Paal Kozhukattai (Wheat flour balls cooked in sweetened coconut milk)

How to make (wheat flour) Paal Kozhukattai

                Here is an all time south indian favorite, esp during Pillayar/Ganesh Chathurthi, only better with wheat flour instead of rice and the addition of sugar to the dough ties it in with the sweetened milk. Thus filling your mouth with some sweetness, even when you bite into the soft balls. Cos' I've tried a few recipes where the milk by itself is delicious, but the balls are just bland with no sweetness whatsoever.  Do try this version, and you will love it. 

                  The playdough Ganesh was a last minute daring attempt & luckily, I remembered the steps I learnt at a workshop the previous year. I'm posting a picture of my skinny Ganesha, for any of you,who wants to give a shot at making one at home with your kids playdough or clay. Have fun unleashing your artistic skills during this festive time of the year.  Sending this entry to Srivalli's CCC #36 :September Week 1.

Ingredients for 8 to 10 servings:

1 cup powdered jaggery

1 cup boiled milk

1/2 coconut milk

1/2 cup ghee

10 cashew nuts, broken

1 tsp elaichi/cardamom powder

1.5 cups water

For making the dough:

1 cup wheat flour

1 tbsp rice flour

1 cup water

2 tbsp sugar

a pinch of salt

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Stove Top Method:

• Fry the broken cashew nuts in a little ghee on low heat, until its golden in color.
• Make a thin syrup with the jaggery, by adding a 1/4 cup of water to it and heating on a medium-low heat; until the jaggery dissolves. Filter the syrup & set aside.

• Dry roast the wheat flour & rice flour, together in a dry pan on very low heat, until it gets hot & roasted. Take care, not to burn the flour.
• Simultaneously, take about 1 cup of water, in a pan. Add 1 tbsp of ghee, salt and 2 tbsp of sugar to the water and heat covered until it begins to boil.
• When the water boils briskly and the sugar has dissolved; turn off the heat, & add the roasted flour little at a time & stir with a wooden spatula; until you have dropped all the flour into the water. The end result should be a tight, clump free dough.
• Transfer the dough onto a workable surface & knead it, as soon as it cools down a bit. spread some ghee on your hand, if needed & knead gently to make the dough smooth. Roll into small balls (about the size of a seedai or about the size of a small blueberry).

• To cook the kozhukattai's, in a wide shallow pan, boil 1.5 cups of water, by closing the lid. When you see a rolling boil, add half of the rolled kozhukattai's into the water & close the lid again. After waiting for about 2 mins, add the remaining kozhukattai's and close the lid again for a total of 8 to 10 mins on medium heat. Intermittently, you can gently stir with a spatula, taking care not to break the balls.

• Test a kozhukattai by piercing it with a toothpick in the center to check if it has cooked thoroughly.
• Now add the jaggery syrup to the pan, gently mix & let it simmer for about a minute. Next add the milk and when it starts to boil add the coconut milk; and wait until the mixture starts to boil again. 

• Remove from heat, add the cardamom powder and fried cashew nuts. Enjoy it warm or cold.

Vaazhaipoo Thirattu / Plantain Flower Curry

How to make Vaazhaipoo Thirattu

            Here is a mildly spiced, home style south-indian curry made with fresh plantain flowers and pearl onions, spiced with black sesame seeds & pepper corns that give this curry the dark earthy color & flavors. If you like, you can add about 1/4 cup of coconut milk towards the end & finish off, for a creamier version. 

             If the plantain flower is a new ingredient in your kitchen, please make sure, you check my notes on how to clean it; before you begin. 

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.

Chettinaad Kathirikai Vathakal (Sauteed Brinjal)

How to make Kathirikai Vathakal/Sauteed Brinjal

                      Brinjals are one of the versatile vegetables, don't you think? Anyway you cook it, they adapt to your ingredients & method. Those are some of the reasons, why I use them a lot in my kitchen. This recipe requires no Onions or Tomatoes, so I ended up making this when I ran out of most of the groceries & had just the ingredients needed for this recipe; which i found in a book that Mom had given me. Just in time for the CCChallenge, I had signed up for! This was so good to eat by itself  that half of, what i made, got over even before our meal time. That made me think it could even be served on tooth picks :) A recipe so simple shouldn't be left out, without trying!

Savory Kuzhi Paniyaram / Kaara Kuzhi Paniyaram

How to make easy Savory Kuzhi Paniyaram

                     

                Compete with authentic South Indian Restaurants by serving these famous breakfast/tiffin item from Chettinaad!! If you have not tried making these, you will be surprised to know how easy it is, to prepare these with the Idli batter that's commonly available. All you need is the the Kuzhi Paniyaram Pan  & the rest of it is a breeze. It goes with a variety of accompaniments and it's totally up to you. I served these with Onion-Tomato chutney, simple Coconut chutney & Peerkangai (Ridge Gourd) thuvayal here. Although it's pretty simple, I have elaborated the steps with lots of pictures to help, for the novice cook.