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.
