It is almost that time of the year when lights brighten every household and bingeing on snacks begins from home! During Diwali, certain time-honoured dishes never fail to make an appearance on our dining tables. Nirmala Kunjithapatham, a home chef, shares some of the tried and tested traditional recipes this festive season to add to the cheer and fun that is the essence of Diwali!
Ribbon Pakoda
This crunchy snack is the perfect harbinger of the festival of lights
Ingredients
Parboiled rice – 1 kg (wash and dry the rice for two days and then grind it)
Toor daal- 50 gm
Bengal gram – 50 gm
Green gram – 50 gm
Black gram – 50 gm
Roasted Bengal gram- 50 gm
Anise seeds– 1 tbsp
Red chillies – 10
Salt – as needed
Water – as needed for texture
Garlic paste- 1 ½ tbsp
Oil to fry
Method
- Lightly dry roast toor daal, Bengal gram, black gram and green gram separately. Later mix all together and keep aside.
- Add the ground parboiled rice to this mixture.
- To this add roasted Bengal gram, anise seeds and red chillies and grind them all together.
- Once the flour loses the heat, sieve it. Add required salt.
- Pour adequate quantity of water till right consistency is reached. Make dough of the mixture and add the garlic paste for flavour.
- Place the dough in the murukku maker with the long slit disc and press the dough directly into boiling oil.
- Take the pakodas from the oil and serve hot.
Athirasam
This authentic Tamil sweet dish is said to usher in sugary beginnings
Ingredients
Raw rice- 1 kg
Jaggery- 1 kg
Dry ginger powder (sukku) – 1 tbsp
Cardamom powder – 1 tsp
Pinch of salt
Oil to fry
Method
- Wash and soak the raw rice for two hours. Later, drain the water and dry grind the rice in a mixer till it is not too coarse.
- Grate the jaggery and add just the right amount of water for it to soak. Bring it to boil and switch off once it reaches the hard ball stage.
- To the ground rice add dry ginger powder, cardamom powder and a pinch of salt.
- Then add this mixture to the jaggery syrup and mix and keep aside for a week to allow the mixture to ferment.
- Take the dough and knead again. Divide equally and make balls.
- Heat oil in a pan; once the oil is heated, reduce the flame to medium.
- Grease a banana leaf or a plastic cover with ghee and flatten the ball with your hands.
- Take the flattened dough in your hands from the leaf and gently slip it into the oil. Fry both sides till it turns a nice brown colour.
- Remove from oil and press the adhirasam with a ladle to drain excess oil. Serve hot.
