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.

Nuts & Wheat Ladoo

How to make Nuts & Wheat Ladoo

              Also known as Atte ka Ladoo in Hindi (can also be made without nuts) is a simple Indian sweet made with basic ingredients from our pantry. A great after workout snack or a health-boosting dessert alternative. They make great homemade treats instead of store-bought processed snacks. These delicious balls are jam-packed with flavor and nutrients. These ladoos being high in calories are great for kids to keep their energy levels up any time of the day.

Ingredients for about 40 ladoos:

whole wheat flour - 3 cups

Cashew nuts - 1/2 cup

Pistachios - 1/4 cup

Almonds - 1/4 cup

(superfine) Sugar - 2 cups

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tbsp

melted ghee - as needed to make ladoos

Stove-top method:

• Dry roast all nuts in low flame for 2-3 minutes, until the raw smell disappears. Let it cool down & powder them finely and set aside.
• Dry roast the wheat flour on low heat until it loses its raw flavor and smells aromatic. 
• If your sugar is not super fine, you may powder it before adding it to the flour.
• Add the powdered nuts, sugar, cardamom powder to the roasted flour, and mix it well. Melt ghee on low flame & keep it warm, until you finish making all ladoos.

• Take a small batch of the flour mix, pour a ladle full of hot ghee, stir & make balls using your hand. Repeat the process until all of the flour has been turned into ladoos. 
• Store in air-tight container & enjoy with your family & friends.

Sharing my mom's recipe from my recipe diary with my friends at CCC #59 Oct Week 4.

Cashew Badam Halwa

How to make (quick & easy) Cashew Badam Halwa

    

             Although I did not have a sweet tooth during childhood, I have always been a sucker for milk sweets - Bengali sweets being my most favorite, followed by 'Thirattu Paal' and 'Paal Khoa'. When I moved to this country and felt deprived of my favorite sweets for a long long time and store-bought sweets weren't as good as the ones you get in India, I had to find a way to satisfy my craving. At first,  I added sugar to the unsweetened store-bought khoa to make 'Paal Khoa' and that was delicious by itself. After a few times, I decided to up my game by adding powdered nuts to this concoction and thus ended up with the 'Ultimate Paal Khoa'. Since then, I never went back to the regular Paal khoa. I had found my "soul-food"! The only drawback being, that this is super rich & will take a toll on your weight :o). To control my temptations, I only make it during Diwali season every year and, yes I do go overboard during Diwali time anyways... and end up blaming the festive season by calling it holiday weight gain.

           It takes only a few minutes to make this deliciously sweet halwa, but it tastes royal. I'm sorry, I'm raving so much about this halwa. My opinions might be biased as I love milk sweets, so why don't you try this easy peasy recipe this Deepavali to make your family & friends happy; that is if you have any leftovers to share ;o)

Ingredients:

2.5 cups/12 oz/350 Gms Unsweetened Khoa

2 Cups Sugar

1/2 Cup Cashew powder

1 Cup Badam

Milk - 1 Cup
a few strands of saffron

Stove-top method:

• Grate the Khoa with a peeler or chop it up into smaller pieces. Powder the raw nuts as desired.
•  Heat the milk with the Khoa. Once the Khoa blends with the milk, add the powdered nuts & sugar. Heat on low-medium & keep stirring until you reach halwa consistency. Top it with saffron strands & serve warm or cold.

Sharing my recipe with my friends at CCC #59 Oct Week 3. Do check out their latest Diwali recipes as well for more inspiration this season.

Sorakkai/Bottle Gourd Halwa

How to make Sorakkai/Bottle Gourd Halwa

             

            This was the very first sweet that I ever made, probably in my late teens. I remember my great grandma watching me fumble my way through the steps of the recipe that I had written down possibly from a Tamil magazine or newspaper. What I liked about this recipe is that it uses the basic ingredients that would already be available in an average Tamil household in that time period & does not ask for mawa or food colors etc. Of course, if you like you can substitute evaporated milk, mawa or food colors as you like. I have tweaked the recipe by using the pressure cooker to speed up the process. Do try this easy recipe & enjoy.

Ingredients for about 4 servings

1 large sorakkai/bottle gourd- 5 cups grated/minced
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup evaporated milk/regular milk
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
A pinch of turmeric powder
A pinch of salt

For frying

1 tbsp ghee
A few cashewnuts

Stovetop method

• Wash, peel, remove the seedy area & finely mince the bottle gourd in a chopper. You can also use a grater & grate the bottle gourd. Squeeze out the juice and set aside as we will not be using it in the recipe.

• Heat a pressure pan on medium heat, add the minced/grated bottle gourd, a cup of milk & 3/4th of a cup of sugar. Stir, close, add the whistle & let cook on medium heat for three whistles. When done, let the steam out manually or naturally. Add turmeric powder, cardamom powder, salt & keep stirring occasionally until all the liquid evaporates. 

• Meanwhile heat a tiny pan with ghee, fry the cashews until golden brown & add it to the halwa when most of the liquid has evaporated. 

• Simmer for a few minutes until you get halwa consistency & serve warm or cold.

Sharing this simple yet delicious recipe with my fellow bloggers at SriValli's CCC #57 Aug Week 3.

Vepampoo (Neem Flower) Rasam

How to make Vepampoo (Neem Flower) Rasam

            Vepam Poo Rasam/Neem flower Rasam is an aromatic rasam made using neem blossoms (also known as the Indian Lilac) & ghee which is usually prepared for Tamil Puthandu/New Year. Puthandu is the day of new beginnings. This day is celebrated by Tamilians with neem flowers and raw mangoes to symbolize growth and prosperity. Intake of the Neem flowers once in a month is highly recommended to cleanse our digestive system. This Tamilian recipe can be served along with Steamed Rice, Poriyal & Appalam/chips.

                I learned this recipe from my MIL and love the flavor of the neem flowers roasted in ghee which makes it super aromatic & satisfying. There are a few variations you can do in this recipe, see notes below. Check out my other Rasam Varieties too.

Ingredients:

Lemon sized, Tamarind - soak, strain & make tamarind extract 

Rasam powder -2 Tbsp

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder - 1/4 Tsp

For Tempering:

Mustard seeds - 1 Tsp

Curry leaves - 2 Sprigs

Asafoetida - a pinch
Ghee - 1 Tsp + 1 Tbsp
Picked, washed & dried, Neem flowers/ Vepampoo - 2 Tbsp

3 Dry Red Chilies, broken

Stovetop Directions:

• Heat the 1 tsp of Ghee & fry the Mustard seeds, Red Chilies, Asafoetida, Curry leaves. Add the remaining ghee, fry the Neem blossoms until dark brown, crisp & aromatic (but don't let it turn black).

•  In a different pan, heat the tamarind extract with Turmeric powder, Salt, Rasam powder & boil it just until it froths & turn off the heat.

• Finally add the tempered ingredients to the boiled tamarind mixture & serve hot, with a south Indian meal platter.

Notes:

• You can opt for the following in your recipe if you like - chopped tomatoes or cooked toor dal.
• You can omit rasam powder & increase chilies if you like too.
• Frying the neem flowers in ghee is to reduce the bitterness.

 Sharing this from my recipe diary in SriValli's CCC# 55: May - Week 4.

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.

Inippu Pidi Kozhukattai / Sweet Pidi Kozhukattai

How to make Inippu Pidi Kozhukattai / Sweet Pidi Kozhukattai

             Sweet Pidi Kozhukattai (also known as Vella kozhukattai or Inippu kozhukattai) is one of the traditional kozhukattai varieties that is the easiest & quickest you can make. These are like sweetened rice dumplings made with lentils, coconut, and jaggery. You can make these with store bought rice flour / kozhukattai flour /idiyappam flour. 

             As the name indicates, these kozhukattais are shaped with the grip of hands (Pidi) which gives them a rather distinct shape with finger impressions on them. For those who haven't tried making kozhukattai’s before, you can start with this one, as your chances of going wrong with this recipe are close to none. 

             Not only can this be made during Ganesh Chathurthi, but also as an evening snack for your family. It’s a perfectly healthy snack for kids since it is steamed. It is also gluten and dairy free. I learned this kozhukattai from my MIL & it comes from my recipe diary just for you.

Ingredients :

Rice flour - 3/4 cup

Powdered Jaggery/Palm Sugar - 1 cup

Grated Coconut- 1/2 cup

Salt - a pinch

Kadalai paruppu/Bengal gram dal - 1/4 cup (soaked in water for 20 mins)

Elakkai/Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Cashew nuts, broken - 1 tbsp

Sesame/Gingelly oil - 2 tbsp

Water - as needed

Stove top method:

• In a bowl, add the rice flour, salt, coconut, soaked bengal gram dal, cashew nuts and cardamom powder; mix dry & set aside.

• Heat a thick bottomed pan with the jaggery and add about a 1/4 cup of water to it and make a thin syrup. When all the jaggery melts, filter it for impurities and pour it back into the pan.
• Heat the pan with filtered thin syrup add oil, stir & add the rice flour mixture in installments stirring it in-between to ensure there are no lumps for about a minute. If the liquid is not enough for the flour, sprinkle some water until you get a thick dough consistency, that does not stick to your fingers.

• Turn off the heat & transfer to a bowl & keep covered (so it doesn't dry). Lightly dip your fingers in gingelly oil when you make bite sized balls or oval-shaped kozhukattai's with your finger impressions on it.

• Grease idli plates or any other container & arrange the kozhukattai's in a single layer, steam them for about 12 minutes on medium heat. 
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes:

• If the liquid is not enough for the flour, sprinkle some water until you get a thick dough consistency, that does not stick to your fingers.
• You can substitute moong dal for bengal gram dal and Karupatti (dark palm sugar) or brown sugar for jaggery.
• It can also be made without using any oil if needed but can be a little dry with cracked texture.
• If refrigerated, steam for few minutes, so it turns soft prior to serving.

Sharing this recipe with my fellow bloggers at Sri Valli's CCC #47 August 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.

Mangai Sadham / Mango Rice

How to make Mango Rice/Mangai Sadham

            Manga sadham/Mango rice is one of the lip smacking rice of the south. This recipe brings back nostalgic childhood memories. Sneaking up to the terrace when the adults are busy taking an afternoon nap - find the biggest green mango that you can reach - pluck - take a bite - wait for it & make a sour face literally. On other occasions, it would be sliced and sprinkled with salt & paprika for a sour & spicy treat.

            The sourness of the rice will depend on how sour your mango is.  Serving this with Karivepillai thayir pachadi a.k.a Curry leaves raitha. The two flavors play well together.If you are a skeptic about the combo, try it before you dismiss the idea. 

Ingredients for 4 servings

1 large unripe/green mango
1 cup uncooked rice, cooked but not mushy
2 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 Tsp, chili powder
2 dry red chilies, broken
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
a pinch of asafoetida powder
a sprig of curry leaves
1/4 Tsp turmeric powder
1/4 Tsp roasted & powdered fenugreek seeds (optional)
Salt to taste

Stove top method:

•  Fluff the cooked rice gently, mix in a tbsp of sesame oil & spread the rice on a plate and let it cool. 
• Grate the mango, peeled or unpeeled.Heat remaining oil in a pan and when it's hot, add mustard seeds and fry for 30 seconds.Add curry leaves, dry red chilies and asafoetida powder cook for a minute. Add turmeric powder, fenugreek powder (if using),  grated mango, salt, and cook for a few minutes on medium heat, until the raw smell of the chili powder is gone.
• Turn off the heat, add the cooled rice and mix gently. Check seasoning & serve with papad & curry leaves raitha.

Deepavali Recipes

Deepavali/Diwali Sweets & Savories

Here is a consolidated list of some of the most favorite sweets and savories made during Deepavali.

Click on the links below for the complete step by step recipes with pictorials:

Paal Kozhukattai

Khajoor ka Halwa

Cashew Badam Halwa

Sorakkai/Bottle gourd Halwa

Moong dal flour Ladoo

Coconut Meeta/Sweet Paan Ladoo

Nuts & Wheat Ladoo

Goji Berry-Almond-Date Power Balls (No Cook Recipe)

Susiyam / Sugiyam

Cashew Wheat Appam

Coconut Burfi/Candied Coconut Bars

Easy Milk Chocolate Fudge

Sweet Somasi (Karjikai)

Mullu Murukku

Masala Karasev

Mysore Pak

Carrot Halwa

Rawa Kesari

Kalkandu Pongal

Sweet Pongal (Jaggery)

Instant Bonda (using Idli batter)

Instant Boondhi Payasam/Kheer

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

****************************************

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.