Deepavali Legiyam

** Deepavali Special post *

Deepavali is an Indian festival of lights, joy and happiness. This festival is associated with diversity of traditions. In the Hindu Epic Ramayana, Diwali is the day when Lord Rama, Sita, Hanuman and Lakshmana returned to Ayodhya after 14 years in exile. In another mythology, Diwali is the day when Lord Krishna killed the demon Narakasura. It is celebrated to signify the victory of good over evil.

Today's post is on Deepavali Legiyam. It can be rightly said as an anecdote for all digestion problems. Usually on Diwali, we tend to eat lot of sweets and snacks. So we may complain of bloating, stomach-ache and digestion issues. An age old remedy that has been a part of this tradition is "Deepavali Legiyam", which can also be called as "Deepavali Marundhu". The ingredients used for making this comes with incredible health benefits. To name a few:

👉 Ajwain Seeds - Helps to maintain cholesterol level, maintains our digestive health, treats common cold.

👉 Thippili & Kandathippili - improves appetite and digestion, treats stomach-ache, heartburn and indigestion.

👉 Pepper - good for digestion, treats constipation

👉 Cumin Seeds - contains antioxidants and has anti-cancer properties

👉 Dry Ginger - gives great relief to coughing and throat ache

👉 Jaggery - improves digestion and detoxes the liver.

This is definitely time-consuming and requires patience. Yet it is worth the effort.

Ingredients:

Ajwain Seeds 1 1/2 cup

Thippili 1 cup

Kanda Thippili 1 cup

Pepper 1 cup

Cumin Seeds 1/2 cup

Dry Ginger (Sukku) 2 to 3 pieces

Jaggery 5 to 6 cups

Clove 1

Cardamom Pods 1 or 2

Sesame Oil 1/2 cup

Ghee 1/2 cup

Method:

1. Soak ajwain seeds, thippili, Kanda thippili, pepper, cumin seeds and dry ginger in water overnight.

2. Drain the water and keep it aside.

3. Add the soaked ingredients to a mixer jar, add water (use the water that was used for soaking them) and grind them into a fine paste. The paste should be of dosa batter consistency.

4. Heat the sesame oil in the pan.

5. Add the ground paste to it. Keep stirring it continuously. Otherwise the mixture will get browned.

6. Once the mixture starts thickening, add jaggery. It might get diluted after adding jaggery, but no worries it will start to thicken again.

7. Once it reaches jam consistency, switch off the flame. Do not overcook.

8. Add little ghee over it. Store it in a air-tight jar.

Please note that once the legiyam cools, it will become more solidified.

Variations:

1. You can add ghee according to your taste.

2. Only Sesame Oil should be used.