MAA VILAKU

Maa vilaku  (rice flour lamp) is prepared during the Thai, Adi months and for karthikai deepam.   It is a family custom for many of us.  My mother's side, my aunty used to light this lamp during Thai month.  In my in laws place this is not a practice.  However, I made this for posting the same on the blog.

This is a child hood memory for me as I love to eat this.  But after leaving my hometown, I hardly got the chance to eat this.  The combination of the rice flour, jaggery and the coconut pieces to eat is divine.  Since I had not eaten for years together, may be 15 years or more, I was craving for the same too. 

The lamp made out of this is lit with ghee in it and we have to wait for the same to completely get over.  Then neivedyam is done and it is distributed as prasadam to everyone.

In Thai month or thai  masam, it is done normally on Friday.  Since Thai masam is on, you can prepare this and enjoy it.

Now let us look at the recipe:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup rice flour

2-3 tbsp grated jaggery. 

a generous pinch of cardamom powder

1-2 tsp ghee

few  fresh coconut pieces.

Ghee and wick for lighting the lamp

Method:

Put the rice flour and jaggery in mixer and pulse it for a minute.  Add the cardamom powder and mix well  along with the ghee by putting them in a bowl.

Shape the lamp.  Either you can make a square and make whole in it like I have done or make the diya shape.    APPLY KUMKUM.   Put ghee and wick.  light it.    wait till the ghee gets over. 

Do the neivedyam.  Remove the black portion after lighting the lamp.  distribute with pieces of fresh coconut.

lighted lamps

This is after lighting the lamp.  before serving the prasadam, you have to remove the black particles.

serve it with coconut pieces.

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NOTE;  YOU CAN PREPARE THIS WITH FRESH RICE FLOUR OR THE READY MADE ONE TOO.


IF YOU HAVE FINE POWDER, THE CRACKS WILL NOT APPEAR.


FOR MAKING FRESH RICE FLOUR, SOAK THE RICE FOR TWO TO THREE HOURS, DRAIN, SPREAD IT ON A TOWEL.  WHEN IT BECOMES DRY A BIT, GRIND THEM IN MIXER, SIEVE THE FLOUR.