Deepavali Legiyam ( Deepavali Marunthu)

                            Deepavali Legiyam ( Deepavali Marunthu)

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Soaking Time: 3 hours

Ingredients:
Sesame Oil: 1 table spoon
Coriander Seed (Dania): 1 table spoon
Jeera: 2  tea spoons
Pepper (Whole): 2 tea spoons
Omam or Ajwain: 1/2 tea spoon
Dry ginger powder (Sukku): 1/2 tea spoon
Powdered jaggery: 1/4 cup
Ghee: 2 tea spoons

Method:
1. Soak dania, jeera, omam and pepper in hot water for 3 hours.
2. After 3 hours, add all the soaked ingredients to a mixie jar along with sukku powder and grind it into a fine paste using the water used for soaking.
3. Once the paste is ready, keep it aside.
4. Place a pan on the stove, put in the pounded jaggery and little water, melt it over a medium flame.
5. Put off the flame and filter the jaggery liquid to take out the impurities from it.
6. Place another pan on the stove top over a medium flame. pour in 1 table spoon of sesame oil to it and heat it.
7. When the oil is hot, add the fine paste to it and mix it thoroughly. Add the jaggery liquid and mix it well. Simmer it for 20 minutes or till it thickness.
8. The oil will separate from the legiyam and appear on the top. Put off the flame, while it is hot add 2 tea spoons of ghee and mix it well. Now the Deepavali Legiyam is ready.

Note:
1. This legiyam stays well for a week, it helps in digestion.

Mixture

                                                            Mixture
 
Preparation Time: 1and 1/2 hours                                                                     Ratio
                                                                                                           For Boondi:
                                                                                                                    4 : 1
                                                                                                      Besan flour : Rice flour
                                                                                                           For Ompodi:
                                                                                                                    3 : 1
                                                                                                      Besan flour : Rice flour  

kara Boondi:

Ingredients:
Besan flour: 1 cup
Rice flour: 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Chilli powder: 1/4 tea spoon
Asfoetida: 2 pinch
Yellow food color or Turmeric powder: A pinch
Water as needed
Oil for frying

Method:
1. Fry the boondis as mentioned in the Mothichur Laddu post. Keep it aside.
2. Make sure to fry the boondis in the hot oil till, all the bubble settles down, so that it will be crisp.
3. Let the kara boondi cool to room temperature.
                                     
Om Podi:
Ingredients:
Besan flour: 3/4 cup
Rice flour: 1/4 cup
Omam or Ajwain seeds: 1/4 tea spoon (to be soaked in water)
Salt to taste
Butter: 1/2 tea spoon or 15 gms
Yellow food color: A pinch
Oil for frying
water as needed 

Method:
1. Take a bowl, add in sieved besan flour and rice flour. Add salt as to taste.
2. Melt butter in a small pan, when it melts completely and becomes a liquid, put off the flame. Add this to the rice & besan flour.
3. Add on water used to soak the omam or ajwain seed to the flour mixed in the bowl.
4. Now add water little by little and knead it into a soft dough.
5. Now heat enough oil to fry in a heavy bottomed pan.
6. Now take the murukku presser with om podi mould and fill it with the dough.
7. Squeeze or press this dough gently into the hot oil and fry till bubble settle down. Now drain the oil from the fried om podi and take it out.
8. Now fry rest of the dough as mentioned above.
9. Let the om podi cool to room temperature and keep it aside.
  
 Maida Biscuit

Ingredients:
Maida: 1 cup
Butter:1 tea spoon
Sugar (Powdered): 3 tea spoons
Salt a pinch
Oil for frying 
Water as needed

Method:
1. Take a bowl add in sieved maida.
2. Melt butter in a small pan ( as mentioned for ompodi) and add it to the sieved maida.
3. Add powdered sugar and salt to it.
4. Now add water little by little and knead it into a soft dough and let it rest for 5 minutes.
5. Now take lemon sized balls from the dough and roll out into a circle (it should be neither thick nor thin).
6. Using a sharp knife cut it into the shape of a diamond or square. Transfer the cut dough into a plate and keep it ready for deep frying.
7. heat oil in a kadai over medium flame. Drop these square one by one into the oil and deep fry until both sides turn golden brown. Remove from oil and drain it on a steel strainer.
8. Let it cool to room temperature.

The other things needed for Mixture:

Ingredients:
Dried ground nuts: 1/4 cup
Fried gram or Pootukadalai: 1/4 cup
Thin flattened rice (Aval - white): 1/4 cup
Curry leaves: A handful

Method:
1. In the same oil, fry the ground nuts, drain the excess oil and keep it aside.
2. Fry the fried gram (Pottukadali), drain the excess oil and keep it aside.
3. In the same manner fry the aval, grain the excess oil and keep it aside.
4. In the remaining oil fry the curry leaves and allow it to splutter. When the spluttering stops, take the curry leaves, drain the excess oil and keep it aside.

 Now Mixture:
1. Take a wide big bowl.
2. Add kara boondi to it, add ompodi to it, add in maida, fried ground nuts, fried pottukadalai, fried aval and fried curry leaves.
3. Add 2 tea spoons of fine pepper powder into it and mix thoroughly. Now the mixture is ready. Store the mixture in an air tight container.

Note:
1. Adding pepper powder to the mixture gives it nice aroma and flavor, as the pepper blends well with every ingredient of the mixture.
2. The mixture stays well for a fortnight, if handled with dry hands or dry spoon.
 
 

Thattai (Nippet)

                 

                                 Thattai (Nippet)

 

 

Preparation Time: 30 minutes                                                                             Ratio
Cooking Time: 1 hour                                                                                         1 : 1/2
Soaking Time: 2 hours                                                                        Boiled Rice : Fried Gram

Ingredients:
Boiled rice or Idli rice: 1 cup
Powdered Fried gram (Pottukadalai): 1/2 cup
Salt as needed
Red chili: 2 nos
Soaked & dried Bengal gram and Moong dhal: 2 tea spoon
Cut Curry leaves: A few nos
Asfoetida: 1/4 tea spoon
Butter: 25 gms

Method:
1. Soak idli rice for 2 hours and grind it into fine paste adding little water and red chilies.
2. take this paste in a bowl, add powdered fried gram, mix it well, knead into a soft dough, add salt, asfoetida, curry leaves and soaked and dried gram, moong dhal and knead well.
3. Tale lemon sized ball and flatten it evenly, should be as thin as possible using your fingers.
4. Dry this on a cotton cloth preferably dhoti.
5. Prick the thattai using a fork to prevent it from puffing while frying.
6. Let it dry for 10 minutes.
7. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed kadai over a medium flame.
8. When the oil is hot fry 2 to 3 thattais at a time.
9. Wait till the bubbles settle down, now drain oil and take it out.
10. Fry the remaining thattais and cool it.
11. Store it in an air tight container.

Note:
1. Stays well for a fortnight.
2. Make sure to cool before storing, because while hot if you close the lid, the water vapour which would form may spoil.

Motichur Laddu

                                                      Motichur Laddu

Preparation Time: 10minutes                                                                            Ratio
Cooking Time: 25 minutes                                                                                 1 : 1
Soaking Time: 5 to 6 hours                                                                          Flour : Sugar           

Ingredient:
Besan Flour: 1 cup
Sugar: 1 cup
Cardamon Powder: 1/4 tea spoon
Crushed Clove: 2 to 3 nos
Cashews: A few numbers
Orange,red food color: 1 pinch
Baking Soda: 1/4 tea spoon or even less
Water as needed
Oil for frying 

Method:
1. Seive besan flour and take it in a wide bowl, add in food color, baking soda and water to make a batter of dosa batter consistency.
2. In another bowl, put the sugar  and add water till the sugar is immersed. Place this bowl on stove top and let all the sugar melts and put off the flame. Keep aside. This stage is called as sticky stage.
3. Now heat oil in a pan and fry boondis using a boondi ladle and soak the fried boondis in this sugar syrup.
4. Fry the remaining batter into boondi and add into the sugar syrup. Let it soak for 2 hours till all the syrup is absorbed.
5. Now make it into balls and dry under fan for 10 minutes.
6. Store it in an air tight container.

Note:
1. This quantity yields 30 numbers (1 cup = 15 numbers).
2. Stays well in room temperature for 4 to 5 days.

 

Kalakhand (Easy Version)

                                              Kalakhand (Easy Version)

Preparation Time: 30 minutes                                                          Ratio
                                                                                                      1: 1
                                                                               Condensed Milk : Panner

Ingredients:
Condensed milk: 1/2 tin
Panner: 100 gms
Cardamom Powder: 1/2 tea spoon
Grated Badam: 1 tea spoon
Ghee: 1 1/2 tea spoons ( For greasing)

Method:
1. Take a heavy bottomed pan (Preferably pressure pan). Pour half tin condensed milk into the pan. 
2. Grate the panner and add this panner to the condensed milk.
3. Place the pan on the stove over medium flame on the big burner.
4. Keep on stirring until the moisture evaporates and the mixture comes out as a whole mass leaving the sides of the pan.
5. Now put this on a greased tray and press it lightly ( Flatten it). 
6. When it is slightly warm cut it into pieces and store it in an air tight container.

Note:
1. It stays well for one week, when refrigerated.
2. This quantity yields 15 pieces approximately. 

Deepavali Special - Sweets & Savories Collections

    An Indian festival celebrated with enthusiasm and fun all through in our country by young and old. It spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, good over evil.

    In North India, Diwali is celebrated in memory of Lord Rama's victory over the demon King Ravana and his subsequent homecoming to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile. It is celebrated as festival of lights.

   In South India, it commemorates the death of Narakasura in the hands of Lord Krishna. It is believed that Narakasura, a malevolent demon, tortured common people and they prayed to Lord Krishna to defeat him. The people celebrated this defeat of Narakasura with sparkles, lights and fireworks. The day begins with an early morning oil bath, wearing new cloths, bursting of firecrackers, exchange of sweets between neighbors.

   After the bath, a home made medicine known as " Deepavali Lehiyam" is consumed, which is supposed to be aid in soothing digestive problems that may ensure because of feasting that happens throughout the day.

  Now coming to the deepavali bakshanams, I may post 2 to 3 sweets and 2 to 3 savories. As I have already mentioned in the previous posts, my son has a sweet tooth, so I end up doing more sweets than savories.

Wish you Happy Deepavali


                                                      Khoa Chocolate Burfi

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
Unsweetened khoa: 200 gms
Cocoa powder: 2 tea spoons
Sugar: 75 gms
Ghee: 2 tea spoons for greasing
Panner: 20 gms ( For the granular texture)

Method:
1. Crumble the khoa and divide that into two equal portions.
2. Take one portion of khoa and half of panner in a non-stick pan and place it over medium flame.
3. Stir this continuously till it melts and add sugar and keep on stirring.
4. It will form as a mass leaving the sides of the pan.
5. Now put this into a greased tray and flatten it well. Let is cool.
6. Now take the remaining portion of the khoa  and panner in a non-stick pan and add sugar.
7. Stir this continuously, add Cocoa powder and mix well.
8. It will form as a mass leaving the sides of the pan.
9. Put this over the flattened khoa and press well and allow it to cool.
10. Cut it into square and serve it.

Note:
1. It stays well for 3 to 4 days under refrigeration. 
2. Store it in an air tight container.

 
 

Madhur Vada

            Madhur is a place between Bangalore to Mysore, a vada prepared here is very famous. It is sold in all trains between Bangalore to Mysore.It is made of rice flour, cheroti rava and maida flour. An Instant vada that can be made in a jiffy. When our family went on a tour to Karnataka during May 2010,  happened to taste this vada at Madhur.
            It was crispy, crunchy and filling too. If this vada is made carefully, devoid of moisture, it stays well for 3 to 4 days.

                                                       Madhur Vada

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Resting Time: 10 Minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
Cheroti Rava: 1/2 cup 
Maida: 1/4 cup
Rice Flour: 1/4 cup
Finely chopped coriander leaves: 1 tea spoon
Finely chopped green chilli: 2 nos
Water as needed
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
Grated ginger
Finely chopped Onion: 1 no (Optional)

Method: 
1. Take a bowl, add rava, maida, rice flour, salt, chopped onion, green chilli, grated ginger.
2. Sprinkle water little by little and make it into soft dough, even it becomes soggy, do not worry, the rava will absorb moisture.
3. Let it rest for 10 minutes
4. Heat oil in a frying pan over a medium flame.
5. Take a lemon sized ball out of the dough, flatten it like patties and deep fry in the hot oil, when it is golden brown, drain oil and take it out and serve with chutney.

Note:
1. Make sure to fry it over medium flame, otherwise it won't be crisp.
2. The resting time is very important.