Susiyam / Sugiyam

How to make Susiyam /Sugiyam (with step by step pictures)

           Susiyam, Seeyam, Suzhiyan, Suyya Urundai, Suiyam, Sugiyam, Suzhiyam - I wonder how many more names there are, for these mildly sweet, soft & nutritious balls; that's liked by kids, adults & seniors alike... This is a must-have on the day of Deepavali, in almost every Tamil household. My mom made these on the morning, of  Diwali. It was part tradition & partly because, it was one of dad's favorite. In my tweens & teens, i used to fill up on other sweets & savories and would ultimately end up, having to skip these goodies, because I was too full to have another sweet. I later realized, these are far more nutritious, with no empty calories & also, provide iron & protein. When serving to kids, you can poke a hole on one side & pour a tsp of warm ghee into it; to make it even more delicious. Please check the notes, for additional tips.

         I can't help but think of my dad - as this is my first Diwali without him. One thing, i did not mention in my Tribute to Dad - Last Diwali, I was contemplating on shipping him, some of my home made goodies & finally ended up, not sending any; since I thought it would be too late, by the time he receives it . I only wish, i had known - that was my last opportunity to send him my goodies! He never got a chance to taste any of my Deepavali Sweets & Savories, which had many of his favorites & now, he never can. May be that's why they say - Listen to your heart & go with it!! :( Life is short - Live, Love & Laugh.

Ingredients for 30-35 Susiyams:

Oil - For deep frying

For the filling:

1 Cup, Bengal gram dal/Kadalai Paruppu/Split Chick Pea

1.5 Cups, water

1 Cup, powdered Jaggery

1/4 Cup, water

1/4 Cup, fresh grated coconut

1/4 tsp, Cardamom powder

2 Tbsp, broken Cashew nuts

1 Tbsp, Ghee

For the (batter) outer covering:

3/4 Cup, All purpose flour/Maida

2 Tbsp, Rice flour

1/4 Tsp, Salt

approximately 3/4 Cup of water

Stove top Method:

PREP:

• Bengal Gram Dal - Pressure cook the Bengal gram dal with 1.5 cups of water for 2 whistles OR use a sauce pan & boil them in enough water until, it gets soft enough to break with your fingers & let it cool. 
• Cashew nuts - Heat some Ghee in a pan & fry the broken Cashew nuts until golden crisp & set them aside. 
• Jaggery - Heat a pan & melt the Jaggery with 1/4 cup of water. Turn off the heat & filter the jaggery water, if you think there are impurities in it. 
  
• Batter - Mix all the dry ingredients for the batter. Use a whisk & slowly add water to make a  very thick batter & set aside. 
  
• Grinding - Coarsely, grind the cooked Bengal gram dal with the Cardamom powder, without adding any water. 
  

COOK:

1. Heat a medium sized pan with the melted Jaggery - add the ground Dal paste, coconut and stir to blend all the ingredients. Let it cook on an open pan, on medium to low flame. Stir occasionally, & check the consistency of the mixture. When the boiling sound, changes into sizzling sound, stir frequently. When the mixture changes into a thick mass, turn off the heat & wait until it gets cool enough to handle. 
   
2. Heat a pan with enough oil for deep frying.
3. Make 1" - 1.5" sized balls, with the cooled mixture, until you use up all the mixture. 
   
4. When the oil is hot enough, dip each ball into the Maida batter - to form a covering & drop them into hot oil & fry until the batter gets fried. Remove onto a paper towel to drain. 
   
5. Repeat step 4, until you are done frying all the balls. 
6. Serve warm. 
   

NOTES:

• The thickness of the batter, should resemble the Idli batter or Pancake batter. A thin batter wouldn't make a good coating for the balls.
• A coarse filling with a few un-ground Dal, gives a better texture, while eating. Alternatively, you can set aside, some of the cooked dal & add it to the ground mixture later.
• If you like the crust to be golden, you can add a pinch of turmeric powder to the batter, but traditionally it's not added. 

Sending this recipe over to MLLA #76 event that was initiated by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook, taken on by Lisa Turner of Food and Spice  & hosted this month by Nupur of  Veggie Kitchen. You can find a round-up of all kinds of legume recipes here.

This recipe also goes to SriValli's CCChallenge, from my mom to my recipe diary to CCC.