ADHIRASAM | SOFT AND CRISPY ADHIRASAM

Adhirasam, a delicacy of South India has huge fans for its taste and softness.  It is done using wet rice flour and jaggery. My family relishes Adhirasams, than any other sweet. Making a perfect adhirasam is not at all an easy task. After preparing the dough, I kept my fingers crossed whether it will turn out perfectly. It was like a dream, when it came out perfectly. I was feared of trying this recipe for the past 2 years after starting this blog. 

After soaking the rice, it should be dried on a clean cloth for 20 minutes. When we do in small proportion, it can be ground to flour using a mixer. After grinding to flour, preparing the dough should be done immediately. Otherwise the flour will get dried and the consistency will not be right. Also, the jaggery syrup consistency should be perfect to get a good result, or else it will disintegrate will deep frying. See blog for 

• Makkan Peda
• Diwali Recipes

Video recipe of Adhirasam

INGREDIENTS:

Raw Rice - 1 cup

Jaggery ( Paagu vellam) - 3/4 cup

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Gingelly oil - 3 to 4 tsp

Oil - for deep frying

METHOD:

• Soak raw rice for atleast 2 hours.
• Drain the water completely, and spread the rice on a clean cloth.
• Allow it to dry for 20 minutes.
• The rice should stick to the hands while touching it.
• Add to a mixer and grind to powder and sieve it.
• Add cardamom powder to it and keep closed so that the moisture will remain.
• In a pan add jaggery and 3/4 cups of wate. Allow to boil till jaggery dissolves in water.
• Filter it to a tawa and place the tawa on flame.
• The jaggery syrup starts to boil.
• Check for consistency by dropping little syrup in a cup of water.
• At first the syrup dissolves in water.
• After some time, it forms a soft ball.
• Switch off the flame and add rice flour immediately and mix well.
• The flour will get blended with the syrup and comes together and holds shape.
• Transfer to a container and allow it to rest for a day or atleast 12 hours.
• Grease with  a tsp of gingelly oil to prevent drying.
• Next day, knead the dough so that becomes soft.
• If it is too dry, sprinkle little milk and knead it.
• If it is very soft, sprinkle little rice flour and knead it.
• Make small balls of the dough. Heat oil.
• Take a plastic sheet/aluminium foil/ banana leaf. Grease with gingelly oil.
• Take a ball and flatten with fingers, slightly thick.
• Grease fingers and flatten it gently and remove it.
• Add to hot oil and deep fry in low flame so that the inner portion gets cooked well.
• Squeeze extra oil by pressing, using a ladle.
• Tasty and Yummy ADHIRASAMS are ready.

Step wise recipe with pictures:

1. Soak raw rice for atleast 2 hours.

2. Drain the water completely, and spread the rice on a clean cloth.

3. Allow it to dry for 20 minutes.

4. The rice should stick to the hands while touching it.

5. Add to a mixer and grind to powder and sieve it.

6. Add cardamom powder to it and keep closed so that the moisture will remain.

7. In a pan add jaggery and 3/4 cups of water.

8. Allow to boil till jaggery dissolves in water.

9. Filter it to a tawa and place the tawa on flame.

10. The jaggery syrup starts to boil.

11. Check for consistency by dropping little syrup in a cup of water.

12. At first the syrup dissolves in water.

13. After some time, it forms a soft ball.

14. Switch off the flame and add rice flour immediately and mix well.

15. The flour will get blended with the syrup and comes together and holds shape.

16. Transfer to a container and allow it to rest for a day or atleast 12 hours.

17. Grease with  a tsp of gingelly oil to prevent drying.

18. Next day, knead the dough so that becomes soft.

19. If it is too dry, sprinkle little milk and knead it.

20. If it is very soft, sprinkle little rice flour and knead it.

21. Make small balls of the dough. Heat oil.

22. Take a plastic sheet/aluminium foil/ banana leaf. Grease with gingelly oil.

21. Take a ball and flatten with fingers, slightly thick.

22. Grease fingers and flatten it gently and remove it.

23. Add to hot oil and deep fry in low flame so that the inner portion gets cooked well.

24. Squeeze extra oil by pressing, using another ladle.

24. Tasty and Yummy ADHIRASAMS are ready.

MALPUA

Malpua is a popular dessert in North India, done during festive seasons. It is also popular in Nepal and Bangladesh. Different ingredients like banana, milk khoya, milk powder are used to prepare Malpua, and depends on the region where it is done. Here, it has been done using Maida, Sooji, Cardamom and fennel seeds mixed together with Milk. It resembles Adirasam, a popular dish in Tamilnadu, but the taste is totally different. 

INGREDIENTS:
Maida/ All purpose flour - 1 cup
Sooji/ Rava - 1/2 cup
Cardamom - 1/2 tsp
Fennel Seed - 1 tsp (crushed/powdered)
Milk - as required
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Salt - a pinch
Oil - for deep frying

METHOD:
1. In a wide bowl, add maida, rava, fennel, cardamom, salt and mix well.
2. Add milk little by little and mix well with a spoon till it reaches the consistence of dosa batter. 
3. Keep aside for 20 minutes, so that the flavour of fennel and cardamom gets blended with the batter.

4. Whisk the batter well  for few minutes with a ladle/spoon so that the batter becomes soft. Add milk if needed to adjust consistency.
5.Heat sugar and little water to a bowl, and boil well for 5 minutes or up to 1 string consistency. 

6. Heat oil, pour a small ladle full of batter in hot oil. It will form a round shape.
7. Bring the flame to low, splash some oil on the upper side, so that both sides gets cooked well.
8. Flip to the other side and cook on low flame.

9. Cook till it turns golden brown, remove from oil.  
10. Drain oil and soak in sugar syrup for 30 seconds. 
11. Remove and place it on a plate.
12. Tasty & soft  Malpua is ready.

Note:

• The batter should not be very thick. 
• If the batter is watery, it will be oily

WHEAT PAROTTA (Home style)

Parotta is layered flat white bread, a South Indian special, mainly Kerala. Parotta is usually done in Maida/all purpose flour. The rubbery texture of maida helps to stretch the dough well and layers are formed. Here, I have done mixing wheat flour and maida in equal quantity. It came out very well with less layers. We feel heavy when we eat parotta using maida flour. But, when mixed with wheat flour, the heaviness was not felt. 

INGREDIENTS:

Wheat flour - 1 cup

Maida - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 tsp

Salt

Oil - as required

METHOD:

1. In a bowl, add wheat flour and maida, Sugar along with required salt and mix well.

2. Add 3 to 4 tsp of oil and mix well, add needed water and  make  a soft dough. Let it rest for an hour.

3. Make medium size doughs and keep aside.

4. Take a dough and stretch as big as it can be stretched, apply some oil and smear well on whole surface of the stretch and dust little flour.

5. Using fingers, make as many pleats as possible and fold it stretching as much as possible.

6. Roll it again to make a dough as shown. Seal the end properly by pressing gently.

7. Dust some flour, take a rolled dough, using a rolling pin gently spread the dough.

8. Heat a tawa, place the spread dough, cook well on both sides in medium flame.

9. Sprinkle some oil, when brown spots appear remove it.

10. After it has cooled a bit, crush gently with hands for the layers to appear.

11. Tasty Parotta is ready to be served with Kuruma or any side dish of choice.

See for Veg Kurma, Vegetable kohlapuri sabji in this blog

Note:

• For preparing Restaurant style parotta, use maida flour only. More oil should be used to get layers. 
• Sugar can be dissolved in little water or can be powdered and added to the flour.

PHIRNI

This is a famous Punjabi dessert similar to Semiya Payasam, Sooji payasam in South India. Since Punjab is famous for Basmathi rice, this kheer/dessert is done using basmathi rice. 

INGREDIENTS:
Milk - 500 ml
Basmathi rice - 1/4 cup
Saffron/Kesar - 5 strands
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Badam - 6
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

METHOD: 
1. Soak Badam for few minutes in hot water, peel the skin and chop finely.
2. Wash Basmathi rice thoroughly, soak for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Drain the water completely, grind to Rava/Sooji consistency, using a mixer and keep aside.
4. In a thick bottomed tawa, add milk and allow to boil.

5. Add saffron strands and basmathi rice, chopped badam and mix well in regular intervals in low flame.
6. Keep on stirring at intervals so that no lumps are formed and the rice gets cooked well.
7. After the rice is almost cooked, add sugar and cardamom powder and cook for a while till the milk thickens.
8. Taste for sugar, if needed add a little more.
9. Tasty and delicious Punjabi Phirni is ready to be served.
10. Serve it after it cools well.
11. It tastes well if refrigerated and served.

 



   

PANEER KHEER/ PAYASAM

A Bengali Dessert that is done on Special Occassions. It tastes somewhat like Rasmalai, but here we use crumbled Paneer/Cottage cheese directly once the milk thickens a bit.

INGREDIENTS:
Paneer - 200g
Milk - 500 ml
Sugar - 7 to 8 tsp
Saffron - 6 strands
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Cashew - 5
Badam - 5

METHOD:
1. Soak Badam and cashew for 10 to 15 minutes and keep aside.
2. In a thick bottomed tawa, heat milk and keep on stirring in continuous intervals, till it starts to boil.
3. Add chopped badam, cashew and saffron to the boiling milk and lower the flame.
4. In about 10 minutes the milk would have thickened a bit, add sugar and continue to cook for another 5 minutes in low flame.
5. Add crumbled paneer to the boiling milk, cook for a minute or two till the paneer gets cooked  and switch off the flame.
6. Taste for Sugar. If needed add accordingly.
7. Add cardamom powder and close the lid of the tawa for few minutes.
8. It can be served hot/warm/ chilled in refrigerator.
9. Tasty Paneer Kheer/ Payasam is ready.

 See for Rasmalai, Rasgulla in this blog

BEETROOT HALWA

A Simple and easy Halwa/Dessert done using beetroot. Those who doesn't like beetroot in other forms, might like this dessert as it tastes delicious. This recipe doesn't require much ghee. It might be time consuming, about 40 minutes to prepare, but the end results is good.

INGREDIENTS:
Beetroot (grated) - 3 cups (heaped)
Milk - 2 cups
Sugar - 1 cup
Cardamom - 1/2 tsp
Cashew - 3
Badam - 3
Ghee - 3 tsp
Salt - a pinch

METHOD:
1. In a thick bottomed tawa, add a little ghee and roast the cut cashews and Badam and keep aside.
2. In the same pan, add a teaspoon of ghee, beetroot and stir for 3 to 4 minutes.

3. Boil milk in a pan and add to the beetroot and cook well till all the milk is absorbed. Stir at regular intervals to avoid burnt smell.
4. After the milk is fully absorbed, add sugar and cook well until the sugar gets blended with beetroot.

5. Add remaining ghee, roasted nuts and almonds, cardamom powder, a pinch of salt (to enhance sweetness)  and cook for another few minutes in low flame.
6. Tasty and delicious Beet root Halwa is ready.

Also, see for CARROT HALWA in this blog
 

MORKUZHAMBU / BUTTERMILK KOZHUMBU

 We usually prepare kozhambu using toor dhal, moong dhal etc., but this is done using curd or buttermilk. When there is left over curd, this kozhumbu can be prepared.

INGREDIENTS:
Lady's finger - 100g
Curd  - 1 cup
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Salt

To grind
Coriander seeds - 3 tsp
Toor dhal - 1 & 1/2 tsp
Pepper corn - 6
Cumin - 1 tsp
Fenugreek - 1/4 tsp
Red chilly - 2

For Seasoning
Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Cumin - 1/4 tsp
Red chilly - 1
Curry leaves - 1 leaflet
Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp 

METHOD:
1. Soak all the ingredients given to grind for 30 minutes and grind to paste and keep aside. Whip curd along with turmeric in a mixer and keep aside.
2. Heat 1/2 tsp oil in a pan, and saute chopped lady's finger until it is cooked well, on medium flame. Add little salt to fasten cooking.
3. When the lady's finger is fully cooked, add the paste and whipped curd, mix well and allow to boil and add required salt.
4. After it starts boiling switch off the flame immediately.
5. In a pan add remaining oil, add mustard, cumin after it splutters add fenugreek, curry leaves and red chilly pieces, asafoetia and add to the morkuzhambu.
6. Tasty Morkuzhambu is ready to be served with rice.

Note:

• Instead of lady's finger, vegetables like white pumpkin, brinjal etc can be used.
• Garlic or onion can be used instead of vegetables.
• Left over Medhu vadas can be added after making the kozhumbu, it is called vada morkuzhumbu.
• Red chilly can be increased according to individual taste.

SHAHI PANEER

"Shahi" means royal. As its name suggests, this is a Mughlai royal dish made with cashews, almonds, spices, yogurt and saffron along with Paneer. It is a semi sweetened gravy, using less spices, aromatic & creamy. Here, I have prepared a white gravy, just to differentiate from other Paneer dishes. 

INGREDIENTS:
Paneer cubes - 1 cup
Tomato - 1/2
Kasuri methi - 1/2 tsp
Yogurt/Curd - 1/2 cup 
Coriander leaves - little (optional)
Ghee - 2 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp 
Sugar - 1 tsp

To grind
Onion -2
Ginger - 1 inch stick
Garlic pods - 3 
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon - 1
Fennel/Sombu - 1/2 tsp
Poppy seeds/Kasakasa - 1/2 tsp
Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
Cashew - 5
Badam - 5 
Green chilly - 2
Saffron - 5 strands

METHOD:

1. Soak all the ingredients given to paste for few minutes, after partly dry roasting cloves, cinnamon, fennel, poppy seeds & coriander seeds. Grind to fine paste along with ginger, garlic, a green chilly, cashew, badam and saffron and keep aside.

2. In a pan, boil water, add chopped onions and close the lid. After it cools, grind to paste. Do no throw away the water, it can be used while preparing gravy. 

3. In a thick bottomed tawa, heat ghee and oil, add the onion paste and cook well until raw smell goes off.
4. Add finely chopped tomato, a slit green chilly, a pinch of salt and stir well.
5. Add the paste and cook on medium flame till oil leaves the sides.
6. Add chopped Paneer cubes, onion stock (water used for blanching onion), mix well and lower the flame and close the lid. Allow to cook for 5 minutes.

7. When the gravy is fully cooked, add whipped yogurt, sugar and kasuri methi, stir well and switch off the flame. Add coriander leaves if preferred.
8. Tasty and Semi sweetened Shahi Paneer is ready to be served with Naan, Chappathi, Roti, Rice, Pulav etc.

Note: 

• Instead of green chillies, red chilly powder can be used.
• If tangy taste of tomato is preferred, yogurt can be avoided and a whole tomato can be used.
• Tomato puree can be used along with onion paste, here chopped tomato is used to avoid colouration due to tomato, resulting a white gravy.