Gowri Pooja - Vayna Pooja Lunch In GSB Konkani Homes
Gowri Pooja story by my granny. Goddess Gowri returns from her mom’s house, as she returns back home, she cooks a frugal lunch to worship nature using everything she brings from her mom’s house. This pooja is called vayna pooja in Konkani. (A pooja where she makes coconuts into goddesses by decorating them & worships them.) She forgets to bring salt in a hurry while coming back from her mom's home, so she doesn’t have any salt. She doesn't add any salt to any of the dishes she cooks. So, we do vayna pooja every year like she did by decorating coconuts, lighting lamps, and diyas. A frugal lunch is cooked that day using everything in season, the highlight being everything is cheppi, meaning without salt.
On the menu in most GSB Konkani homes on Gowri Pooja day there's:
Cheppi Bhajji upakari - Amaranthus stir fry made without salt.
Cheppi Kheeri - fragrant rice dish made using turmeric leaves.
Gajbaj Ambat - all veggies that are in season are cooked in a coconut curry.
Phova payasu - beaten rice dessert.
Phova panchakajjaya - beaten rice prasad, as beaten rice was very easily available back in the days.
Seeth - steamed rice
Cheppi patholi - Made without sweet inner filling in most homes & is called cheppi patholi.
These above are the basic dishes made. You can make other dishes additionally like:
Thoushe sasam - Cucumber salad of sorts with coconut chutney.
Different types of phodis, bajos.
She then cooks a grand feast to welcome her son Ganapathi the next day, which consists of all of his favourites.
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