GODHUMAI HALWA

This month ICC focussed on the famous Thirunelveli Halwa - the King of Halwas.ICC has selected the halwa recipe from few blogs and made us to select the recipe from any of those blogs. I was very much impressed from this blog - a wonderful place with good recipes.

Apart from regular ingredients we need to sacrifice TIME and DEDICATION to stand near the stove and stir continously.

INGREDIENTS :

Samba wheat grains    1 cup

Sugar                         2 cups

Ghee                          150 gms

Cardamom                 4-5 no

Cashews                   a handful ( broken )

Red Food color          a pinch (opt)

METHOD :

Soak the grains in 3 cups of water overnight. Next day  grind  finely with a cup of water.

Strain the milk and again grind the residue.Repeat thrice.

Collect the milk in a big vessel and keep undisturbed for an hour. The thick mass will settle down and thin milk on top.

Discard the water and retain the thick mass.

Heat sugar with 3/4 cup of water and bring to one string consistency.Use pressure cooker or pan.

Add the milk and red colour to sugar syrup.

Now start stirring continously,heat ghee in another stove and start adding little by little to the halwa.

The halwa will intake all the ghee, add cardamom powder and cashews.

After 30-35 mins of stirring the ghee will start oozing out and halwa will form a ball while stirring.

Pour in a greased plate and cut into shapes or serve in a cup.

MOONG DHAL HALWA -100 th post

     Happiness and joy filled in my heart as I am posting my 100th recipe.We feel proud and great within ourseleves when we accomplish small targets, sure that all my fellow bloggers agree to this.
     Moong dhal halwa was in my 'try list' long ago, but made some effort to bring it to reality only now.The recipe is simple with great taste.The main ingredients in any Indian sweet preperation is dedication and personal attention while preparing the dish.We cant get excuse and take a break for some dishes like mysore pak, athirasam, etc and also for this halwa.

INGREDIENTS:
Moong dhal   1 cup
Sugar           3/4cup (can use 1 cup for sweet lovers)
Ghee            3/4 cup
Milk              3/4 cup
Cardamom powder    1tsp
Cashews and raisins     few

METHOD:
Fry cashews and raisins in little ghee and keep aside.
Marinate the dhal in water for about 3-4 hrs.Grind to a smooth paste by adding little water.
Heat ghee in kadai and add the dhal paste. Stir well.Cook in medium flame.
The dhal will stick to kadai if we stop stirring. Ater 10 mins the dhal will get cooked and nice aroma will be released.
After this, at one stage the ghee will start oozing out and the mixture will turn to golden colour.Sim the flame.
In another stove heat milk and sugar till the sugar disolves.
Now add this to the dhal slowly and mix well without any lumps. Add cardamom powder.
Cook till it reaches halwa consistency.
Garnish with fried cashews and raisins.
Note: The main success of this dish lies in stirring.Use nonstick kadai and a flat laddle to mash the lumps.

VATTAYAPPAM

Very proud to announce that I have joined the ICC. For this month challenge they have selected Vattayappam a Kerala delicacy. The ICC focuses on traditional Indian cooking which are unaware to many of us.Thanks for bringing in such contests and making Indian cooking more popular and bringing us an opportunity to know about those recipes.The recipe is from here. This is the first time I  am tasting this dish. The recipe is simple and does uses only limited ingredients. Since its a steamed food it is very healthy to people of all ages. Though the texture resembles the traditional idli, there are variations in  preparing the batter.Good for evenings with tea or coffee.
INGREDIENTS :
For the batter:
Raw rice   1 cup( soaked for 6-8 hrs)
Coconut    3/4 cup(grated)
Cooked rice   2 tbsp
Water    1/2  to grind the above
To Proof Yeast:
Active dry yeast   1/2 tsp
Sugar                  2 tsp
Water                1/3 cup
To make porridge:
Coarse ground paste   2 tbsp
Water                 1/2 cup
To sweeten:
Sugar          1/2 cup
Cahews      1 tbsp
Raisins        1 tbsp
Ghee           1 tbsp
Cardamom    3-4no
METHOD:Grind the items given for batter along with cardamom. When batter is coarsely grinded take 2 tbsp of the batter for  the porridge. Continue grinding by adding coconut  to a smooth batter. Add the cooked rice towards the end of grinding.
Prepare warm water and add sugar along with yeast. Place this in a warm place for about 15-20 mins or till the yeast raises.
Prepare porridge with the ground paste and water. The porridge must be cooked and thick. Cool this and add to the batter and blend once again.Now add the yeast mixture and pulse once or twice to mix evenly.
Transfer the contents to a big bowl.Leave to ferment for 4-6 hrs or overnight.
When the batter is doubled add sugar and mix well. Leave for  about 2 hrs.
Heat ghee and fry cashews and raisins. Add this to the batter.

Apply oil to the bowl in which the batter is to be steamed. Here I have used the bundt cake pan.
Steam cook for about 20 mins.Run a knife around the vessel and invert to a plate.
Cut into desired shapes and serve hot

.

Here, I have  added cardamom  at the grinding stage itself. So the flavour was wholesome.

WOOD APPLE RELISH

Wood apple is rich in vital vitamins.They are widely used in ayurvedic medicines.Nowadays its very rare to get in local markets. I am an adherent lover of this dish. My atthai (dad's elder sister) had this tree in her backyard. I still remember those days whenever I go to her place she used to prepare this for me.The ripness of the wood apple mixed with jaggery and  her everlasting love gives a wonderful tatse.The health benefits of this wonder fruit is here 

INGREDIENTS :
Wood apples    2 no
Jaggery             4 tbsp
Cardamon powder   a pinch
Salt                          a pinch
METHOD :
Break the wood apple and scoop the ripe pulp.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mash well with a spoon.
Enjoy the taste.
Note : The pulp of the wood apple will be in dark colour as in the picture if it is ripe. If it is in light greenish colour then it is unripe.Sending this recipe for the event conducted by  http://tastebuds1.blogspot.com/2011/01/cooking-with-fruits-event.html

KARUMBU SAARU (SUGARCANE JUICE) PONGAL

INGREDIENTS:
Sugarcane juice   4 cups
Rice                    1 cup
Moong dal          1/2 cup
Cashew and raisins     2 tbsp
Ghee                          5 tbsp
cardamom powder      3 tsp
METHOD :
Dry fry moong dal lightly.Soak rice and moong dal separately for 15mins.
Fry cashews and raisins in ghee and keep aside.
Cook moong dal separately till soft.
Heat pressure cooker add rice, moongdal and sugarcane juice and cook for one whistle and slow the flame for 10mins.
Add fried items, cardamom powder and mix well.
Note: This pongal will have a unique taste.Always use fresh sugarcane juice.

CARROT HALWA

INGREDIENTS :
Delhi carrot   1/4 kg
Ordinary carrot  1/4 kg
Milk                 2-3 cups
Sugar                1 cup
Cardamom powder  1 tsp
Raisins                 few
Cashew, badam, pista      each 1 tbsp chopped
Ghee               1/2 cup
METHOD:
Finely grate the carrots.Heat 2 tbsp of ghee and fry raisins and chopped nuts and keep aside.
Heat  2 tbsp ghee in a pressure pan and saute the carrot for 3-5 mins.
Add milk and cook for one whistle. Cook till the milk is evaporated. Add sugar and rest of the ghee and cook till halwa consistency is reached.Add cardamom powder and mix well.
Serve warm.
Note: Delhi carrot has nice colour but doesnt tastes  good. So I have combined both.
Sugar can be adjusted to your taste.Always use thegrater which has thin  holes.Do not grind the cooked carrots.Carrot halwa will taste excellent in this method.

RASMALAI

INGREDIENTS :
For Ras :
Milk     1 lt
Sugar   to taste
Badam, pista and melon seeds   each 2 tsp
Saffron       1 pinch (opt)
Cardamom powder    2 tsp
Ghee     1/2 tsp
For Malai :
Milk        1 lt
Sugar       1 cup
water       4 cups
Lemon     1 No
METHOD :
Boil milk for the ras till it is reduced to half the quantity.Add the required sugar and cardamom powder.
Also add the saffron and leave  it aside.
Chop the nuts finely and roast in the ghee and add to the ras.Now start preparing the malai.
Boil milk for malai and add lemon juice and curdle it. Strain for 30 mins.
Blend in a blender until smooth.Knead well with hands and make into small  balls and flatten it.There should not be any cracks.
Heat water and sugar in pressure pan.When the sugar is dissolved and starts boiling add the prepared malai and cook for one whistle.Dont take off the weight, let the pressure calm down by itself.
Take each malai carefully and squeeze lightly with a laddle. Add to the prepared ras and  refridgerate it.
Serve chilled.
NOTE : Use the milk which has more fat content for rich and creamy taste.Dont  use more ghee for frying the nuts.

KOZHUKATTAI

Ingredients :

Raw rice - 1 cup

Powdered jaggery-1/2 cup

Grated coconut  - 1/2 cup

Cardomom  - 2

Gingelly oil  - 3 tbsp

Ghee  -  2 tbsp

 Salt - to taste.

METHOD :

Soak rice for an hour and grind to fine paste. The batter should be like dosa batter.Add  one  cup of water to kadai and boil with gingelly oil and salt. When its starts to boil add the batter and mix well without any lumps. When cooked mash well with hand and cover with a damp cloth.

For the filling, boil  half cup of water add jaggery. Strain the syrup.

Heat the syrup again for few minutes, when it thickens add coconut and cardomom powder and mix well.Add ghee and cook till it thickens little.Cool the filling.
Shape the maavu into small cups and keep the filling. Shape into desired shapes and steam cook for 10 mins.
We can use normal idli rice in the same manner  to prepare the dish.