Stuffed sweet balls / Suzhiyam ( சுழியம் )

Stuffed sweet balls / Suzhiyam 

சுழியம் 

Ingredients:

Channa dhal / Split Chickpeas ( கடலைப்பருப்பு) - 1 cup

Pounded Jaggery ( வெல்லம்)  - 2 cups

Cardamom powder ( ஏலக்காய் பொடி) - 1/4 tsp

Ghee/ clarified butter (  நெய்) - 1 tbsp

Oil for frying ( பொரிப்பதற்கு எண்ணெய்) 

For the batter 

Parboiled rice ( புழுங்கலரிசி) - 4 cups

Urad dhal( உளுந்தம்பருப்பு) -  1 cup 

Soak separately and grind separately and mix together as you would do for idli batter. The only difference is to use minimal water while grinding to get a thick batter. If the batter is loose, it will absorb more oil while frying. The batter is ready for frying. Prepare the sweet stuffing. 

Steps:

Soak the channa dhal for an hour, drain water. In a heavy pot, boil water and add the soaked dhal. Boil on medium flame until it is cooked. Do not cook at a very soft level. If you pinch, your fingernail should feel the cooked dhal soft but not smashed to paste. Drain the water, let it cool down on a plate. 

In a blender add the cooked dhal and the pounded jaggery. Make a fine powder/paste 

In a heavy bottom pan, add a spoon of ghee, transfer the dhal jaggery mixture and let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes. 

Add the cardamom powder, switch off the flame. Mix well

Transfer to a container and make it into smooth balls of your desired size. 

Heat oil in a pan for deep frying. Take a dhal ball, dip in the rice batter and drop into the hot oil.
Fry a few balls at a time. Turn carefully so that the balls do not stick together or the stuffing does not spill out.  

My Notes:

Suzhiyam or susiyam or suyam, as it is called by different names is a deep fried snack with a sweet stuffing, a favorite of all. A sweet made during Deepavali almost in each of the households even today.

In a unique way, a vessel with a large quantity of it will flash in my mind. It brings back the memory of it during Deepavali at my paternal grandmother's house in Sholavandan. 

 A big vessel of suzhiyam and another full of urad dhal vadai will be kept near the front door, whoever comes to the doorstep on Deepavali day asking for alms/food will get two each of these in addition to the idlis. Thus was my Granny's generosity. We, the kids, also take turns to give young and old, whoever comes knocking. Maybe that is the reason, to give for needy, is instilled in me and a few of our cousins. 

During Deepavali and other festive, it is a ritual / customary of nadaswaram and thavil vidwans to play music at the front yard and get thambulam - betel leaves, betel nut, fruits and some money. Even they do not mind receiving the suzhiyam, vadai and idlis as they know the excellent taste. 

In this recipe, split chickpeas, which is the common one, is used. Some people add 1/5th or a quarter portion of coconut to the stuffing. The sweet level can also be adjusted according to the preference. The stuffing can be done a day earlier, cooled and refrigerated. the batter is prepared fresh on that day and used immediately before it starts fermenting. 

There is another version using green gram instead of the chickpea. The outer coating batter can also be varied. Some use plain flour for a quick fix. A mix of rice flour and plain flour is also used. A tablespoon of gram flour is also added by some. While using the readymade flour, some add a pinch of baking soda for the soft crisp coating. But if you are using the fresh ground batter, there is no need for the baking powder or baking soda. 

Zucchini Fritters / ஜுக்கினி (சீமை சுரைக்காய்) வடை

Zucchini Fritters

 ஜுக்கினி (சீமை சுரைக்காய்) வடை 

Ingredients:

Zucchini ( சீமை சுரைக்காய்) - 1

Shallots/ Small onions ( சின்ன வெங்காயம்) - 7 to 8

Gram flour ( கடலை மாவு)  -2 tsp

Ginger ( இஞ்சி) - 1"

Green Chili( பச்சை மிளகாய்) - 2

Curry leaves ( கறிவேப்பிலை) - 1 twig

Salt to taste ( தேவையான அளவு உப்பு)
Oil for frying ( பொரிப்பதற்கு எண்ணெய்)

Wash, peel and shred the Zucchini. Squeeze out the juice and keep aside.
Peel and finely chop the onions and ginger. Finely chop the green chili.

Squeeze the shredded zucchini again to remove any left out juice. Mix the other ingredients. Add salt to taste. Knead softly. Roll into small balls. Flatten and fry in hot oil over medium flame. 

My Notes:
Zucchini is a multifunctional marrow. You can fry, saute, boil or eat raw. My favourite is sauteed with garlic and a generous portion of parmesan cheese added to it. Raw Zucchini added in a salad is also quite good. The first time I made this fitter was well received by my friend Pornima and her children.
The mixture can be rolled into finger-shaped sticks and fried which will be a hit with young children.
I pan-fried a few patties on an iron griddle and it was equally good. Roast it on medium fire and use olive or sesame oil. The patties in the picture are panfried. The deep-fried ones were finished off hot from the frying pan before I could remember to take a picture.  😛

Bottle gourd patties சுரைக்காய் வடை

Bottle gourd patties 
சுரைக்காய் வடை 

Ingredients:
Bottle gourd ( சுரைக்காய்)- 1/2
Besan/ chickpea flour ( கடலை மாவு)- 2 tsp
Bread crumbs ( ரொட்டித் தூள்) - 1/2 cup
Small onions ( சின்ன வெங்காயம்) - 8 to 10
Green chili ( பச்சை மிளகாய்) - 1
Ginger ( இஞ்சி) - 1 inch
Curry leaves ( கறிவேப்பிலை) - 1 twig
Salt to taste ( தேவையான அளவு உப்பு)
Oil for deep frying ( பொரிப்பதற்கு எண்ணெய்)

Peel the bottle gourd, shred in a vegetable grater. Squeeze out the water from the vegetable.

Peel and finely chop the onions and the ginger.
Also, chop the green chili and curry leaves into small pieces.

Mix all the ingredients and form a uniform batter.

Add the besan flour

Roll into balls of the desired size.

Press the ball slightly to form the patty, coat with the bread crumbs and deep fry. 

Serve hot. A great snack in the evening to go with coffee/tea. 

My Notes:

Bottle guard is a vegetable not liked by all. 

It is a healthy vegetable that can be made yummy with our creations. Its bland taste is very handy for a spicy or a sweet dish. 

I have incorporated mainly in the main course menu- adai ( the lentils dosai). Sometimes as koottu, the side dish for rice.   

Halwa, the Indian sweet or a creamy pudding can also be prepared from this vegetable.

        

In this recipe, after adding the onions you may notice water coming out of the batter. Onion has high water content. So if you feel, squeeze out the water first and then add the flour. This will make the batter firm. And while frying, the patties will not absorb more oil.

I drank the fresh juice squeezed out from the grated vegetable, should admit it is a bit odd taste but very cooling. Did not have the mind to throw away with all the nutrient in it. 😊

Purple Sweet potato Fritters ( சக்கரைவள்ளி கிழங்கு வடை )

Ingredients:
Sweet potato ( சக்கரைவள்ளி கிழங்கு ) - 3
Small onions( சின்ன வெங்காயம்) - 7 or 8

Ginger ( இஞ்சி) - 1"inch
Green chilli ( பச்சை மிளகாய்)- 2
Rice flour ( அரிசி மாவு) - 2 tsp
Curry leaves ( கறிவேப்பிலை) - 1twig
Coriander leaves ( கொத்தமல்லி) - 1 or 2 twig
Salt to taste ( தேவையான அளவு உப்பு)
Oil for deep frying

( பொரிப்பதற்கு எண்ணெய்)

Boil and peel the skin of sweet potatoes.
Peel and fine chop the onions and ginger.
Thin slice the green chili, curry leaves and coriander leaves as well. 

In a bowl or plate, smash the boiled potato. Add the rest of the ingredients including the rice flour and the required amount of salt. Mix well. 

Knead the dough well. Roll to desired size balls. Flatten the balls and fry in medium hot oil,
Crispy fritter is ready to serve as an evening snack. 

My Notes:
When I wanted to prepare this dish, I could get only the purple sweet potato. Plain sweet potato was not available in the supermarket. I have had prepared with the original white color one only. So a first time preparation with purple colored sweet potato, turned out to be a flavourful mouthwatering snack. ;))

5 pulses fritters.(5 வகை பயறு வடை )

5 pulses fritters.

(5 வகை பயறு வடை )

 Ingredients:
Dry Green Peas ( பச்சை பட்டாணி ) - 2 tbsp
Black eyed peas ( வெள்ளை காராமணி ) - 2 tbsp
Brown Chick Peas (  கருப்பு கொண்டைகடலை ) - 2 tbsp
Split Pigeon peas / Toor Dhal ( துவரம் பருப்பு ) - 2 tbsp
Split Chick Peas / Channa Dhal ( கடலை பருப்பு ) - 2 tbsp
Dry Red Chili ( காய்ந்த சிவப்பு மிளகாய் ) - 3
Asafoetida ( பெருங்காயம் ) - 1/4 tsp
Shallot / Small Onions ( சின்ன வெங்காயம் ) - 8 to 10 Nos.
Ginger ( இஞ்சி) - 1 inch
Curry Leaves ( கறிவேப்பிலை ) - 1 twig
Salt to taste ( தேவைக்கேற்ற உப்பு )
Oil for frying ( பொரிப்பதற்கு எண்ணெய் )








Steps:
Mix the pulses and soak in warm water for 2 hours.
Rinse the pulses again. Drain the water completely.
Coarse grind the pulses together with dry red chili and asafoetida.
Donot add water while grinding.
Peel and thin slice the shallots and the ginger.
Add the above and the curry leaves. Add required salt and mix well.

Heat oil in a deep frying pan. Roll the batter mixture into small balls. Without pressing hard, flatten the ball on your palm and drop in the hot oil for frying

Toss it few times and fry until golden colour on both sides. Serve hot

My Notes:

This fritters is traditionally  done with the split chick peas as the main ingredient. It is called Paruppu Vadai ( பருப்பு வடை ) or Masal Vadai ( மசால் வடை) in tamil.

Here , there is a variation with the inclusive of a few varieties whole peas.

The taste is enhanced with a crispy outer layer and the inner softly cooked coarse grain. 

While grinding refrain from adding water as the texture may vary and also while frying it will absorb more oil. 

Also make sure it is not finely ground. Coarse batter is the key step for a tasty vadai

Two tablespoons each of the 5 varieties of the whole peas will give around 12 vadai of medium size. 

The combination of peas can be your choice.

The regular vadai is usually served with special lunch or as a snack in the evening with coconut chutney.At times added to the yogurt curry as well.

I had fried the fritters and added in yogurt curry ( மோர் குழம்பு) and served with steamed rice for lunch. A favourite dish of my elder son and me 😉

Urad Dhal Vadai / Urad dhal Fritters ( உளுந்த வடை )

Urad Dhal Fritters / Urad Dhal Vadai 

( உளுந்த வடை )

Ingredients:

Urad Dhal ( உளுந்தம் பருப்பு )  - 1 Cup

Raw Rice ( பச்சரிசி )  - 1 tbsp

Ginger ( இஞ்சி )  - 1"

Green Chili ( பச்சை மிளகாய்)  -  2 Nos.

Onion ( சின்ன வெங்காயம் )  -  7 to 9

Curry leaves ( கறிவேப்பிலை )  - 1 twig

Coriander Leaves ( கொத்தமல்லி)  -  1 or 2 twigs

Salt to taste ( தேவையான உப்பு )

Oil for Frying (பொரிப்பதற்கு  எண்ணெய் )  

Steps:

Soak Urad dhal and the rice together for 40 to 45 minutes.Drain all the water. In a blender / grinder grind the above with 2 green chilies and a piece of ginger. Sprinkle water now and then while grinding. Use minimum water while grinding as using more water will make the batter loose. It should neither be a runny batter nor a stiff dough. A fluffy , soft and airy batter has to be obtained.

Peel and thin slice the onions. Remove the curry leaves from stalk and chop. Do the same with the coriander leaves chopping in the tender stem as well. Add the ingredients and required salt. Mix the batter well using your hand.

Heat oil in a flat bottom pan. Wet your left palm. Pinch a small portion of the batter, place it on your palm and flatten it and insert your finger to create a hole in the centre.

Drop into the hot oil slowly. You can add 4 or 5 at a time. Fry both sides on a medium flame.

Enjoy vadai with sambar or coconut chutney.

Curd Vadai:

To beat the heat, I had made curd vadai.

 Curd is Yoghurt. Curd vadai is one of the

favourite versions of vadai. There are sambar vadai

and rasam vadai as well.

Recipe to make curd vadai is as below:

In a pan heat a tbsp of oil. Add mustard seeds, as it 

cracks toss in a tsp of chopped ginger and some 

curry leaves. Saute well. Add the seasoning to a 

bowl of yoghurt. Add in the fried vadai. Mix well.

Sprinkle handful of chopped 

coriander leaves for garnishing.

Let the vadai absorb in the flavour. Give a standing 

time of 30 minutes. Then serve or can chill for 

half an hour and serve. 

Hot vadai can just be eaten on its own ;)

Yoghurt with the seasoning

Vadai mixed with yoghurt.

My Notes:

Vadai takes a prominent place in any prayers in Hindu families, Most popular one is this Urad dhal and second in line is the channa dhal vadai which is called paruppu vadai.

Singaporeans like to eat vadai with green chili.

There is this prawn vadai sold in local eateries as well. A popular dish among non-Indians as well. Prawns mixed with the batter and fried.

Points to take note while making this urad dhal vadai.

The batter can be prepared before hand and refridgerated. But add the salt just before frying.

For Sambar Vadai and Curd Vadai onion is not used as an ingredient while preparing the batter.

For curd vadai, the fried vadai is dipped in pipping hot water for a few seconds, squeezed the water out and added to the curd. This enables the vadai to absorb curd more and become soft and tasty.

Lotus Root Fries / Renkon chips ( தாமரை தண்டு வறுவல் )

Lotus Root Fries / Renkon chips

 ( தாமரை தண்டு வறுவல் )

                            

Ingredient:

Renkon / Lotus Root ( தாமரை தண்டு ) - 1 

• Vinegar water ( வினீகர் ) - 2 tbsp
• Oil for deep frying (  பொரிப்பதற்கு எண்ணெய் )
• Himalayan Pink Salt (or sea salt)- தேவையான அளவு உப்பு ) 
• Fried / roasted Sesame seeds ( optional ) - 2tsp
•  ( விருப்பப்பட்டால் வறுத்த எள்ளு ) 

Steps:

Wash and peel the skin of the vegetable.

Add 2 tbsp of vinegar in a bowl of water.

Using a sharp knife or a slicer, thin slice the lotus root.

Soak them in vinegar for 5 to 10 minutes. This is to retain the colour while frying.

Drain, pat dry on a clean kitchen towel. Spread it out well.

Heat oil and fry few pieces at a time in a medium flame until crisp.

Drain from oil. Sprinkle the roasted sesame seeds and the salt. Toss well and serve. 

                               
My Notes:
Renkon is the  Japanese name for lotus root. It is a simple dish, like any other deep fried veg chips like the potato / raw bananas but lotus root is airy and crispy with its holes. The unique flavour of lotus root is something you cannot stop eating. 
Health peeps, enjoy this fully, cut down on something else unhealthy or go for that extra run in your regular exercise regime.

This smooth grey-white tube, is crunchy and  has delicate flavor. 
Neutral or mild sweet like the water chestnut. Fleshy than the banana stem.
It is called ' thamarai kilangu' in tamil. Back home in India, we have commonly used this root in a different way. I have fond memories of eating this as vathal , at my paternal grand mom' house at sholavandan, with curd rice during summer vacations. 
It is  sun dried and processed to be stored and used as a vathal - dry vegetable, deep fried and consumed with curd rice. Less often fresh one is cooked as a side dish. But never tasted the fresh vegetable as a deep fried one until I had had in Singapore.

I have had the chance to taste this deep fried version sprinkled on my vegetarian food ordered at a Chinese Restaurant. Since then wanted to try doing at home as I have always pressure cooked this vegetable and prepared as a stir fry dish for meals.
I shall post that recipe separately. 

This simple vegetable is considered to promote in the production of red blood cells in addition to regulate your blood pressure with its agreeable ratio of sodium and potassium ( 1:4 )
It has adequate level of pyridoxine which helps to control headache, nervous irritability and related symptoms.

Mixed lentils fritters ( தவள வடை )

Mixed lentils fritters ( தவள வடை )

Ingredients:

Toor Dal ( துவரம் பருப்பு )  -  1/2 cup

Channa Dal ( கடலை பருப்பு )  - 1/2 cup

Moong Dal  (பாசி பருப்பு ) -  1/3 cup

Urad Dal ( உளுந்தம் பருப்பு )  - 1/3 cup

Par boiled Rice  ( புழுங்கலரிசி )  - 1/2 cup

Dry Red Chillies  ( மிளகாய் வற்றல் ) - 6 to 8 

Asafoetida  ( பெருங்காயம் )  - 1tsp

Coconut ( தேங்காய் ) - 1/2 cup ( cut into tiny bite size )

Curry leaves ( கறிவேப்பிலை )   - 2 sprigs

Mustard seeds ( கடுகு )  -  1 tsp

Oil  ( எண்ணெய் ) - to fry

Salt (  உப்பு )  - to taste 

Steps:

Wash and soak the lentils for 2 hours. Soak the moong dhal separately. Donot grind. 

In a blender, first blend the red chillies finely.

Drain the water from the lentils and  grind the soaked lentils and the rice  in small portions into a coarse form. Add the soaked moong dhal. 

Add salt and mix well. 

The batter should neither be too thick nor too thin. It should be of a  consistency similar to cookie dough.

Slice the coconut into small bits and add to the batter.

In a pan heat 1 tablespoon of oil.
Add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add asfoetida. Add this seasoning to the batter and mix well.
Heat sufficient oil in a pan to fry the fritters.
Once the oil is hot, you can bring the flame to medium heat . Scoop out the batter and drop it in by the spoon to fry.
Turn the fritters regularly and allow it to fry until nice brown colour.
Remove and serve with coconut chutney.
A mouth watering evening snack with coffee / tea.

My Notes:

This crispy, yummy variation is my favourite of all vadais, which is the proper name for fritters in Tamil.
It is an ethnic dish which is very popular in Madurai and Thanjavur districts. The reason it got its name as தவள வடை /Thavala vadai could be because a similar batter was used to cook adai in a bronze pot and bronze is referred to as thavala/தவள colloquially in Tamil.
This is different from the Masal vadai / paruppu vadai in which channa dal is solely used.
After my paternal grandmother' excellent thavala vadai, I got the chance to taste equally good ones prepared by my husband' maternal grandmother. Till date I miss the vadais prepared by those wonderful ladies.
This vadai is crispy outside and slightly soft inside with crunchy bits of coconut here and there.
It tastes good with chutney while hot and when it is cold is equally good and it goes as an accomplishment for rice varieties especially curd rice. When cold, it doesn't becomes soggy  like other vadais.