Payathamparuppu Ukkali

Ukkali is a traditional sweet that tamil people used to prepare for important occasions like when a marriage alliance is fixed and mainly for Karthigai deepam. The original version of ukkali is made with rice, jaggery and lots of oil. I had prepared a simple yet tasty and healthy version of ukkali which my amma had taught when I had guests at home sometime back.

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 15 minutes (Excludes soaking time)

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1. Moong dal - 2 cup

2. Salt - 1 pinch

3. Baking soda - 1 tsp

4. Oil - 1 tbsp

5. Ghee - 1 tbsp

6. Sugar - 2 cup

7. Cashew - 2 tbsp

8. Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Method:

Step 1: Wash and soak the moong dal for 2 hours. Grind with minimum water into a smooth paste.

 Step 2: Mix oil, baking soda, salt and mix well. Pour into idly plates and steam cook them for 5-10 minutes.

 Step 3: Let the idlies cool down to normal temperature. Then break them into small pieces and whip them in a dry mixer jar few times not doing for more than two seconds per trip. You'll get a soft powdery consistency now. Repeat for all idlis and collect them in a bowl.

Step 4: Heat ghee, fry broken cashews and take the cashews in a bowl. 

Step 5: Add powdered sugar (my mom uses sugar crystals but I powder it), crushed dal idlies, cardamom powder and mix gently in low heat for not more than 2 minutes else they'll form halwa.

Step 6: Garnish with fried cashew nuts and serve warm.

Sola Adai

To my knowledge, sola adai is a recipe that I got from some blog while randomly browsing and I could not get that blog again. Solam or jowar is grown extensively in Coimbatore and Dindigal districts of tamil nadu and I founf this from a tamil blog, so I just assume it is originated here. Strange thing about sola adai is that, it is shaped like vada yet thinner that vadas and but is very crisp and crunchy until center. This is quite simple to make and is full of flavor and can be stored for a couple of days.

Ingredients:

1.       Jowar – 1 cup

2.       Onion chopped – 1 cup

3.       Green chilies – 2 finely chopped

4.       Coriander chopped - 1 tbsp 

5.       Rice flour – 2 tbsp

6.       Salt to taste

7.       Oil for deep frying

Method:

Step 1: Wash and soak the jowar overnight.

Step 2: Grind the soaked jowar in a mixer coarsely. Do not add water.

Step 3: Take the ground jowar , add salt, rice flour, chopped onion, green chilies, coriander and mix well.

Step 4: Heat oil in a deep kadai; and in parallel shape adais.

Step 5: Pat a small portion of the batter into thin 4” circles with a hole in the centre. Wipe hands with water in between to avoid the batter sticking to hands.

Step 6: Drop the adai in the hot oil and flip both sides to get it uniform golden brown colour. Repeat until the batter is finished. The adais should be thin, crisp and brown.

Maravallikizhangu/ Tapioca Dosa

We can see tapioca sold on the roadsides in the market place or in the highways adjacent to the fields, in Tamilnadu; at least I have not seen them fancily packed and displayed in departmental stores here, as they are cheap and neither do they pay-off for the space occupied nor do have many takers. I have heard from my paternal grandpa that tapioca is consumed by villagers/ farmers during the famine period as a survival nutrient; may be that's why people in north eat it on fasting days. These days, not many recipes are very popular even though they make tasty and healthy dishes. Tapioca dosa one such recipe that I would like to share here.

Ingredients:

1. Tapioca - 1

2. Idli rice - 1 cup

3. Dry chilies - 2

4. Salt to taste

5. Asafoetida - 1 pinch

6. Oil - 1 tbsp

7. Mustard seeds -1 tsp

8. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

9. Urad dal - 1 tbsp

10. Curry leaves - 1 sprig

11. Onion - 1 finely chopped

12. Coriander - 2 tbsp finely chopped

Method:

Step 1: Wash and soak the rice for about 3 hours. Grind it coarsely in a mixer with salt and dry chilies.

Step 2: Peel and grate the tapioca finely and mix with the ground batter.

Step 3: Prepare the tempering before preparing; heat oil, splutter mustard seeds & cumin seeds, sprinkle asafoetida, add urad dal, curry leaves and saute onion in that for just 2 minutes.

Step 4: Mix the tempering in the dosa batter, adjust salt and consistency.

Step 5: Heat the greased dosa tawa, pour a ladle of batter and spread with the back of the ladle into a circular shape. Drizzle few drops of oil on it and cover.

Step 6: Flip to the other side when one side is browned, do not cover on the flip side to retain crispness.

Step 7: Serve hot with any chutney or idli podi.

TIPS:

* Tapioca can be chopped and ground along with the rice to escape from painful task of grating finely and to do it quick.

* If you want to make it instant, rice flour can be used instead of wet grinding but there is a little compromise on taste and texture this way.

* Adjust consistency to make thin crisp ones or thick soft ones.