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

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 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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October 26, 2018

Shakkarpara Recipe With Wheat Flour–Wheat Flour Shankarpali Recipe

shakkarpara recipe with wheat flour
Shakkarpara/ Shankarpali is a most popular North Indian style deep fried snacks recipe prepared during Diwali and Holi festivals. It is popular in Gujarat and Maharashtra. It tastes mildly sweet and is served as a teatime snack. In South India, it is known as sweet maida biscuit. It is usually added in South Indian mixture. I have already shared that recipe HERE. Traditionally shakkarpara is prepared using maida, sugar, ghee and milk or water.

 Today I have shared shankarpali recipe using wheat flour/ atta. I watched few YouTube video recipes and came up with this version. As I wished,  it came out really well. It was super crunchy and mildly sweet in taste. Sendhil and Raksha loved it very much. They started munching even before it cooled down completely. I was very happy that my first recipe for Diwali and it was a big hit with my family.

 There was no big difference in the ingredients and taste of maida Shakkarpara and wheat flour Shakkarpara. Only thing is the color of wheat flour shankarpali is darker than maida ones. People who are looking for snacks and sweets using wheat flour must give this a try. You will love it for sure. For healthier options, you can also use jaggery instead of sugar and bake them instead of frying in oil. Ok, lets see how to make Shakkar para with wheat flour.

Check out my sweet maida biscuits and spicy diamond cuts too.

 
Shankarpali with wheat flour

Shakkarpara Recipe Using wheat flour - Wheat flour shankarpali


Shakkarpara Recipe Using wheat flour - Wheat flour shankarpali

Shakkarpara Recipe Using wheat flour - Wheat flour shankarpali



Cuisine: North Indian
Category: Sweet
Serves: 1 cup
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 30 Minutes



INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250 ml
  • Wheat flour / Atta - 1 cup
  • Semolina / Sooji / Rava - 1 tbsp ( fine or coarse)
  • Melted ghee - 2 tbsp
  • Sugar - 1/4 cup
  • Water - 1/4 cup (adjust upto 1/3 cup)
  • Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Cooking oil - to deep fry

HOW TO MAKE SHAKKARPARA WITH WHEAT FLOUR

  1. To make Shakkarpara, heat sugar and water in a kadai.
  2. After the sugar is melted, switch off the flame.
  3. Add ghee, cardamom powder and set aside to cool.
  4. Add wheat flour, sooji, a pinch of salt and make a non-sticky dough.
  5. Roll to a thick chapathi and cut into squares.
  6. Heat oil to deep fry. Drop a batch of Shakkarpara and deep fry till golden in medium flame.
  7. After the bubbles cease, remove the Shakkarpara and cool down to become crunchy.
  8. Store in a box and enjoy for a week.

SHAKKARPARA WITH WHEAT FLOUR - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

  • In a kadai, take sugar and add water, ghee. Heat and melt the sugar. No need to bring any consistency. Switch off the flame. Add cardamom powder. Mix well.
  • Shakkarpara with wheat flour
  • Let the sugar water cool down completely. Add wheat flour, semolina / sooji, a pinch of salt and mix well.
  • Shakkarpara with wheat flour
  • Knead to a smooth, non sticky dough. Roll into thick 1 inch chapathi and trim the cracked edges. Cut into small squares using a knife or a pizza cutter.

  • Finish the entire dough by making shapes. Collect them in a bowl.
  • Shakkarpara with wheat flour
  • Heat oil to deep fry. Drop a pinch of dough. If it rises to the top immediately, oil temperature is correct.  Fry the Shakkarpara in batches in low to medium flame till bubbles cease completely. As soon as you put the shakkarpara in oil, do not disturb it for a minute. It will break it you touch it now. Let it cook in low flame. Then flip and toss it gently. Toss it whenever needed for uniform color.
  • Shakkarpara with wheat flour
  • Color of wheat flour shankarpali would be darker than maida ones. So do not panic. Try to cook in low flame patiently by tossing it regularly. It helps to get nice golden color as shown in the pictures. But remember to remove them only after the bubbles cease. Remove them in a tissue paper. It tastes soft when hot. But it becomes crunchy once it cools down completely.
  • Deep fry all the Shakkarpara in batches. Cool down and store in a box. It stays good for one week to 10 days. Enjoy !

Note

  • You can add sugar and water up to 1/3 cup based on the quality of wheat flour because some flour takes more water while kneading the dough.
  • Deep fry shakkarpara only in low to medium flame else the outer layer darkens soon without cooking inside. So the next day it will become soggy and soft.
  • Similarly deep fry all the batches properly. Even if one batch is not fried well, it will spoil the entire sweet. So please fry them patiently.

Try this yummy shakkarpara with wheat flour, you will love it !
wheat flour shakkarpara


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August 31, 2018

Thattai Murukku Recipe – Thattai Recipe - Thattu Vadai Recipe

Thattai recipe

Thattai @ thattu vadai @ thattai murukku @ elladai @ nippattu  @ chekkalu ( ppaahh, so many names 😃) is one of my most favorite South Indian snacks recipe. Usually thattai is prepared with rice flour, urad dal flour, butter or oil. But nowadays in many snack shops, thattu vadai is prepared using maida/ all purpose flour, pottukadalai maavu (fried gram dal flour), vanaspathi and cooking soda to make it white, crispy and melt in mouth. But I followed a traditional Tamil style thattai recipe from one of my old cookbooks. It comes out golden brown in color and tastes crispy, slightly hard just like the way it should be. 

Traditionally thattu vadai is prepared using homemade processed rice flour but today I have shared the same recipe using store bought idiyappam flour to ease the job. In my family, we don’t have the practice of making thattai for Krishna jayanthi. But many people make elladai / thattai for this festival. So I thought of sharing this easy, crispy thattu vadai recipe with you all as my Gokulashtami special recipe. Lets see how to make Tamilnadu style thattai recipe with step by step pictures.  

Check out my other Gokulashtami recipes in THIS LINK.

thattai murukku

Thattai recipe / Thattu vadai Recipe


Thattai recipe / Thattu vadai Recipe

How to make thattai / thattu vadai with store bought rice flour, urad dal flour and butter



Cuisine: South Indian
Category: Snacks
Serves: 25 nos
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 5 Minutes
Total time: 15 Minutes



INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml
  • Idiyappam flour - 1 cup
  • Roasted urad dal flour - 3 tsp / 1 tbsp
  • Melted butter - 1 tbsp
  • Soaked chana dal or fried gram dal/ pottukadalai - 1 tbsp
  • Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
  • Asafetida / Hing - 1/4 tsp
  • Black sesame seeds - 1 tsp
  • Chopped curry leaves - 2 tsp
  • Salt & water - as needed
  • Cooking oil -  to deep fry

HOW TO MAKE THATTAI

  1. In a wide bowl, mix all the ingredients, butter.
  2. Mix well. Add water gradually and make a smooth dough.
  3. Take a big gooseberry sized ball. Pat in a greased zip lock cover.
  4. Prick with a toothpick. Arrange the thattai in a cloth and rest for 10 minutes.
  5. Deep fry both sides till bubbles cease. Remove and drain in a tissue paper.
  6. Store in a box after it cools down. Stays crispy for one to 2 weeks.

THATTAI MURUKKU RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

  • Wash and soak 1 tbsp chana dal in required water for an hour. In a wide bowl, take the rice flour, roasted urad dal flour, salt, sesame seeds, hing, chopped curry leaves, soaked & drained chana dal or fried gram dal.

  • Add melted butter and mix well. Make sure butter is mixed well with the flour.

  • Add water gradually and make a smooth, non- sticky dough.  Make big gooseberry sized balls and keep it covered with a wet cloth till use.
  • thattai recipe thattai recipe

    • Take 2 zip lock covers or any thick sheets. Grease with oil and place a dough ball over one sheet. Cover with another sheet. Take a small bowl and press the dough to make a flat and thin circle. To make crispy thattai, pat it thin. You can cut the thattai into perfect round shapes with the bowl if you like.
    • thattai recipe
    • Shape all the balls into thin circles.  Carefully remove the thattai. If the thattai breaks while patting or removing it, dough is dry. So sprinkle little water to the dough and then make shapes. Remove the thattai from Zip lock cover and arrange them in a cotton cloth to absorb extra moisture. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
    • thattai recipe
    • Heat oil to deep fry. Drop a pinch of dough into hot oil. If it rises to the top immediately, oil temperature is right. Now keep the flame medium and drop the thattai. Cook both the sides till bubbles cease and becomes golden brown. Drain in a tissue and store in an air tight box after it cools down.Stays good for 2 weeks !thattai recipe

    Note

    • Prick the thattai with a fork without fail. It prevents the thattai from puffing up.
    • Oil temperature should be perfect. If the oil is too hot, thattai becomes golden brown without cooking properly.
    • Cook slowly in medium flame. Remove the thattai only after the bubbles cease completely else it will become chewy.
    • Pat it thin and even else it won’t cook perfect.
    • To make crispy thattu vadai, pat it thin.


    Try this crunchy thattai murukku and enjoy !
    thattu vadai
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    May 2, 2018

    Ice Cream Bread Recipe – How To Make Cake With Ice Cream

    Ice cream bread

    Ice cream bread/ Ice cream cake is an easy 2 ingredient bread baked using all purpose flour / cake flour and melted ice cream. Recently I prepared homemade Vanilla ice cream and Butterscotch icecream using Amul fresh cream and condensed milk. I used the leftover ice cream for this recipe. After referring so many recipes, I found full fat ice cream works the best for this ice cream bread recipe. But I tried with ice cream prepared using low fat Amul fresh cream. Still my bread came out very well and soft. 

    Basically this ice cream bread tastes bland with mild sweetness. So I modified the recipe and added some powdered sugar, milk. It came out very well, soft and spongy. Raksha loved it very much. You too give a try in this summer vacation for your kids. They will love it for sure. Vanilla ice cream is preffered but you can try with other flavors as well. I used vanilla ice cream and butterscotch ice cream in equal quantity. So the color of bread varies as per the ice cream you use. Ok, lets see how to make easy, yummy, homemade ice cream bread recipe at home using leftover ice cream.

    Check out my homemade custard powder ice cream, mango ice cream recipes without using ice cream machine.

    How to make bread with ice cream

    Ice Cream Bread Recipe Using 2 ingredients


    Ice Cream Bread Recipe Using 2 ingredients

    Learn how to make easy ice cream bread recipe using leftover ice cream and all purpose flour.


    Cuisine: Indian
    Category: Cake recipes
    Serves: 10 slices
    Prep time: 5 Minutes
    Cook time: 25 Minutes
    Total time: 30 Minutes


    INGREDIENTS

    1 cup = 250ml
    • Ice cream – 1 cup ( I used a combination of Vanilla and butterscotch)
    • Maida / All purpose flour – 3/4 cup
    • Baking powder – 1 tsp
    • Powdered sugar – 1 to 2 tbsp ( Use 1 tbsp, add more if needed)
    • Salt – 1/8 tsp
    • Flavorless Cooking oil or melted butter  – 2 tbsp ( For moistness, I used oil)

    HOW TO MAKE ICE CREAM BREAD

    1. Melt the ice cream and take in a bowl.
    2. Sieve all purpose flour, baking powder, salt, powdered sugar and add to ice cream.
    3. Add cooking oil and mix well to make batter.
    4. Transfer to a greased loaf pan. Preheat convection oven at 180c.
    5. Bake for 25 minutes till tooth pick comes out clean.
    6. Cool for 15 minutes and remove the bread. Make slices and enjoy.

    METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

    • In a wide bowl, take melted ice cream. Place a sieve over the bowl. Add all purpose flour, powdered sugar, salt, baking powder. Sieve and add to ice cream.
      Ice Cream Bread Recipe
    • Add cooking oil and mix everything well to make bread batter. Batter should be thick but pourable as shown in the picture below.
      Ice cream bread recipe
    • Grease a loaf pan with cooking oil and dust all purpose flour all over the pan. Transfer the bread batter to the pan.
      Ice Cream Bread Recipe
    • Preheat convection oven at 180c. Bake the bread for 25 minutes. Remove the bread, insert a toothpick and check if it comes out clean. If so, cake is done.

    • Cool the bread for 20 minutes. Run a knife in the corners of pan. Invert the pan over a plate and remove the bread. It comes off easily. Make slices and serve immediately. It kept it for 2 days.
      Ice Cream Bread Recipe
    • Enjoy !

    Note

    • Vanilla ice cream is preferred for this ice cream bread. You get white colored bread slices.
    • As I used vanilla and butterscotch in equal proportions, my slices came out golden in color.
    • You can skip cooking oil if you use full fat ice cream.
    Try this easy ice cream bread at home and enjoy your teatime !
    Ice Cream Bread Recipe

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    April 28, 2018

    Chettinad Kalkandu Vadai Recipe - Sweet Medhu Vada / Sweet ulundhu vadai With Video

    Kalkandu vadai
    Kalkandu Vadai (Sugar candy vada) is a Chettinad Special Sweet Medhu Vada Recipe/ sweet ulundhu vadai made especially for Diwali and Thirukarthigai Deepam festivals. Recently we had a 2 days trip to Karaikudi, Chettinad just to explore its food and other specialties. We relished an elaborate, traditional Chettinad lunch at “The Bangala” and had a pleasant stay at “Chidambara Vilas” heritage hotel. In this trip, I got a chance to taste most of the Chettinad special delicacies like Kandarappam, Vellai paniyaram with kara chutney, Thalicha idiyappam, Kosumalli, Kondakadalai Mandi, Getti kuzhambu, Paruppu urundai kulambu, More kulambu, Milagu kulambu, Payasam, some poriyal , pachadi and kootu varieties. 

    We bought all the Chettinad specialty snacks from Soundaram Aachi stores. I also bought a kg of white raw rice / Maavu arisi and murukku press near Koppudai amman temple street for making Chettinad thenkuzhal by enquiring the staffs in Soundaram aachi kadai. I visited the antique stores to buy some props for blog but I din’t buy anything as I found them too costly and not worthy for its price. Finally I bought 2 Chettinad Cotton sarees as well. Totally it was a memorable one to cherish for years. Soon I will try to make a separate post about our trip in detail with all the pictures. 

    After this trip, I got tempted to try some Chettinad recipes in my kitchen and share with my readers. So I bought “100 Chettinad recipes cookbook “ and started trying them one by one. Last week Sendhil’s friends visited us. Luckily I came to know that they are from Chettinad . I became very happy and passed this book to her to know the authenticity of the recipes given in the book. Thanks a lot Mrs. Inba Venkatesh. She explained each and every recipe along with few corrections. She told me to try this Kalkandu vada as its one of the most special snacks recipe of Chettinad. So I tried this recipe referring the cookbook and few Youtube videos. Even though its my first attempt, it came out really well. I am very happy with the result. It tasted crispy outside and very soft inside. Its so easy to make too. Lets see how to make Chettinad special Kalkandu vadai with step by step pictures.

    Check out my other Chettinad recipes in this LINK.



    Kalkandu vadai recipe

    Kalkandu Vadai Recipe - Sweet Medhu Vada


    Kalkandu Vadai Recipe - Sweet Medhu Vada

    Kalkandu vadai - Sweet medhu vada made with urad dal and sugar candy.


    Cuisine: South Indian
    Category: Sweet
    Serves: 6
    Prep time: 60 Minutes
    Cook time: 10 Minutes
    Total time: 70 Minutes


    INGREDIENTS

    1 cup = 250ml
    • White round Urad dal - 1/2 cup
    • Raw rice - 1 tbsp
    • Sugar candy / Kalkandu - 1/3 cup ( I used diamond kalkandu)
    • Salt - A pinch
    • Cooking oil - to deep fry vada

    HOW TO MAKE SWEET ULUNDHU VADAI - METHOD


    1. Wash and soak urad dal and rice in a bowl adding water for one hour.
    2. In a mixie jar, grind sugar candy to smooth powder. 
    3. To this powder, add the soaked dal +rice by draining the water completely.
    4. Grind to a smooth paste without adding water.
    5. Add salt to the batter, mix well and keep aside.
    6. Heat oil and make vada. Deep fry both sides till golden.
    7. Remove and enjoy hot !

    METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES


    • Wash and soak urad dal and raw rice in a bowl adding enough water. Soak for one hour. 


    • In a big mixie jar, powder the sugar candy/ kakandu smoothly. Alternatively you can use sugar instead of sugar candy. Take the soaked dal+rice and drain the water completely. Add the soaked dal+ rice to mixie jar. Grind to a smooth paste without adding water. Powdered kalkandu helps to grind the dal smooth without water.  So do not add water, just wipe the sides of mixie jar and grind continously to make a smooth batter. 
    • Kalkandu vadai recipe
      Kalkandu vadai recipe

    • Transfer the batter to a bowl, add salt just before making vada. Mix well with a spoon to prevent batter becoming watery.Keep aside. Add 1/2 cup of water to the mixie jar and grind it to wash the jar. Transfer to another bowl and use this water for dipping your hands while shaping the vada. If you fry the vada later, you can refrigerate the batter till use. 
    • Kalkandu vadai recipe

    • Heat oil in a kadai and when it gets heated , drop a pinch of batter to check the heat of oil. If the batter rises to the top immediately, oil temperature is correct. Now lower the flame to medium and drop the vada. 
    • Dip your fingers in water and take a small portion of batter from one corner of the bowl. Make a ball, flatten it slightly and make a hole in the center. Turn your hand upside down. Drop the vada in oil by slightly tilting your fingers. Make 2 to 3 vada per batch. Cook in medium flame by flipping it whenever needed. Cook till golden brown on both the sides. 
    • Kalkandu vadai recipe

    • Do not cook these vada in high flame because vada turns black quickly because of sugar candy.So cook patiently in low to medium flame. .Remove the vada in a tisue paper and serve hot. You can refrigerate the remaining batter for 2 days and make vada at your will.

    • Kalkandu vadai recipe
      Enjoy ! This vada stays good for 2 to 3 days.

    Note

    • If you don't have sugar candy, you can use sugar.
    • Never use water for grinding the batter.
    • Cook in low to medium flame patiently.
    • If the vada absorbs more oil, add 1 to 2 tsp of rice flour to the batter.
    • Do not add salt while grinding the batter. It makes the batter watery.

    Try this easy, yummy, sweet urad dal vada / Kalkandu and enjoy !

    Chettinad kalkandu vadai

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