Okkarai

Ingredients:-

Green gram dal/Moong dal/Pasiparippu              - ½ cup

Kadala parippu/Channa dal/Bengal gram dal     - ½ cup

Jaggery Grated                                                            - 1 cup

Cardamom powder                                                     - 1 tea spoon

Cashew                                                                          - 15-20

Raisins                                                                            - 15-20

Ghee                                                                               - 10 tea spoon

Method:-

Dry fry green gram dal and channa dal separately until it stars to change color and we get a good aroma. When cooled soak them together for 2 hours. Boil the dal with one cup of water for 10 minutes. When cooled drain excess water if any and Powder it. In a pan add 1 tea spoon of ghee and fry the raisins and cashew and keep it aside. In the same pan add ½ cup of water and the Jaggery and make it 2 string consistency syrup. To check this consistency you have to pour a little syrup in water and if you are able to roll it to a jelly type ball, it is done. Switch off the stove and add the powdered dal to it and stir well for 2 minutes and switch on the stove and simmer the flame and continue stirring. Add cardamom, cashew and raisins to it and stir for another 3 minutes. Switch off the stove. Continue stirring for another 5 minutes. This is a special pudding made for Diwali in south India.

Modakam

Ingredients:-

Moong Dal Halwa                         - 1 cup

For Batter:-

Black gram dal/Urad dal            - ½ cup

Oil to fry

Soak Urad dal for two hours and grind to a smooth batter. Make small balls from the moong dal Halwa.  Dip each ball in the batter and fry it.

Sweet Boondi /Kunjalaadu

Ingredients:-

Besan                                        - 1 cup

Rice flour                                 - 1 table spoon

Baking powder                       - ½ tea spoon

Oil to fry

Sugar                                        - 1 ½ cup

Water                                       - 1 cup

Cardamom powder               - 1 tea spoon

Clove/ grambu                       - 15

Cashew                                     - ¼ cup

Raisins                                       - ¼ cup

Edible camphor                      - ½ tea spoon

Ghee                                          - 2 table spoon

Method:-

Mix Besan, baking powder and rice flour   together and make a semi thick batter. Heat oil in a pan and Pour the batter into the oil through a ladle with round wholes, so that it drops into the oil like round beads, which is called Boondi. Fry the Boondi and keep it aside. Fry the cashew and resin in ghee and keep it aside. In another pan make sugar syrup to one string consistency. Add cardamom powder, edible camphor, cloves, fried cashews and resins to the syrup and finally add the fried Boondi to it and mix well. This is usually served for South Indians marriage feast.                 

Chakkar para/Diamond cuts

Ingredients:-

Dalda/Vanaspathi                                    - 1 cup

Salt                                                               - 1 pinch

Maida                                                          - 2 ½ cup

Milk                                                              - ½ cup

Sugar                                                            - 1 cup

Oil to fry

Method:-

In a bowl mix dalda and salt as we mix for cake with a hand blender or hand. It should be very smooth. Boil milk and sugar together and allow the sugar to melt completely. When it is cooled add it with the blended dalda and mix well. Add Maida to it and make thick soft dough. Roll the dough to thin chapattis in a butter paper. Cut the chapatti to small diamond or square pieces. Heat oil in a pan and put the diamond cuts into the oil and fry light golden brown. When cooled store it in an airtight container. It is good evening snack.

Mysore Pak

Ingredients:-

Besan                                             - 1 cup

Sugar                                             - 2 cup

Ghee/Dalda                                  - 1 ½ cup

Method:-

In a bowl mix Besan with 2 spoon of ghee/Dalda. In a thick bottomed pan make a sugar syrup adding one cup of water to one string consistency. In another stove heat Dalda and when it is completely melt simmer the flame. Now add Basen little by little to the sugar syrup and stir continuously to avoid forming lumps. When all Besan it mixed with sugar syrup add hot ghee/dalda to it little by little and stir constantly until bubbles form in it and it becomes frothy and the ghee/dalda starts to separate slightly. Transfer to a greased tray and spread it evenly. Cut the Mysore Pak into square/rectangle/diamond pieces.

Moong Dal Halwa

Ingredients:-

Soaked Moong Dal                                   - 1 cup

Melted unsalted butter                          - 1 cup

Sugar                                                          - 1 ¼ cup

Water                                                         - 2 cups

Milk                                                            - 1 cup

Cardamom powder                                 - 1 ½ tea spoon

Saffron (optional)                                    - 6-8 strands

Sliced badam/almond for garnishing /Cashew - 3-4

Method:-

Soak moong dal for 3 to 4 hours. Drain water from the dal and Grind it to a smooth paste adding little water. In a pan add melted butter and moon dal paste and stir continuously till it becomes golden brown in medium heat. Don’t worry at this stage the moong dal will look like sand. Simmer the flame. Simultaneously we have to make the sugar syrup too adding sugar and water in another pan. The sugar syrup should be in a single string consistency. Add milk to it little by little and stir well.  When it thickens, add the sugar syrup and stir well. If you want to add saffron you have to soak it in warm milk and add to the moong dal at this time. Stir well continuously until it becomes thick and it leaves the sides of the vessel without sticking to it. Sprinkle cardamom powder and Mix well. Switch off the stove and transfer this to a serving bowl and garnish with sliced almonds/Cashews.

Kai Murukku

Ingredients:-

Parboiled rice/ponni rice                     - 4 cup

Urad dal/Black gram dal                      - ½ cup

Salt to taste

Jeerakam/cumin seeds                          - 2 tea spoon

Asafetida                                                   - 1 tea spoon

Oil to deep fry

Soak rice for two hours and grind to a smooth tight dough. Roast Urad dal to light golden brown and grind it to smooth powder without any granules. Mix rice dough, Urad dal powder, salt, asafetida, and cumin seed well. If you feel the dough is a little bit loose, doesn’t worry cover the dough with a neat dry cotton cloth/kitchen paper towel. The excess water will be absorbed by the cloth.

Spread a dry cotton cloth on a table. Take big lemon size dough and slightly dip it in oil and twist and move it spirally on the cloth using your fingers. Repeat the same with the remaining dough. Mean while heat oil in a pan and put 4 to 5 Murukku at a time and fry it crispy and golden brown. Fry all the Murukku likewise.  When cooled keep it in an air-tight container. It is a very good, yummy tea time snack.

Diwali Marunthu/ Diwali Lehyam

On Diwali day after taking oil bath early in the morning we have to eat one tea spoon of this Marunthu/Lehyam. This will help us to get rid of indigestion. During Diwali we eat lots of sweets and snacks, which will naturally upset our stomach. This Marunthu is good for such problems.

Ingredients:-

Ginger washed and cut into small pieces       - 1 ½ cup

Coriander seeds                                                   - ½ cup

Cumin seeds/Jeerakam                                      - 2 tea spoon

Ajwain/Aimothakam/omam                             - 3 tea spoon

Black pepper/ milaku/kurumilaku                  - 2 table spoon

Thippili /piper longum                                       - 3 or 4

Cardamom                                                            - 4

Jaggery (grated)                                                   - 1 ½ cup

Ghee                                                                        - 2 ½ table spoon

Honey                                                                      - 2 table spoon

Method:-

Soak all items except Jaggery, ghee and honey in hot water for 30 minutes.

Grind them in a mixer to a smooth paste. In a pan put 1 teaspoon of ghee and add the paste to it and cook it until it becomes thick in a low flame. Add Jaggery and 2 tea spoon of water and stir well. The Jaggery will melt and after few minutes this will become thick. We have to stir it now and then. Add remaining ghee and stir well. This will start becoming thick and will leave the edges of the vessel. Add honey to it and cook for two more minutes and switch off the stove. When it is cooled transfer the Lehyam to a serving bowl.

Thenkuzhal

Ingredients:-

Raw rice                                        - 2 cup

Urad dal/black gram dal           - ¼ cup

Asafetida                                       - ½ tea spoon

Cumin seeds/Jeerakam             - 1 tea spoon

White sesame seeds/ellu               - 1 tea spoon

Butter (unsalted)                        - 50 grams

Salt to taste

Oil to deep fry

Wash raw rice, dry it well and grind it to a very smooth powder. There should not be any granules in it so better sieve it. Dry and grind Urad dal to a smooth powder. Sieve this too for avoiding granules.

Mix these flours, asafetida and salt well together. Add butter to the mix and mix well. Add ellu and Jeerakam to it. Now add water little by little and make it smooth tight dough. In a Thenkuzhal achu/press with medium round wholes, fill the dough and press it in a circular motion in the hot oil. Fry the Thenkuzhal to light golden brown flipping it both sides. If you find it difficult to press directly to hot oil, you can press it to a cloth or plastic paper and gently transfer it to the hot oil. Be careful while putting inside the hot oil. Gently slide it into the oil slowly.

When cooled keep in an air tight container. It is a very crispy and mouth watering  evening snack.

Badusha

Ingredients:-

Maida/All purpose flour                    - 1 cup

Baking soda                                          - 1 tea spoon

Fruit salt                                               - ½ tea spoon

 Curd/yogurt                                          - ¼ cup

Butter (melted)                                     - 2 ½ table spoon

Oil to deep fry

Sugar                                                      - 1 ¼ cup

Water                                                     - 1 cup

Ross essence                                         - 1 tea spoon

Cardamom powder                             - 1 tea spoon

Method:-

Mix Maida, baking soda and fruit salt and sieve well. Add butter to it and gently mix the flour. Now add curd/yogurt little by little and gently mix it to soft dough. Don’t press the dough hard. Handle it gently. Cover it with a damp cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.

In a pan add sugar and water and boil it until all the froth in the sugar on boiling disappears. Simmer the flame.

Heat oil in a pan and take small quantity of dough and gently roll it to lemon size, flatten it gently and with your finger press in the center to make a impression. Repeat the same with the remaining dough. Put three to four Badusha at a time in the oil and fry golden brown in medium heat.

Put the Badusha in the sugar syrup and soak them for 2 minutes and transfer them to another plate.