This month marks the start of all festivities in our country. From King Mahabali’s Onam Sadya to Lord Ganesha’s love for modaks, we have south bound sweet recipes for you. Immerse yourself in guilty sweet pleasures this festive season.
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.