People from Hindu community in India celebrate the festival of Ugadi also called Yugadi. Just after the festival of colors, Holi, comes the Ugadi or Yugadi festival that brings good fortune and happiness. This festival is considered to be the beginning of the New Year.
Ugadi or Yugadi derived from Sanskrit is a combination of two words in Sanskrit, 'Yuga' meaning age and 'Adi' meaning new beginning. Hence, Ugadi means the beginning of a new age.
Ugadi or Yugadi being the New Year for different people from different communities, all of them prepare one special dish representing the beginning of a new year. The dishes are named differently in different regions of India, in Andhra being called as Ugadi Pachadi.
Ugadi Pachadi Significance:
The dish, ugadi pachadi, reminds every individual to enjoy all the flavors of life, all through. This dish is made up of six different ingredients each from a different category of taste. The six tastes being sweet, sour, salty, bitter, spicy and tangy. Ugadi Pachadi significance implies that as the dish is made up of 6 different tastes and consumed on the first day of the year, so is life full of different emotions as Happy, Sad, Surprise, Fear, Anger and Disgust.Ugadi Pachadi Ingredients:
Neem Flowers implies Disgust (bitterness)
Raw Mango implies Fear (tanginess)
Tamarind Juice implies Surprise (sourness)
Green chilly or Red Chilly powder implies Anger (spicy, hotness)
Jaggery implies Happy (sweetness)
Salt implies Fear (saltness)
Ugadi Pachadi Recipe:
• 1/2 cup peeled and finely chopped raw mango
• 3 tablespoons tamarind pulp
• 1 tablespoon raw Neem flowers
• Salt as per taste
• Green chilly or Red chilly powder as per taste
How to Make or Prepare Ugadi Pachadi:
• Soak tamarind in water for about half an hour and extract the required pulp out of it.• Add finely grated jaggery, raw mango pieces and mix well.
• Pluck out the little neem flowers avoiding the stems and add them to the mixture.
• Add salt and red chilly powder or green chilly to the mixture as per your taste.
• Add water as required to increase the quantity.
• Mix all the ingredients thoroughly till the jaggery is dissolved.
Variations to Make Ugadi Pachadi:
Though the above six are the prime ingredients for ugadi pachadi, optionally one can also add finely grated coconut, banana, sugar cane pieces, ground nuts, sesame seeds, finely ground black pepper as add-ons.Health Benefits of Ugadi Pachadi:
The Neem flowers detoxifies tissues and fights allergies if any. It also clears the stomach.Jaggery helps in easy digestion and also helps building tissues.
Green chilly improves skin health and also enhances eye-vision. It also manages metabolism and immune system.
Tamarind increases minerals absorption and cleanses the tissues.
Green mango purifies blood and helps improve blood circulation.
Salt manages sugar levels and fights dehydration.
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