Boshi#31 ~ Nativity Feast Lunch!

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Today’s lunch was a festive meal prepared to celebrate the feast of the Nativity of Mary. This also coincides with the harvest feast celebrated with great gusto among the Mangalorean Catholic community.

This pure vegetarian fare is made up of odd numbered dishes consisting usually of gourds, legumes and other locally grown vegetables like lady’s finger, long beans, hog plums and cucumbers. Coconut is present in almost all the dishes.

After having the new crop of paddy is blessed in the church it is distributed among the people who then take it home, pound a few grains of tender, new rice and mix it along with coconut milk sweetened and flavoured with jaggery and cardamom. It is then symbolically sipped by every member of the family, pretty much like a toast to good health but mostly to thank God for His benevolence, mercy and providence.

I wish all my readers a happy feast and may you be blessed with everything you desire!

So coming back to today’s Lunch….Boshi or should I say ‘Shirothi’ 🙂

Managed to make 9 items – the highest I’ve made so far (single handedly) for the Nativity feast! (Phew!)

From Left to Right

1. Gosalem Thel Piyao (Ridge Gourd Oil & Onion Style)

2. Sonay Sukhe (Black Garbanzo Beans Saute)

3. Moog Ani Keerl Sukho (Sprouted Green Gram Saute)

4. Karathe Sukhe (Bitter gourd Saute)

5. Vorn (Moong dal Payasam)

6. Roce (Sweetened Coconut Milk)

7. Sanna (Steamed Rice Cakes)

8. Alun Dento (minus the alun) (Curry of Colocasia and Amaranth Stems)

9. Karamb (Cucumber Salad)