Elai Vadam Recipe – Ilai Vadam – Easy Rice Appalam In Banana Leaf

Elai Vadam / Exhibition appalam – Rice papad / Arisi appalam made in banana leaf ( Vazhai ilai) was in my try list for the past few years. Whenever my fellow bloggers post this elai vadam recipe, I get tempted to try but I never got the confidence to try on my own. Recently my MIL prepared this ilai vadam using idli rice after watching Revathy Shanmugam mam’s cookery show in Jaya TV. Last week when she came to Bangalore, she brought some vadam to taste. She said its a time consuming process but the end result is worthy.Its taste reminded Delhi appalam we get in exhibition.We had this rice papad sprinkled with red chilli powder and we loved it very much.  

My MIL told me the tradition behind this appalam making process.On those days, people in Tamilnadu villages used to make this rice vadam using Vadham ilai or Poovarasan ilai. This vadam is usually given for ladies after delivery ( Postpartum diet) as urad dal papad creates gas problem.This vadam is roasted in direct fire ( Sutta appalam) instead of deep frying in oil as deep frying makes it difficult to digest.The best thing about this vadam is it dries up quickly even under the shade. It takes one to two days to get ready based on the weather in your place. Overnight drying under the fan would be enough. I felt this vadam is ideal for places where there is lack of sunlight. 

With the help of my MIL, I prepared this easy arisi appalam in Bangalore using raw rice. This vadam can be prepared with raw rice, idli rice or both in equal quantity. If you make it with raw rice, vadam comes out super light, airy and crispy whereas vadam made with idli rice comes out crunchy and very flavorful like store bought arisi appalam but slightly dense in texture. 

In that case, you can add little sago( javvarisi) to bring the light texture. As I have thatte idli stand, this vadam process was completed within one hour. If you don’t have this plate it may take more time. You can buy thatte idli stand or elai vadam stand in the market if you are really interested to try this one. Now lets see how to make elai vadam recipe with step by step pictures and VIDEO !

Check out my javvarisi vadam , killu vadam, vengaya vadagam & Koozh vadam recipes too.

Elai vadam recipe- Ilai vadam - Easy rice appalam in banana leaf

How to make elai vadam - Easy rice appalam n banana leaf - Summer special recipes

Cuisine: South Indian

Category: Snacks

Serves: 24 

Prep time: 120 Minutes

Cook time: 60 Minutes

Total time: 180 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Raw rice - 1 cup ( I used Maavu arisi/dosa rice) Salt - as needed Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Water - As needed (I used 1/2 cup for grinding, 3/4 cup for mixing)

HOW TO MAKE ILAI VADAM / RICE APPALAM - METHOD

Wash and soak the raw rice in enough water for 2 hours. Drain the excess soaked water completely and grind the rice coarsely without adding water. Then wipe the sides and add 1/2 cup water, required salt. Grind to smooth paste like maida. Please note there should not be any grits in the batter. It should be completely smooth. So grind patiently for long time. I used my Indian mixie for grinding the batter and it took 5 minutes. Grind in two batches. Remove the batter in a bowl.Add cumin seeds. The consistency of batter should be slightly thinner than dosa batter. Now take a banana leaf and spread the leaf inside the plate according to its shape.Add 1/2 ladle of batter and swirl the plate. Batter spreads all over the plate. If you don’t have banana leaf, just spread the batter directly in the plate & swirl/rotate it.It also works but its difficult to peel once its cooked. If you have 3 plate or 6 plate ilai vadam stand, follow the same and spread the batter in all the plates. Heat water in an idli pot. When the water comes to roll boil, place the idli plate. Let it steam for 5 minutes. The color of batter changes to pale white & transparent after cooking. Remove the leaf from the plate and let it become warm. Peel the cooked vadam and spread in a cotton cloth( Dhoti) or in a polythene sheet. Do not put in newspaper. It will stick with it.   Let it dry in balcony or under the sun for one day. If you don’t have this option, dry it under the fan wind. When it dries up, it shrinks in size & changes in color slightly. After one day drying, it would have dried up to 75%. During night, keep it under the fan. If its crispy all over, its ready. If its soft in the middle, it needs more time to dry. So the next day, keep it under the sun & repeat the same till its completely moisture free. Store it in a box & use it for months. Stays good even for an year if prepared properly. Heat required oil in a kadai to deep fry. Break the vadam into half & deep fry in oil. Flip & cook both the sides. Remove & drain in a tissue. Sprinkle red chilli powder on top & serve as an evening snack or with any variety rice !

Enjoy !

Note

The consistency of batter is very important. Do not make it too watery or thick. You can make this vadam with idli rice instead of raw rice. Steaming takes maximum 5 minutes. Try to peel the vadam after its cooled down. If the vadam turns golden brown after frying, it may be due to the quality of rice. In that case, you can try adding few drops of lemon juice in the batter and make it next time.

Enjoy this crispy, yummy arisi appalam with rice or as an evening snack !

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Arisi Paruppu Payasam Recipe – Rice Moong Dal Payasam With Jaggery & Milk

Yesterday I prepared this South Indian style arisi payasam for Tamil new year celebration. We make this payasam mainly for Tamil new year ( Tamil Varusha pirappu/Tamil Puthandu) and Ganesh Chaturthi festival. Sometimes we prepare this sweet dish for Friday Mahalakhsmi pooja neivedyam too. Today I have shown the basic arisi payasam recipe/Rice kheer with jaggery and milk using a pressure cooker.

Arisi Paruppu payasam is our family favorite payasam variety. To prepare this Indian style rice kheer raw rice, moong dal, water, jaggery and milk are the major ingredients. Sometimes I use coconut milk instead of boiled milk if making for guest or special occasions. Adding coconut milk makes it more rich and flavorful. Whenever Sendhil gets stomach upset or stomach inflammation problem, I make this for his breakfast with less rice, more dal and coconut milk as both have healing property. I will make a separate post on it later.

 In this recipe, I have used boiled milk. For variations,  you can use coconut milk in place of regular milk by all means. Sometimes I prepare the same payasam adding condensed milk (milkmaid) or sugar instead of jaggery just like paal payasam. This kheer can be done easily. Try this yummy, healthy payasam for Tamil new year and enjoy ! You can also make arisi thengai payasam on Tamil new year. Now lets see how to make arisi paruppu payasam/Rice payasam with jaggery with step by step pictures and a video.

Arisi paruppu payasam recipe

Arisi paruppu payasam recipe - Rice moong dal payasam recipe

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Sweet

Serves: 4-5

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Raw rice - 1/4 cup Moong dal - 1 tbsp Grated jaggery - 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp Crushed cardamom - 2 nos Cloves - 2 nos Mace / Jathikai - a small piece Cashew nuts - Few Ghee - 2 tbsp Milk - 1/2 cup ( Vegans use coconut milk instead) Water – 2.5 cups

HOW TO MAKE ARISI PARUPPU PAYASAM - METHOD

In a pressure cooker base, heat 1 tsp of ghee. Roast the moong dal till dal becomes aromatic and golden brown.Remove in a plate. Add 1 tsp ghee and roast the rice. Roast till it turns puffy and white. Its optional to roast the rice. But roasted rice gives more flavor to the kheer. So the choice is yours. After roasting the rice add 2.5 cups of water. Add the roasted dal and pressure cook in very low flame for 3 whistles till they cook mushy. Remove after the steam is released. Mash it really well. Add grated jaggery and 1/2 cup water. Mix well in low flame until jaggery melts completely. ( If jaggery has impurities, you should boil separately and melt the jaggery in 1/2 cup water, filter it and then add the syrup to the cooked rice). After the jaggery is completely mixed with the rice, let it boil for sometime till raw smell of jaggery goes off. If needed, add 1/2 cup water while boiling. Add cardamom powder & mix well. After the payasam becomes slightly thick, switch off the flame and add 1/2 cup boiled milk or thick coconut milk. Mix well and check for consistency. Add more milk if needed. Heat ghee in a small pan. Roast cashews, cloves and crushed mace till cashews become golden. Mix well and add to the payasam. Serve hot. This rice kheer becomes very thick when it cools down.So you should add more milk, water or coconut milk to adjust the consistency, check for taste. Add more sugar or jaggery syrup if needed. Give a boil and serve hot. Enjoy !

Note

Roasting rice is optional.But it gives a nice flavor to the payasam. If you feel jaggery has impurities, you should mix it with 1/2 cup water. Boil and melt in medium flame. Once its melted completely, strain it through a metal filter. Then add this syrup to the cooked rice+dal mixture. The quantity of milk depends on the desired consistency of payasam. You can use 1/2 cup coconut milk instead of milk. Add equal quantity of milk and coconut milk if you wish. Adding cloves and small piece of mace gives a awesome flavor to the kheer. So do not skip it.

Try this yummy arisi paruppu payasam at your home for festivals and enjoy !

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Mango Pachadi Recipe – Manga Pachadi For Tamil New Year

Mango Pachadi / Manga pachadi in Tamil and Arisi paruppu Payasam/Rice moong dal payasam is a must & should neivedyam(Prashad) recipe for Tamil new year(Puthandu) in Tamil nadu. But people make it with their own variations. Some people make this sweet mango pachadi adding sugar. Some make it with ripe mango too. But we make it with raw mango adding jaggery, coconut paste and neem flower ( Veppam poo). 

This pachadi has to be prepared with 6 different taste ( sweet, sour, spicy, tangy, bitter, salt) to denote that all the emotions of a person has to be treated equally. Tamil Brahmins make it almost the same way but without coconut. Basically I am a big fan of raw mango recipes. This mangai pachadi is even more special as I make it only once in a year and that too on Tamil new year day. I love this combination of sweet and spicy taste more than Sendhil & Raksha. 

Today I have shared our style of making raw mango pachadi with step by step pictures and a video. I have also mentioned the points for variations. Do try it for this Tamil new year celebration and offer God ! Check out my Tamil new year lunch menu post for more neivedyam recipes we prepare on this day.

Mango Pachadi Recipe For Tamil New Year

South Indian Raw Mango sweet pachadi for Tamil new year

Cuisine: South Indian

Category: Side dish

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Raw Mango - 1 no Grated jaggery - 1/3 to 1/2 cup ( Based on sourness of mango) Green chilli - 1 no ( finely chopped) Salt - 1/4 tsp Water - As needed ( I used 2 cups) Grated coconut - 1/4 cup ( Grind to paste) Neem flower - 1 tsp ( use only for Tamil new year) To Temper Cooking oil - 2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad dal - 1/2 tsp Red chilli - 1 no Curry leaves - Few Hing/Asafetida - a pinch (optional)

HOW TO MAKE MANGO PACHADI - METHOD

Wash and peel the skin of raw mango. Slice it roughly into big pieces. Set aside. In a mixie jar, take the grated coconut and add required water. Grind to smooth paste. Keep aside. In a kadai or deep bowl, add 2 cups of water and let it roll boil. Add the mango slices, finely chopped green chillies, salt and cover cook till it turns soft and cooked. ( If the mango is too sour, you may need to add more jaggery for this pachadi. To avoid this, drain the cooked water to remove sourness and then proceed if you wish) . My mango was not too sour. So I din’t drain the water. After the mango is cooked well and soft, mash it roughly with a ladle. Add the grated jaggery ( If the jaggery has impurities, melt it by adding 1/4 cup water and filter it. Add jaggery syrup to the cooked mango).Add little water to melt the jaggery if needed. Mix well and boil till jaggery melts and raw smell goes off. Now add the coconut paste, mix well till it becomes semi solid in consistency. Switch off the flame and remove the kadai. Heat a small kadai and dry roast the neem flower till it turns golden brown and crispy. Remove in a plate and crush it well. Heat oil in the same kadai and splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, red chill, hing and curry leaves.  Add the seasoning and crushed neem flower to the  mango pachadi. Mix well. Offer God and get his blessings ! Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of jaggery based on the sourness of raw mango. If the jaggery has impurities, melt  it by adding 1/4 cup water and filter it. Add jaggery syrup to the cooked mango. You may have to add more jaggery if the mango is too sour. To avoid this, drain the excess cooked water and then add jaggery. We add Neem flower only for Tamil new year otherwise it is not needed. If you don’t get fresh Neem flower, you can use dried ones. You can use yellow pumpkin or banana stem to make the same pachadi

Try this sweet mango pachadi for this new year and have a great celebration !

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Musk Melon Milkshake Recipe – Indian Milkshake Recipes Without Ice Cream

Musk melon (Also known as Cantaloupe in English, Mulam pazham in Tamil,  Kharbooja in Hindi, Thaikumbazham in Malayalam) is one of the best summer coolant fruits available across India during summer season. Muskmelon has lots of health benefits. It aids in weight loss, good for eye sight, treats kidney stones, boost immunity and many more. Many people love to eat this musk melon in fruit salad or eat it as such. But we love to have it as juice, milkshake or smoothie.

Last year I had shared musk melon juice recipe. So this year, I thought of sharing this easy musk melon milkshake with you all. I used to make it adding sugar but now we have switched to honey as a healthy alternative. But today I have made this post with sugar. You can use either sugar, honey or cane sugar based on your taste. Similarly milkshake is usually prepared with ice cream. But I have just used milk to make it a low calorie drink. Add ice cream if you are making for kids. It adds richness & creaminess to the milkshake. Ok, now lets see how to make summer special musk melon milkshake recipe with step by step pictures and a video !

Musk Melon Milkshake recipe

How to make musk melon milkshake recipe without ice cream

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Milkshake recipes

Serves:  2

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 5 Minutes

Total time: 10 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 240ml Musk Melon - 1 no Boiled milk - 1/2 cup ( Chilled) Sugar – 3 tbsp ( Or add honey as per taste) Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp Sprinklers - To decorate

METHOD

Take the musk melon and cut into two halves.Scoop out the seeds in the middle. Drain it in a filter. You can either discard the seeds or sun dry it to make dried melon seeds that can be used for making kheer and garnishing halwa/burfi. Now scoop the pulpy part of the fruit and transfer it to a mixie jar. Grind it adding milk, sugar and vanilla essence. Add 2 scoops of ice cream if you like. It makes the milkshake much creamier. Grind it to become smooth, creamy and frothy.  Transfer to a serving glass. Garnish with sprinklers or few small pieces of musk melon and serve immediately. Enjoy !

Note

You can replace vanilla essence with cardamom powder if you like that flavor. If you are making for kids, you can add 2 scoops of ice cream while grinding. It makes the milkshake more tasty. You should not add ice cubes. Instead you can freeze the milk, crush and add it while grinding.

Try this easy, healthy, yummy, creamy musk melon milkshake at home and enjoy !

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Instant Tomato Rasam Recipe Without Dal – Easy Thakkali Rasam

For every South Indian, Rasam and Potato curry must be the most comfortable & simple lunch menu. Whenever Sendhil have his lunch at office, I make rasam and potato poriyal for myself & Raksha as we both are big fan of this combo. Usually I make my South Indian style rasam recipe adding tamarind, tomato and dal water. But today, I prepared a simple tomato rasam recipe without tamarind and toor dal water for the first time following this recipe. I tweaked the recipe to ease the process. It came out well. Myself & Raksha loved it a lot. It tasted great with potato poriyal. I

f you are looking for some simple, instant tomato rasam recipe without dal and tamarind, you should give this a try. It can be prepared quickly under 10 minutes. Lets check how to make Instant tomato rasam at home with step by step pictures.

Do check out my Kerala style tomato rasam recipe !

Easy tomato rasam recipe without dal - Simple Thakkali rasam

Instant, easy tomato rasam recipe without dal - South Indian style thakkali rasam

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Rasam varieties

Serves: 3

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 10 Minutes

Total time: 15 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Ripe tomato - 3 nos ( medium sized) Pepper corns - 1 tsp Cumin seeds - 1 tsp Coriander seeds - 1/2 tsp Water - 2 cups ( approx) Green chilli - 1 no ( slit) Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp Crushed garlic - 3 nos Curry leaves - Few Sugar - A pinch Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp ( finely chopped) to garnish To temper Ghee - 2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1/4 tsp Red chilli - 1 no

HOW TO MAKE TOMATO RASAM WITHOUT DAL - METHOD

Dry roast coriander seeds, pepper, cumin seeds for few minutes.  In a mixie jar, take the washed and chopped tomato, roasted coriander seeds, pepper corns, cumin seeds. Grind to a smooth paste adding 1/2 cup water. In a kadai, add the ground tomato paste, slit green chilli, chopped curry leaves, crushed garlic, turmeric powder, salt and a pinch of sugar. Add 1.5 cups of water to it and check for taste. Add more salt if needed. Let the mixture boil well for 3-4 minutes till the raw smell of tomato goes off. In a small tadka pan, heat ghee and splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds, pinched red chilli. Add this seasoning to the boiling rasam. Garnish with coriander leaves. Add 1/4 cup water and boil till frothy. Remove in a bowl. Cover with a lid and give a standing time of 30 minutes before serving. Serve hot with rice, potato curry and appalam/papad ! Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of spices based on your taste. Tomato should be fully ripen. If not, add berry sized tamarind while grinding. Tempering in ghee is a must. It adds nice flavor to the rasam. Garnishing with coriander leaves enhances the taste & flavor of this rasam.

  This is my way of eating rasam rice with potato curry & papad !

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