 3 and ends on October 12.
Dry, healthy and easy-to-carry, sundal has always been a popular choice for prasadam in Tamil Nadu. Legumes are the primary ingredient, and the dish is devoid of onion and garlic. Typically, there are nine different sundal recipes for nine days of Navratri.
Each day is signified by a different avatar or form of the Hindu goddess Durga. The many tangible ways to tell the days apart are through colour and food. For instance, day one is dedicated to an avatar of goddess Durga named Shailputri, the colour associated with her is yellow, and the sundal is prepared with chickpeas, believed to nourish the body with strength.
On day two, another form of Durga, known as Brahmacharini is worshipped, the colour associated with her is green, and the sundal is prepared with green gram believed to be a marker of growth and harmony. “The recipes carry a deep symbolic meaning, reflecting the qualities and blessings of the respective goddess," explains Rajeswari Vijayanand, a Singapore-based Tamilian, of the popular food blog, Rak’s Kitchen. This spectacular variety showcases the diversity of Tamil
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