Maize Rava Uppuma is prepared by me only in recent days as per the wish of my spouse, being carried away by the various cookery demonstrations using Makka Cholam, Kambu, Samai etc. Siru Dhaniangal seem to be the hype in the latest recipes. All old wine in the new bottle.
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| Maize Rava Uppuma |
Ingredients:
Maize Rava 1 cup
Onion 1
Red Chilly 1
Finely chopped Potato, Carrot, Beans, Peas 1 cup
Grated Coconut ( optional ) 1/2 cup
Channa Dhal 1 tbsp.
Oil 2 tbsp.
For seasoning :
Mustard, Split Urad Dhal, Curry Leaves.
Method :
1. Heat oil, add the ingredients for seasoning. Add broken red chilly and then the chopped onion. I prefer using red chillies when Beans is used because green chillies cannot be identified in the Uppuma from the Beans. Unknowingly we may bite them. If both Beans and Green Chillies are used, just slit the Green Chillies and use. They can be easily discarded.
2. After the onion turns golden brown, add the chopped vegetables with little salt. Saute on medium flame. Little water can be added for the vegetables to get cooked.
3. When the vegetables are cooked, add 3 cups of water, After the water boils, add the Rava slowly. Add salt. Keep on stirring on medium flame to avoid lumps.
4. Once all the water is absorbed and the Rava is cooked, add coconut and switch off. The hot and tasty Maize Uppuma is ready.
Vengaya ( Onion ) Vadagam made of small onions, Urad Dhal and red chillies is a dry product to be deep fried in the oil. It is very popular, special and unique of the Tirunelveli region.It seems to be made in Tanjore and some other places also but with slight variations.Some people call it Thazhippu ( seasoning )
Vadagam.
This Chutney, made of Vengaya Vadagam seems to be the " invention" of my law's family.
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| Vadaga Chutney |
Ingredients :
Vengaya Vadagam 6
Tamarind a small piece
Red Chillies 2 or 3
Grated coconut ( optional ) 1 tbsp.
Salt, Hing , Oil
Method :
1. Heat 1 tsp. of oil and sauté the chillies. Keep aside.
2. Heat the same Kadai, add 1 tbsp. of oil and fry the Vadagams till the Mustard
cracks. In the end add Hing and the coconut. Switch off. Let them cool.
3. Grind all the ingredients, not very coarse and not very fine with minimum
water. Seasoning with Mustard and Curry leaves is optional.
Multi Grain Laddu is a highly nutritious Laddu, the recipe of which was passed on to me by my beloved sister in law Ms. Chitra Velmurugan, a Smiling Beauty and an ardent devotee of Lord Muruga.
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| Multi Grain Laddu |
Ingredients :
Sooji / Rava 1 cup
Moong Dhal / Pasiparuppu 1 cup
Roasted Channa Dhal / Pottukadalai 1 cup
Wheat Flour 1 cup
Roasted Ground Nut, Badam, Cashew( together) 1 cup
sugar 4 cups
Ghee 1.25 - 1.5 cup
Cardamom 4
Method :
1. Dry roast Rava, Moong dhal and wheat flour separately, one by one till an aroma comes out.
2. Roast the Pottukadalai for a few seconds.
3. The proportion of Ground Nut, Badam and Cashew can be according to our taste, preference and availability. Remove the husk of the Ground Nut and roast all the three separately. Cool all the ingredients.
4. Powder the sugar with the Cardamoms.
5. Powder all the ingredients one by one. Do not powder the nuts for a long time as they are oil based.
6. Mix well all the ingredients.
7. Heat Ghee and slowly mix with the powder. When you take in the hand and are able to make them into balls, stop adding the Ghee. Press into Laddus.
Note :
As it is better and easy to be made into balls as the Ghee is hot enough to be handled by our palms, divide the powder roughly into 2 halves and make in 2 batches, if your are doing alone. if there are 2 persons, it can be done in a single time.
For a small family 1/2 of all the ingredients are enough. So half of the powder can be kept in a fridge and made into Laddus, when we need.
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.
