Kalkandu Sadam/Rock Sugar Candy Rice

Third Day of Ganesha Chaturthi –Kalkandu Sadam(Rock Sugar candy Rice)

Kalkandu Sadam is liked my all ages. Especially for kids it’s the yummiest food because of its milk and sugar candy. In my house, obviously my son who always loves sweets like anything.You can come across in many temples as a prasadham.Mostly they distribute in many Amman temples.

 

The Prasadham usually consists of the unique flavor which is very difficult to recreate at home. This Kalkandu rice is cooked with milk and lastly stirred by pure ghee and nuts.This rice is prepared mostly on festivals in southern part of TamilNadu. However, if you want it to be really sweet then you can add another cup of kalkandu. Kalkandu Rice will certainly be in the list of recipes that I make during festivals.

Prep time	Cook time	Serves
5 mins	15 mins	3 persons

 

Cuisine:  South India (Festive Sweet)

Ingredients Raw rice -1/2 cup Saffron(Kungumma poo) -1 tsp Kalkandu(Sugar Candy)  -1/4 cup Broken cashews -2 tbsp. Cardamom powder – pinch Milk -2 cups Ghee -2 tbsp.

 

Method

1. Wash the rice thoroughly and cook in pressure cooker with 2 cups of milk and saffron for 3 whistles. The rice must be cooked to the mashing consistency. Mash the rice nicely with the ladle.

2. In a pan, add ghee and fry the cashew nuts. Wait till turn golden brown.Dissolve the kalkandu with little water. The syrup will become sticky by the time it melts. No need to check for any consistency. Once it gets melt add the mashed rice immediately. Keep in low flame.

3. Mix well and sprinkle the cardamom powder.Add the cooked rice and ghee little by little. Add cardamom powder and fried nuts. Stir continuously otherwise lumps will be formed.Finally before switching off the flame, pour the remaining ghee and serve.

Notes

The rice would become watery after you add kalkandu (sugar candy). Keep boiling the rice if you do not want the rice to be watery.

Technorati Tags: Kalkandu Sadam,Sugar candy rice,Ganesha Chaturthi recipes,Navarathri recipes,Indian festive swee,Indian food recipes,Indian regional recipes,Vrat recipes.

Kadalai Paruppu(Channa Dal Salad) Sundal–Ganesha Chaturthi Recipes

Second Day of Ganesha Chaturthi –Kadalai Paruppu(Channa Dal Salad) Sundal

Sundal is a healthy snack prepared from different kind of lentils or legume which is boiled and seasoned with Indian spices. It is easy to make and nutritious. Generally we prepare this as an offering to God.Channa dal Sundal is suitable for devoting to Lord Vinayaka. It is very easy to make and very healthy too. Since it is festival time, we can make this sundal to offer to God. Also this is rich in protein making it a healthy snack.

Quick, healthy and usually given as prasads in temples. Perfect South Indian evening snack made by our grandmothers. I cooked the soaked chana dal in boiling water stove top or pressure cook it. If you are using pressure cooker make sure the dal is whole and not mashed. 

Prep time	Cook time	Serves
15  mins	5 mins	3 persons

 

 

Ingredients Kadalai Paruppu -1 cup Oil -2 tsp Mustard seeds -1/4 tsp Grated ginger -1 tsp Curry leaves -1 sprig Hing –pinch Grated coconut -4 tbsp. Dry red chillies -3 no’s Salt -2 tsp

 

Method

1. Wash and soak chana dal for half an hour. Pressure cook for one whistle. Strain excess water and keep it aside.Dal should be separate but fully cooked. Soak kadalai paruppu for ½ an hour.

2. Heat oil in a Kadai, let mustard seeds splutter. Add urad dal, when it turns golden brown add curry leaves and Red chillies Add the cooked kadalai paruppu and sprinkle salt.

3. Mix well and let it cook for approximately 5 minutes. Be careful not to stir too much or else the dal might get mashed. Sprinkle asafetida. When done sprinkle grated coconut and serve hot.This can also be served as a healthy starter for dinner.

4. Serve hot...!! Sundal is ready to serve

Notes

Add a pinch of turmeric powder to it.

 

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Ammini Kozhukattai–Ganesha Chaturthi Recipes

First Day of Ganesha Chaturthi –Ammini Kozhukattai

Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated today. Sending my prayers and warm wishes to all my friends, readers and fellow bloggers on this special occasion. For Ganesh Chaturthi, we offer kozhukattais and other dishes to Lord Ganesha.Ammini Kozhukattai also known as Mani kozhukattai .These are steamed rice balls that are lightly spiced.

They are made during the festival of Ganesh / Vinayaka Chaturthi. If you already have some leftover dough when making the poornam kozukkatai / modak then you could use it to make these mini kozhukattai. They can be had as an evening snack and are healthier since they are only steamed. This savory pearl mothakas can be served as a quick snack or a brunch. My mom used to make these when the dough gets remained after making the stuffed modak. When pooran Modaks are there we hardly take these ammini kozhukattais.

 

Prep time	Cook time	Serves
20 mins	10 mins	5 persons

 

Cuisine:  South Indian (Tamil Nadu Festive Snack)

 

For the kozhukattai Homemade Rice Flour -1 cup Water -1 ½ cups Salt -3/4 tsp Oil  -1 tsp Extra preparation -2 tsp Seasonings Oil -1 tsp Mustard seeds -1 tsp Urad dal  -1/2 tsp Dried red chillies – 3 no Hing -pinch Curry leaves –few

 

Method

1. Sieve the rice flour and add salt and oil to it then add the boiling water little by little and keep mixing it with a spatula. Mine took 2 tablespoons less than a cup of water.

 2. Mix with your hands to make smooth soft dough. Then knead the dough, grease the palm and roll the dough into equally sized balls. Steam these balls for 10-12 minutes. You would notice that the outer layer has turned shiny.

 3. Then heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and when they crack, add the urad dhal fry for a minute, then add red chillies, green chillies, curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida and fry for another minut.

 4. Then add the grated coconut and then cooked kozhukattai, salt to taste and mix well till it’s all coated well over the kozhukattais and then turn off the heat.

5. Serve it warm.

 

 Notes

I used homemade rice flour.You could garnish with grated coconut.For a spicier version of this dish, you could mix idli milagai podi.Use your personal judgement for the quantity of water. Different flour requires different quantities of water.

This serves good for an evening snack.It is also easy to pack for the kids and they love to have them with tomato ketchup.Smaller the sizeof the balls tastier of the dish.

 

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Peanut(Verkadalai) Pista Laddu

Some recipes are too simple to prepare but tastes great. Peanut ladoo is one such recipe. In this I have added pista for a change. Eating all time peanut ladoos was looking plain for me.So I have just played with broken pistas.Try it and this tastes yummy and delicious. Go for it and try once.

 

 When my mom does not have any time for preparing after school snack, I used to eat roasted peanuts. Ladoos come in many varieties. Peanut ladoo is a tasty snack which is prepared under 10 minutes.This can be prepared on the day of fasting or during festival seasons.My grandma is an expert in making such delicious ladoos with her pounding stone.Peanuts/Groundnuts may aggravate Pita. So do not take more ladoos at a time.

Prep time	Cook time	Serves
30 mins	15  mins	5 persons

 

Cuisine:  North Indian (Gujarati Festive Sweet)

 

Ingredients Roasted unsalted peanuts -1 cup Sugar -1/2 cup Pista -1/4 cup Cardamom Powder -1 tsp Cashews -6 no’s (whole) Raisins -10 no’s Ghee  -1/4 cup +2 tbsp. for making balls

 

Method

1. Roast the skinned peanuts in a kadai for few minutes. When it’s done, take it out in the plate and cool it for 2 minutes.

2. Remove the skin and keep aside. Grind the peanuts to a coarse powder in the mixie in the pulse mode for 2 times.Add sugar & cardamom and pulse for a few more seconds until it is well mixed. Heat ghee in a small pan and roast till it turns golden brown. Then followed by raisins and pour in the peanut mixture.

3. Add pistas in the jar and give a quick blend so that it is broken into tiny bits. Now add all the broken pistas in the same mixture.

4. Now use the same ghee (which we roasted for cashews and raisins) for making rounds. This is because to consume less ghee.Now shape them into small byte sized ladoos

Notes

Do not grind the peanuts for long. It will turn into a sticky mass

 

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Vazhaipoo(Banana flower) Bonda

It is a popular south Indian snack and breakfast. These are so delicious and irrestible.The winter and crispy hot deep fried snacks sure have a beautiful relation that has only got better with time. A cold winter evening is best celebrated with a hot and crispy serving of onion pakodas, samosas, and aloo bondas. Vazhaipoo bonda is a nutritious  savoury which is  deep fried snack that is made with the urad dal or lentils.

We love it soaked in sambar in a deep bowl with the chutney which is so filling. The softness inside the bonda, the crunchiness from outside and the gorgeous golden color is something to be experienced each time with the yummy coconut chutney. The combo with sambar and coconut chutney is the superb combo by the South Indians.

Prep time	Cook time	Serves
20 mins	30 mins	4 persons

 

Cuisine: South Indian (Snack)

 

Ingredients Vazhaipoo(Banana Blossom) – 1 ½ cup Urad dal -1/2 cup Yellow Moong dal -1/4 cup Coconut paste or Grated coconut -2 tbsp. Onions – 1 no Green chilli -2 nos Fennel seeds -1 tsp Curry leaves –few Cilantro -1/2 cup Grated Ginger -2 tsp Salt – to taste Oil –as needed

 Method:

1. Soak urad dal and moong dal  for 2 hours. 

2. Grind both the dals and salt without adding water.

3.  In the same blender grind the urad dal to a smooth paste. 

4. Add salt and mix everything.

5. Chop the Vazhaipoo finely and keep aside.

6. Add onions, curry leaves, green chilli, cilantro, ginger, hing and salt. Mix well.

7. Heat oil for deep frying. When the oil is hot enough, slide the vadai gently into the oil using the ladle.

8. The bonda should turn golden brown. Remove the bonda onto a paper towel.

9. Serve with coconut chutney or with sambar.

 

Coconut green chilli chutney

Ingredients Coconut -1 cup Green chilli -2 nos Ginger -2 tsp Cilantro –few Shallots -1 no Seasonings Oil -1 tsp Mustard seeds -1 tsp Curry leaves -2 sprigs

 

Method

Grind together coconut, shallots, green chilli, Salt with water according to the desired consistency. Heat oil in a seasoning pan and add the ingredients separately and add to the coconut mixture. Coconut green chilli chutney is  ready.

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