BM # 56
Week :2 , Day: 2
Theme: Indian States
Sindhi Thadri Spread
Thadri is a Sindhi festival , which falls in the month of August.just a day before Janamashtmi . Mythologicaly it is the day on which Yoga Maya , Lord Krishna’s sister was born. It is also called Satain and the Godess Sheetladevi is worshiped. People pray to ward off measles, chicken pox , small pox. Sheetal means to cool and the Godess is the cooling one.
Thadri is a day when fire is not lit in the house. The food is prepared a day prior to the festival. Mitha Lolos are a must , along with these seven coin sized Lola’s, called Akhriyoon and three mini Lola’s are made to give to daughters. After the Lola’s and rest of the food is made, the fire is cooled down by sprinkling water and rice.The coin sized Lola’s are for prayers and some water and rice is sprinkled on these too.These are covered and kept on the same stove on which they have been cooked.Next day the pooja is done and it is a day when no fire is lit, so everyone eats what has been prepared the previous day.
The traditional fare that is cooked in all Sindhi houses is what I am showcasing today. My mother in law never celebrated these festivals so I have never made this spread before, but my friends make a big spread and send us too. I do make the dishes individually but have never made a complete spread. I have already posted some of the dishes, but I do have some new ones!
I have divided this post in three parts, first will feature The Flat Breads , the second Veggies and the final one will have Accompaniments.
I have divided this post in three parts, first will feature The Flat Breads , the second Veggies and the final one will have Accompaniments.
The breads
( a sweet flat bread made with wheat flour , jaggery or sugar syrup and loads and loads of ghee)
( a thick flat bread made with chick pea flour, with onions, mint and green chilly, which makes it really delicious)
( a stuffed Paratha with the stuffing of yellow lentil and spices)
Chotha
( the dough is similar to Mitho Lolo, but these are quartered and then deep fried )
Chotha
Chothas are a sweet flat bread in the shape of one quarter.they have been very aptly named Chotha which means one fourth . This is a Sindhi delicacy made on festivals like Thadri and Mahalakshmi.These are made of wheat flour , ghee and sugar . Sometimes jaggery is substituted for sugar too. These are rolled quite thick and cut into four parts and then deep fried. After frying some people sprinkle powdered pistachios with fine sugar . They taste amazing , but are disappearing from the Sindhi Community as it is loaded with ghee. It is totally restricted to festivals and occasions now.These were always made on a large scale I have the measurements handed by by friend , you could always scale down.
Ingredients
900 gms wheat flour
50 gms maida
50 gms sooji
450 gms sugar
250 gms ghee
Milk or water to bind the dough
Method
Dissolve the sugar in milk or water. You could warm milk and dissolve
Mix the flours.
Add the ghee and rub it with the flour,to resemble crums.
Gradually knead the dough with the dissolved sugar solution, the dough has to be hard.
Make balls and roll them into thick discs.
Cut them into quarters.
Deep fry, adjusting the flame so that the bread is nice and crisp and well cooked inside.
Remove with a slotted spoon.
These can be stored for more than 15 days.
Next come the veggies
Standard vegetables are prepared, most of the time these are deep fried , though some saute them. The idea behind deep frying is to retain the shelf life.
( deep fried lady fingers, sprinkled with routine spices)
( deep fried bitter gourds, sprinkled with everyday spices.)
( spinach made with onion and tomato)
( chick pea flour fritters which are truly irresistible )
These accompaniments are a must.
( a sour version of curd rice)
( whipped curd with tiny gram flour dumplings)
( a chutney made with mint , coriander and green chilly)
( mango pickle)
This is the most traditional spread which is prepared, I am told that pooris too are a part of the traditional fare, which skipped my mind. I remember my granny who used to spend a complete evening making this spread and mom helping her. The culture of joint family prevailed then, with nuclear families, and changing times, no one wants to eat this fried and oily spread, so following the tradition the Lola’s are made , but rest of the things have taken a back seat.
Today’s generation eats cold food but it is like sandwiches, pani puri, bhel, dahiwadas, yet with time people have made their adjustments with the Godess! morning doesn’t begin without a cup of tea! Well the tea can be made by using a kettle, the stove is not used!
I had scheduled this post long back, but fortunately Thadri fell just a couple of days back and I received a couple of pictures from my cousins who had made this spread . Here is a glimpse of how the Sindhi’s celebrate this festival…different families, different style and dishes !
I had scheduled this post long back, but fortunately Thadri fell just a couple of days back and I received a couple of pictures from my cousins who had made this spread . Here is a glimpse of how the Sindhi’s celebrate this festival…different families, different style and dishes !
Enjoyed reading about thadri and nice to know about customs followed in different parts of India.
Thadri spread looks so wonderful. I have one friend who also celebrated this Satam festival and send us so many flat bread goodies.
wonderful post and thank you so much for the info Vaishali, bookmarked going to try all of them looks each and every dish so delicious….
What a spread, so inviting and well written detailed post.
Loved your writeup. Great to know about thadri.
omg !! I think my bookmarks are going to be filled with your posts Vaishali :-)) nice to read about this festival..
wow Vaishali…i heard about thadri for the first time this year and here comes your post detailing about it…just loved reading about it, i liked the roti spreads and options..personally i think sindhi food is rich food and needs to be enjoyed by surrendering to it without worrying about loading up calories…this is one invitign platter
Vaishali even though you told me about this festival, I never expected it to be so grand with all that breads!..wow amazing spread, I would want to make this sometime..so glad you have it all recorded for us…
My god, mindblowing.. Wat a varieties of rotis you have shown us, i dont have any excuse now if my family asks for different rotis, i know where to come now.. Stunning platter again.
Wow..It's really a feast to our eyes..Such a variety of rotis and you have so much patient to do this and appreciate your efforts.
Wow what an amazing post Vaishali. I never heard of this festival and it is very interesting to learn about the origins and what is done for the festival. I don't think I can ever make all the dishes on the same day — kudos to all your efforts. Also it is so nice to see your friends and family share their festival food pics. All in all — Very Awesome post.
BM gives us great opportunities to know about various cultures. And I always look forward to your posts which explain every thing in detail. Loved your spread and great to know about the thadri festival..
I remember reading about the festival somewhere before, probably it was your blog. 🙂
And as usual, you amaze me with your festival thalis.
Loved reading and learning about the festival but I swear you do these elaborate beyond beautiful thalis just to make the rest of us look bad right?
Beautifully written vaishali!! I remember asking you for Lolo's recipe for last year BM. The spread looks amazing!! i dont mind ghee-laden, it is far far better than the modern day margarine or other bad fats.