Uppu Seedai

Uppu Seedai is one of the main traditional bakshanams made especially during Krishna Jayathy’s day.. There are two varieties of seedais – sweet and the salt version. Sweet seedai is called “vella seedai”.The salty version is called “Uppu seedai”.  I have heard stories about seedai bursting from my friends. Here are the tips to avoid Uppu Seedai(s) from bursting in hot oil.

Tips:

• Homemade or store bought flour, it should be sieved properly.
• Do not roll them tightly. While rotating them in your palm, keep it as gentle as possible.
•  Use, instead of dry coconut, uses coconut oil for the dough.
• Dry the balls before frying them.

Here is the recipe for the Seedai.

 Preparation Time   :  15 mins
 Cooking Time        : 30 mins
 Recipe Category    :  Festival Recipes, Neivedyam 
 Recipe Cuisine       : South Indian  

Ingredients:

Rice Flour                   2 cups

Urad Flour                  2 tablespoon

Sesame seeds             1 teaspoon (optional)

Cummin See               1 teaspoon

Salt                            To taste

Butter                         1 tablespoon

Asafoetida                   a pinch

Coconut oil                  1 tablespoon

Cooking oil                  for deep frying.

Method

• I have used store bought rice and Urad flour.
• Fry the Urad flour in medium heat for 2 minutes.
•  Dry roast the sesame and cumin seeds for a second.
• Mix everything along with salt, asafoetida, butter.
• Add water very little by little to form a smooth dough.
• Form into a small balls of marble size. While rotating them in your palm, keep it as gentle as possible.
• Keep them on a clean cloth or paper towel for 10 minutes.
• Heat oil in medium flame and fry the balls.
• Put as many cheedais as possible , the oil can hold at a time.
• When frying the balls , keep moving the balls in oil to ensure uniform frying.
•  Fry until they become golden brown or till the bubble stops, and hissing sound ceases.
• Drain them in a tissue paper and transfer them to an airtight container.
• Now Yummy Cheedai is ready to eat.

Uppu Seedau

Kara Pori- Spicy Puffed rice

Kara Pori is one the most popular street-side snack in southern part of India.  Whenever I feel like eating something, I prepare this snack. This is easy to prepare, and simple, delicious and of course healthy too.

Ingredients 

Puffed rice (Pori)                            - 4 cups heaped

Fried gram (pottu Kadalai)                - 1 cup

Peanuts                                         – 1 cup

Mor Milaghai                                   - 4 no

Red chillies                                     - 2 no

Asafetida                                     – ¼ tsp.

Oil                                              - 3-4 tsp.

Turmeric powder                            -1/4 tsp.

Curry leaves                                      - few

Salt and chillis powder                      to taste

Method

• Heat oil in a wide pan adds Peanuts, and fried gram Curry leaves. Fry them for 3-4 minutes.
•  In the same pan, add more oil, add MOR Milaghai, red chilies, curry leaves and fry for a minute.
• After that ,add the puffed rice with turmeric powder, hing, salt and red chili powder.
•  Low the stove heat and, mix it all together and let it sit in the heat for 5 minutes or till it becomes crispy.  Store it in an air tight container.
• Serve it hot wit some hot chai 

Wheat Dosa( Gothumai Dosai)

A very simple and nutritious dosa in whole wheat flour. “Wheat Dosa" is one of the popular dosa varieties and it is quick to make as like the usual dosa. This dosa does not require fermentation or prior prep – an instant dosa. This dosa is very good for diabetic patients.

Ingredients;

Wheat flour                           - 2 cup

Rice flour                              – ½ cup

Rava                                     – 1 tsp.

Finely chopped green chilies      – 1 tsp.

Chopped curry leaves               – 1 tsp.

Grated Ginger                          – 1tbsp

Hing                                      – 1 /4 tsp.

Jeera                                       1 tsp.

Salt                                         to taste

Water                                      – for mixing

 Method:

• Mix all above ingredients together.
• The batter should be watery. Make sure there are no lumps.
• Heat the griddle, spread the batter gently in a circular form, drizzle 1 tsp. of oil.
• This dosa take a little longer to cook than the normal dosa.
• And gently flop to the other side and drizzle oil and cook until it turns brown.
• Tasty and healthy wheat dosa is ready.
• Serve hot with chutney and Sāmbhar.

Sweet Appam- 250th Post

Appam is a known dish in Tamilnadu. There are different versions of appam and this is very simple version which we make during festivals like Krishna Jayanthi and Kaarthikai.

Ingredients
Wheat flour                          1/2 cup

Maida -                               1/2 cup
Rice flour –                         2tbsp

Jaggery –                            ½ cup

Cardamom powder n-           1/2 tsp.

Baking soda                       – a pinch

Water -
Oil                                     for frying

 Method:

• Add a little water to jaggery and soak for 15 minutes.  Dissolve well and filter it to get rid off any dirt.
• In a bowl , add the flour and powdered cardamom and add the jaggery liquid to it and mix well till you get a consistency of a thick dosa batter or idly batter(Make sure it is not so free flowing. When you drop it from the ladle it should fall slowly). Keep for 30 minutes.
• Heat a oil in a deep frying pan, (Keep a slow fire.)
• When oil hot is enough, take the dough in a small ladle and drop it into the oil.
• Cook one side and then turn the other side.
• Let it fry till it becomes golden brown. Drain it on the paper towel.
• You can make 3 to 4 appam at a time depending on the size of your pan.
•  Repeat the procedure with the rest of the batter and serve hot or warm.

Cucumber Kosambari

Kosumbari is a typical and traditional  veg salad in Karnataka. Make this delicious Cucumber Kosumbari, using this simple recipe from Madappalli.

Ingredients

Peeled and finely chopped English Cucumbers             - 2 cups

Moong dhal                                                         - 1/4 cup 

Finely chopped Green chillies                                – 3 no

Lemon juice                                                     – 1tbsp

Salt                                                                to taste

For seasoning:

Cooking oil                                                - 1 teaspoon

Mustard seeds                                           - 1/4 teaspoon

Asafetida                                                  - a couple of pinches

Cilantro                                                    - 3 tbsp. (finely chopped)

Grated coconut                                          – 3 tbsp.

Fresh basil leaves (optional)                          -  1 tbsp.

Method:

• Soak Moong dhal in water in a bowl for about an hour, drain the water and set aside. Using warm/hot water will speed up the soaking process.
• Add the finely chopped cucumber, cilantro, basil, green chillies and grated coconut to the Moong dhal and mix well.
• In a small pan, heat oil, pop mustard seeds, add the Asafetida and fry for a second. And pour the mixture over the above cucumber mixture; add salt & Lemon juice. Mix well once again.
• The Kosambari is ready to serve.

Bitter gourd Stir Fry

This preparation removes the bitterness of the bitter gourd and you will start like to eat bitter gourd very often. Good for diabetic patients. I bet you would surely like this if you are a fan of bitter gourd.

Ingredients

Bitter gourd                    4 no (Cut into half round pieces and de-seed)

Sweet peppers               2 no

Tomato                        2 no (Cut into small pieces)

Turmeric Powder           ¼ tsp

Chili Powder                1 tsp

Salt                           to taste

Boiled water mix with ½ tsp chili powder, ½ tsp salt.

Seasonings:

Ghee                         1 tbsp

Jeera                         1/2 tsp

Hing                          a pinch

 Method:

• Put the cut bitter gourd pieces in boiled water mixed with spices and keep it covered for 5 Minutes.
• Drain the water after 5 minutes.This will remove the unwanted bitterness a little.
•  Heat ghee in a pan; add all seasonings, when Jeera starts  spluttering add sweet peppers and tomato pieces.
• Fry for few minutes. Then add the bitter gourd pieces in it. Fry it in a low heat.
• Now add the chili powder, turmeric powder, salt into it. Mix it well.
• Lower the flame and let it shallow fry the bitter gourd pieces till golden brown.
• Serve hot with rice and Sambhar. 

 Tip:

Ghee reduces the bitter taste of it little. 

Bitter gourd Stir Fry

Thiru Adi Pooram

Sri Andal

Aadi Pooram is one  of the major festivals celebrated in every Vaishnavite temples. It falls on the Aadi month, in the Tamil calendar, and on the Pooram star. Andal is the incarnation of Bhoomi Piratti and took Her Avatar at Srivilliputhur (http://www.srivilliputtur.co.in/)

Andal wanted to marry Lord Ranganathar (Vishnu at Srirangam). She has composed a number of paasurams (devotional songs/poetry) in praise of Lord Ranganathar. Her paasurams are THIRUPPAVAI (30 Paasurams) and Nachiar Thirumozhi (143 Paasurams).

Aadi Pooram Celebration

Aadi Pooram festival is most famous in Srivilliputhur, the birthplace of Andal .The Aadi Pooram, ten-day festival is celebrated in all Lord Vishnu Temples in all over the world.. Most of the Vaishnavite temples, the first nine days are celebrated with daily recitation of the Pallandu, Thiruppavai and Nachiar Thirumozhi. On the 10th day of the usavam, the THIRUKKALYANAM (marriage) of ANDAL and LORD RANGANATHAR is celebrated. Special pujas are also conducted on this day. It is a belief that if unmarried girls take sankalpam during kalyana utsavam (Lords Marriage) and pray to Goddess Andal on that day (i.e. THIRUKKALYANAM DAY), they will get married soon. . In Temples, all women offer Glass bangles to goddess and those bangles are distributed to all the ladies.
Sri Andal -Srivilliputtur

In Andal's Pasuram

"நாறு நறும் பொழில் மாவிருஞ்சோலை நம்பிக்கு நான்

நூறு தடாவில் வெண்ணெய் வாய்நேர்ந்து பராவி வைத்தேன்;

நூறு தடா நிறைந்த அக்கார அடிசில் சொன்னேன்

எறு திருவுடையான் இன்று இவை கொள்ளுங்கொலோ ?"

The above Pasuram translates to :

To the Lord who lives in the grove-surrounded Maal-irunsolai

I vow to offer a hundred pots of butter today

And a hundred brimming pots of akkara adisal

Will the most praised Lord accept them and grant me my wish?

 The Lord granted her wish even before she could fulfill her vow, and it is said that Sri Ramanujar took it upon himself to offer a hundred pots of akkara adisal, on her behalf, to the Lord of Thirumalirunsolai, a century later, on the day of Aadi puram.   The followers of Sri Ramanujar, continue this tradition and offer akkara adisal to the Lord, on Her behalf, every Thiruvaadi puram.

We all  are celebrating this coming Thiru Aadi Pooram  by preparing “Akkara adisal Thirukannaamuth” and Naivedyam  to ANDAL.

Recipes:

Akkara Adisal 1                                           Akkara Adisal 2