Steamed Sweet Dumplings(ಕುಚ್ಚಿದ ಕಡಬು)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

We prepare Til ka Laddoo, Sev Laddoo, Dalia powder laddu, Peanut laddu for Naga Panchami. With these, there are two more preparations which we make on that day. One is Steamed Sweet dumplings and other is the Sorghum pop corns.

These two are must for Neivadyam.

Giving the recipe for Sweet dumplings.

These dumplings are usually fried in the oil during other ocassions. But, as there is custom on Naga panchami, not to fry anything, we steam it or boil in the water.(Please do not ask for the reason, even I do not know, but still follow, as I will get yummy dumplings to enjoy with ghee and yellow gram pachadi or salad.

For Dumplings cover :

Wheat flour - 1 cup

or 

Maida or APF - cup

(choice is yours, but for health reasons, I used wheat flour(against my mother's wishes), and the taste was good).

Salt - a pinch

Water to make dough.

Take flour and salt in a big bowl or plate. Add water to make soft dough. Keep it covered for half an hour.

For Stuffing:

Chana dal - 1 cup 

Jaggery - 1 cup, grated or powdered

Cardamom Powder - 1tsp

Nutmeg powder - 1/4 tsp

Cashew nuts and almonds - 1 tbsp chopped(optional)

Salt -  a pinch

Water - 3 cup to boil the chana. 

Milk and rice paste(3:1) - 1/2 cup

Soak chana dal for half an hour.  Keep water to boil in a thick bottomed vessel and add the chana when water is hot. Boil it till the dal is soft and cooked. Keep on stirring in between or else it will be burnt.

Remove the water and keep it aside. You can use the water to make a tasty curry.

Transfer the chana in to the same vessel with jaggery. Mix well.Add salt. Keep on low flame and boil it till both get mixed well. Add cardamom powder and nutmeg powder. Take it from the heat. Allow it to cool.

Once cold, put in a mixie or blender and make into fine paste(WITHOUT ADDING WATER).

Add chopped cashew nuts and almonds.

Now, divide the dough into lime size equal balls. 

Roll into a palm size oval shape. 

Take one tbsp of chana and jaggery paste. Keep in the middle of the rolled puri.

Fold it and close it by applying milk and rice paste to the sides.

Repeat with remaining dough.

Now, there are two ways to boil or steam it.

First one is,

Take big and wide opened vessel. Add water into it.

When it starts boiling, add these dumplings and boil for few minutes.

Remove and keep on a clean white cloth to remove the water.

OR

The best way is,

Keep the dumplings in a cooker vessel.

Cover and steam it without whistle for 10 minutes.

Remove and serve hot with lot of ghee and yellow moong dal pachadi.

I will be posting the popcorn recipe soon.

Keep Smiling,

Broken wheat(or thick rava) and jaggery Halwa (ಸಜ್ಜಕಾ )

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

One more healthy  halwa from my land, North Karnataka. 

In North Karnataka, Jowar(Sorghum) rotti is a must food in villages. Women make more than 50 rottis each day and its a tiresome job. So, the new moon day or Amavasye is like a festival for them. As there will be more work like special pujas for vehicles, cows, buffaloes, tractors, rotti is skipped from their menu. Instead, they prepare only rice, rasam and this sweet, Broken wheat halwa.It is called as Sajjaka in Kannada. It is prepared using rava or thick semolina, usually smaller in size than bulgur. 

Ingredients :

Broken wheat or rava : 1 cup

Jaggery - 1 1/2 cup, grated or powdered

Ghee - 1/4 cup + 2 tsp

Nut Meg powder - 1tsp

Salt a pinch

Water - 3 cups or more to cook the rava.

Mixed nuts - 1 tbsp

Method :

Fry the rava with 2 tsp of ghee till you get the aroma

Keep water to boil.

Once it starts boiling, add the rava. Cook it for a minute. 

Add jaggery and keep on stirring for a minute

Now add salt and cook till the rava is cooked. 

Heat the ghee in a separate kadai. Fry the nuts.

Add ghee and nuts together to the boiling rava. Cook till it starts leaving the edges. 

Transfer it into a bowl and serve it with pickle and paapad. 

This can be used to make polis, called as sajjakada holige.

This is going to my event  

EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT - CELEBRATE SWEETS~HALWA!!!!!

Keep Smiling,

Peanut Gujiya (ಶೇಂಗಾ ಕರ್ಚಿಕಾಯಿ)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Sweets!!! Deserts!!! I love sweets!!! I love to eat in any form!! I have written before also, if I do not get anything, I will have 1 tbsp Boost! 

Here is a sweet, which is usually prepared during Diwali. Gujiya or Karchikai is very common sweet in India. And the stuffing differs in each state and each region.

Mom always prepares the stuffing with, dry coconut, jaggery, dalia powder and cardamom powder. The one I have prepared was shown in a Kannada TV Show, which mom liked it so much and prepared it on Ugadi.

Giving you the recipe,

All purpose flour - 250 gm

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Milk - 2 tbsp

Oil - 1tbsp

Mix all with little water to make into soft dough, cover it with moist cloth. Keep it aside for an hour.

For stuffing,

Peanut - 1 cup, roasted. Remove the skin and clean it

Jaggery - 1 cup or less, depending on the sweetness of the jaggery

Dry Coconut, grated - 2 tbsp, roasted

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Oil to fry

                                 

First, dry grind the peanuts for one round to make it coarse powder. Then add the jaggery, cardamom powder and coconut. Grind it again to make smooth powder. Transfer it into a bowl and add salt, mix it nicely.

Divide all purpose flour in to equal small lemon size balls. Roll into oval shape of palm size. Take one tbsp of ready peanut powder mix and put it slowly in the middle of  rolled puri.  Close it to neatly and bind it with water to give gujia shape. Repeat with other balls. 

Heat the oil in a kadai. When its hot, keep it on medium flame and fry all the gujiyas in batches.

You can store it for a week or 10 days.

Keep smiling,

Instant coconut halwa

Tried and tasted by Nivedita
Hi all,

As I told before, I am always ready for sweet. After meals, I must have some sweet. So this one is the quickest sweet I can make and I love to sit and eat very slowly, enjoying each bite. Here is the recipe,
Fresh grated coconut - 1 cup
Jaggery crushed or powdered - 3/4 cup
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
nutmeg powder - 1/4 tsp(optional, but defintely gives unique taste)
Mix altogether nicely, and keep in microwave oven for 1 minute. Take it out, mix again and keep in oven again for two more minutes.
Coconut halwa is ready to eat.

I am sending this one to Mahima's(http://spicesetc.blogspot.com/) event ,
http://spicesetc.blogspot.com/2009/04/15-minute-cooking-spieces-etc.html

This sweet is going to PJ's Let's Go Nuts! - Event Announcement (for the month of July 09) which is the brain child of Aqua.

Keep smiling,

Sesame seeds poli(ಎಳ್ಳಿನ ಹೋಳಿಗೆ)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi all,

Here is the recipe for a sweet, which is common in North Karnataka. It is good in Winter as it is made of Sesame seeds(Til or ಎಳ್ಳು). It can be stored for a week also. I use it often in South Indian curries.

In UAE, we get Tahina (i.e sesame seeds paste) paste in super markets, which is used to make humous. It was regular in my house when I was back in UAE.

Not only are sesame seeds a very good source of manganese and copper, but they are also a good source of calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc and dietary fiber.Read more on this, in http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=84

Here goes the recipe,

Sesame seeds - 1 cup

Jaggery - 1 cup(or 3/4 cup, if jaggery is very sweet)

Cardamom - 2

Wheat flour - 3/4 cup

Maida - 1/4 cup

Fine rawa(Suji) - 2 tbsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Salt a pinch

Mix the Wheat flour, Maida and Fine rawa with 1 tbsp oil, salt and water to make dough. (Little softer than we make for chapati.)

Keep it covered aside for 2 - 3 hours.

Roast the sesame seeds on a very slow flame, till nice aroma comes. After it is cool, grind it with jaggery and cardamom.

Now make small balls of dough(small lemon size). Take one ball, spread on the palm, and fill it with ready powder.

Roll it in to small puri size. Roast like chapati. No need to put oil. Repeat for other balls.

Sesame seeds poli(ಎಳ್ಳಿನ ಹೋಳಿಗೆ) is ready to eat. It tastes very delicious with Ghee spread on it.

I am sending this to

PJ's(seduceurtastebuds@gmail.com)

this month event,

OPEN SESAME!!who signed up with Sunitha .

Keep smiling,

Simple, tasty Chapati Rolls with guessing game

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi all,

(The chapati I have decorated here is only for photo purpose as I wanted to show the spreads altogether)
A very simple, tasty and easy rolls for kids. I like too. These rolls were, our (my brother Avinash and mine) favourites during school time. It was easy for my mother also.

Now I give to my daughter, but with little guessing game, and she loves to play it.



Chapatis - 6

sugar - 3 tbsp

Jaggery powdered - 3 tbsp

Peanut and dalia chutney powder -3 tbsp(Recipe in my chutney label)(If you don't have, no problem. You can use MTR READY CHUTNEY POWDER).

Ghee to apply for above.

Any jam - 3 tbsp

Butter - 1 tbsp

Chocolate spread - 3 tbsp(I use Nutella)

Cheese spread - 3 tbsp(I use Knorr cheese spread)

Take 3 chapatis on the plate.

Apply 2 tbsp ghee on each chapati.

Spread sugar on one chapati, jaggery powdered on another and chutney powder on the third.

Roll and keep ready.

These 3 rolls we used to have in childhood.

Next rolls I have added according to today's kids world.

Take 3 more chapatis on plate.

Apply butter on one chapati, and then spread jam. Spread Chocolate spread on other and cheese spread on the third one.

Roll and keep ready.

Now keep all the rolls on a big plate.

Here the guessing game starts. If you have more than one kid, its more interesting. Even your kid's friends can join.

Call the children and ask them to guess in which roll what is there. Whoever guesses correct, they will get reward.

What I do with my daughter is,
I take any three rolls, keeping in mind to make one chocolate roll in that.

I tell her to take two rolls, and if the chocolate roll is not there in that, as she loves to eat chocolate roll, all the three chapatis will disapear in to her stomach in no time. My purpose to give her chapatis without fuss is served.

I AM SENDING THIS RECIPE TO PJ'S Tasty Bites For Toddlers.

Keep smiling,