Nei urundai / Payatham maavu urundai ( Moong dal ladoo in English) is the one & only sweet my aachi (grandma) & mom makes for every diwali.This is one of the easiest & healthy sweets.. We call this as “Nei vilanga “in Tirunelveli . People from tirunelveli may know this name. But the common name is Payatha maavu urundai. Maa ladu is also similar to this. But Fried gram dal / Daliya (Pottukadalai) is used in maaladu whereas moong dal is used here. Otherwise its the same procedure. It can be made in ten minutes. Include this easy, healthy, South Indian laddu in your diwali sweets menu. Try and let me know how it turned out. Do check out my Maa ladoo recipe too !
INGREDIENTS
Yields 10 medium sized laddu. 1 cup - 250ml
Yellow Moong dal / Paasi paruppu – 1/2 cup
Sugar – 1/2 cup
Cardamom - 2
Ghee – 1/4 cup ( Use 2 tsp less as per need)
Fried cashew nuts – few
METHOD
Dry roast moong dal in low flame till you get a nice smell. Powder it nicely. Sieve the flour. U’ll get 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp powder. Fry cashews in little ghee ( say a tsp ) and set aside.
Now powder the sugar along with cardamom. You’ll get around 3/4 cup. The ratio of powdered moong & sugar should be 1:1.5. If you like mild sweetness , you can add 1:1 too..
Mix & add the fried cashews. Melt 1/4 cup of ghee and add to the mixture. Make balls tightly when it is warm.. Enjoy!!
Store in a box and u can have it for 10 days.
NOTE
U can adjust the sugar quantity as per your taste buds. But 1:1.5 would be enough. If you like very mild sweet, 1:1 will be enough.
Always add melted hot/ warm ghee. Initially mix with a ladle and when it is warm use your hands to mix well.
Add the mentioned quantity of ghee. If you want to increase u can add 1- 2 tbsp more. Adding more ghee reduces the sweetness. Add ghee little by little until you are able to make the ball. If the mixture is too dry , you cant shape the balls. U'll get cracks too. In that case, add little more hot ghee and proceed.
Do not use cardamom powder.
After adding ghee, the color of laddu will be changed. This shows the correct form.
For Maa ladu :
Powdered Roasted gram dal / pottu kadalai - 1 cup
Powdered sugar - 1/2 - 3/4 cup
Ghee - 1/3 cup ( takes less than this quantity)
Cardamom seeds - 3 nos ( powdered)
Fried cashews - few
Dry roasting the dal is optional. I don't roast it. Powder the dal first and then sugar.. Mix them well. Add hot melted ghee little by little. Spare some ghee. Once warm, mix with ur hands and make balls. If you are not able to shape it or if you get cracks, add little more ghee.
I wanted to make this post on"How to make sugar syrup recipe for Indian sweets with step by step pictures" for long time. Sugar syrup consistency is most important to make a perfect sweet. Starting from Gulab jamun till chikki, all the sweets depend on the consistency of the sugar syrup. When I was a beginner, I dint have the confidence to do this post because making sweets is always a nightmare to me.
Before my marriage, I have seen my mom making Nei urundai , thenkuzhal & thukkada for every diwali. My dad used to buy all the popular sweets from famous stalls and we enjoy eating varieties of sweets & savouries.
After marriage , the story is just the reverse. My in-laws & my hubby never buy sweets from stalls for diwali because my MIL is a pro in making sweets. She can easily make badushah , adhirasam ,burfis, halwa etc and they taste out-of-the world. It took almost 5 yrs for me to try sweets on my own.I started making some easy sweets like rava ladoo for last year diwali..
We all know most of our Indian sweets are based on sugar & jaggery. The success of the sweet mainly depends on the consistency of syrup. So I would like to share the different stages of sugar & jaggery syrup and some tips to identify the right consistency which I learnt with the help of tips given by experts like Mrs. Mallika badrinath, Menu rani chellam. I have tried my best to make u understand the various stages with step by step pics.. This post is purely for beginners like me & for my own reference.. Experts , please excuse & do share your tips for better understanding.
HOW TO PREPARE SUGAR SYRUP & REMOVE THE SCUM/DIRT
I used 1/2 cup ( 100 gms) of sugar & 1/4 cup of water .
Take a proper vessel of suitable size. Please do not use copper – bottom kadai or iron kadai because these vessels retain heat for long time and may change the consistency of the syrup even after taking out from the fire. Also iron kadai changes the color of the end product. If you are planning to use these vessels, its better to transfer the syrup to another vessel after the desired consistency is reached.
For lesser quantity of syrup, use small or medium sized vessel. Now take the sugar in the bowl or kadai and add water just to cover it. Here I used 1/2 cup sugar & 1/4 cup water. The more water you add, more time is taken to reach the consistency. Usually the ratio of sugar & water is 2:1.
Keep the fire in low ( Sim) and allow the sugar to dissolve completely by stirring well. Make sure there are no sugar crystals at the sides of the pan. Wipe them and add to the syrup.
Once the sugar is dissolved completely & started boiling, add 1 tbsp of milk to remove the scum. Always keep the flame low. After few seconds , the scum floats on top. Remove using a perforated ladle. Finally strain the syrup using a strainer and discard the scum/ dirt. Now your syrup looks clean. This step is optional if your sugar is of good quality.
Again keep in low fire and start to boil for various consistencies. After it started to boil , please do not stir or disturb. Over stirring will affect the correct consistency.
Its always better to switch off the flame while you test the syrup in your fingers. If it continues to boil, it may quickly go the next stage and cheat you.
DIFFERENT STAGES OF SUGAR SYRUP
I have given the definition of each stage & the sweets which are made in that consistency. I have covered the most important stages with pictures. I am not able to check 3 string consistency as I can't bear the heat.. My fingers started burning. So I poured the syrup in a small plate and proceeded further. I switched off the flame in each stage to take pictures. If you have any doubts in the pictures or steps , please comment it. I’ll try to clear them..
Please keep in mind the time taken for the syrup to reach consistencies varies based on the vessel we use , flame and the amount of water we add to sugar.
Take the required amount of sugar in a bowl/kadai and add water to cover the sugar. Here I used 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water . Beginners, always keep the flame low while making sugar syrup else you may miss the right stage. Similarly its always better to switch off the flame while you test the syrup in your fingers. If it boils, it may quickly go the next stage and cheat you.
THIN SYRUP : This is the first stage. The sugar dissolves completely, clears & it gets a shine. After removing the scum , the syrup boils and gets a shine. In this stage the syrup wont be sticky just shiny .This stage is not required for any sweets. So it is not much important. For beginners, keep the flame low always.
STICKY SYRUP : This is the second stage. Here the sugar syrup becomes little thick.Take little syrup in a ladle and touch it with ur fore finger. When you slide the thumb over fore finger , it feels sticky. This is used for Gulab jamun.
HALF – STRING CONSISTENCY Its always better to switch off the flame while you test the syrup in your fingers. If it boils, it may quickly go the next stage and cheat you. In this stage , when you test between ur thumb and fore finger , it strings & cuts off immediately. This syrup is used for jangiri, jelabi , Kajas, gulgul. Some people say sticky & half string consistencies are similar. So both can be used to make gulab jamun. In the below picture, hope you can see the string is cutting when I stretch it.
ONE- STRING CONSISTENCY
This is the most important stage. Here a thin long string is formed up to 1- 2 inches when tested in between thumb and fore finger. One more way to check the syrup is : pour the syrup in a small plate with water. It wont dissolve immediately and when you try to gather the syrup, it will be dissolved. Also when you pour the syrup in a ladle, the last drop falls slowly and forms a small string. Kaju katli, badam burfi , Thosha , badushah, mysore pak are made in this syrup. Refer the cover picture too. Its always better to switch off the flame while you test the syrup in your fingers. If it boils, it may quickly go the next stage and cheat you.
TWO STRING CONSISTENCY Two strings are formed when tested between fingers. Generally this syrup crystallizes very soon . So sweets which require a sugar coated look need this consistency. cashew burfi ,boondi ladoo, mohanthal is made in this consistency..
THREE STRING CONSISTENCY
Here string becomes thicker and when tested , string is formed in 2, 3 places. Dhal burfi requires this syrup. Sugar crystallizes very soon in this stage.
GATHERING CONSISTENCY
Pour little syrup in water, it can be gathered using ur fingers but you can;t make a ball. It is required for some burfis and boondi ladoo can also be made in this consistency. SOFT BALL CONSISTENCY
Pour a small amount of syrup in a plate of water. If rolled with fingers, syrup should form a small ball in the water itself.. You can take and make a soft ball out of it. It is called as thakkali padham in tamil. This is used for adhirasam.
HARD BALL CONSISTENCY
When u pour syrup into the water & roll it , you should be able to make a ball and if you drop the ball, you’ll get a “tung” sound. The color of the ball is changed. This is used to make peanut chikkis/ kadalai mittai and pori urundai. I tested the sound by dropping it in the plate.
The remaining stages are soft crack , hard crack & golden brown caramel ( last stage). Brown caramel stage is required for making Tirunelveli halwa recipe. So I have shared about this in that post. As we don’t need them for making many sweets, I have not discussed here. They are used for making toffees.
STAGES OF JAGGERY SYRUP
Jaggery syrup is almost the same as sugar syrup. The widely used consistency is soft ball & hard ball stage which is used for making adhirasam, pori urundai & peanut chikki . So I have given the pictures for those stages alone. For making syrup, add very little water just to cover the jaggery.This helps in reaching the consistency faster..
After the jaggery is melted completely , strain it to remove impurities and again allow it to boil.It becomes frothy.At one stage , it becomes thick like honey and when you pour it , the last few drops drop very slowly forming a string.
Now pour this syrup in a plate with little water. U’ll be able to gather and make a small ball.This ball has no proper shape. This is the right stage for making adhirasam. Add this syrup to the rice flour, make dough and proceed.
For hard ball stage, allow the jaggery to boil for few more seconds. It will thicken. When u pour few drops on a plate with water and gather , it will roll and u can make a hard ball. If you drop the ball , you’ll get a “tung” sound..
NOTE
Once the sugar is dissolved completely , do not keep stirring. Over stirring will affect the right consistency.Keep the flame low and stir if needed.
After the sticky stage (pisukku padam) is reached , the half string consistency is reached within a minute, Stay alert.
Similarly one string is also reached within few seconds. The consistency should be checked when the syrup is hot . when the syrup becomes warm , it will reach the next stage and may cheat u. So I checked everytime it by switching off the stove.
The time taken to reach the consecutive stages is very less. The total process gets over by 15 mins in low flame.
When you feel you have missed the correct stage, just switch off the flame , add little water , mix well and proceed again to get the perfect stage.
For dry jamun, badusha, jangiri .. by the time u dip them the sugar may crystallize. To avoid this add few drops of lime juice . OR add little water , boil it and again make the syrup.
I’ve tried my best to explain the stages according to my understanding.Take this as reference and try. U can surely get them by practice because if i can make, anyone can make it easily
Here is the link for the video for different stages of sugar and jaggery syrup.
Omapodi is my daughter’s favourite snack. It is also known as Plain sev. Yesterday I tried Oma podi recipe for the first time by referring a cook book. It came out really well with simple ingredients. The flavour of ajwain/omam is the highlight of this recipe. If you don't like ajwain flavor, you can skip it and add hing. Its taste will surely reming you store bought sev. Its very easy to prepare. Do try this for your kids during this Diwali. Store in an air tight box and consume within a week.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
Gram flour / Besan / Kadalai maavu – 1 cup
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Hot cooking oil Or melted butter – 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Ajwain /Omam – 1.5 tsp Or Hing - 1/4 tsp
Water – as needed
Salt – as needed
Cooking oil - to deep fry
METHOD
Dry roast omam/ajwain for 2 minutes or soak it in water for 30 mins. Grind it to make a coarse paste & strain it well. Keep the water aside.
Now in a wide bowl, sieve the flour , add salt, turmeric powder, hot oil & the ajwain water.
Mix well and add little more water to make a dough. No problem even if the dough is slightly sticky. It will be easy to press in oil. Make a smooth dough and fill it in the press by placing the idiyappam mould.
Heat oil in a kadai, put a small piece and if it rises immediately the oil temperature is just right. Now press the dough in a circular manner. Do not crowd the oil. Just one round is enough. Cook for few seconds and flip it, remove after the “sssssh “ sound & bubble ceases.
Deep fry as mentioned and place them in a tissue. After it cools down, break them into pieces and store in a box.
NOTE
If you find hard to press, sprinkle little water, mix well & press in oil.
Always maintain the oil in right temperature by adjusting the flame otherwise omapodi turns brown in color..
I learnt this sweet samosa recipe from my MIL.We used to make this for every diwali.It is very easy to prepare with a no cook, coconut, fried gram dal and sugar used as a simple stuffing. We call it as somas sweet or somasi. It is also known as Karanji, meetha samosa in Hindi. Kids would love this for sure. We have made the shape using samosa cutter. You can use a fork or fold with hands to make nice swirls like chandrakala. ok, lets see how to make sweet samosa recipe with step by step pictures.
INGREDIENTS 1 cup = 200ml
All purpose flour = 1/2 cup
Semolina / rava – 1 tbsp
Ghee –2 tsp
Cooking soda – A big pinch
Sugar – 1/2 tsp
Salt – A pinch
Water – 1/3 cup
For stuffing:
Sugar – 1/2 cup
Grated coconut – 1/2 cup
Gram dal / pottukadalai – 1/2 cup
Cardamom seeds – 3 nos ( remove the skin & grind )
METHOD
To make sweet samosa, take a wide bowl , sieve maida and cooking soda.
Add rava , sugar, salt and mix well. Now add water and make a smooth , pliable soft dough like chapathi dough. Knead well for sometime and cover the dough with a polythene sheet for 30-60 minutes..
In the mean while , make the filling / stuffing. In a kadai , dry roast coconut for a minute till the wetness emanates.
In a mixer , take the dal , roasted coconut & cardamom seeds. Pulse it once or twice to make a coarse powder..
Now add the sugar & again for pulse twice. The mixture should not be smooth. It should be coarsely ground. Do not add water..
Now take the dough and make small balls. Dust in little maida and keep it ready .
Now make a small poori ( should be slightly thick )and keep 2 tsp of filling in the centre. Close one side to make a semi circle.Seal the corner by pressing with ur finger ( dip ur fingers in water & seal it if needed). Now run the samosa spoon over the edges to make a design.. Discard the extras and set aside.
Heat oil in a kadai and deep fry on both sides till golden brown. It puffs up slightly like poori..Store in a box after it cools down.
