Incredible but true. This is my 200th post. Kesari was my particular choice for the 100th post, this time Laddu.
Laddu, I felt must be given the credit of the 200th post as Laddus and Mysore Paks, even today honour us on all auspicious occasions and festivals.
Laddu, in early days meant only Boondi Laddu. Now as we make a variety of Laddu, we call the common Laddu as Boondi Laddu.
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| Boondi Laddu |
Ingredients :
Besan Flour / Kadalai Mavu 1 cup
Sugar 1 1/4 cup
Cashew, Cardamom Powder, Cloves
Edible Camphor ( optional )
Ghee 2 tsp.
Oil for frying
Method :
1. Mix Besan flour and make batter, little loose than the Dosai batter.
2. Mix sugar with 1/2 cup of water and boil till one string consistency.
3. Heat oil, hold a perforated ladle over it and pour the batter over it and
tap the sides.The batter must drop in the oil like tiny balls. Do not over crowd
the oil with more Boondis.
4. Once the oil stops sizzling, remove the Boondis from the oil, draining it and
put the hot Boondis in the hot syrup.
5. Do not make the Boondis very crisp as pressing into Laddus will be difficult
and the laddus may not be soft.
6. Finish off all the batter and mix with the sugar syrup. Add fried cashew,
partly powdered cloves, Cardamom Powder and edible Camphor. Add 1 tsp.
of Ghee.
7. Mix well. If the mixture is loose, let it dry for some time. The syrup is sure to
be absorbed by the Boondis.
8. Press well and make into Laddus, smearing the palm with Ghee. Laddus, the
all time favourite sweet of South India is ready.
Sigappu Thuvaial is very common in the Saiva Vellala Community of Tirunelveli district.It is very tasty with any Dosai, especially Kurunai Dosai.
Sivappu meaning red is called colloquially Sigappu. Sigappu Thuvaial means red chilly Chutney.
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| Sigappu Thuvaial |
Ingredients :
Red Chilly 4 - 6
Grated Coconut 1 cup
Small onions 8 - 10
Garlic pods 4- 6
Salt.
Method :
1. Grind together all the ingredients in the mixer, not very coarse not very fine.
2. Those who like can add and grind together either Curry leaves or Coriander
leaves or both.
Wheat Flour Halwa can be called an instant Halwa as it can be prepared just in 20 minutes. Yet the taste is perfect, making it a fine
dessert.
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| Wheat Flour Halwa |
Ingredients :
Wheat Flour 1/2 cup.
Sugar 1/2 cup
Ghee 1/4 cup
Cashew, Cardamom Powder
Method :
1. Heat 1 tsp. Ghee, fry the Cashew and set aside. The Kadai should be thick
bottomed or non stick. Non stick Kadai is the best.
2. Heat 2 tbsp. of Ghee in the same Kadai and sauté the flour on a low or
medium flame. Take care that it does not get burnt.
3. Boil the sugar with 1/2 cup of water just till the sugar dissolves. Add red or
yellow colour if desired.
4. Add the sugar syrup to the flour and keep on stirring on a low flame till
the water is absorbed. In between add the remaining ghee.
5. Add the fried Cashew, Cardamom Powder and switch off when the Halwa
consistency is reached. The rich dessert is ready.
Sevai is also a kind of Idiappam. Idiappam is made from rice flour and by using the Murukku mould.
Sevai is made by grinding Idli rice. Idiappam is also soft but Sevai is very soft. My mother in law makes good Idiappam. My mother excels in making perfect Sevai.
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| Sevai |
Ingredients :
Idli Rice 2 cups.
Oil 3 tbsp.
Method :
1. Soak the rice for 3 hours and grind to a fine paste with the minimum water.
2. Heat oil in a thick bottomed Kadai and sauté the batter, stirring
constantly till the water is absorbed. The batter must not be sticky. Cool.
3.Make the dough into oval shaped kozhukattais and steam cook in the Idli
vessel.
4. After the kozhukattais get cooked, put 1 or 2 in the Sevai Nazhi as hot as
possible and press. Finish off all the Kozhukattais. The soft Sevai is ready.
Mix with salt or lemon or tamarind as desired.
With the Uzhunda Mavu and Rice Flour at home, different variety of Murukkus can be made at home in small quantities within 30 minutes.
Urad Dhal supplied through PDS can also be used, if available.
As the Urad Dhal is to be powdered, any type of white Urad dhal, whole or split can be used.
I always powder 1 Kg. of Urad dhal and it comes almost for 6 - 8 months. This can be stored even outside the fridge in an airtight container for a year.
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| Urad Dhal flour |
Ingredient :
Urad dhal 1 Kg.
Method :
1. Heat a heavy bottomed Kadai, preferably Calcutta Chatti ( a kind of Aluminium ) and dry roast 1 kilo of Urad Dhal till an aroma starts coming out. Do not over roast as done for Idli Powder.
2. Mild roasting for an aroma is enough. My mother in law says that over roasting the Urad Dhal may lead to the breaking of the Murukkus.
3. After it cools, grind in the flour mill, sieve and store in an airtight container.
Maida Barfi is a very simple but tasty sweet. The consumption of ghee is also less, compared to Mysore Pak and other Halwas. I have seen the cooks preparing this sweet during small functions at home.
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| Maida Barfi |
Ingredients :
Maida 3/4 cup
Sugar 1 cup
Ghee 1/2 cup
Coarsely powdered Cashew 1 tbsp.
Method :
1. Heat Ghee, add the cashew, then add the Maida and sauté well. Add green
colour if desired. Saute on a low or medium flame till the mixture becomes
thick.
2. Side by side, add 1/2 cup of water to sugar. Boil till one string consistency
is reached. Venilla Essence can be added, if preferred.
3.Add the syrup to the Maida. Mix well till the lumps break.This can be done,
switching off the stove.
4. When the mixture thickens, spread on a greased tray and cut into desired
shape.
This is the version of my mom whose choice is white Urad Dhal and she doesn't use oil for roasting the Dhal. She is very particular about the Ketti Perungayam.( Hing in the form of solid or cubes.)
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| Idli Powder |
Ingredients :
Red chilly 10 - 15
White Urad Dhal 1/2 cup
Channa Dhal / Kadalai Paruppu 3/4 cup
Oil, Salt, Curry leaves, Hing
Garlic ( optional ) 8 pods
Method :
1. Heat the Kadai and dry roast the Urad dhal till it becomes golden brown,
giving an aroma. The Urad Dhal can be whole or split. Set aside.
2. Heat the same Kadai and dry roast the Channa Dhal till it turns brown. In the
end add the Hing. Cool.
3. Heat 2 tsp. of oil in the same Kadai and roast the red chilly with the Curry
leaves well. Cool. Any Chilly, long or short can be used. My choice is the long
variety as the short one is full of seeds.
4. Powder the Dhals first. Set aside. Powder the Chilly, add the salt and Garlic in
the end.
5. To the powdered chilly, add the powdered dhal. Grind all together for 2 - 3
mins. to the desired texture. My mom likes only fine Idli Podi.
Idli Powder I is the version of my mother in law. She is very particular about the black urad dhal. This powder is very much relished by my children and spouse.
The name may be Idli powder but it goes very well with Idli, Dosai,
Uppuma etc, for the best taste it has to be mixed only with the Gingelly oil at the time of eating.
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| Idli Podi |
Ingredients :
Red chilly 10 - 15
Black Urad Dhal / Karuppu Uzhundam Paruppu 3/4 cup
Channa Dhal / kadalai paruppu 1/2 cup
Salt, Oil, Hing, Curry leaves.
Garlic ( optional ) 5 - 10 pods.
Method :
1. Add 2 tsp. of oil in a kadai and roast the Urad dhal till the colour changes,
giving an aroma. Add Hing in the end. Set aside.For the best flavour, solid
Hing is better than the powder. My mother in law uses more oil for frying
but it has its own taste. The mixer also never gets stuck up as many believe
because of using more oil.
2. Heat again 2 tsp. of oil and roast the Channa dhal in the same way. Set
aside.
3. Heat 2 tsp. of oil and roast the red chilly and a handful of curry leaves. Let it
cool.
4. Powder the Dhal. Transfer to a tray. Then powder the red chilly and the curry
leaves. Add the salt and the garlic. Powder. My mother in law always adds salt
only in the end.
5. To the powdered chilly, add the powdered dhal and grind everything together
for 1 or 2 minutes to the desired texture. My mother in law makes the
powder little coarse. The tasty Idli Powder is ready.
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| Doodhi Halwa |
The recipe of Doodhi Halwa was noted by me in my cookery book, a couple of years back from a magazine. Today I tried and the sweet / Dessert turned out be perfect. As we all know, the bottle gourd is only the base. Ghee, sugar and milk are real taste makers. Kowa or condensed milk still enhances the rich taste.
Ingredients :
Grated Bottle Gourd / Suraikkai 2 cups.
Sugar 1/2 cup
Milk 1/2 cup
Ghee 2 tbsp.
Permitted Food Colour( Red or Yellow ) a pinch
Condensed Milk / Kowa 4 tbsp.
Cashew.
Method :
1. Peel the outer skin off the bottle gourd and grate, discarding the central part with the
seeds. Squeeze the water.
2. Fry the Cashew and set aside.Heat the same Kadai, thick bottomed or non stick, add 1
tbsp. of ghee, add the bottle gourd and sauté on a medium flame for 2 mins.Add the
colour if desired.
3. Add the milk and keep on stirring till it is cooked, absorbing the milk.Add condensed
milk or the Kowa. Add sugar and 1 tbsp. of Ghee. Let it simmer for 5 mins. Add
cardamom powder and the fried cashew.Switch off. The rich, tasty and aromatic Halwa
is ready.
Vellai Paniyaram, as we all know is a popular Chettinad delicacy. Even two decades back in the apartment we lived, we had friends from Chettinad residing with us. From them I learned the recipe and tried a few times. Later the dish was only in my mind but never prepared.
Thanks to the Vijay TV fame chef Venkatesh Bhatt for rekindling my interest through his elegant demonstration to try it immediately. It was perfect with the flavour of Uzhunda Mavu.This goes well with Tomato and Onion Chutney.
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| Vellai Paniyaram |
Ingredients :
Raw Rice 1 cup
Urad Dhal 2 tbsp.
Oil, Salt,
Sugar 1 tsp.
Milk 1/4 cup
Method:
1. Soak rice and dhal for 2 hours. Grind to a fine paste, better in the grinder.
For a small quantity mixer can be used. Add salt, sugar and milk. Make a
batter, looser than the Dosai batter. Leave for 2 hours.
2. Heat oil, pour the batter in the middle. Reduce the flame. When one side is
cooked, flip to the other side.
3. When the other side is cooked, remove from the oil. Increase the flame and
pour the batter again in the oil. Only one Paniyaram can be cooked at a time.
Finish off all the batter.
This sweet Ellu Podi seems to be a special variety of our in law's family. When many friends and relatives tasted, they also wondered at it and enjoyed the taste. Only after my marriage, this sweet Podi was known to me.
Every one at my mother's house also like this Podi.It is prepared by me and often given to my parents, brothers and friends. Both my son and daughter love this Podi.Not to speak about myself. I feel I can starve if there is only Idli Podi and no Chutney or Sambar to be taken with Idli or Dosai. But with this sweet Podi, Idli and Dosai go inside silently. I am also not a person like my other family members to enjoy Chutney, Sambar and Podi all together at one time.
Children definitely relish this and also Vellam has iron.
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| Sweet Ellu Podi |
Ingredients :
Black or White sesame ( Ellu ) 1 cup.
Red Chilly 6 - 8
Powdered Jaggery 3 - 4 tbsp.
Salt, Oi
Method :
1.If the Ellu is bought in reputed Dept. stores, it is believed to be free from
impurities. Otherwise wash, slowly pour over the sieve that the impurities
remain at the bottom. Drain the water and dry.
2. Heat 1 tsp. of oil and roast the Ellu till it starts cracking. Transfer to a plate.
3. Heat 1 tsp. of oil in the same Kadai and roast the red chilly.Cool.
4. First powder the red chilly in the mixer and the add the Ellu and 1/2 tsp. salt.
Powder and the add the Vellam ( Jaggery ). Powder, not fine, not coarse.
The special sweet Ellu Podi is ready. Chilly and Vellam can be increased or
decreased to our taste.
Hing and Curry leaves do not go well with this sweet Podi.
Ellu Podi goes well with all the tiffin items like Idli, Dosai, Uppuma etc. This is to be mixed with Gingelly oil and taken. In fact, Gingelly oil is taken from Sesame ( Ellu ).Both are very good for health.
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| Kara Ellu Podi |
Ingredients :
Black Sesame ( Ellu ) 1 cup
Red Chilly 8 - 10
Oil, Salt,
Curry leaves- 1 handful
Method :
1. The Ellu must be free from impurities. If not wash, remove the impurities and
dry.
2. Heat 1 tsp. of oil, roast the Ellu till they start cracking. Transfer to a plate.
3. Heat 1 tsp. of oil in the same Kadai and roast the Chilly. Add Curry leaves in
the end and roast. Let them cool.
4. In the mixer jar, powder the Chilly first, the add the Ellu and powder. Finally
add the salt and powder to the desired texture.
This version of Kara Kozhukattai is made by grinding Idli Rice.As I have mentioned in my other posts on Kozhukattai, being a steamed food item is good for all ages.This can be taken as a tiffin item with coconut chutney in the morning or at night.
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| Kara Kozhukattai |
Ingredients :
Idli Rice 1 cup.
Green/ Red chillies 1 -2
Oil 2 tbsp
Salt,Hing
Mustard, Curry leaves.
Grated coconut 3 tbsp.
Method :
1. Soak the rice for 3-4 hours. Grind with the salt, coconut and chillies to a fine
paste.For the best taste and result, it is better to grind in grinder than the
mixer.Grinding the chillies is good as it may not be carelessly bitten by the
young ones.Add only minimum water for grinding.
2. Heat oil, add Mustard, Curry leaves, Hing.Later, those who prefer can add
sliced oinon and saute well.
3. Then add the ground batter and stir constantly on a low or medium flame
till the water is absorbed and the batter becomes firm.Switch off.
4. After the batter cools a little,make it into uniform sized Kozhukattais of oval
or ball shapes.
5. Steam cook in the Idli vessel.
This Kara Kozhukattai is made with the Rice Flour, either prepared at home or bought in the stores. This recipe is for the normal rice flour which is not roasted.
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| Kara Kozhukattai |
Ingredients :
Rice Flour 1 cup.
Red Chillies 1 - 2
Oil 2 tbsp.
Salt, Hing, Mustard, Curry Leaves
Method :
1. Heat oil, add Mustard, Curry leaves, broken chillies and Hing.
2. When the Mustard cracks, add 2 cups of water and salt.
3. When the water boils, add the rice flour slowly with constant stirring to avoid
lumps.
4. keep on mixing on a medium flame till the water is absorbed and the flour
and water become a firm dough. Let it cool
5. Make into Kozhukattais, oval or ball shaped.
6. Cook in the Idli vessel.
The oil free Kozhukattai is ready for all ages.
This Kozhukattai is an easy to prepare evening snack and advisable for every one as it is oil free and hence free from Cholesterol. This can be prepared in no time if there is a stock of Roasted Rice Flour.
Kara Kozhukattai II can be made with plain Rice Flour, not roasted.
Kara Kozhukattai III can be prepared by grinding Idli Rice.
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| Kara Kozhukattai |
To make 15 Kozhukattais :
Ingredients :
Roasted Rice Flour 1 cup
Grated coconut 2 - 3 tbsp.
Onion ( optional ) 1
Green /Red Chillies 1 - 2
Oil, Salt, Mustard, Hing, Curry leaves.
Method :
1. Heat oil, add Mustard, Curry Leaves, Hing and later the sliced or broken
Chillies. Then add the finely sliced onion and saute well. Add to the Rice
Flour.Add salt , coconut and mix well.
2. Boil 2 cups of water and mix slowly with rice flour. It accepts certainly 1 1 /2
cups of water. Sometimes it may require more water but not more than 2
cups.Add 2 tsp. of oil and make a smooth dough. Leave for 5 mins.If water is
not enough it may form cracks. Add little more water.
3. Hold the dough little by little in your palm, press well and make Kozhukattai.
It can also be made into balls or in oval shape.
4. Cook in the Idli vessel.To check, if it is cooked, take one and slice into two
pieces. If no dough is seen inside, it is cooked, If dough is found, cook for a
few more mins.The traditional oil free Kozhukattai is ready.
In those days, my mother, mother in law and all elders prepare Pickles for the whole year. Pickles mainly refer to Narthangai Urugai, Elumijangai Urugai and Mangai Urugai.Northangai Urugai is very good for digestion.Uppu Northangai with out Chilly and oil in those days was recommended to be taken with Kanji.It also helps to overcome Nausea.
The lemon and Northangai were slit four pieces not completely.The four pieces resemble the petals of a flower attached to the Calyx.They used to stuff inside with a mixture of Chilly, Salt and Fenugreek powdered.Absolutely no oil was used and they were preserved for the whole year in porcelain jars.
Nowadays we cut them into small pieces. We garnish with oil and Mustard.As said by me in many of my posts, homemade pickles are free from preservatives.
Northangai is not very common in the markets.It is available only very rarely. The trees are found in some of the houses in the southern districts of TN.
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| Northangai Pickle |
Ingredients :
Medium sized Northangai 10
Crystal Salt 1/2 - 3/4 cup.
Roasted and powdered Fenugreek 2 tsp.
Chilly Powder 1/2 cup ( plus or minus according to the juicy nature )
Hing.
Gingelly oil 5 tbsp.
Method :
1. Cut the Northangai into small pieces.Add salt and mix well.Every day shake
the vessel well and see that the salt gets mixed well.Salt can be reduced and
added later if needed.Only Kal Uppu ( Crystal Salt ) is the best.
2. It is not absolutely necessary to be kept outside in the sun. If kept in the sun,
cover with a thin cloth.
3. As the outer skin is thick, it takes a minimum of 10 days for the skin to
become soft.A small piece can be tasted to find out if salt is enough and to
know the softness. If salt is not enough, add little more and wait for 1 - 2
days, shaking the vessel daily that the salt gets mixed well.
4. After 10 to 12 days, add the Chilly Powder.It can be reduced and added later
after tasting.Mix the Fenugreek Powder.
5. After 15 days, check the for salt and Chilly Powder.Heat oil, add Mustard and
Hing.Mix well with the Pickle. The homemade Northangai Pickle, free from
preservatives is ready.
The salt and Chilly Powder can be altered depending upon the juicy content of
the Northangai.
Narthangai Rice ! Eyebrows may be raised as Northangai means nothing but Pickles.This is similar to Lemon Rice and the credit of this recipe goes to my sister in law in Madurai.She also makes Cool Drinking juice from it.That is yet to be tried by me.
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| Narthangai Rice |
Ingredients :
Narthangai 1
Cooked Rice 1 cup.
Green Chillies / Red Chillies 2 - 3
Channa Dhal 1 tbsp.
Salt, Turmeric Powder
Oil 2 tbsp.
Mustard, Curry Leaves.
Cashew / Ground Nut
Method :
1. Soak the Channa Dhal for 10 mins. and drain the water.This makes the Dhal soft when
added the rice.
2.Cool the rice in a shallow bowl by spreading it.
3. Heat oil, add Mustard, Curry leaves and later the Channa Dhal. When it starts turning
red, add the Turmeric Powder, broken chillies and salt. Mix well and switch off after a
minute.Add to the rice.
4. Squeeze the juice from the Narthangai and mix with the rice. Add fried Cashew or
Ground Nut for enriched taste. Mix well. The special Variety rice is ready to eat.
This Tomato Curry is little different from the Tomato Kuzhambu.This goes very well with plain rice, Idli, Dosai, Appam etc.The credit of the basic concept of this recipe goes to Ms. Revathi Shanmugam, the cookery legend.
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| Tomato Curry |
Ingredients :
Medium size ripe Tomatoes 8
Onion 2
Ginger Garlic Paste 1 tsp.
Chilly Powder 1- 1.5 tsp.
Kadalai Mavu ( Besan Flour ) 1 tbsp.
Oil 3 tbsp.
Cummin Seeds 1 tsp.
Fenugreek 0.5 tsp.
Salt, Turmeric Powder, Aniseed
Method :
1. Heat 3 tsp. of oil, add the Cummin seeds, Fenugreek and then the sliced
Tomatoes.Saute well with little salt till they shrink.Let them cool.Then grind
in the mixer.
2. Heat the remaining oil, add the Aniseed( Sombu ) and then the sliced onions.
Saute well and then add the G. G.Paste.Saute and then add Tomato paste,
Turmeric Powder,salt and stir well.
3. After 3 - 4 mins. add the Kadalai Mavu mixed with 3 tbsp. of water. Let it boil
on a low flame and get cooked.More water can be added if needed. Keep on
stirring on a low flame till the gravy consisteny is reached.Add Coriander
leaves. The tasty Tomato Gravy is ready.
The nutritious properties of Nellikkai has been mentioned time and again in my posts.
This can be made fast if Coconut and Nellikkai are available.Nowadays, there is nothing like a particular season for Nellikkai as it is available almost through out the year.
On seeing fresh Nellikkkais, I buy and store them in the fridge.Apart from making Pickles, Chutneys, Pachadis out of it,I slice them and eat them at intervals in 30 mins. in the morning daily or on on alternate days while cooking because of its enormous medicinal properties.Not only they are fresh but genuine unlike the dried Nellikais to be bought and ground in the machine or the Nellikkai Podi sold across the counters.
Even if it is one seed after slicing, I pour little water over the seed in a cup as there is always some fibre sticking to it and drink that water after 10 mins.
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| Nellikkai Thuvaial |
Ingredients :
Nellikkai 2 to 3 (depending on the size)
Grated coconut 1 cup.
Green Chillies 3 to 4
Salt
Method :
1. Slice the fibre of the Nellikkai.
2.Grind with the coconut and chillies with minimum water.The healthy Thuvaial
is ready to be mixed with plain rice and Ghee and taken with Papad or any
fry.This Thuvaial is a perfect side dish for any Variety Rice.
Note :
1. Garnishing with Mustard and Hing is optional.
2. Coriander leaves can be added.
3. The quantity of the ingredients can be altered to our taste.
3. A small piece of Tamarind can be added.
Thengai Thuvaial is a very traditional Thuvaial that goes very well mixed with plain rice , Ghee and taken with Appalam , Chips, any Fry etc.
Thengai Thuvaial is also a perfect side dish for any Variety Rice or tiffin item.
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| Thengai Thuvaial |
Ingredients:
Grated coconut 4 tbsp.
Red Chillies 2 to 3
Urad Dhal 1 tbsp.
Tamarind 1 small piece.
Oil, Salt, Hing
Method :
1. Heat oil in a Kadai, saute the red chillies with the Hing till the Dhal starts
turning red with an aroma.
2. Add the coconut and saute on a low flame for 2 mins.Tamarind can also be
added in the end. If the Tamarind is hard, soak in warm water for 10 mins.
and use.
3. Grind all the ingredients coarsely in a mixer with minimum water.The
traditional and evergreen Thuvaial, prepared frequently in those
days of fasting like Sashti, Kiruthigai, Sangada Chathurthi etc. is ready.
Neer Dosai, a popular Dosai variety from Karnataka was tasted by me at my brother's house in Mumbai before a couple of months during my visit to Mumbai. My thanks to their maid from Karnataka for this recipe.
This Dosai can be made fast, if we have a stock of fine rice flour. It tastes perfect with the Onion and Tomato Chutney.Actually this recipe with the name Paccharisi Dosai has been read by me in several cookery pamphlets given as a supplement with all the Women's Magazines.But I never tried it.
The maid from Karnataka and also all the recipes give directions only for soaking raw rice, grinding with the coconut and making Dosais.
I tried both the ways and I find using the rice flour easy and best.
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| Neer Dosai |
To make 6 Neer Dosais.
Ingredients :
Raw rice 1 cup / Fine Rice Flour 1 cup.
Grated coconut 1/2 cup
Salt, Oil
Method :
1. Soak the rice for 2 hours and grind into a fine paste with the coconut and salt
If you are using Rice Flour, the coconut should be finely grated or ground in
the mixer.Then the rice flour,coconut and salt must be mixed with water and
a batter without lumps should be prepared.
2. Whether your are soaking rice and grinding with coconut or using rice flour
and finely ground coconut, the batter mixed with the salt should be very
watery. This is important.That is why, it is called Neer Dosai.
3. Heat the Tawa, pour the batter evenly on the Tawa in the form of a Dosai.Do
not touch the Tawa with the Laddle ( Karandi ). Again very important.Appa
Kadai can also be used. Close with the lid.
4. As soon as it is poured on Tawa, pore form on the surface. Close with the lid.
When one side is cooked, remove from the Tawa. It is similar to making
Appam.The hot and tasty Neer Dosai with the unique flavour of coconut
is ready.
Nellikkai Thokku was tried by me for the first time only today as my sister in law gave me some fresh Nellikkais, passed on to her by one of her friends. She also casually told me that, this time she tried Nellikkai Thokku.Usually we make only Nellikkai Pickle by cutting them into pieces.So my thanks to her for her reference.She had sliced the Nellikkais into small pieces and ground them into a coarse paste. But I grated them as they were big enough to be held in the hand and grated.
 |
| Nellikkai Thokku |
Ingredients :
Medium Size Nellikkai 8 to 10
Oil 4 tbsp.
Chilly Powder 2 to 3 tsp.
Jaggery Powder 2 tsp.
Roasted and powdered Fenugreek / Fenugreek Powder 1/2 tsp.
Salt, Mustard, Hing, Turmeric Powder
Method :
1. Grate the Nellikkai or grind them in a mixer after slicing.Do not discard the
seeds. Pour 1/2 cup of water,take the dicoction after 1 hour. Drink it as it is
very good for health. Two or three dicoctions can be taken.
2. Heat the oil in a Kadai, add Mustard, Hing and later the Nellikkai paste.
3. Saute on a medium flame with constant stirring.Add Turmeric Powder.
4. After 5 mins. add salt, the Chilly and Fenugreek Powder.Mix well.
5. After 5 mins. add the Jaggery Powder and stir for 2 mins.Switch off.The
nutritious home made Thokku is ready.
Roasted Rice Flour is very handy for preparing Puttu, Idiappam, Kozhukattai etc.I always have atleast 4 cups of roasted rice flour at home. This roasted rice flour is now available at all stores. For people who have time and above that who can manage to shell out time and those are little economical, this flour can be prepared at home easliy.
By soaking 5 cups( 1 Kg. ) of rice, drying and grinding the semi dried rice in the grinding mill, we can get 10 cups of wet flour.The wet flour should be roasted immediately within an hour after bringing from the mill.
 |
| Roasted Rice Flour |
Ingredients :
Wet Rice Flour 10 cups.
( Refer to my post Home Made Rice Flour )
Method :
1. Heat a thick bottomed Kadai and dry roast 3 or 4 cups. of flour at a time depending on
the size of your Kadai.I use a heavy Aluminium Kadai called Calcutta Chatti.Though it
is called by the name Calcutta, it is available even in small towns and small shops that
sell stainless steel and Aluminium utensils.
2. Keep on stirring continuously till the soft texture of the flour becomes little coarse like
fine sand or Kola Mavu.It takes nearly 5 mins. and we can easily identify that coarse
texture. Tranfer to a big tray or paper. Repeat again with the wet flour.10 cups of rice
flour can be roasted in 3 or 4 times.Small lumps may be there. Do not worry.
3. The roasted flour must be sieved using a fine seiving plate.This sieving can be done
leisurely after roasting.Powder the residue lumps in a mixer using the big jar. Sieve
again. Only a little residue may be left.That can be mixed with Kola Mavu, Adai Mavu,
Rice Uppuma Mavu etc. according to your mind set.
4.By roasting 10 cups of flour, we can get 5 cups of roasted flour.The simple calculation
is by soaking 5 cups of rice, we can get 5 cups of dried or roasted flour.
Note :
I always soak 10 cups ( 2 Kgs. ) of rice, dry and get the semi dried rice finely powdered in the machine.We can get 20 cups of wet flour from the mill.
One half of the flour ( 10 cups ), I dry on a big tray or newspaper inside the room for 4 or 5 days.Then I sieve it.I can get 5 cups of dried rice flour after 4 or 5 days.This I call Home Made Rice Flour. This can be stored for 3-4 months.
The other half ( 10 cups ), I roast as soon as possible after bringing from the machine.We can get 5 cups of roasted rice flour.
