The naivedyam thread

[Viraja]

I hope it is not wrong to start a 'naivedyam' thread, just so as to post any interesting food you prepared for daily offering to god! (Frequently we run out of ideas so I thought it might be useful to have this thread).

Today I tried Red banana payasam (kheer).

Recipe: Chop 2 ripe red bananas into pieces and boil them in milk for about 10- 15 min. Then lightly smash the banana pieces just so that they are not so distinct! Add a mixture of ground Almond (about 10 in number) in milk (you can additionally add a few dates to this mix) - give a whip in the blender and add this paste/mix to the boiling milk with bananas. Finally add a scoop of jaggery/brown sugar and turn off the stove.

The recipe turned out excellent, despite the fact I used skim milk only.

 

[ameyAtmA]

Dahi pohe - KAnhA's staple. Rice flakes -- rinse in cold drinking water, add plain yogurt - preferable homemade , dahi. Add a pinch / dash of sugar (light brown is ok, better), and no salt.
Top with tulasi leaf if available.

Fruits and nuts


--
Other possible naivedya items - general regular SAttvic. veg food! (without any onion garlic mushroom etc. )
rice-mung khichadi with veggies, ghee ;
rice, lentil/legume, chapati , cooked/steamed/sauted vegetable (sabji), leafy greens ..... [drop of ghee on grain dish]
idli dosa pasta upma halwa cake pizza ??


One cannot possibly run out of naivedyam ideas, and why should it be unique? Just cycle the same items - legume varieties , vegetable varieties, multi-grain ...


There need not be a pAyasam (kheer) or mithai always to compliment savory or other regular food. As long as we don't make it spicy. No mirch. I don't buy chillies or red chilli powder.

Simple curd with brown sugar, a piece of fruit, or milk with slivered/flaked almonds/cooked rice, and some sugar - in a little bowl (add elaichi/rose/keshar)
- even one teaspoon of jaggery+ghee

The sweet item is for Krishna, we don't need a lot of sweet everyday I hope?

Govardhan Hill out of semolina and coconut ?

he nAth nArAyaN vAsudeva

 

[Jainarayan]

I keep it simple. A small silver cup of either:

• Whole milk.
• Yogurt or cottage cheese, maybe with some drizzled honey
• Dried fruit/nut mix.
• Occasionally rice I just made. I keep it aside until it’s offered. I don’t even taste it for seasoning.
• A pancamrita mix exclusively for naivedya.

I offer it in puja with the mantra
oṁ srī kṛṣṇāya namaḥ naivedyam nivedayāmi
naivedyam gṛhyatām deva bhaktim me hyacalām kuru
īpsitam me varam dehi paratra ca parām gatim

 

[Jainarayan]

Govardhan Hill out of semolina and coconut ?

Time to use up the sooji in the pantry. ... rava kesari! But this time have to make sure it’s cooked better... it was undercooked last time. I might make aloo pakora too. The Indian answer to my mother’s potato croquettes.

 

[ameyAtmA]

Time to use up the sooji in the pantry. ... rava kesari! But this time have to make sure it’s cooked better... it was undercooked last time.

My only clues are the roasting smell and slight change in color to what I call pinkish-cream

I might make aloo pakora too. The Indian answer to my mother’s potato croquettes.

To stay away from deep-frying I use a family recipe -- a no-oil version which no longer falls in the pakora category and it has a "reverse/inverted covering. " , but haven't done this for a while.

Wash, peel and slice potatoes to even 10mm thick round slices, apply (actually rub) salt all over and let it sit for 10 minutes.
Drain out all the water that is released from the potato due to the salt.
Marinate with a little bit of whatever masala you like -- how about sambar masala or say vegetable masala or garam masala or...
Grease non-stick pan with little oil
Roll the marinated potato slices in whole wheat / multi-grain flour
Place on hot pan, and flip until done and crisp.

I call this inverted covering because , while the pakora cover is wet chickpea flour batter, this version has a dry cover and all water is drained out.

 

[Aupmanyav]

I will ask my wife to try it. Whether she will not not is her choice. You know these old ladies!

 

[Jainarayan]

My only clues are the roasting smell and slight change in color to what I call pinkish-cream

Good tip. I didn’t go that far. Was afraid of burning it.

To stay away from deep-frying I use a family recipe -- a no-oil version which no longer falls in the pakora category and it has a "reverse/inverted covering. " , but haven't done this for a while.

Wash, peel and slice potatoes to even 10mm thick round slices, apply (actually rub) salt all over and let it sit for 10 minutes.
Drain out all the water that is released from the potato due to the salt.
Marinate with a little bit of whatever masala you like -- how about sambar masala or say vegetable masala or garam masala or...
Grease non-stick pan with little oil
Roll the marinated potato slices in whole wheat / multi-grain flour
Place on hot pan, and flip until done and crisp.

I call this inverted covering because , while the pakora cover is wet chickpea flour batter, this version has a dry cover and all water is drained out.

Oh I like that! It sounds like how we make eggplant parm. When I make eggplant parm I salt the slices, put in a colander with a weighted dish to press the water out then drain. Then coat with bread crumbs and pan fry. I’ve made the wet pakora batter for vegs then fried crispy He Bhagavān mama! so good. I was going to mash the potatoes then blend with cheese as a binder. My mother used egg but I wouldn’t for vegetarian. Then roll them in the seasoned gram flour. She used flavored bread crumbs then fried them shallow, pan fried, turning them a couple of times. But I’m going to try this recipe.

 

[Vinayaka]

I generally offer a piece of fresh fruit, usually banana. I'm too eager to get to sadhana to cook something.

 

[Vinidra]

I pretty much only offer fruit, too. It's equal parts laziness and the knowledge that I'm not a very good cook!

 

[Jainarayan]

I just made a pot of rice. No rice cooker, thank you. My husband uses it but I prefer the regular way... 3 cups water, 2 cups rice, a splash of oil or ghee, a tsp. of salt. I boil the water with the oil and salt, add the rice to the boiling water, let it come to a boil again, stir to mix, cover, set flame on lowest setting for 15-20 minutes. Perfect.

I also made a pot of oatmeal. I have a ****-ton of quick cook I was given. I don’t care for quick cook, but food is food when you’re behind the 8-ball financially. I dumped it all into a Ziploc bag, mixed in a dried fruit nut mix and tossed it to mix it. So I boiled the water, 7 cups, added 4 cups of the oatmeal mix, dash of salt, couple Tbsp. butter, simmer a few minutes.

I’ll scoop out a small amount of each into serving dishes for naivedyam. My altar isn’t large enough to place both pots. I don’t usually do this but just feel like offering cooked food. I just think it’s appropriate to offer something that was given to me in charity. I know He doesn’t need it, it’s His, after all.

Tana mana dhana
Saba kucha hai tērā
Svāmī saba kucha hai tērā
Tērā tujha kō arpaṇa
Tērā tujha kō arpaṇa
Kyā lāgē mērā
Ōm̐ jaya Jagadīśa harē

Body, mind, and wealth
Everything is yours
Oh Lord, everything is yours
I present you with what is yours
I present you with what is yours
Nothing is mine
Glory to the Lord of the Universe.

 

[bhakta!]

Namaste all Nice thread.

Which naivedyams are you offering nowadays?

 

[Viraja]

Today I just offered fruits - bananas and apples.

Just yesterday I made kheer with vermicelli.

 

[Vinayaka]

Namaste all Nice thread.

Which naivedyams are you offering nowadays?

I used an orange this AM, because the only banana I had was prasadam from the temple from Thai Pusam. It wouldn't be right to use that as an offering at home as well. We also got a garland as prasadam, because we were sponsors of the homa. Now that, I did put on the Tiruvadi, and then Nataraja for the second day. It carries the vibration of the temple with it, and brings blessings to the home. Generally these days I store a few flowers in our shrine room, for a couple of days before the weekly trip to the temple with garlands. It adds to the vibes in there too.

 

[Aupmanyav]

With my wife, it is 'kasaar', wheat flour fried with ghee and then sugar added to it, less than what is used for halwa, no water, so it is dry. I like it at times, chldren too. But there are other sweet things to eat too, so it accumulates. Then my wife fries it again with more ghee and puts water in to make it into halwa. Then it is consumed quickly by family members. Of course, Panchamrit is a must with lotus seeds, almonds and Tulsi leaves. Festival prasadam is more elaborate with panjiri, kheer and various type of laddoos.

An yearly function is 'punn' in honor of Mother Laxmi when a thick, crisp sweet bread is made. That has to have very exact measure of ingredients, expertly rolled out and deep fried. That is a beauty, we call it 'roth'. Last new moon was in honor of Yaksha, the winter spirit, when a risotto is offered. I have mentioned that in my other posts. Offer of non-veg. items to Shiva and Mother Goddesses is now out of fashion.

 

[JustGeorge]

I cooked rice in milk with a bit of cardamom the other day(is that kheer?) for a puja recently. Also offered a panchamrita and a banana.

Last new moon was in honor of Yaksha, the winter spirit, when a risotto is offered.

Do different moons honor different deities?

 

[Aupmanyav]

Yeah, nearly all New Moons and Full Moons (and many other days) have legends associated with them. See them here:

Panchang, Panchangam for Dallas, Texas, United States

Items mentioned in red show the religious importance. Click and get the details for that ritual or festival. In 5,000 years we have collected many legends. But, kindly note, it is not necessary to observe all of them. It is according to beliefs, tradition and region that one has. And one is permitted to do what is possible for them. No compulsion in Hinduism.

 

[ameyAtmA]

Namaste all Nice thread.

Which naivedyams are you offering nowadays?

Namaste
Which naivedya ? Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner as long as it is possible. BG 9.26, BG 9.27 basically.

More detail: Pure sAtvik vegetarian food - shuddha sAtvik - without onion garlic mushroom coffee etc. [ This list in brown (onion garlic mushrooms coffee...) is what I learned later from PrabhupAd in 2006 - and it was great to skip these in the diet . ]

Rule of thumb: Whatever you grew up eating and is in your diet culturally geographically regionally, pick the pure sAtvik vegetarian ingredients out of that and prepare naivedya with love.


BG 9.26 पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति |
तदहं भक्त्युपहृतमश्नामि प्रयतात्मन: || 26||
If one offers to Me with devotion, leaf, flower, fruit, or water, I accept it and partake of it with great delight.
[VaishNav AchAryas say that this list - leaf flower fruit water/pure liquids is comprehensive to cover pure sAtvik vegetarian food as well as the fragrant flowers offered]

BG 9.27 यत्करोषि यदश्नासि यज्जुहोषि ददासि यत् |
यत्तपस्यसि कौन्तेय तत्कुरुष्व मदर्पणम् || 27||
Arjun, whatever you do, eat, offer as sacrifice (yadnya) ,donate, gift, and whatever austerities you perform (tapas) , do all of it as an offering to Me.

 

[ameyAtmA]

An yearly function is 'punn' in honor of Mother Laxmi when a thick, crisp sweet bread is made. That has to have very exact measure of ingredients, expertly rolled out and deep fried. That is a beauty, we call it 'roth'.

This is almost the sweet maThri isn't it? I found that both the sweet and savoury MaThri are pretty common in North India.
When I visited Dwarka -- and then left for Somnath , Shri KRshNa-RukmiNi sent me off very lovingly with parcels of sweet and savory MaThri and revadi. I survived on it for almost 4-5 days during and after the stay. There was no time to eat during the day and who wants to go out in the dark looking for dinner? So maThri and revadi it was -- which I would otherwise consider high-calorie foods! Fat and sugar.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Only that it is much more crisp and is full of ghee, therefore special. I do not think even Dwarika mathri would match it. However, when we offer it to Mother Laxmi, Lord Vishnu also will partake it. Mother Laxmi would not like to eat it alone.
Well, Indians do not care for calories and therefore are supposed to have more cases of diabetes.

 

[bhakta!]

Today I just offered fruits - bananas and apples.

Just yesterday I made kheer with vermicelli.

Nice. It's been a while since I last made kheer.