Ugadi Pachadi

Happy Ugadi to you all!!

Ugadi is the New Year of Telugu people. We used to celebrate Ugadi either at my ammamma's place or at my jeji's place(dad's mom). Where ever it is, we used to have an elaborate grand feast along with Ugadi Pachadi. My jeji's place is a place called Peapully in Kurnool disrict. We used to visit it in every summer holidays. Me, my dear brother Naveen and cousins used to go to our fields and swim in the wells. We had our first swimming classes in our well in the fields, my cousin brother as our trainer. Thats a great experience to swim in the wells. Naveen loves animals. Back then, my granny used have cows. Naveen even named few of his favourites as nalla aavu(black cow), chinna aavu(small cow) etc. To entertain us my pedanana us used to take us on bullock cart rides. Wow, its was such a fun. Even Naveen and me learned to ride bicycle in Peapully itself. Sometimes we all used to go to Mango grove/thota, to spend a whole day there. We had a sunkulamma temple in our fields, my mom and peddamma used to make food there itself and offer it to the goddess. I love that place. I visited it in my India trip too.

Comming to Ugadhi pachhadi, its a combination of shadruchulu(6 tastes),which are sweet, spice, bitter, tangy, salt and sour, Which also represents that man's life is a combination of all emotions such as happiness, sadness, sorrow etc. Which also states that we have to take good or bad equally in life.

INGREDIENTS

Tamarind juice 2 tbsp for sourness
Jaggery 2 tbsp(powdered) for sweetness
salt 1/2 tbsp for saltness
Red chilli powder 1/4 tbsp for hotness
Raw Mango Half(Grated) for Vagaru
Neem Flowers 2 tbsp for bitterness ( As we cannot get neem flowers in USA, you can use Methi powder for bitterness)



Mix all the ingredients together to make Ugadi pachhadi.