Nolumbu adai (Sweet and Salty)

Nolumbu or Nombu festival is observed in remembrance of Sathyavan and Savitri.
Karadiyar Nombu in the South is celebrated at the beginning of the Tamil Month of Panguni in the month of March.
On Karadiyar Nombu day, married women fast and break the fast by eating the Karadai preparation with butter. The preparation is known as Karadai Nombu Adai - the festival Karadai takes its name from the unique Kara Adai dish. It is believed that Savitri cooked such a dish and offered it to the Lord along with unmelted butter as a sort of thanksgiving for sparing her husband’s life.

In today's times some people fast, some observe a no onion-garlic day, all in all everyone sincerely pray for their husbands and tie the manja charadu by saying the prayer...

Urugadha Vennayam oru adayum naan tharuven  Oru kallum en Kanavar
Ennai piriyadirukkanum.

...for their well being.

The main preparation of the day is vella adai and uppu adai.

For sweet vella adai
Ingredients
Rice flour - 1 cup ( I used shop bought)
Jaggery - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Coconut pieces - 3-4 tblsp(finely cut)
Karamani/ black eyed peas - 1/4 cup
Cardamom - 1 tbsp powdered
Jackfruit pieces - 2 tbsp cubed (optional)

Method
1) In a pan roast the rice flour to remove all moisture if any. No need to make it brown. Refer to tips. The roasting is for both sweet and salty adai.
2) Dry fry and soak the karamani overnight. Before use drain, add a little water and keep in PC for one whistle.
3) Boil 2 cups water in a heavy bottomed vessel, add jaggery and dissolve it completely.  Sieve to remove any impurities.
4) Bring to boil again and add the cooked karamani , coconut pieces and jackfruit pieces.
5) Simmer the flame and add the flour in a sprinkled way. Mix it while you add briskly with other hand to avoid lump formation.
6) Continue stirring in a mashing way, to break the lumps if any. When it becomes a lump as in the picture below, switch off the flame. It takes some time, so keep stirring. When it forms lump, it may look sticky, but after cool down, it will stiffen.
7) Add 1 & 1/2 tsp or 1 tbsp ghee and mix well. Keep the dough to cool down. In the meanwhile you can make the salty dough.
8) Once the sweet dough cools down,  make equal sized balls, flatten on your hands or plastic sheet or I used a beetle leaf keeping on the palm. Can touch a little water to make the shape, make a hole in the middle. No need to add more ghee.  Arrange in plate/ idli plate, steamer lined with banana leaf or a wet cloth and steam this for 15-20 minutes. The adai will be shiny once steamed.

For salt adai

Rice flour -1 cup

Water - 1&1/2cup
Coconut pieces - 3-4 tblsp
Karamani - 1/4 cup
Salt - As needed
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard - 3/4 tsp
Green chilli - 2
Ginger - 1" piece.
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Asafoetida - 2 generous pinches

Method
1) Heat a heavy bottomed pan with oil and season with mustard, green chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida. Grate the ginger and chillies together and keep ready.
2) Add 2 cups water, ginger chillies paste, mix salt to it. Bring to boil. You can add a pinch of asafoetida at this stage for extra flavour. Add karamani and coconut pieces.
3) Simmer the flame and add the flour in a sprinkled way. Mix it while you add briskly with other hand to avoid lump formation.
4) Continue stirring in a mashing way, to break the lumps if any. When it becomes a lump  switch off the flame. This will thicken soon than the sweet dough, so be prepared for that.  When it forms lump, a little more cooked than the sweet dough switch of the gas. After cool down, it will stiffen.
5) Add 1 & 1/2 tsp or 1 tbsp ghee and mix well. Keep the dough to cool down.
6) Once the dough cools down,  make equal sized balls, flatten on your hands or plastic sheet or I used a beetle leaf keeping on the palm. Can touch a little water to make the shape, make a hole in the middle. No need to add more ghee. 
7) Arrange in plate/ idli plate, steamer lined with banana leaf or a wet cloth and steam this for 15-20 minutes. The adai will be shiny once steamed.

This adai is served along with butter after offering to God as naivedyam. Enjoy.

Tips

1) The rice powder should be roasted till u can make a straight rangoli type line with the powder. 

2) Always keep a little extra roasted rice powder handy. If water becomes more you can add the powder. If powder become more you can always add some more water.