“Ghari~Umbari” fritters prepared during Death Anniversary.

“Ghari~Umbari” … Traditional fritters (deep fries) prepared during ShradHa (Death Anniversary) meals ... these are small fritters prepared both bland and sweet and is a must on the meal offering list that is served as an respect to the departed soul … 

** Traditions / Rituals are a custom followed for generations without questioning by family people. But with changing times things are beginning to change and sometimes the questions raised leave us perplexed without any reply whatsoever. I do not judge anybody about their decision when it comes to following rituals as my firm believe is any tradition should be followed with belief otherwise it is as good as not done. Faith is above all rituals as Lord Krishna himself says in Bhagawad Gita, that all these materialistic things offered to him mean nothing, to the believer in hime, to his followers he says that even if one single leaf of Tulsi is offered to hims with love and faith he accepts it with equal love and respect. Rituals are many a time man made to suit his demands and overtime many of them have become realities in our life. 

** Coming to Pitrapaksha / Pitru deevas / Mahalaya Masa / Mahlu .it is that period of the year which falls in Krishna paksha of Bhadrapada month, ie the second half of the fortnight of that month that is from poornima to amavasya. Hindus across India observe the 15 day ShradHa or Pitru Paksha by paying homage to their ancestors by offering food particularly on that tithi day on which they attained sadgathi (passed away). Many a people give dana ie donations during this period and the topmost of all of it is annadana ie feeding of rice to the poor which I strongly believe in more than the other rituals. During this time many items are prepared as a meal offering in respect of the departed souls. Some dishes are a must in the serving, but over period things have changed and people follow their own heart. Traditionally, however these fritters Ghari and Umbari are must so I have included them in the blog for those of you who would love to prepare them. 

** Here is the simple recipe of preparing “Ghari~Umbari” the traditional dishes which are a must for ShradHa lunch during Pirtu Paksha or if you are following the exact thithi dates of the departed soul ……. 

** For the preparation Of Ghari : Wash and soak one cup of Urad dal in water for 1 hour. Drain off the water, rinse and put it in a colander for the excess water to get drained complete. Once it is drained off completely, put the urad dal in a mixer grinder along with a tablespoon of jeera and grind to semi coarse paste without water. If needed you can sprinkle some water that’s it. The mixture should be a coarse paste, remove and add salt to taste. The texture should be that of rolling consistency. You should be able to roll it in your palms into ball shape for frying in hot oil as fritters. You can apply a little bit of water to your palms which will help in the process. 

** For Frying : Heat plenty of oil in a thick bottomed kadai, when hot lower the heat to medium, make balls out of the mixture and add them gently into the hot oil and allow to cook fro some time before you roll them with the help of a spatula. Do not overcrowd the kadai, there should be some space in the kadai left for the ghari to get well fried. Keep moving them till you get them lightly browned evenly. Remove with the help of a ringed spatula and put them in a plate lined with absorbent sheet. This will take care of the excess oil in the ghari / fritters. Continue with the remaining mixture in similar method till all are done. Keep them ready aside. 

** For the preparation of Umbari : Soak 1 cup of rice for an hour or so. Strain the water, wash the rice well. Put it in a mixer grinder along with 1 cup of freshly grated coconut, one medium sized or 2 small sized bananas cut into pieces, 200 gms of grated jaggery and grind to a fine paste. The paste should be thick and the texture should be that of rolling / dropping consistency. You should be able to remove a small lemon sized ball with your fingers roll it on the edge of the bowl and drop it into the hot oil as fritters. You can apply a little bit of water to your palms which will help in the process. 

** For Frying : Check the procedure of frying of that of Ghari above, it’s the same. 

** I hope this post has been of help to people who want to prepare these “Ghari~Umbari” during “ShraddHa” period but do not know how to. Again, I would like repeat that these are prepared in this manner only during the ShraddHa period and not otherwise. 

** An Earnest Request : There are many more recipes of different types in the blog. For all my Recipes, use the search option or the label section in the Blog. If you are still not able to find it or have a query, please leave a message in comment section or mail me the same. I will try my best to get back to you as soon as possible. Do try out various types of dishes included in the Blog and Enjoy them with your family and friends and do give me a feedback if possible. I have also started a food group for by the name "KONKANI DELICACIES" where in you will find many more recipes by members and you too can share some of your own. The link to the group is posted on the left side of the blog page. Do join us in our culinary journey. I strongly believe in Sharing and always endorse that "Sharing Is Caring" … Thank You ….