Onde Onde ( Pandan Palmsugar Coconut dumpling)

Onde Onde ( Pandan Palmsugar Coconut dumpling)

Ingredients:

Glutinous Rice  :  1 cup

Sugar  :  2 tsp

Pandan leaves (screw pine leaf) :  3 or 4 twigs.

Palm sugar   :  5 tbsp

Grated Coconut  :  1/2 cup

Green Food Color  : 1/2 tsp ( optional)

Steps:

Wash the pandan leaves, cut into small pieces 

Blend the pandan leaves to extract juice. A few teaspoons of water is added.
Strain the extract to remove the residue.

In a bowl mix the flour, sugar and the extract. Few drops of green food color can be added.
Form a smooth dough.
Add a pinch of salt to the graded coconut and steam it for 5 minutes (or microwave for one minute ) Spread it on a plate and let it cool.

Knead the dough, make small balls. Flatten the ball and place half a teaspoon or required amount of pounded palm sugar and roll back into balls.

In a heavy bottom sauce pan, boil approximately a litre of water. When the water reaches boiling, add the pandan flavored rice balls into it. 

The balls will start floating once it is cooked. That is the time it has to be removed. Strain water and transfer to the plate of coconut. Roll it to get a uniform coat of coconut. Remove.

Spread the delicacy on a plate and serve.

My Notes:

Onde Onde is a traditional Malay sweet.It is one of the popular kuih in Malaysia. Kuih is a term used for Malay pastries, cakes in which glutinous rice, sweet potato or tapioca will be the main ingredient to which palm sugar, coconut are added . Palm sugar is called Gula melaka in Malay.

A must in Nonya desserts list. I first got a taste of Onde-Onde and other kuihs quite a long back at a function in Singapore. I learnt to do this simple dish of Onde-Onde and is a hit with guests who visit us from India. 

Recently I made this together with Potato Patties for my friend Uma' parents when they visited us. 

The cute little  soft outer ball with a surprise of palm sugar bursting in your mouth as you bite into it, is a yummy feeling.

The pandan flavour infused glutinous rice smells awesome as it boils in water. To get a juicy sugar inside, boil the balls for few more minutes for the palm sugar to melt. If crunchy bits is your choice, remove  the ball once it starts floating in water.

The salt added and steaming gives a longer shelf life for fresh coconut.

 A must try  healthy , delicious dessert.

Coconut Khoya Burfi ( தேங்காய் கோவா பர்ஃபி )

Coconut Khoya Burfi ( தேங்காய் கோவா பர்ஃபி )

                                  

Ingredients:
Shredded Coconut ( துருவிய தேங்காய் ) : 2 Cups
Unsweetened Khoya ( சர்க்கரை சேர்க்காத கோவா ) :  1 Cup
Sugar ( சர்க்கரை )  :  2 Cups
Ghee ( நெய் )  :  3 tbsp
Cashew nuts ( முந்திரிபருப்பு )  : 12 ( halved )
Saffron( குங்குமப்பூ )  :  1 tsp

Cardamom ( ஏலக்காய் )  : 4 or 5  ( optional )

Steps:
In a heavy pan, add a tablespoon of ghee. Fry the Cashew nuts and remove. Add coconut and fry in low flame, to remove the moisture and also become slightly dry. Remove and cool.
In the same pan add the sugar and 1/5 cup water. Boil to get a syrup.
Mix the coconut and khoya.
When two string consistency of syrup has formed, add in the coconut khoya mixture. Stir continuously, add the remaining ghee.

 Finally add in the saffron strands which was soaked in warm milk. Mix well. The mixture gets a beautiful color and fragrance of saffron. Powdered cardamom can be added at this point.

My Notes:

I have made coconut burfi before. But tried this recipe for the first time. The khoya gave a rich taste. Wanted to use saffron for coloring and fragrance. And what a finish. Fabulous taste. An entirely different taste from the regular coconut burfi. May be its the saffron magic. :)

 Cardamom is for those who feel content with sweet only after adding it.

If the syrup is not of correct consistency and the coconut is added earlier then we may have to cook a longer time until the burfi mixture leaves the sides of pan and is not sticky when touched with wet fingertips.

Also refrain from grinding the whole coconut pieces. The outer brown skin will not be grinded smooth and may not mix well with the syrup. Also while eating the sweet you may feel like chewing the bits rather than smooth relish. Always use shredded coconut without the outer brown skin. 

The color of the final product in the picture is not the same as the original. May be because of the lighting that it looks darker.

Deepavali Delicacies ( தீபாவளி பலகாரம் )

Deepavali Delicacies ( தீபாவளி பலகாரம் )

Last few days were spent preparing snacks for the festive, Deepavali. Shall post the recipe for Mixture, Coconut koya burfi and murukku separately. 

Happy Deepavali to all :)

Athirasam - Riceflour Jaggery delicacy ( அதிரசம் )

Athirasam - Riceflour Jaggery delicacy ( அதிரசம் ) 

Ingredients:

Raw Rice flour ( பச்சரிசி மாவு )  : 3 cups
Jaggery (வெல்லம் )  :  3 cups
Powdered Cardamom (ஏலக்காய் பொடி)  :  3 tbsp
Powdered Dry Ginger ( சுக்கு பொடி )  :  2 tbsp
Oil for frying.


Steps:

Soak 3 cups of raw rice for minimum 30 minutes. Drain the water through and sieve and let it dry on a clean white cloth for a few minutes. Turn the rice and spread it well.
Take a few spoons of  the moist rice and pound in a mixer and sieve. Repeat with the whole rice.



                                 

Measure the rice flour. Pound an equal amount of Jaggery. Add 15 to 20 ml of water for every cup of Jaggery. Melt and strain to remove the impurities. Bring back to boil. Boil in a medium to low flame, stirring continuously. Don't let the boiling syrup settle. Mix by stirring, to give uniform heat.
 Lift a little syrup in the ladle and let it flow, if it falls in 2 strings, continue boiling. Once it has reached 3 string consistency switch off the flame.
You can check by placing a drop of syrup in a cup of water. if it forms a firm ball, then it is the correct consistency. The syrup should not dissipate in water.


                                

 To the ground rice flour, add powdered cardamom and dry ginger. Add in the Jaggery syrup turning the flour in clockwise direction. Continue adding and mix evenly.
The batter will be loose but will thicken on cooling . Let it to ferment for minimum 24 hours.

Next day or the following day, knead the batter well. Roll into big lemon size and flatten it on a greased plastic sheet.

Deep fry the flattened sweet flour in a low to medium flame.

Use a flat ladle to press the fried athirasam to remove the excess oil. Place the athirasam between two flat ladle and press.

My Notes:

The word athirasam itslef brings  a drooling mouth. An all time favourite of most people.

This  sweet belongs to traditional sweets category and is made during deepavali and other prayers/nonbu.

At my Paternal Grandmother' house, they used to pound the rice in the stone grinder manually to get the flour.

The more the batter is let to ferment more softer will be the sweet ( upon frying)

South Indian Sweet Dumpling ( sweet & Savory) இனிப்பு & கார கொழுக்கட்டை

South Indian  Dumpling ( sweet & Savory) 

இனிப்பு & கார கொழுக்கட்டை

Ingredients:

Raw rice  -  2 Cups

Grind the soaked rice into a fine paste. Sufficient water can be added  as the batter will be reconstituted into  a very thin form

In a heavy bottom saucepan, boil the rice paste ( in running consistency)until it thickens to form a solid  dough.

A tablespoon of oil is added to make it smooth and soft. If the dough doesn't stick to the wet fingers, then it is done. If sticky, continue to cook in low flame.

Ingredients for fillings ( 4 types) :

a) Grated Coconut - 1 cup

Jaggery  - 1 and a 1/4 cup

Cardamom  - 1 tsp ( powdered)

b) Black Sesame Seeds  -  1/2 Cup

 Jaggery  - 3/4 Cup

c) Urad Dal  - 1/2 cup
    Green chilli  - 1
    Ginger ( finely chopped)  - 1/2 teaspoon
    Asafoetida  -  a pinch
    Curry Leaves  -  a twig

d) Moong Dal  - 1/2 cup
    Green chilli  - 1
    Ginger ( finely chopped)  - 1/2 teaspoon
    Asafoetida  -  a pinch
    Curry Leaves  -  a twig

Grated coconut - 1 tbsp

Preparation of the filling:
a) Coconut filling: Pound the Jaggery, add 2 tablespoons of water. Melt completely on low flame, strain to remove impurities and bring it to boil again. When the syrup becomes sticky / one string consistency, add the grated coconut. Cook for 2 minutes, add powdered cardamom. Remove from fire. Allow it to cool.
b) Sesame filling: Wash, drain and let the sesame seeds dry on a clean white cloth. Heat a pan and dry roast the sesame. Once cooled, coarse powder it in a mixie, add the pounded jaggery, and do a quick blend. Remove, roll into desirable size balls and keep aside.
c) and d) are savories and follow same steps except for the first ingredient - moong dal / Urad dal.
Soak the dal for half hour, coarse grind it. Steam it for 5 min. Remove, cool and crumble it using greased fingertips. Heat a tablespoon of oil, saute the seasoning - finely chopped ginger and green chili. Add asafoetida and curry leaves. Add the steamed dal, switch off the flame. Transfer to a container and is ready for filling.

                               
Knead the dough again for a smooth texture. Pinch a small lump, roll into a ball. Using greased fingertips of both hands press it at the corner, forming a flattened round shape. scoop out the desired filing, fold and close it by pressing the edges firmly.

Steam the dumpling for 5 min. Serve hot.

My Notes:
This Indian sweet is a favourite of all and has a great significance as it is specially made on Vinayaga Chathurthi,the festival to honour  the Elephant headed God.

The dumpling is called  கொழுக்கட்டை ( kozhukattai) or  மோதகம் ( mothagam) in Tamil.

I have prepared the dough using wet rice paste. Some soak rice, drain and prepare rice flour.Then dry roast it and cool. To this hot water is added to prepare the dough.

For convenience, readymade rice flour especially for kozhukattai can also be bought. Hot water is added to prepare the dough. 

I have fond memories of making this during my childhood days at my paternal grandmother' house. It would be really fun with my cousins competing with each other to make the flattened mothagam without any tear using the dough.

The highlight of any festive at Sholavandan, my birth place, is to distribute the food to needy who may knock door throughout the day during such special days. After prayers and followed by the feast, we take turns to give the food to  kids and elderly, a heartwarming scene to see them devour the delicacies. It was a spirit of sharing incorporated from young.

Happy Vinayaga Chathurthi to all. :)

Mysore Pak - Gram flour cake ( மைசூர் பாக் )

Mysore Pak - Gram flour cake  ( மைசூர் பாக் ) 

 Ingredients:

Gram flour ( கடலை மாவு )  -  1 cup
Sugar ( சக்கரை )  -  1 1/2 cup
நெய் ( Ghee / clarified butter )  - 3/4 cup











Steps:

Heat half of the clarified butter (ghee) and roast the gram flour in it for 3 min in medium flame.
In a heavy bottom pan, add sugar and 1/4 cup of water. Let the sugar melt and form a syrup. It should form a single thread consistency. Scoop a small amount of the syrup and let it flow down, if you see it flow like a thread, then it is time to add the flour.
With the medium flame of heat, add in the flour. Stir continuously in same clockwise direction.
Warm the remaining ghee, add to the cooking mixture and continue stirring. Stirring continuously is very much required.
When the mixture leaves the sides of the pan, it is time to remove from the flame.To confirm, wet yr finger tips and touch the flour mixture. If it doesn't stick then it is done. Though it may look like molten lava, it will solidify upon cooling.
Transfer it to a greased tray/ plate.
Allow it to set for a few minutes. While it is still warm, cut into desired shapes  by making impression using a knife. Otherwise it is hard to cut when it has set completely.
Separate it into pieces once it has cooled thoroughly.

My Notes:

Mysore Pak is a simple but rich, traditional sweet undisputedly unanimous  to South Indian weddings, functions, since ages. It does wonders  to the "Indian palate" as a dessert. 

We should accept that it has undergone changes not only in colour, texture and size but also in the name - from Mysore Pakku to Mysore Pak to current trend of calling Mysore Pa. The courtesy to the last name is to be given to the popular sweet makers who created the silky soft melt in the mouth version.

Those days the sweet was big blocks of brownish, slightly hard, crumbly with honey comb texture while currently its  yellowish soft smooth melt in mouth texture. It is still sought after by many as it is considered the original Mysore Pak.

The former texture and colour is got by boiling the sugar syrup a bit longer and cooking the mixture until the ghee separates out of the mixture.By this method we get the honey comb texture. 

In the latter version, the syrup is single thread and the flour is not cooked longer. It ends up with the soft texture  oozing with ghee. :)

My younger son has a sweet tooth, this is one of his favourite sweet. He prefers the soft, melt in mouth but with less ghee. So my version is a modified one with less ghee and 3/4 of the regular proportion of sugar. The right amount of water is important for the sugar syrup. Neither less nor more. Less will make it crystallize and more water will take extra time to form the right syrup consistency. Once the sugar syrup is formed, cooking the flour mixture is fast as it has already been half cooked in ghee. By roasting the flour with generous portion of ghee, we can avoid lumps from being formed in the later stage.

Corn Broccoli Rice ( ப்ரொக்கொலி சோள சாதம் )

Corn Broccoli Rice ( ப்ரொக்கொலி சோள சாதம் )

Ingredients:

Brown Rice ( தீட்டாத பழுப்பு அரிசி) -  1 cup

Broccoli  ( ப்ரொக்கொலி ) -  Medium size - 1

Fresh Corn / Maize ( சோளம் )  -  1 whole

Ginger  ( இஞ்சி )  -  1"

Shah Jeera ( கருஞ்சீரகம் )  - 1 tbsp

Black Pepper  ( மிளகு )  -  1 tbsp

Coconut milk  ( தேங்காய் பால் )  - 1 cup

Olive oil ( ஆலிவ் எண்ணெய் )  -  2 tbsp

Clarified Butter ( நெய் )  -  2 tbsp

Steps:

Wash and soak 1 cup of brown rice in 1 cup of water for 20 to 30 minutes.

After the soaking time, heat olive oil in a pressure cooker. Add Shah jeera. As it splutters, add in finely chopped ginger. Fry till fragrant. Add 1 cup of coconut milk and 1/2 cup of water. Add salt and the soaked rice with the water. Pressure cook for 2 whistles and 3 minutes in low flame.

Boil the sweet corn, allow it to cool and separate the kernels. Keep it aside.

Split the broccoli into small florets, wash well. In a pan, add a tbsp of clarified butter, saute the broccoli for  3 minutes and toss in the corn kernels.

Once the steam from the pressure cooker has settled, open it. Fluff the rice while adding in the sauteed vegetables. 

Pound the black pepper coarsely and add to the cooked rice. Add the remaining 1 tbsp clarified butter, mix well without breaking the rice.

Close the cooker and allow a standing time of 5 min and then serve the food.

Serve the hot rice with any curry or a salad. It tastes well as it is also.

My Notes:

A simple, delicious and nutritious meal.

 I avoided garlic and onion as I had prepared the dish as an offering for Shridi Sai for this Thursday prayer. It tasted great without garlic and onion.

My friend, who is not comfortable with brown rice, said that this dish is a comfort food. Yep, with the brown rice releasing sugar slowly, this food keeps our mood swings balanced. 

Simply enjoy the nutty chewy whole grain. :)