Kalkandu (Rock Sugar) Pongal

How to make Kalkandu (Rock Sugar) Pongal

            The jaggery pongal is quite popular & well liked by everyone, but the kalkandu pongal is kind of like the shy cousin of the jaggery pongal. Many may not have tasted it and hence not know about this less known , but equally delicious pongal version. The recipe was duly noted in my recipe diary cos' my grandma & mom used to make this pongal occasionally. To make this pongal taste rich, I have used evaporated milk instead of regular. Sharing this divine recipe with my friends at Sri Valli's CCC# 41: February -- Week 2.

Ingredients for 6 to 8 servings:

uncooked rice - 1 cup

Pasiparuppu/Moong dal - 1 tbsp

Kalkandu/Rock sugar - 1.5 cups

Evaporated milk or regular milk - 1 cup + 2 tbsp

Elakkai podi/Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Nutmeg powder - 1/8 tsp

Ghee - 3 tbsp

Saffron - a pinch

Raisins - 1 tbsp or more

Cashewnut - 2 tbsp

Pressure cooker method:

• In a pressure cooker, cook (until soft & mushy) the rice & dal together with 1 tbsp of ghee, and excess water. (ex: if you normally add 2.5 cups of water for 1 cup of rice; add 3 cups of water instead).
• Soak the saffron in 2 tbsp of warm milk.
• When the rice is cooked, add the kalkandu/rock sugar to it, stir to let it melt in the heat. Add the milk & stir on low heat, taking care not to burn it.
• Add cardamom and nutmeg powder. Add the soaked saffron to the pongal.
• In a separate pan, melt ghee & fry the cashewnuts & raisins. Toss them into the pongal & serve hot or cold.

Coconut Meeta/Sweet Paan Ladoo

How to make Coconut Meeta Paan Ladoo

    

      From using it in religious ceremonies to eating it in the form of a 'paan'; betel leaves contain many curative and healing health benefits. My mom & grandma used to grow it in our home and these aromatic leaves were readily available to reap the health benefits from the same. Betel leaves are supposed to heal wounds when applied over a wound and bandaged. If you are suffering from a severe headache, my grandma used to ask us to use 'vetrilai pathu' The leaves have cooling properties which provide instant relief from the ache when applied externally.

         Benefits aside, I have always been a fan of the meeta paan for the sweet filling in it.  So, here is a recipe that skips the slaked lime (sunnambu) & areca nuts/supari (pakku), but has all the yummy ingredients like coconut, elaichi, gulkund, nuts & cloves. You can pick & choose your favorite filler ingredients.

Coconut Meeta/Sweet Paan Ladoo

Ingredients for about 30 ladoos:

2 cups fresh/frozen grated coconut (do not use the brown part)
8 to 10 vetrilai/paan/betel leaves
1 cup condensed milk
about 1/2 cup, dry desiccated coconut (for rolling)
1/2 tsp, cardamom/elaichi powder
1/2 to 3/4 cup of gulkund (rose petal preserve)
1/2 tsp, saunf/fennel seeds
whole cloves, for garnishing
green food color, optional
chopped nuts, optional (I used almonds)

Method:

• To a food processor, add the grated coconut & grind dry until fine. Transfer to a bowl. 
• Wash, remove the stem & the bottommost tip of all paan leaves. Add tore paan leaves, pulse until fine add condensed milk & grind till both are well combined. Add few drops of green food color, if desired. 

• Heat a pan on medium heat, add the coconut and roast for a couple of minutes on medium-low heat. Add the condensed milk - paan mixture and stir to combine. You can add the elaichi powder & fennel seeds at this point.
• Cook for a few minutes on low heat, until the mixture, thickens & forms into one solid mass. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool down a bit.

• Grease your hands with ghee if needed, take a small portion from the coconut mixture, flatten it and add ½-1 teaspoon of gulkund and chopped nuts in the center. Bring the edges together and roll to form a ladoo. Roll the prepared ladoos in desiccated coconut. Repeat the same process with the remaining ladoos.

• Garnish with cloves, if desired. Refrigerate the ladoos & enjoy as a digestive/mouth freshener.

This recipe was inspired by another paan recipe from a tv show. You may add supari to the filling if you desire. Sharing this delicious recipe with my friends at SriValli's  CCC#50 Oct week 3.

Easy Rawa Kesari

How to make easy Rawa Kesari 

              It just dawned upon me that there are many basic easy recipes that are missing from my blog like the humble Kesari. So here goes an easy method that doesn't require technical stirring & standing next to it for a long time for the dish to be complete. This recipe was inspired by the Rawa Pongal recipe by Mrs. Revathi Shanmugam. The technique is a little different here though. One important thing to note - If the rawa & the sugar water are not piping hot while mixing, it might get sticky & lumpy. My recipe makes a mildly sweet Kesari. You can increase the sugar to 1 cup if you like it sweeter. So here's a quick recipe for you to try this Navrathri season or just any time of the year.

Ingredients for about 6 servings:

          For the sugar syrup

·  3/4 cup sugar

·  1.5 cups water

·  1/8 tsp, cardamom/elaichi powder

·  a pinch of salt

  

  For roasting the rava

·  1/4 cup or 4 tbsp ghee

·  1/2 cup rawa /sooji

·  8-10 cashew-nuts, broken

.  1 tbsp, raisins (optional)

Easy Rawa Kesari

Stovetop method:

• Take a heavy bottom pan or a pressure cooker and add the water, sugar, cardamom powder, and a pinch of salt. You can add saffron or food coloring if desired. Light the stove & let it heat. 
• Set another pan on the stove over medium heat. Add in the ghee, cashew-nuts and the rawa and fry until golden & aromatic. The ghee will initially bubble up on the sides of the pan during roasting. Keep stirring and take care not to let it burn.

• We will be working simultaneously using two stoves - when the sugar mixture comes to a rolling boil, the rawa will also be roasted. If the sugar mixture starts boiling before the rawa is roasted, just put the sugar mixture on simmer.
• When the sugar mixture comes to a rolling boil, we are ready to add in the rawa. Carefully add in the roasted hot rawa slowly into the boiling sugar water mixture, taking care not to let the hot liquid splash on you. Immediately after adding rawa, mix well and cover the pan/cooker with the lid and switch off the heat. (If there are any vents on the lid, make sure you cover them with a kitchen towel or use the weight if using a pressure cooker – so we do not let the steam escape. 

• Keep it covered tightly for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, open and mix the Kesari well. The rawa would have absorbed all the moisture and swelled up, glistening with ghee and totally lump free.
• The Kesari is best served warm or at room temperature. You can store the Kesari in the fridge for up to a week.

Sharing this recipe from my diary with my fellow bloggers at SriValli's CCC #49 Sep Week 4.

Varutha Arisi Sojji / Roasted Rice Upma

How to make Varutha Arisi Sojji / Roasted Rice Upma

            Most households probably get around to making two or three kinds of upma's - semiya upma, arisi rava upma & wheat rava upma. This was new to me when my MIL made this for dinner the first time. Her story behind this goes like this - during her childhood days, her mom used to make this as a quick and low-cost meal to serve a large family living on a budget. 

            This can be a lunch box recipe (stays fresh) or can be breakfast/dinner. This can be served with Milagai podi, Chutneys/Thuvayals, Sambhar, or Gothsu. This family (MIL) recipe comes from my recipe diary & is being shared with SriValli's CCC#46 July week #4.

Ingredients for 3 servings:

Pacharisi/Raw rice - 1.5 cups

Paasiparuppu/Green gram dal - 1/2 cup

Salt to taste

Grated coconut - 3 tbsp

Crushed black pepper  - 1 tsp

Water - 1 cup (for dal) + as needed to cook your rice

[ I used, 1(rice) : 3(water) ratio ]

For thalippu/tempering:

Oil - 2 tbsp

1/2 Tsp mustard seeds

2 tsp, kadalai paruppu/bengal gram dal

Dry red chilies - 3, broken

1 tsp, jeera/cumin seeds

a pinch of asafoetida powder

a sprig of curry leaves

Stove top method:

• Dry roast the dal & rice separately in a dry kadai/pan, until slightly golden, crisp & aromatic.
• Heat the oil in a large cooker/kadai and add the ingredients listed for tempering one by one & fry for a few seconds, taking care not to burn them.
• Pour the required amount of water for the dal & rice to cook, add salt & let it come to a boil.
• When the water begins to boil, add the roasted rice, and dal. Cover & let cook on medium until rice & dal are cooked soft. (If using pressure cooker, use the weight & let cook for about 10 minutes or 2 whistles)
• Sprinkle crushed pepper powder, add grated coconut, give it a stir and turn off the heat. 
• Serve hot with Kathirikai gothsu or try any of these thuvayals or chutneys.

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.

Winter melon/Ash gourd/Neer Poosani salad

How to make Winter melon/ Ash gourd/ Neer Poosani salad

           Although, I've been drinking ash gourd juice for a while now & have developed a liking for it. I was delightfully surprised by how tasty & filling this salad turned out to be. I saw this recipe in a cookbook by the Isha foundation which promotes, all natural & healthy food habits for overall well being. If you must know how good this tasted - you should ask my better half, who is an anti-salad kind of guy & still took a second serving of this delicious & healthy salad.

         The ash gourd, coconut & carrots are naturally sweet, the spices add flavoring & salty boiled peanuts make it all the more better. All the fiber in this salad is sure to keep your tummy satisfied. Once you have the ingredients ready, just toss & serve. Taste bhi, Health bhi!!

Sakkarai (Sweet) Pongal

How to make Sakkarai/Sweet Pongal (Pressure Cooker Method)

                Happy Pongal, everyone!! I guess, everyone has their favorite version of the Sakkarai Pongal. There are numerous combinations/ratios/ingredients/methods to try from and you will still get a yummy Pongal, no matter what. So, here's my very own version of one of my favorite Pongal's, from my recipe diary, which uses, milk & unsweetened khoa apart from the usual ingredients. 

               Along with the recipe, I'm also sharing a Kolam (poster board size), I drew for a Pongal function. Before you scroll down, let me confess, that I'm no artist & have tried drawing this one after 15 years. This kolam is probably a child's play for many of you. I salute all the wonderful Kolam experts out there :o) (More about Kolams) 

Cashew Wheat Appam

How to make Instant Cashew Wheat Appam

              As soon as Deepavali was over, we (as kids) used to start looking forward to Karthigai Deepam; reason being that we could repeat some of the favorite rituals again; like lighting up the house with dozens of oil lit lamps, eat some goodies & finish up what ever fireworks was left over from Deepavali. Compared to Diwali, the Karthigai Deepam was much conservative; in the sense, it didn't have the novelty or showiness of Diwali; every aspect was low key & in moderation. Yet, the images run through my mind, when I think of this festival - the purchase of new clay lamps every year, rows of oil lit lamps outside every house, every room in my house had to have a oil lit lamp (requiring frequent inspection & refills) & not to forget the time spent in front of the mirror with the lamps in hand :) Everything looks n times beautiful in candle light, you got to agree!!

               I know this post is a little late - since the Karthigai Deepam is an evening affair, I didn't have the time or privacy to do my post yesterday. If my little one sees me working on the laptop, he expresses various degrees of displeasure, until he successfully takes over & gets in control of the machine.

               The Cashews are optional, but they do add a layer of flavor, when you chew on this delicacy. You can either deep fry in oil or use the Kuzhi Paniyaram pan, if you want to cut down on oil. It tastes delicious, with a crispy outer shell & soft chewy center. There are many variations to the Appam - can be made with Rice flour, All purpose flour/Maida; can be made with sugar instead of Jaggery, etc.

Makes approximately 20 Appams

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Wheat flour

2 Tbsp Rice flour

2-4 Tbsp Roasted & powder Cashew nuts

3 Tbsp Fresh grated Coconut

Salt - a pinch

1/8 Tsp Cardamom powder

3/4 Cup powdered/crumbled Jaggery

Oil - 1/2 cup or less

Ghee - 4 Tbsp

Boondhi Payasam

How to make Boondhi Payasam/Kheer

               We have all tasted the delectable Laddoos; Boondhi Laddoo, Motichoor Laddoo and the heavenly, Tirupathi Laddoos. No matter which ones you have on hand, you can whip up this Dessert/Prasadham in no time. I decided to make this wonderful Payasam, for Krishna Jayanthi this year after hearing about it from Mami (my MIL). Luckily I had Laddoos, on hand & the rest of it was a breeze.