Ugadi 2025: Add These Traditional Recipes To Your Festive Spread
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Ugadi, the traditional New Year festival celebrated in Southern parts of India like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana marks the beginning of a new lunar calendar. Falling on the 25th of March 2025, Ugadi is steeped in customs and traditions that symbolise renewal, hope, and, of course, indulging a lavish feast.

To make a festive spread at home, here are some traditional recipes shared by chefs from the Southern parts of the country. Beginning right from the non-negotiable Ugadi Pachadi, a dish that encapsulates the six flavours of life – sweet, sour, salty, bitter, spicy, and tangy to something sweet like mango Puran Poli, follow these step-by-step recipes to recreate your Ugadi table at home.

Ugadi Pachadi By Chef Hari Babu, Chef De Cuisine, Shangri-La Bengaluru

Ingredients:

  • 30g raw Mango
  • 5g Neem Flowers
  • 50g Jaggery
  • 5g Salt
  • 5g Pepper Powder
  • 5g Tamarind

Instructions:

  1. Soak the jaggery in water until it dissolves, and strain using a tea strainer.
  2. Cut raw mango into small cubes.
  3. Soak tamarind in warm water until soft, then strain.
  4. Pluck fresh neem flowers, wash, and pat dry.
  5. Mix all ingredients with jaggery water, ensuring a well-balanced blend of flavours.

Mango Puranpoli By Chef Santosh Sakpal, Executive Chef At Fort JadhavGadh

Ingredients:

For the Dough:

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  • 1 cup Wheat Flour (Gahu Peeth)
  • ½ cup All-Purpose Flour (Maida)
  • ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
  • 2 tbsp Oil (Tel)
  • Water, as needed

For the Filling (Puran):

  • 1 cup Chana Dal (Harbara Dal) (adjusted from 100g)
  • 1 cup Jaggery (Gul) (adjusted to include 60g)
  • 1 cup Mango Pulp
  • ½ tsp Cardamom Powder (Velchi Powder) (adjusted to include 5g)
  • A pinch of Nutmeg Powder (Jayphal)
  • A pinch of Salt (to taste)
  • 5g Dry Ginger Powder (Sonth)
  • 15g Ghee (Clarified Butter)

Instructions:

  1. In a mixing bowl, combine wheat flour, all-purpose flour, turmeric powder, and oil.
  2. Gradually add water and knead into a soft, pliable dough.
  3. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.
  4. Wash and soak chana dal for 30 minutes.
  5. Drain and pressure cook with enough water for 3-4 whistles until soft.
  6. Mash or blend into a smooth paste. Heat the mashed dal in a pan with jaggery, stirring continuously until it thickens.
  7. Add mango pulp cand ook for 5-7 minutes until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.
  8. Mix in cardamom powder, nutmeg, and salt. Let it cool completely.
  9. Divide the dough and mango puran into equal portions. Roll out a dough portion into a small circle and place a puran portion in the centre. 
  10. Seal the edges, forming a smooth ball, then gently roll into a thin, round Puranpoli.
  11. Heat a tawa over medium heat and cook the Puranpoli until golden brown spots appear.
  12. Apply ghee on both sides while roasting. Repeat for the remaining portions
  13. Serve warm with extra ghee for a delicious and aromatic mango Puran Poli.

Belluli Koli Fry By Sajid Patel, Executive Chef At Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway

Ingredients:

  • 1kg chicken
  • 75 grams of garlic cloves
  • 30 grams of ginger
  • 3 sprigs of curry leaves
  • 10  green peppers
  • 2-inch cinnamon

Instructions:

  1. Turn the garlic and ginger into a paste.
  2. Combine the garlic-ginger paste, curry leaves, green chilies, and cinnamon with the chicken pieces.
  3. Let it marinate overnight or at the very least 30 minutes.
  4. Arrange the marinating chicken on spikes.
  5. Grill or roast them until a little burned and fully cooked. Serve.