Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Ganesha Chaturthi 2011 recipes

Vella Kuzhakattai

For Kozhukattai Outer Dough:

1 cup of raw rice.

A pinch of salt.

Coconut oil.

Water as required.

Soak the raw rice for 2-3 hours and grind in the mixer or grinder to a smooth batter. It does not matter how much water you use as it gets cooked in it finally.
Pour the batter in to a kadai. Make sure that there are no clots and add 1/2 -3/4 spoon of salt and a spoon of coconut oil.
Switch on the stove setting it on medium low and keep stirring to avoid clots.
After a few minutes, you will find that the water content is rapidly used up to cook the rice batter, and it slowly thickens.
After a few more minutes, it will thicken and be cooked. The signs for that is you will find that when you stir, it comes together as a ball.
Also the whiteness of the raw rice will give way to a very slightly off white cooked rice ball.
Immediately transfer to a bowl and add a spoon of coconut oil.
With your hands, knead the ball inside the bowl by smoothing it and bring it together. This step is very integral as this is what binds the dough and takes away the stickiness.
At this point, the dough should be well cooked and seamlessly shape in to a ball.
Set aside in the bowl and cover with a lid.

For Filling:-

1 cup of fresh grated coconut.

1/2 – 3/4 cup of grated jaggery(Depending on brand, degree of sweetness etc)

1 tsp of powdered cardamom.

2-3 tbsp of water.

Always prepare the poornams or filling ahead as the outer dough has to be made last just before consolidating the Kozhukattais.
In a kadai add the jaggery and very little water about 2 Tbsp and 1 tbsp milk and allow to melt.
When the jaggery is well melted add the fresh grated coconut and mix well.
Also put in the powdered cardamom and stir in well until the mixture leaves the sides.
Cool the poornam filling.
Keep the Kozhukattai outer dough prepared and ready as per instructions here . Keep it covered under a moist cloth and over that a lid to preserve the moisture and the warmth.
Create an assembly line with the Poornam balls, outer dough, greased idli plates and a small cup having 2-3 spoons of coconut oil.
Grease your palms with coconut oil and then take a ball of the outer dough and smoothen it between your palms.
Make a little depression with your thumb and make it in to the shape of a diya with smooth sides.

Fill the depression with the coconut jaggery poornam and close the edges and seal it with your fingers.
Continue until you finish the poornam filling.

Arrange all the prepared modhakams for steaming on the greased idli plate.
Steam it in the pressure cooker for 10 – 12 minutes just as you would do with idlis.
Remove from steam, transfer to a casserole or container and enjoy after offering it to Lord Ganesha.
Wishing all my readers a very Happy Vinayaka Chathurthi.


Uppu or Kara Kuzhakattai

Kuzhakattai's outer dough is as same as above.

For filling:
1/2 cup Bengal Gram .

1/4 cup Urad Dhal

3- 4 Green Chillies.

Hing

Salt

PREPARATION:

Soak the Bengal Gram and Urad Dhal for about 3 hours just as you would for Paruppu Usili.
I have used the proportion of 1/2 cup of bengal gram to 1/4 cup of urad dhal. If you want more numbers, of Urad Dhal balls, you can extrapolate it to 3/4 cup of bengal gram to 1/2 cup of urad dhal.
Grind the bengal gram and urad dhal in the mixer with salt, green chillies and curry leaves with as little water as possible. The water added is important as this affects the final consistency of the urad dhal crumble.
It should not be ground too smooth but a little short of that, a little coarse. Add hing and a spoon of oil and mix it in well.
Place a seasoning kadai on the stove, add oil and mustard, When the mustard splutters, add it to the ground paste.
Grease 1 or 2 idli plates and fill the firm ground paste in the idli plates. Steam in the pressure cooker for 12 – 15 minutes. Switch off gas and remove the plates and allow to cool.
Transfer the cooked dhal idlis to a plate and pour 1 spoon of coconut/gingely/canola oil on them and slowly crumble them with your oiled fingers.
Try to do this when its still warm.
Now with the help of a oil greased hands again, press the crumbles in to 1 inch balls. Keep covered in a container to retain the moisture.
Follow the usual procedure of making little cups with the Outer Dough.
Place a urad ball in to the little modhak cups.
Keep your hands oiled when you are working with the Outer Dough.
Place the prepared modhaks in greased idli plates and steam in the pressure cooker for 12 minutes.
Switch off stove, and after a few minutes transfer to a casserole.
Offer Uppu Kozhukattais Neivedhyam to the Lord.

Ellu Kuzhakattai

Sesame white and black – 1 table spoon each
Jaggery chopped – 2 table spoon
Cardamom – 2 no

In a dry pan roast sesame, cardamom; roast it till sesame splutters and nice aroma rises.

Cool it and powder it in a grinder coarsely.
Add jaggery and run the mixer once or twice for few seconds; now filling is ready.


Sweet pongal

2 litres Milk
» 1 1/2 cups Newly harvested Rice
» 1/4 cup Moong Dal
» 15 no. Cashewnuts
» 10 no. Almonds
» 30 no. Kishmis
» 1/4 level teaspoon Nutrieg Powder
» 1 1/2 cup Jaggery (grated)
» 1/4 teaspoon Saffron (crushed)
» 1 teaspoon Cardamom powder
» 2 tablespoons ghee

Chop almonds and cashewnuts.
Heat milk in a large pan and
When the milk starts boiling add rice and dal, after washing. As soon as the rice and dal are cooked to softness, add jaggery and ghee.
Let cook on medium fire for some time and then put in almond and cashewnut bits, saffron,and cardamom powders.
Now, add the raisins and cashews.
7. Bring to one or two good boils.

VEN PONGAL

Rice 1 Cup
Moong Dal 1/4 Cup
Black Peppers to taste(coarse powder)
Cumin seeds 1 Tbsp(coarse powder)
asafoetida 1 Tsp
Cashew for garnishing
Ghee 2 Tbsp
Water 6 Cups
Salt to taste

Wash rice and dal together and drain nicely.
In the Rice cooker heat 1 tbsp ghee.
Add rice and dal. Fry till the ghee coats the mixture.
Add the rest of the ingredients, except Cashews.
Add water. Cover and cook.
Keep testing the water level and stir frequently as it has a tendency to stick to the bottom.
When rice gets fully mashed garnish with cashews.

KOSAMBARI
Moong Dhall - 1 cup
Cucumber - 1/4
Lime Juice - little
Salt - little
Mustard seeds - little
Hing powder - little
Curry leaves - 1 sting
Corriander leaves - little
Oil - 1 tsp.

Soak Moong dhal for one hour
chop cucumber finely and keep it aside.
In a kadai add oil and temper it with mustard seeds + curry leaves + hing
then add soaked moong dhal + salt + grated cucumber + lime juice and mix well
then switch off the gas and garnish with corriander leaves.

ARAICHI VITTA(grinded)SAMBHAR

TurDhal - 1 1/2 cup
ladies finger - 7-8
Tamarind- a Small lemon size(soaked and water removed)
Hing - a pinch
Salt to Taste


Fry and Grind:-
Oil - 2 Tsp
Dry red Chillies - 10 (according to your taste)
Coriander Seeds - 2 Tbsp
Channa dhal(kadala parupu) - 1 Tbsp
Coconut grated - 4Tbsp
Curry leaves- a few

For Seasoning:
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 Tbsp
Asafoetida - a pinch

1) Heat oil in a kadai and fry the following in the order as methi first then Jeera, channa dal, dhania, red chillies,Poppy Seed and Curry leaves. Fry these ingrediants till they turn golden brown.Allow this mixture to cool and grind it to a smooth paste along with the coconut.

2) Boil the vegetable and keep it aside.

3) Heat oil in a kadai. Add the mustard seeds and allow it to splutter.

4) Add the mashed dal along with little water, boiled vegetables and mix well.

5) Now add the ground paste, turmeric, salt, hing and tamarind water and allow it to cook.


RASAM

toor dhal - 1/4 cup
tomato - 1 (mash them to get like tomato juice)
rasam powder(dry grind toordal(1cup),peppercorns,cumin seeds,fenugreek seeds and red chillies and can preserve it in bottles upto 15 days)- 2 tbsp
ghee/oil -1 tsp
mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
asafoetida - a pinch
tamarind - 1 small lemon sized
curry leaves and corainder leaves chopped - few

pressure cook dhal and mash them well.
In a bowl, add the dhal, dhal water,tomato juice,tamarind water,salt to taste,
rasam powder and mix them well.
then boil it for sometime.
and heat ghee in a small pan, add mustard seeds and asafoetida and chopped curry leaves and corainder leaves chopped and add it to the boiling rasam mixture.


Paruppu Vadai

2 cups bengal gram/chana dal
1/2 cup chopped onions
3 green chillis
1tbsp of chopped ginger
curry leaves
salt
oil for frying

Soak chana dal in warm water for half an hour and then grind it without adding water such that it should not become a paste. Dal should be semi ground then add the rest of the ingredients just to fold them in with the dal. Don't grind them for long. May be only for a second or two. Deep fry them in oil after making small patties.



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