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Showing posts with label DIWALI RECIPES. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DIWALI RECIPES. Show all posts

February 15, 2019

Delhi Carrot Halwa In Pressure Cooker – Gajar Halwa Recipe Without Khoya In Pressure Cooker

Gajar halwa / Carrot halwa using Delhi carrot was in my try list for long time. Recently I bought some fresh Delhi carrots in Reliance. I thought of trying carrot halwa and red carrot pickle with it. To begin with, I tried this easy carrot halwa recipe without khoya and condensed milk in pressure cooker for a surprise guest at home yesterday. I finished the preparation quickly under 20 minutes. It came out really well with a bright red color. We loved it very much. I served the same for Valentine’s day treat as well.

 Friends, do try this yummy carrot halwa using Delhi carrot easily in a pressure cooker. Don’t forget to share your feedback with me.  For variations, you can use Ooty carrot instead of Delhi carrot. Cook the grated carrot in an open kadai, add condensed milk instead of sugar, milk and try it.


Check out my other 18 halwa varieties too !


Delhi carrot halwa in a pressure cooker


Delhi carrot halwa in a pressure cooker

Carrot halwa with Delhi carrot made eaaily in a pressure cooker.



Cuisine: Indian
Category: Sweet
Serves: Serves 3
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 30 Minutes



INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
  • Grated carrot - 2 cups (I used 2 Delhi carrot)
  • Sugar - 3/4 cup ( Use 1/2 cup for mild sweetness)
  • Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Boiled milk - 1/2 cup
  • Salt - a pinch
  • Cashew nuts - Few
  • Ghee - 2 to 3 tbsp
HOW TO MAKE CARRTOT HALWA IN PFRESSURE COOKER
  1. Wash and peel the outer skin of Delhi carrot. Grate it using a big holed grater.
  2. Measure 2 cups from it. In a pressure cooker base, heat 1 tbsp ghee.
  3. Saute carrot for 5 minutes to leave the raw smell. Add milk and a pinch of salt.
  4. Pressure cook in high flame for 2 to 3 whistles.
  5. Open the cooker after the steam is released. Add sugar, cardamom powder and a tsp of ghee.
  6. Mix well in medium flame till halwa starts to leave the sides of cooker.
  7. Lastly add ghee roasted cashews along with the remaining ghee. Mix well and serve warm with ice cream !
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
  • Wash and peel the outer skin of Delhi carrot. Grate it using a big holed grater. Measure 2 cups from it and set aside.

  • Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pressure cooker. Saute the grated carrot in medium to high flame till its raw smell leaves completely. It takes 5 to 7 minutes. Carrot changes to pale red in color. Add boiled milk( at room temperature) and a pinch of salt. Mix well.

  • Cover the lid. Put the weight valve. Keep the flame high and pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles. Open the cooker after steam is released. Carrot becomes soft after cooking and some milk will be leftover in the bottom of cooker.

  • Add sugar, cardamom powder and a tsp of ghee to avoid halwa sticking to the bottom of cooker. Mix well. Carrot mixture liquifies after adding sugar. Mix in medium to high flame till the mixture becomes thick and starts to leave the sides of cooker.

  • Do not over cook the carrot, sugar mixture to prevent halwa becoming hard and chewy. Switch off the flame at the right time with some wetness in it. When it cools down, halwa comes to perfect consistency.

  • Roast cashews in the remaining ghee. Add to the halwa. Mix well and serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy !
  •  

      

Note

  • Adjust the quantity of sugar as per your taste.
  • You can replace sugar and milk with condensed milk. In that case, cook carrot adding little water.
  • Do not over mix the carrot after adding sugar. Halwa may become chewy and hard after cooling down.

Try this easy, yummy Carrot halwa in a pressure cooker and enjoy ! I served halwa and dry fruits mixture for my guest.
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January 18, 2019

Kavuni Arisi Recipe – Chettinad Kavuni Arisi Sweet Recipe – Black Rice Recipes

 Kavuni arisi recipe
 Kavuni arisi is a popular sweet recipe in Chettinad region. It is served in all Chettinad wedding feast. Kavuni arisi is prepared with black rice / Karuppu arisi (Oryza Sativa). It can be prepared with red rice/ Sigappu arisi too. Kavuni rice sweet is an easy recipe. Just wash and soak black rice, pressure cook it. Mix with sugar and coconut. Enjoy, its that simple and easy to make. Black rice is also known as purple rice, sticky rice in India. 

Black rice is completely different from brown rice and white rice. Its a popular rice variety in Myanmar, Burma. They call it as Chak-hao. It tastes chewy and slightly hard. Black rice is considered as a super food. The bran hull (outermost layer) of black rice contains one of the highest levels of anthocyanins found in food. It has a deep black color and usually turns deep purple when cooked. Its dark purple color is primarily due to its anthocyanin content, which is higher by weight than that of other colored grains. 

Black rice is also a good source of iron, vitamin E, fiber and antioxidants. It is suitable for preparing dessert, porridge, pongal, idli, dosa and some traditional Chinese black rice cake, bread and noodles. During our recent trip to Karaikudi, people told Chettiars used to bring black rice, burma teakwood and much more by trading all over the world in olden days. 

Nowadays good quality black rice is cultivated in pudukkottai, karaikudi region and is supplied all over Tamil nadu. You can get it online or from any organic millet shops. I bought this black rice, hand pounded rice ( Kaikuthal arisi) and bamboo rice (moongil arisi) from a shop in front of Green park restaurant in Palani road, Kottapatti – Dindigul.

This is the first time I am using black rice. So I went through many websites and watched YouTube videos for cooking this rice perfectly. I also asked Viji akka from Chettinad for Kavuni arisi recipe mainly the rice water ratio and the quantity of sugar, coconut. Based on her traditional family recipe, I tried it twice and made a perfect kavuni arisi sweet. I noticed two things in this recipe. One, black rice is basically hard and wild. So it should be soaked for a minimum of 6 hours to cook well. I soaked overnight, nearly 12 hours. 

Secondly, it takes more water to cook no matter about cooking in an open pot or in a pressure cooker. It takes 1:4 rice water ratio. You should cook till the white part comes out from the red bran. So cooking time varies as per the rice. Old rice takes more water and more time to cook whereas new rice consumes less water. Based on the age of rice, water quantity and cooking time varies. 

Quantity of sugar can be varied as per your taste. Usually it is 1:1 ratio of rice and sugar but I felt its too sweet. So I used 1:3/4 ratio. There is no need to cook the rice after adding sugar and coconut as per Viji akka’s recipe. But I saw many versions with variations in the basic kavuni arisi recipe. However you make it, its a tasty indulgence ! If you are conscious about using sugar, you can always add Karupatti / Palm jaggery or jaggery. Just powder them and add it. 

Ok, lets see how to make Chettinad special Kavuni arisi recipe with step by step pictures.

Check out more Chettinad special recipes !

Kavuni arisi recipe

Kavuni arisi recipe


Kavuni arisi recipe Chettinad special sweet - Kavuni arisi using black rice, sugar and coconut.

Cuisine: Chettinad
Category: Sweet
Serves: 4
Prep time: 8 Hours
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 8 Hours 20 Minutes



INGREDIENTS
1 cup = 250ml
  • Black rice / Kavuni arisi - 1/2 cup
  • Water - 2 to 2.5 cups
  • Sugar - 1/2 cup (I used 1/3 cup)
  • Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
  • Ghee - 1 tbsp
  • Cashew nuts – Few
  • Cardamom powder – 1/2 tsp (optional)

How to make kavuni arisi - METHOD

  • Wash the black rice / Kavuni arisi twice or thrice to remove the dust. Soak overnight (12 hours) or minimum 6 hours. Use clean water to soak. 
  • In a pressure cooker base, take 2.5 cups of water. Add the soaked kavuni arisi along with remaining water. Pressure cook in very low flame for 5 to 6 whistles till the rice becomes mushy.  Switch off the flame. 
  • After cooking, you should be see the white part and red bran separately. It is cooked soft but it tastes mildly chewy and hard. Do not panic.  Quantity of water and number of whistles to pressure cook depends on the age of rice. (Old rice takes more water whereas new rice takes just 2.5 cups of water for 1 cup of rice. Similarly old rice takes more time to cook than new ones).
Kavuni arisi recipe
  • After the steam is released, open the cooker. You will find a layer of water. Just mash the rice with a ladle. Drain the excess water and reserve it. Add sugar, grated coconut and cardamom powder (optional) in fire OFF.  No need to keep the flame on while adding sugar. As soon as you add sugar, it will melt and mixture becomes watery. But it will thicken as it cools down.   
  • If you feel its too thick you can add the cooked, reserved water to adjust the consistency. Suppose if its too watery, you can boil till thick. But the traditional kavuni arisi recipe doesn't call for cooking after adding sugar and coconut. 
Kavuni arisi recipe
  • After mixing the rice, sugar and coconut, check for the taste. Add more sugar if needed. Lastly add cashew nuts roasted in a tbsp of ghee. Serve warm or cold. Enjoy !
Kavuni arisi recipe
Note
  • Cardamom powder is optional. You can skip it to enjoy the flavor of black rice.
  • Black rice takes more time to cook than white rice and brown rice. So cook in low flame for more whistles.
  • There is no need to cook the rice after adding sugar and coconut. Just mix them and serve immediately.

Try this yummy Chettinad special Kavuni arisi recipe. You will love it !
Chettinad Kavuni arisi recipe
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January 4, 2019

Paal Poli Recipe – Milk Poli – Paal Poori Recipe

Paal poli recipe
 Paal poli recipe also known as paal poori ( milk poli) is a traditional south Indian dessert recipe. This sweet is prepared with poori and sweetened milk. Poori can be prepared with maida / all purpose flour or chiroti rava. Similarly sweetened milk can be made by boiling and reducing the milk adding sugar or by adding condensed milk. 

Paal poli is usually served in Tamil brahmins wedding feast. They also make it for festivals like Tamil new year, avani avittam, bhogi and krishna jayanthi. I have tasted this in my friend’s house but she had dipped the maida poori in badam milk. I loved it very much and wanted to try at home. Finally I prepared it for this New year celebration and thought of starting my 2019 recipes with this delicious sweet. 

As this is my first attempt, I followed an authentic recipe from my cookbook collections. Sendhil loved it very much. I liked it too. Though the procedure seems to be lengthy, it can be prepared easily. Just make maida poori and dunk in sweetened, reduced milk. I served it by garnishing with lots of nuts and saffron for enhanced flavor and taste. 

Friends, do try this yummy paal poli recipe for festivals and occasions at home. I am sure your family members would love it. Lets see how to make paal poli recipe with step by step pictures.

Paal poli

Paal poli recipe / Paal poori / Milk poli recipe


Paal poli recipe / Paal poori / Milk poli recipe

Traditional South Indian dessert recipe - Paal poli prepared using maida poori and sweetened milk.



Cuisine: South Indian
Category: Sweet
Serves:
Prep time: 15 Minutes
Cook time: 10 Minutes
Total time: 25 Minutes



INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
  • Maida / all purpose flour - 1/2 cup
  • Coarse Rava / Semolina / Sooji - 1/2 tbsp
  • Ghee - 1/2 tsp
  • Salt - a pinch
  • Water - as needed
For sweetened milk
  • Milk - 1/2 liter ( 2 cups)
  • Sugar - 1/4 cup
  • Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Edible camphor - a pinch (optional, I used it)
  • Chopped cashew nuts, badam, chironji - a handful
  • Saffron threads - few
HOW TO MAKE PAAL POLI
  1. To make paal poli, take maida, rava, ghee and salt in a bowl. Mix well.
  2. Add water gradually and make a smooth, non-sticky, stiff dough.
  3. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Cover and keep it aside.
  4. In the mean time boil milk. Boil till its reduced slightly.
  5. Add sugar, cardamom powder and chopped nuts. Mix well and switch off the flame.
  6. After 15 minutes, take the dough. Knead well. Roll thick, small poori by dusting in maida.
  7. Heat oil in a kadai. Deep fry poori both the sides. Do not over fry like papad.
  8. Remove the poori, drain the oil and add to milk.
PAAL POLI RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

  • In a wide bowl, take maida, rava, salt and ghee. Mix well to spread ghee in the flour.

  • Add water gradually and make a smooth, non-sticky, tight dough. Knead for few minutes. Cover and rest for 15 minutes to 30 minutes.

  • In the mean time boil milk in a pan. When its quantity is reduced slightly, add sugar, chopped nuts and saffron. Boil till sugar melts and switch off the flame. Add a pinch of powdered edible camphor for nice flavor. Its optional though.
  •  

    • Take the dough and knead for a minute. Make lemon sized balls. Dust it with maida if needed. Roll into thick, small poori.

    • Heat oil to deep fry. Check oil temperature by dropping a pinch of dough. If it rises to the top immediately, its heated. Drop one poori and pat it gently. It will puff up and comes to top. Flip and cook the other side. Remove and drain the oil. You can fold into half moon shape if you wish.

      • Dunk the poori in milk and set aside to soak for 30 minutes. Serve warm or cold. Garnish with more nuts and saffron if you like. 

      Enjoy !

      Note

      • Adjust the quantity of sugar as per your taste.
      • Do not add more rava. It makes the poori hard.
      • Do not over fry the poori. It will become a papad.

      Try this yummy, delicious paal poori and enjoy.
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      November 3, 2018

      Pottukadalai Murukku Recipe – Easy Murukku With Roasted Gram Flour

       Pottukadalai murukku / roasted gram flour murukku recipe is a simple, easy and instant murukku recipe that is usually prepared for Diwali and Krishna jayanthi /Gokulashtami. It comes out super crispy, crunchy with soft and melt in mouth texture. It can be prepared easily and quickly with store bought rice flour / Idiyappam flour (arisi maavu), roasted gram flour (pottukadalai maavu) and butter/ hot oil. As murukku with roasted gram flour is less flavorful when compared with urad dal ones, we can add ajwain/ Omam, red chilli powder, hing for enhanced flavors and taste. I learnt this simple murukku recipe from my neighbor Divya.  

      Recently I shared a picture of this murukku along with sweet boondi and mysore pak in my Instagram page too. We all loved it especially the smell of ajwain in this murukku. Usually I add cumin seeds /jeeragam or sesame seeds / ellu. I never knew ajwain can be added too. So when my neighbor shared her mom’s recipe, I tried it instantly. It was so good, soft and melted in mouth.  Raksha liked this murukku more than my Chettinad thenkuzhal as it was prepared without butter and slightly hard to bite. For variations you can skip red chilli powder to make white colored murukku. Remember pottukadalai murukku absorbs some oil when compared with urad dal murukku. Ok, lets see how to make super easy and quick pottukadalai murukku recipe with step by step pictures.

      Check out my 15 murukku varieties too !

      Pottukadalai murukku recipe - Roasted gram dal murukku


      Pottukadalai murukku recipe - Roasted gram dal murukku

      Simple and easy pottukadalai murukku recipe with step by step pictures.



      Cuisine: South Indian
      Category: Snacks
      Serves: 12 nos.
      Prep time: 5 Minutes
      Cook time: 5 Minutes
      Total time: 10 Minutes



      INGREDIENTS
      1 cup - 250ml
      • Store bought rice flour / arisi maavu - 1.25 cups (1 1/4 cup)
      • Roasted gram flour / Pottukadalai maavu - 1/4 cup
      • Melted butter or hot oil - 1 tbsp (levelled)
      • Ajwain / Omam - 1/2 tsp
      • Black sesame seeds - 1/2 tsp
      • Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
      • Salt & water - as needed
      • Cooking oil - to deep fry murukku
      HOW TO MAKE POTTUKADALAI MURUKKU
      1. Grind 1/4 cup pottukadalai and measure 1/4 cup powder from it.
      2. In a bowl, sieve rice flour, roasted gram flour.
      3. Add salt, red chilli powder, ajwain, sesame seeds and melted butter.
      4. Mix well to spread butter in the flour. Add required water and make a slightly sticky dough.
      5. Fill murukku press with dough and squeeze in hot oil. Deep fry both sides till bubbles cease.
      6. Remove and drain in a paper towel. Store in a box after cooling down.
      7. Stays good for 10 days.
      INSTANT POTTUKADALAI MURUKKU - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
      • Take 2 tbsp pottukadalai / roasted gram flour and grind to fine powder. You will get around 1/3 cup of powder after grinding. So measure 1/4 cup of powder from it and set aside.

      • In a wide plate bowl, sieve store bought rice flour, 1/4 cup pottukadalai powder. Add salt, red chilli powder, sesame seeds, crushed ajwain and melted butter. Mix well to spread the butter in the flour.

      • Sprinkle required water and make a smooth, slightly sticky dough. If the dough is dry, murukku gets cut while pressing. So make the dough slightly sticky so that making shapes would be easy.

      • Fill the murukku mould with the dough. Cover the remaining dough with a wet cloth to avoid drying. Take 3 holed or single holed mould. I used murukku mould with 5 holes.

      • Heat oil to deep fry. Check the oil temperature by dropping a pinch of dough. If it rises to the top immediately, heat of the oil is perfect. Now squeeze the murukku in circular motion in the oil directly OR press murukku in a greased ladle or butter paper ( I used oil wrapper). Drop in the hot oil. Do not disturb for a minute. Cook in medium flame.

      • Flip and cook both the sides till bubbles cease. No problem if there are one or two bubbles. Remove and drain in a tissue paper. Store the murukku after it cools down. Keep in an air tight box and enjoy. It stays good for 10 days. 

      • Enjoy !

      Note

      • For variations, you can use 1 tbsp of hot oil instead of butter.
      • Do not increase the quantity of butter. Murukku may disperse in oil.
      • If dough breaks while pressing murukku, add little water to the dough and make it slightly sticky. It will help.
      Try this easy, yummy, crunchy pottukadalai murukku for Diwali and enjoy !


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      October 31, 2018

      Soft Mysore Pak Recipe Step By Step - Ghee Mysore pak Recipe

       Soft mysore pak recipe

      Making Soft mysore pak at home like Krishna sweets ghee mysorepak (Nei mysore pak) has become a dream for every foodie. Even though the ingredients are same, this soft mysore pak recipe is in no way related to our traditional, olden days South Indian mysore pak in taste, texture or looks. Nowadays people especially kids love this soft, melt in mouth, ghee dripping mysore pak from sweet shops more than the traditional ones served in Tamil nadu weddings. 

      Basically I am not a big fan of mysore pak but after becoming a food blogger, I started developing my taste towards all the sweets and snacks which I hated in my childhood days. Just like everyone I too wanted to try Krishna sweets style soft mysore pak at home. 

      Long back I have shared 3 minutes microwave mysore pak recipe which is one of the super hit recipes in my blog. Following that I wanted to try the stove top version as well based on my readers request. So I watched few You tube videos, surfed few websites and tried few times during last year Diwali. It became crumbly, sometimes hard and it was not up to the mark. I wasted so much of ghee, oil and sugar and got nicely from Sendhil too. 

       Recently I watched Gowri’s Samayal Arai mysore pak recipe video shown by a caterer in Salem. I got inspired, became confident and tried it again as my first sweet for Diwali. It came out very well with a melt in mouth texture as I expected. But I felt raw besan smell in the end product slightly, also I couldn’t get the golden brown center part formed due to the latent heat. But it was very soft and tasted yummy. So I tried the same recipe again with few modifications of my own.  

      In some sweet shops, milk powder is used I feel. So I roasted the besan in little ghee, added milk powder to get brown caramalized color. Even though I couldn't achieve the perfect brown center, its taste was exactly like sweet shop ones. It was a great success at home and everybody loved it. I passed few pieces to my neighbors in a sweet box as shown in the picture above. They too loved it and appreciated me. 

      Anyone can make this mysore pak perfectly if you follow the instructions carefully. I have also shared a tip for trouble shooting in the Notes section. Hope the step by step pictures will be helpful too. There is very less chances of going wrong in this recipe. Even beginners can dare to try it. So friends do try this soft, melt in mouth mysore pak for this Diwali and have a great celebration.

      mysore pak recipe


      Soft Mysore Pak Recipe


      Soft Mysore Pak Recipe

      How to make soft mysore pak like sweet shops at home.



      Cuisine: Indian
      Category: Sweet
      Serves: 12 small pieces.
      Prep time: 10 Minutes
      Cook time: 20 Minutes
      Total time: 30 Minutes



      INGREDIENTS
      1 cup - 240ml
      • Besan flour / Kadalai maavu - 1/2 cup
      • Milk Powder - 1/4 cup
      • Sugar - 1 cup
      • Melted Ghee - 1 cup ( at room temperature)
      • Cooking oil - 1/2 cup (Use refined oil)
      • Water - 1/3 cup ( for sugar syrup)
      HOW TO MAKE SOFT MYSORE PAK
      1. To make soft mysore pak, roast besan flour in 1 tbsp of ghee. 
      2. Mix melted ghee + cooking oil in a bowl and heat till warm to touch.
      3. Mix the besan flour, milk powder in 1/3 cup of melted ghee+oil mixture without lumps. Set aside.
      4. In a kadai, make sugar syrup of one string consistency.
      5. Add the besan mixture to sugar syrup and mix in medium flame.
      6. After the syrup is absorbed, add 2 tbsp ghee. Mix till its absorbed by besan mixture.
      7. Repeat adding ghee till the besan starts to leave the sides of kadai. It gives a nice smell. 
      8. If you touch with your finger, it will be non sticky.
      9. Switch off the flame, remove the kadai from the stove. Lastly add 2 tbsp of ghee, mix quickly and transfer the mysore pak mixture to a greased bowl or plate. Let it cool down completely.
      10. Make pieces and serve. Enjoy melt in mouth, soft mysore pak at home.
      MAKING MYSORE PAK - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
      • Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a non-stick kadai. Add 1/2 cup of besan flour and roast in medium flame for 5 minutes. Besan gives a nice smell once its roasted. Transfer to a bowl. 
      • soft mysore pak recipe
      • In a bowl, mix melted ghee + refined oil ( use any flavorless oil) and set aside. Heat it till warm. Add milk powder to the roasted besan flour. Mix well and add 1/3 cup of melted ghee + Oil mixture. Use a whisk and mix without lumps. Set aside. Take an aluminum plate or pan ( I used loaf cake pan) and grease it with ghee or oil. Choose a bowl or pan that holds heat for long time. You can line it with an aluminium foil for easy removal. Keep it ready.
      • soft mysore pak recipe
      • In a good non-stick kadai, take 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water. Keep the flame medium and melt the sugar. Boil the syrup till one string consistency. To check this, slide a drop of syrup from the back of ladle using your fore finger and touch it with your thumb finger. When you release it, it will form one string as shown in the picture below. .
      • soft mysore pak recipe
      • Lower the flame completely and add the diluted besan. Mix till all the sugar syrup is absorbed by the besan. It becomes slightly thick.
      • soft mysore pak recipe
      • At this point start adding 2 tbsp of ghee +oil mixture.  No need to use hot ghee. It should be in room temperature. Mix well. Bubbles will form in the middle. Ghee would be absorbed by the besan as you mix. Mixture starts to thicken.
      • soft mysore pak recipe
      • Again add 2 tbsp ghee and mix well till its absorbed. Keep the flame medium throughout the process. Repeat the same at regular intervals till the mixture becomes slightly thick, pale in color, slightly frothy in the corners and starts to leave the sides of kadai. It gives a nice smell too. Smell indicates the doneness. If you touch the mixture, it will be non sticky. You don’t have to add all the remaining ghee. 2 tbsp to 1/4 cup of it may leftover. You can use it in your regular cooking. Do not over cook the mixture.
      • soft mysore pak recipe
      • Once the mysore pak starts to leave the sides of kadai with a nice smell, switch off the flame immediately and remove the kadai from the stove. Lastly add 2 tbsp ghee and mix quickly. You will find the ghee float in the sides of the kadai. No need to stir till the ghee is absorbed.
      • soft mysore pak recipe
      • Immediately transfer the mysore pak mixture to the greased pan. It will fall like a ribbon. Pat the pan gently. Just level the top with a flat spoon or using a bottom of small bowl immediately. Do not press it too much. Do it gently. Mixture will be too hot. Handle carefully. Let it rest for 6 hours or over night to cool down completely. If you try to make pieces when its hot or warm, pieces won't come properly. There may be crumbles. So wait until it cools down. 
      • soft mysore pak recipe
      • After cooling down, run a knife in the sides and invert the pan in a plate. It will fall easily. Now make big or small pieces as you like. Serve and enjoy. Stays good for a week if you store in an air tight box. Do not let it dry in air.
      • soft mysore pak recipe
        Enjoy yummy, melt in mouth, sweet shop style mysore pak at home for this Diwali.

      Note

      • Do not reduce the quantity of sugar, ghee.
      • If you don’t want to add cooking oil, you can use ghee alone but mysore pak becomes hard the next day as the ghee becomes thick after cooling down. Refined Oil helps to maintain the soft texture of mysore pak. Don't worry oil smell won't be there.
      • If you want to make traditional, porous mysore pak you should add hot oil + ghee to the besan instead of using it warm.
      • Just cook the mixture till it starts to leave the sides of pan. Over cooking make the mysore pak crumbly.
      • Instead of adding milk powder completely, add 1/2  to 1 tbsp maida and reamining milk powder just like sweet shops. 
      • TROUBLE SHOOTING TIPS : Suppose if your mysore pak becomes crumbly or hard, do not worry. Grind it adding little milk to a smooth paste. Stir again in low flame till the mixture starts to leave the kadai, add 2 tbsp ghee+ oil and transfer to a plate. Cool down and make pieces.
      • You can also add a pinch of turmeric powder for nice color. 

      Try this yummy Mysore pak at home for this diwali and enjoy !
      soft mysore pak recipe step by step

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      October 29, 2018

      Chettinad Thenkuzhal Murukku Recipe - White Thenkuzhal Murukku

      Chettinad thenkuzhal recipe
      Chettinad style thenkuzhal murukku recipe was in my try list for years. Recently I had a 2 days trip to Karaikudi, Pillayarpatti and Kundrathur. I visited Karaikudi just to enjoy Chettinad special food. We stayed in Chidambara vilas, heritage resort and had a good time exploring places in Karaikudi. I had Chettinad special vegetarian lunch at The Bangala and enjoyed their food thoroughly. I went to the most popular Soundaram aachi snack shop and bought all the snack items worth Rs.1500. 

      Among the snacks I tasted, I loved this Chettinad thenkuzhal and seepu seedai. I couldn’t meet Soundaram aachi but I got the recipe and details from the workers. I came to know Chettinad people use IR20  C. R Pachai arisi (Cut vellai pacharisi) for making this thenkuzhal/murukku. They add ghee and roasted urad dal powder to the processed rice flour and make this thenkuzhal. They use a 3 holed murukku mould for shaping it. I enquired them and bought the same from shops in Koppudai Nayaki amman temple street( Bazaar street) in Karaikudi. Here is collage of pictures of  IR20 raw rice, thenkuzhal murukku press, Soundaram snacks shop and their products. But I did not try Soundaram aachi's recipe instead I followed the authentic Chettinad thenkuzhal murukku recipe without butter or ghee and tried it.







      I referred Solai aachi's thenkuzhal murukku maavu post for the ratio of raw rice and urad dal. Murukku came out super white in color even without using Vanaspati, butter or ghee. Generally Chettinad people make murukku maavu by grinding raw rice and roasted urad dal. They just wash the rice, dry under the shade for a day. Dry roast the urad dal till hot and grind both rice and dal in a flour mill. They store this murukku maavu and make thenkuzhal whenever needed. As we are not using butter or ghee, this murukku would be crunchy and slightly hard to bite. It doesn’t have a melt in mouth texture. You should have a strong teeth to munch this murukku😀. 

      Its taste will remind the olden days thenkuzhal recipe which our granny's used to make without butter. To make soft murukku, you can add melted butter or ghee but the color of this murukku may change. Finally its your choice of making this murukku with or without butter. Similarly you can try the same recipe with store bought idiyappam flour but results may vary slightly.  Friends, do try this easy, yummy Chettinad thenkuzhal recipe for this Diwali and enjoy ! Lets see how to make Chettinad murukku recipe with step by step pictures.

      Here is a collage of our stay at Chidambara vilas, heritage resort along with its Chettinad special breakfast.
      Chidambara vilas, Karaikudi

      Chettinad thenkuzhal murukku recipe

      Chettinad Thenkuzhal Recipe


      Chettinad Thenkuzhal Recipe

      Chettinad Thenkuzhal Recipe - White murukku recipe without butter or ghee.



      Cuisine: Chettinad
      Category: Snacks
      Serves: 15 nos.
      Prep time: 180 Minutes
      Cook time: 5 Minutes
      Total time: 185 Minutes

      1 cup - 250ml
      • Raw rice / Pacharisi ( IR20 ) – 1 cup ( Maavu arisi)
      • White urad dal – 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp
      • Salt – as needed
      • Ghee – 1 tbsp (Optional, I dint use)
      • Water – to knead the dough
      HOW TO MAKE CHETTINAD THENKUZHAL
      1. To make Chettinad thenkuzhal murukku maavu, wash and soak raw rice in water for one hour.
      2. Drain the water completely. Spread in a white cloth. Dry under the shade for one day or two.
      3. After the rice is completely dry, grind to a fine powder. Sieve and set aside.
      4. Dry roast white, round urad dal without changing its color till hot. Powder and sieve it.
      5. Add to rice flour, salt, asafetida, melted ghee(If using) and mix well. Add the required water.
      6. Make smooth dough. Heat oil to deep fry. Press and shape the murukku. Drop in oil.
      7. Deep fry both sides till bubbles cease. Remove from oil, drain and store in a box.
      8. Chettinad thenkuzhal is ready. It stays good for a month.
      CHETTINAD THENKUZHAL RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
      • Lets prepare Chettinad thenkuzhal murukku maavu as a first step. For this, wash the maavu pacharisi (IR20 raw rice) and soak in enough water for one to 2 hours. Drain the water and spread the soaked rice in a cotton cloth under shade for one day based on the weather.  Do not dry under the sun. Rice should become completely dry. Alternately you can just roast the rice till puffy and grind the rice.
      • Chettinad thenkuzhal murukku
      • After the rice is dry, grind in a mixie to a fine powder. Sieve in a wide plate and grind the coarse ones again till smooth. Repeat until all the rice is ground finely.
      • Chettinad thenkuzhal murukku Chettinad thenkuzhal murukku
      • Dry roast white, round urad dal until hot. Roast it patiently without changing the color. Murukku doesn’t come out white if you roast the dal till golden brown in color. Keep mixing and tossing the dal. When the dal becomes hot, remove from the flame and let it cool down.
      • Chettinad thenkuzhal murukku
      • Grind to a smooth powder. Sieve and add to rice flour. Add salt, hing and melted ghee(if adding). Mix well. Then add required water and make a smooth dough. No problem if the dough is slightly sticky.

      • Fill the murukku press with the dough ( I sealed 2 holes with a cello tape inside and outside). Heat oil to deep fry. Drop a pinch of dough and check the oil temperature. Keep the flame low to medium and squeeze the murukku over the oil directly OR press the murukku in a greased ladle or a sheet as shown in the picture. Then drop in hot oil. You can put 3 to 4 murukku per batch. Cook both sides by flipping it. Cook till bubbles cease completely.
      • Chettinad thenkuzhal murukku
      • Murukku remains white in color if you fry in medium flame by tossing whenever needed. If you have used ghee in the dough, color may change slightly. Remove the murukku from the oil. Drain in a paper towel. Repeat the same in batches. Chettinad thenkuzhal is ready. Cool down the murukku and store in a box. It stays good for a month.
      • Chettinad thenkuzhal murukku
        Enjoy !

      Note

      • You can wash the rice, dry under shade and grind in a mill else dry roast the rice till puffy and then grind it. Both works well.
      • Ratio of rice and urad dal is 2.5 :1. Some recipes use 3:1 too.
      • Addition of ghee or butter helps to give soft texture to the murukku but color may not be pure white.
      • If you feel the oil has become too hot, you can switch off the flame and cool down the oil. Then make the next batch.

      Chettinad thenkuzhal murukku is ready to enjoy ! Try this for Diwali and share your feedback with me.

      Chettinad thenkuzhal murukku


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