SAKKARAI PONGAL / FESTIVE SWEET RICE WITH JAGGERY

 Pongal is a harvest festival of India. It is celebrated with different names in different regions. In Tamilnadu it is named after the ceremonial dish Pongal which means to boil or over flow. This traditional dish is prepared from the new harvest of rice along with milk and jaggery. It is first offered to Gods and Goddesses and then taken as prashad. 

In earlier times this was cooked in an earthen pot using fire wood. This was done in the courtyard or in front of the house which was decorated with rangolis. These days this is not possible as most of us live in the apartments and we make use of pots, pans and pressure cookers to make pongal. However in rural areas the tradition still continues. 

Let us now proceed with the recipe.

Ingredients:

Raw rice .............. 3/4 cup

Moong dal .......... 1/4 cup (yellow split moong dal)

Organic jaggery ... 3/4 cup

Ghee / clarified butter .... 3-4 tbsps

Milk ......................... 1/2 cup (or more if you like)

Salt ..................... 2 pinches

Nutmeg powder ... 2 pinches

Cardamom powder .. 1/2 tsp

Cashew nuts ........... handful (split into halves)

Raisins .................. handful

Water ................. as required (about 3 and 1/2 to 4 cups)

Method:

1. Soak the rice for 1 hour or more. Well soaked rice makes a perfect texture of pongal.

2. Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a pressure cooker. Do not overheat the ghee.

3. Wipe the moong dal with a cloth and saute it in the ghee. 

4. Next add the cardamom powder, salt and the nutmeg powder and stir,

5. Tip in the rice and add 2 and 1/2 cups of water. Mix everything.

6. Close the pressure cooker and cook for 3 whistles.

7. Open it after the pressure is released. 

8. Now add the jaggery powder and 1/2 cup of water. Mix until the jaggery is melted.

9. Stir in the milk and keep mashing with the ladle until well mixed.

10. Add 1 tsp of ghee and simmer it a bit. After little while add one more tbsp of ghee.

11. Adjust the texture as per your requirement as it thickens on keeping.

12. Now heat the remaining ghee in a small pan and fry the cashews and raisins.

13. Mix them into the prepared pongal saving few for garnishing.

14. It is best enjoyed hot with little ghee added on top.

Notes:

1. For a nice and soft texture of pongal soak the rice very well.

2. Moong dal may be sauteed dry or soaked along with the rice. Choice is yours. But the sauteed version gives a better flavour.

3. If using normal jaggery then cook it with water, strain it and add to the pongal.

4. Do not over heat the ghee as it looses its flavour and nutritional value. 

5. In South India edible camphor is also added. If you have it add a tiny little pinch equal to a fenugreek grain. You may skip it if you don't have.

Check out the video

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GUD WALE POHE / FLATTENED RICE FLAKES WITH JAGGERY

 This is a Indian festive sweet made with flattened rice flakes. For sweetening you may use jaggery or sugar. My personal preference is jaggery. This is Kanhaji's favourite bhog and is usually made on Krishna Janmashtami festival. This dish is prepared in less than 10 minutes. It is usually served for breakfast.

Ingredients:

Poha / flattened rice flakes ..... 1 & 1/2 cups

Organic jaggery powder ......... 3/4 th cup

Ghee / clarified butter ............ 1 & 1/2 tbsp

Cardamom powder ................ 1/2 tsp

Fennel powder (saunf pd.)..... 1/2 tsp

Salt ...................................... 2 pinches

Cashew nuts ....................... handful (cut into halves)

Dry coconut slivers ............. handful

Method:

1. Rinse the poha under running water gently. Separate them with your fingers and set aside for 5 minutes.

2. Melt ghee in a pan and fry the cashews and coconut slivers to a golden brown colour on medium flame.

3. Remove them and set aside.

4. Reduce the flame to low and add the cardamom and fennel powders, salt and stir.

5. Add the jaggery powder and stir it a bit. Add 3-4 tbsps of water and bring to a boil on medium flame.

6. Stir continuously and when the water content is reduced and it becomes frothy, add the soaked poha, fried cashews and coconut slivers saving some for garnishing.

7. Stir gently until the poha absorb all the syrup.

8. Cover with a lid and keep it for dum on a low flame for jut 1 minute. We should not over cook the poha.

9. Switch off the gas flame and let them rest for few minutes. They will nicely puff up.

10. Dish them out, Garnish with the remaining fried cashews and coconut slivers.

Check out the video

This recipe is made for the event - A-Z Recipe Challenge. 

Season 1 - We have completed the first season making the recipes alphabetically with ingredients with English names. ( eg. A - Apple, Artichoke, Asparagus ..)

Season 2 - We decided to make the recipes alphabetically with Hindi names. ( A - Anar, Adrak Aloo ... )

This month the Alphabet is G and I selected Gud (jaggery) as my ingredient and made Gud Wale Pohe.

Recipe List of A-Z Challenge (Season 2)

A - Adraki Aloo  (Baby Potatoes with ginger and spice powders)

B - Begun Bhaja  ( Bengali style fried Brinjals)

C - Chukandar Ke Parathe  (Stuffed Beetroot Parathas)

D - Farali Dahi Chawal ( Barnyard Millet Curd Rice / Samak ke Dahi Chawal )

E - Elaichi Cup Cakes ( Cardamom flavoured cup cakes )

F - False ke Biscuits ( Lemon Currant Cookies )

G - Gud Wale Pohe (Sweet Flattened Rice Flakes with jaggery)

H - Hare Dhaniye Ki Sabzi ( Fresh Coriander stir fry)

I - Imli Gosht ( Tangy mutton Curry)

J - Jowar Ke Fulke ( Jowar Flat breads )

K - Karele ki Bhurji ( Diced bitter gourd stir fry )

L - Lehsun Ka Achar ( Garlic Pickle )

M - Moong Dal With Sarson - ( Moong lentils with mustard greens )

N - Neembu Gud ki Shikanji ( Indian summer drink with lemon )

O - Oal / Jimikand Ka Keema ( yam mince curry)

P - Kadai Paneer ( Paneer / Cottage cheese curry )

Q - Qeema Pav (Mutton Mince served with Pav Bread)

R - Rajma Dhoklas (fusion dhoklas with rajma)

S - Semolina Vadas ( Sooji ke vade )

T - Tendli Bhat ( Ivy Gourd Pilaf )

U - Urad Dal Palak (Black lentils cooked with spinach)

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MAWA AND DRY FRUIT MODAKS ( with milk powder ) / GANESH CHATURTHI SPECIAL

We have a variety of modaks made during the Ganpati festival as an offering to God. Some are made with rice flour dough stuffed with coconut and jaggery mixture, or mawa and dry fruit mixture and steamed or deep fried.  We also have chocolate modaks, Boondi modaks and many more.

This is a very easy recipe of making modaks using milk powder along with powdered dry fruits and dessicated coconut. Use full cream milk powder like Nido, Nestle or Amulya. You can shape the modaks using a mould which is easily available everywhere these days. 

About Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesh Chaturthi is a 10 day long festival celebrated throughout India. It comemmorates the birth of Lord Ganesha, the famouus Hindu elephant headed God known for his ability to remove obstacles and bring good fortune. The festival is held every year in the Hindu month of Bhadra, which falls between mid-August and mid-September. Offerings from the daily prayers are distributed among friends and relatives which include sweets such as modaks  as it is believed to be a favourite of Lord Ganesh.  On the final day of the festival, Anant Chaturdasi, the Ganesha statues are paraded through the streets. During the parade, people gather to sing and dance, and the Ganesha statue is usually immersed in a body of water such as the ocean or a river.

Ingredients:

Full cream milk powder...... 1 cup

Coarsely powdered cashew nuts ..... 1/4 cup

Coarsely powdered pistachios ......... 1/4 cup

Coarsely powdered almonds   ......... 1/4 cup 

Fine dessicated dry coconut    .......... 1/4 cup

Sugar ............................................... 3/4 cup

Cardamom powder .......................... 1/2 tsp

Saffron ........................................... 2-3 pinches

Milk ( for soaking saffron ) ............ 2 tbsps

Ghee or clarified butter ................  2 tbsps

Silver Varq for garnishing ............. optional 

Method:

1. Take a thick bottomed pan and transfer the sugar into it.

2. Add 1 and 1/4 cups of water, cover the lid and bring to a boil.

3. Add the cardamom powder followed by saffron soaked in little milk.

4. When the syrup reduces to one cup stir in the milk powder.

5. Start mixing immediately with a spatula or a baloon whisk to break the lumps.

6. Continue to stir it adding the ghee little by little in between. You will see that the mixture is getting thicker.

7. Tip in the powdered dry fruits and the dessicated coconut. 

8. Continue to stir until the mixture starts leaving the sides and has thickened like a dough.

9. Remove it into a larger bowl for cooling.

10. Grease the modak moulds and put some mixture into them. Close it and remove the excess from the sides. This way make all the modaks.

11. When they are ready you can garnish them with silver varq if you wish. 

 

Watch the video of Modaks

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ENDURI PITHA / SWEET STEAMED PANCAKES OR DUMPLINGS

Enduri pitha is a variety of pitha made in the Indian state of Odisha. A fermented batter made with rice and black gram is spread on turmeric leaves with a sweet filling and steamed. Traditionally these used to be steamed in an earthen pot with a cloth tied on the rim for placing the pithas. Now-a-days we use steaming pots for convenience. Apart from Odisha these are also popular in Bengal, Assam, UP and Bihar. Each region has its unique flavours.

When are the pithas made ?

Pithas are made on festive days as an offering to the Gods. Odisha celebrates 13 festivals in a year. Each time a different pitha is made as an offering depending on the seasonal availability of the raw ingredients. 

Variety of Pithas:

We have a large variety of pithas, sweet as well as savoury ones. Apart from the steamed version we also have deep fried and pan roasted pithas. 

Ingredients:

Rice ............... 1 cup

Urad dal ........ 1/3 cup

Salt ................ to taste

Turmeric leaves or banana leaves ...6. or  as needed.

For the filling:

Grated coconut ........... 1/2 cup

Organic jaggery powder .. 1/2 cup or (add as per your liking)

Paneer chena .................... 1 cup

Cardamom powder .......... 1/4 tsp

Ghee / clarifird butter....... 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Soak the rice and urad dal for 4-5 hours.

2. Rinse and grind them adding little salt and water as required.

3. Allow it to ferment for 7-8 hours or evernight.

4. Add little water if needed to the fermented batter and whisk it well to make it light and fluffy.

5. In a pan dry roast the grated coconut for a minute or so.

6. Add the paneer chena and saute it a bit.

7. Now add the ghee and the jaggery powder and keep stirring until the jaggery melts.

8. Finally flavourthe mixture with cardamom powder and allow it to cool.

To make the Pithas:

1. Wash the turmeric leaves (or banana leaves) well and wipe them.

2. If using banana leaves cut them into a longish shape.

3. Grease the surface and spread some batter on them leaving the edges.

4. Spoon some filling and spread it.

5. Fold the leaves vertically with utmost care .

6. Steam them in steaming pot for 10 minutes. You don't have to flip the side.

7. Removethem from the leaves and serve.

Recipe adapted from - HERE

Information source - Wikipedia.

Yield - 6-8 pithas (depending on the size)

Check out the video

About the group:

Shhhhh Cooking Secretly is a monthly challenge in a facebook group where we are paired with a different partner every month. Two secret ingredients are  chosen by each partner for the other one and we prepare any dish with those ingredients based on the selected theme of the month which was Pithas. This was suggested by Sasmita Sahoo Samanta. My favouriterecipe from her blog is Nuchinunde - Steamed lentil dumplings from Karnataka. 

My partner of the month was Aruna Saraschandra. She gave me the two secret ingredients - Paneer Chena & Desi Ghee and I came up with this delicious and healthy Enduri Pitha.

I gave her Cumin seeds and Ginger since she chose to make savoury pitha. She made Biri Gaja or Biri Manda Pitha. An interesting pitha variety made in different shapes. Do check itout.

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TEN SEEDAI / HONEY SEEDAI / CRISPY RICE FLOUR BALLS WITH HONEY

Seedai is a Naivedyam dish made on Krishna Janmashtami in Tamilnadu as an offering to Lord Krishna. They are tiny marble sized balls made out of rice flour along with other ingredients and deep fried. Seedai can be made sweet or savoury. The sweet version is made with jaggery or sugar. I have tried making them with honey.

Ingredients:
Rice flour ..... 1 cup
Maida / all purpose flour ... 1 tbsp
Honey ...................... 7-8  tbsps
Dessicated coconut ......... 1 tbsp
Sesame seeds ................... 2 tsp
Cardamom powder .......... 1/4 tsp
Ghee / clarified butter ...... 1 tbsp
Milk ..................... 2-3 tbsps as needed.
Ghee or oil .... for frying

Method:
In a bowl mix the rice flour, maida, honey, dessicated coconut, sesame seeds, ghee and cardamom powder.
Add milk little by little and knead to a smooth dough.
Make small marble sized balls and set aside.
Heat ghee or oil in a pan. Fry the balls carefully on low flame until crisp.

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Panchamrit

Choori /Churma

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PANCHAMRUT / PANCHAMRIT

Panchamrut or Panchamrit is a Holy preparation made with 5 ingredients, milk, curd, honey, ghee and sugar. Few Tulsi (Holy Basil) leaves are also added to give a nice flavour and taste. It is made for festive rituals and a spoonful is served as prashad after the puja.

Ingredients:
Milk ..... 1/2 cup or as needed
Curd ..... 2 tbsps
Honey ... 1 tbsp
Ghee ..... 1/2 tsp

Sugar ..... 1 tsp
Tulsi leaves .. 2-3 

Method:
1. Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Add some Tulsi leaves.
3. Serve a spoonful as Prashad after offering to God. 

Watch the video of Panchamrit

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Choori /Churma

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Ten Seedai / Honey Seedai

CHOORI / CHURMA

Choori or Churma  is the prashad we offer to Lord Shiva. Mom made the best choori, very crisp and crunchy. I have got all the tips from her and I am glad the choori has come out perfect, just like hers. Choori laddoos can also be made following the same process and you can add dry fruits to them.

Ingredients:
Wheat flour ... 2 cups
Ghee / oil ... for frying and adding to the flour.
Sugar ..... 1/4 cup ( or as you like it )

Method:
1. Take wheat flour in a deep bowl and add about 1/4 cup ghee or oil. Mix well and it should form a muthia / ball when you press it in your fist. Then the quantity of the ghee added is enough. This is the test. If you add less ghee the choori will not be crisp.
2. Now knead this adding water little by little to a very stiff dough.
3. Make muthias with the dough pressing the dough in your fist as you can see in the pictures.
4. Heat oil in a pan and fry the muthias on a very low flame to make them crisp and golden brown.
If you fry on high flame the inside part will remain raw.
5. Let them cool and then you grind them in a pestle and mortar or in a mixer.
6. Mix the desired quantity of sugar as per your preference. I have added 1/4 cup.
7. Pour a little hot oil or ghee over this and mix well.

Check out the video

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Panchamrit

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