Amarat Paak/ Rava Paak...Celebration of Raksha Bandhan

This is not Coconut burfi....... Amrat Paak is Gujarati name. It is also called by Rava Paak or Suji Paak

Raksha Bandhan, a day to celebrate the wonderful bond between a brother and sister. A bond that is pure and special as nature itself.

Raksha Bandhan is known by various names: Vish Tarak-the destroyer of venom, Punya Paradayak-the bestower of boons, and Pap Nashak-the destroyee of sins.

According to the Hindu legend Indra's Wife Sachi was the first woman to intiate a bond of protection (raksha). So on a symbolic note the Rakhi is also a talisman ensuring protection of the righteousness from the forces of evil.

Rani Karnavati of Chittor sent a rakhi to the Mughal Emperor Humayun when she was threatened by Bahadur Shah of Mewar. Humayun Abandoned an ongoing militrary campaign to ride to her rescue.

When Bengal was partitioned in 1905 Rabindranath Tagore used the occasion of Rakasha Bandhan as a community festival and gave a call to tie a rakhi amongst all Hindus and Muslims so as to maintain peace and harmony between the communities and spread the nationalist spirit among people from different ethnic backgrounds.

Down south, Rakhi Purnma is known as Avani Attam or Upakarman and is an auspicious day for Brahmins who change their holy thread (Janeyu). There is a similar kind of celebration in Nepal called Janai Purnima when men of the higher caste change their sacred thread (Janai) While a red or yellow protection cord (a raksya bandhan) is tied around the wrists of other people.

A group of women from the Brahmakumari sect tied rakhis on the wrists of Pakistani prisoners in Chandigarh's Central Jail during a special function (2006) organised by jail authorities.

In Central India, Especially Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh, Rakhi Purnima is also called Kajri Navami when wheat or barley is sown. It is a day of relevance to farmers.

Better known as Nariyal Purnima or coconut Full Moon festival by people living in the coastal area especially Konkan, an offering of a coconut (nariyal) is made to the sea that marks the beginning of the fishing season.

Considered to be the world's largest rakhi-50m long and weighing 15kg was in 2005 tied around a neem tree in Lucknow's Prince of Wales Zoological Gardens with the aim to raise awareness about conservation and environmental protection

Edit my post after reading magazine Btw. This is information from BTW Mag.:)

So lunch is ready my dear friend....what is new in this plate?

In this plate my father gives lots of love. Today is holiday of Raksha Bandhan and I check the student paper in the morning so my papa cooks the Potato-Cabbage curry, Kadhi and Rice. I only made Roti. My papa always helps me when I need. So this whole plate is for my mom, me and my grandmother only. My papa was cook but he is not take lunch with us because he was going outside for one social function. My mom is not well so my papa is always helping me in kitchen. I have no words for my great papa.:))

Ingredients:
2 cup semolina (Rava / Suji)
2 cup sugar
1 cup ghee
1 cup mava
1 cup dry grated coconut
Water for making sugar syrup
Almond, kishmish and cashewnuts as you like…

Method:
Step 1: Grated the mava and keep it aside.

Step 2: Heat the ghee in a deep pan in low flame.

Step 3: Add suji in hot ghee on low flame.

Step 4: Fry the suji until it turns light brown in color. Also ghee appears in top of the suji.

Step 5: Turn off the flame and add grated mava in it.

Step 6: Mix well with suji and keep aside.

Step 7: Take a small pan and add sugar and water in it.

Step 8: Turn on the flame and heat this sugar mixer until they are bubbling.

Step 9: When bubbling is stop and this mixer becomes slightly thick then turn of the flame.
Step 10: Let it cool for 3-4 minutes.
Step 11: After that add this sugar syrup into the prepare suji material.

Step 12: Mix the half of dry grated coconut in it.
Step 13: Mix well and spared it in big size flat dish.

Step 14: Decorated with half of coconut powder.

Step 15: After 5 minutes of cooling cut into square shape.
Step 16: Put one almond over each of piece.

Step 17: When it is totally cool then place it in container.