Paalada Payasam
A delicacy from God’s Own Country, this is a dessert that is made with milk and rice adai, topped with some buttered dry fruits.
Ingredients
2/3 cups adai
4 cups milk
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
For Adai
1 cup raw rice
Water
A pinch of Salt
1 tsp ghee
Banana leaves
Method
For Adai
- Soak the rice in water for 2-3 hours.
- Drain the water and spread the rice on a newspaper so that the moisture evaporates.
- Once dry, grind to a fine powder.
- Then, add water little by little to form a thick paste.
- Add a pinch of salt and ghee and mix well.
- Wilt the banana leaf by holding over the flame.
- Grease the leaf pieces with some ghee or oil. Pour a spoonful of the batter on one end of the leaf.
- Take the leaf on the palm of your hand and swiftly move your hand, so that the batter slides and spreads all over the leaf.
- Carefully roll the leaf and place on a steamer.
- Continue the process till the batter is over.
- Steam these rolls for approximately 5 minutes or until cooked.
- Remove the leaf and cut the ada into small pieces. Set aside.
Method
- Soak the adai pieces in hot water and keep aside for 30 minutes.
- Drain and rinse with cold water a couple of times to remove the starch.
- In a pan, lightly roast the pieces.
- Pour the boiled milk into it.
- Cook on low flame, stirring continuously, till the mixture thickens.
- Add sugar and mix well.
- Simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Add cardamom powder and mix well.
- Serve warm.
Parippu Pradhaman
Moong bean lentils cooked with jaggery and coconut milk, an Onam Sadya special.
Ingredients
1/2 cup moong bean lentils (washed and drained)
4 tbsp ghee (Clarified butter)
200 gm jaggery
1¼ cups water
½ cup coconut milk(1st extract)
¾ cup coconut milk(2nd extract)
1 cup coconut milk(3rd extract)
½ tsp cumin powder
¼ tsp cardamom powder
¼ tsp dry ginger powder
A pinch of Salt
For Garnishing
2-3 tbsp coconut pieces
2 tbsp cashew nuts
2 tsp sesame seeds (black)
1 tbsp raisins
Method
- In a pan, heat a tablespoon of ghee and fry the ingredients for garnishing till golden brown and keep aside.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of ghee in a pan and fry the moong bean lentils till they turn almost red in colour.
- Add water. Cover and cook the lentils.
- In another utensil, add jaggery along with 1/4 cup water and let it boil till it melts to get a slightly thick consistency. (When you lift the spoon the drop shouldn’t drip very easily.) Remove from flame.
- Strain the jaggery syrup into the cooked dal through a strainer.
- Reheat the pan with dal and cook while stirring slowly, till the mixture turns thick.
- Now add the 3rd extract (the most diluted form of coconut milk) and continue cooking till the mixture turns thick. This may take some time.
- Once the mixture is thick, add the 2nd extract and let it boil. Then add the 1st extract and mix well.
- As soon you spot the first bubble, add salt, cumin powder, ginger powder and cardamom powder and mix well and switch off the heat.
- Garnish and serve either warm or chilled.
Motichoor Laddoo
A sweet found in every North Indian household during festivals, these laddoos may seem difficult to make but are extremely easy to make.
Ingredients
For Syrup
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
A drop or two of orange colour
¼ tsp cardamom powder
For Boondi
1 cup gram flour (besan)
A drop or two of orange food colouring
¾ cup water
Oil/ghee for deep frying
¼ cup grated almonds
1 tbsp cardamom powder
A pinch or crushed saffron
Method
For Syrup
- Mix sugar, food colour and water in a pan and bring to the boil.
- When the syrup reaches one-third consistency, switch off heat.
- Add the cardamom powder and mix well.
For Boondi
- Mix gram flour, colour and water together to form a smooth, lump-free batter.The batter should neither be too thick nor too thin.
- Heat oil/ghee in a pan.When moderately hot, hold a perforated ladle with one hand above the hot oil and pour a little bit of the batter on the ladle.
- Keep tapping the perforated ladle while the batter is being dropped.
- Fry the boondis till the oil stops sizzling. Fry till soft and not crispy. Drain and place them on an absorbent paper.
- Drop the boondis into this hot syrup.Mix the boondis well and allow it to absorb the sugar syrup.
- Boil some water in a pan. Keep aside.
- Transfer the boondis with sugar syrup to a blender.Add a tablespoon of hot water into it.Grind for 3to 4 seconds.
- Do not overdo this or the mixture will turn mushy and lose texture.
- If the boondis are crisp, you may want to add more hot water.
- Transfer the mixture to a plate.
- Add grated almonds, saffron and cardamom and mix well.
- Apply some oil/ghee on your palm and shape into laddoos.
Kozhukattai
Rice Flour dumplings filled with coconut and jaggery, this sweet dish is known as modak in Maharashtra.
Ingredients
1 cuprice flour
1 cup water
½ tsp oil
1 cup coconut, grated
½ cup jaggery, grated
½ tsp cumin, crushed
¼ tsp cardamom powder
Method
- Add rice flour to a bowl.Boil water in a pan with a pinch of salt and ½ teaspoon oil.
- When it comes to the boil, switch off heat and pour into the rice flour. Add enough to form soft, pliable dough.
- Mix well using a spatula without forming any lumps. The mixture should be soft but should not stick to the hand. Cover and keep aside.
- Add grated coconut to a bowl. Add the grated jaggery, cardamom powder and crushed cumin. Mix well.
- Add more jaggery if you want more sweetness.
- Apply oil to your palms. Take a small ball off the dough. Flatten it to form a round shape. Make sure not to make it too thin. Else it will crack open.
- Place a spoonful of the filling in the centre. Bring the edges to the centre and seal together. Roll to form a ball.
- You may make Kozhukattaiin any shape you choose to.
- Steam these in a greased steamer for 10-15 minutes till it looks glossy.
- Serve hot.
Kadalapparippu Poli (Sweet Lentil Patties)
A traditional sweet dish made using Bengal gram, poli is yet another dish that is made across South India.
Ingredients
For the Filling
¾ cup Bengal gram (chana dal)
¾ cup sugar
½ tsp cardamom powder
1/8 tsp nutmeg powder
1 tsp ghee
For the poli
1 ¼ plain flour (maida)
¼ tsp turmeric powder
A pinch of salt
Water
½ cup oil
Method
- Pressure cook Bengal gram with adequate water, till soft.
- Drain the water and transfer the gram to a pan.
- Add the sugar and ghee.
- In a saucepan, cook the mixture on low heat, stirring continuously, till it thickens.
- To check the consistency, lift a bit of the mixture in a spoon. The mixture should fall into the pan as small lumps.
- Add the cardamom and nutmeg powder and mix well. Switch off heat.
- If you still spot the gram as whole, run the mixture in a blender to make a smooth paste.
- Do this before the mixture turns cold.Form small balls of this mixture and keep aside.
- Mix flour, salt and turmeric powder in a bowl.
- Add enough water to form dough.
- Now add half of the oil and knead the dough well.
- Pour the remaining oil and keep the dough covered for at least 30 minutes.The dough will absorb the oil.
- Knead the dough again. It will turn very smooth and soft.
- Divide the dough into equal portions, like the filling.
- Take a dough ball and flatten it.Keep the filling in the centre and wrap the dough around.
- Roll it out into thin rounds. Do not apply too much force as they are very soft and may tear easily.
- Place the rolled poli on a pan in medium heat. As soon as light brown spots appear, flip and cook the other side.
- Apply a light coat of ghee on both sides.
- Transfer to an airtight container.