Very famous by the name AmbalaPuzha Paal Payasam as it is offered to Lord Guruvayurappan as prasadam on a daily basis in Guruvayoor.
Paal Payasam is a must have in any Kerala Sadhya Menu.
Traditionally,this Payasam is made in huge Bronze Vessels / Vengalai Urulis by boiling the milk and with constant stirring for hours together to bring it to the right texture and consistency . The slow cooking is what imparts the best taste to the Payasam . There are many recipes,that call for the usage of readymade condensed milk to achieve the color and consistency with minimum effort. Today's recipe does not use anything else except milk ,sugar and rice ,and yet achieves the perfect color and taste by using the Pressure cooker on slow flame. Recipe courtesy : Good friends from a Food Group on Social Media (Gayathri Usha , Lakshmi Vasanth & Anusha Srihari) Preparation Time : Nil Cooking Time : 35-40 min Complexity : Simple
Read the Notes and Tips section without fail to get the perfect payasam
MaKaai Chiwda | Cornflakes mixture is a very famous snack made in most Gujrati and Maharashtrian households . It is loved by all age groups and makes a perfect accompaniment for evening tea or coffee. Kids love to munch on as an after school snack .
Makaai chiwda is a popular snack made during Diwali. It is very easy to prepare this snack in bulk and makes it easy for distribution as well .
This makaai poha/ cornflakes is different from the cereal / breakfast cornflakes. This is not a ready to eat version . Makai poha is raw and needs to either deep fried or air fried .
The makaai poha has to be deep fried in hot oil until it puffs up beautifully and then the necessary spices and salt are added to make a classic tea time snack . We add groundnuts, roasted gram, curry leaves and also some roasted dry fruits for added taste and texture.
Some more popular Chiwda / Mixture variants from my blog
I have tried to make a version of this makaai chiwda by trying to shallow fry it ,but the outcome isn't satisfying. The corn flakes remain uncooked and turn out soggy spoiling the entire palate .
Originally this post was published on 13th October 2017 with just the recipe, today (14th October 2022) exactly 4 years later,I have updated the blog post with some more exciting recipes and also a video post on making of this chiwda. Hope you all will like the updated version of this post and make this yummy snack for Diwali this year .
Preparation Time : Nil Cooking Time : 20-25 mins Complexity : Simple
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500gms makaai poha / raw cornflakes
2 tsp red chilli powder
100 gms groundnut
50 gms chutney dhall / fried gram dhall / pottukadalai
handful of fresh curry leaves
8-10 cashews (optional)
10-12 almonds (optional)
salt as needed
pinch of asafoetida / hing/perungayam
1 tablespoon powder sugar
Oil to deep fry.
Method
Heat the oil in a deep kadai / frying pan.
Put in one small piece of cornflakes and see if it sizzles up immediately . If it does,then the oil is heated to correct temperature. if it doesnt sizzle up,wait for a few mins and repeat the test.
Fry the makaai /cornflakes in small batches depending on the size of your frying pan .
Drain it and put it in a huge vessel .
Fry the groundnuts in the same oil until brown and crisp.Drain and put it on top of the fried cornflakes.
Fry the fried gram/chutney dhall in the same oil until crisp.Drain and put it on top of the fried cornflakes.
Fry the curry leaves very carefully as it will splutter when put in oil,drain and add that also to the cornflakes.
If using almonds and cashews, fry them also at this stage and keep aside.
Lastly,add the required amount of salt,red chilli powder,turmeric,asafoetida and powdered sugar and thoroughly mix it by shaking the vessel in which you have collected for about 2-3 mins.
This step ensures even mixing of the spices with the entire batch of cornflakes,groundnuts & fried gram.
Store in an airtight container and enjoy as you please.
Notes :
You can add fried cashewnuts , raisins along with the groundnuts.
Finely sliced dry coconut /kopra/khobiri can also be fried in ghee and added.
Donot use a spoon to mix the ingredients,that will break the freshly fried corn.
If you are unable to shake the vessel with hands,transfer the contents to an airtight container,close the lid and shake it vigorously
My love for coffee just does not seem to end . The slightly bitter flavor of coffee with the subtle taste of sugar to keep me energised and going through the day.
This is yet another experiment in my kitchen with instant coffee and butterscotch essence.
A very simple and delicious melt in mouth maida burfi with the added flavor of coffee and butterscotch makes you feel as if you are taking a bite of world's finest chocolates.
Preparation Time : 5 mins Cooking Time : 20-25 mins Complexity : Medium High
Ingredients maida / All purpose flour : 1 cup / 100gms sugar : 1 or 3/4 cup / 75 -100gms ghee : 2 tablespoon butterscotch essence : 1 tsp instant coffee powder : 3 tsp mixed in warm water
The most sought after bean in this season and it makes its way into many many recipes like upma,sambar,rasam,pallya,kootu and the most famous Akki rotti commonly known as Avarekaalu Akki Roti .
I have already posted the recipe for Avarekaal Kootu in the last season . Check the recipe here
The video illustrates how to make cruncy and tasty avarekaalu rotti at the comfort of your home..
Chutney powder /chutney podi / idli molagapudi is an integral part of South Indian breakfast served along with idli / dosas . This spice powder is a wonderful blend of dhalls,red chillies ,sesame seeds and salt. Make this at home and enjoy with fluffy idlis or dosas or can be mixed with hot rice and ghee and eaten with your favorite potato chips. Preparation Time : 10 mins Cooking Time : 5 mins Complexity : Simple
South Indians and coffee go hand in hand . Our day starts with cuppa filter coffee in one hand and the newspaper in another .
likewise,Coconut Burfi aka Thengai Burfi / Kobri Mittai is also a very famous sweet and a Must Have in most functions/ festivals like Marriages,Diwali,Gokulashtami etc.
Having said that cofffee and coconut burfi are kind of life lines for a south indians,I tried to give a twist to one life line by flavoring it with another life line..yes you got it right !!!
Adding coffee decoction to the traditional coconut burfi
Below is the complete video illustration of how to make this yummilicious sweet
Diwali is just round the corner and we shall soon start preparing yummy snacks for family,friends and relatives . Thattai is a south indian version of Mattri made using Rice flour and udad dhall flour generally . This is a slightly different and a healthier version using Millet flour. Try this different and crispy Thattai using Jowar Flour / Cholam Maav and surprise your family :-)
ThenKuzhal literally translates to Honey Pipes ("Then" meaning Honey & "Kuzhal" meaning Pipe) .. though the names sounds like a sweet dish it is actually a Savoury Snack made using rice flour and Udad dhall flour . A very crunchy and melt in mouth snack which is why its called Honey Pipe. you can eat it seamlessly and effortlessly when you take bite.
Mucchore (Kannada) ,Manam Kombu (Tamil) ,Mullu Murukku (Tamil) are all different names for a deep fried snack made using Moong Dhall flour and Rice flour.
In Kannada ,"Mucchore" means deep fried dough. Since we use butter to knead the dough for crispness,it is also called as "Benne Mucchore" ."Benne" meaning Butter
In Tamil "Mullu" means "Thorn" and Murukku is "Twist / Winding/Entangle" . Since ,we use a star shaped plate to press out this chakli,the shape of the chakli feels a little serrated and the shape is random as we just move the press in random order. Hence called as Mullu Murrukku since it resembles a "Bunch of Entangled Thorns".
"Manam" in Tamil is "Aroma" and "Kombu" is "Small Sticks" . This snack has a very nice aroma due to the moong dhall flour and with every bite we can feel the taste explicitly,hence aptly calle as "Manam Kombu" or " Aromatic Savoury Sticks"
Enjoy the video and make this crispy snack for evening Tea Time
Vaazhai Thandu in Tamil literally translates to Banana Stem
("Vaazhai" meaning "Banana" & "Thandu" meaning "Stem")This part of the banana plant has a lot of natural fibre and helps in digestion and flushing out toxins from the body. wide usage of banana stem is to cure kidney stone as a home remedy. It is believed that drinking this juice dissolves the kidney stone and flushes it out. Banana stem can also be used for weight management
Avani Avittam /Upakarma is the day when the men of the house change their Poonal/ Sacred thread (Janeui) . It is a very important annual ritual for the South Indian Brahmins .
The men in the family come together on this day and change their poonal with guidance from the family priest or an elderly person of the family who leads the Pooja by chanting the mantras /verses and the men follow it step by step . In recent times ,there are detailed videos available online making it all the more easy to follow and change the poonal.
This festival is celebrated on a Full Moon Day / Pournami in the holy month of Shravan by most of the Tamil /Kerala Brahmins who follow the Yajur Veda tradtion. Hence also known as Yajur Upakarma. This day is also celebrated as Hayagreeva Jayanti and in North India it is celebrated as Raksha Bandhan
Brahmins who belong to the Rig Veda / Sama Veda tradition have a different day when they perform the Upakarma.
The ladies of the house prepare a grand feast for the family and the lunch is ready by the time the men finish changing their Poonal and the entire family enjoys a delicious festive meal . Since it is also Hayagriva Jayanti some families prepare Hayagreeva Maddi - a sweet for offering.
The menu in most homes is a typical saatvik south indian festive lunch where in Onions and Garlic are avoided.
2022 lunch thali for Aavani Avittam we enjoyed
Rice + ghee + dal
Araichuvitta Sambar
Tomato Rasam
Carrot Kosamri
Cabbage Curry
Medhu Vadai
Gass Gasse Payasam
Curd
The elaborate lunch and breakfast menu is mentioned below. Click on the item names for a detailed recipe
Aadi is a holy month as per Tamil calender and falls between July 15 to Aug 15 . Aadi or aashada marks the beginning of a lot of festive days to follow in the next few months .
"Perukku" in Tamil means "Manifold increase".
Aadi perukku is celebrated on the 18th day of the holy month of Aadi also known as Pathinettam Perukku . Pathinettu in Tamil stands for 18 ,hence this festival gets that name too .
Invariably it will be celebrated on either 2nd or 3rd of August.
During this season the rivers are upto the brim and flowing in full glory as it is monsoon and this festival is celebrated to offer thanks and gratitude to the water bodies which are an essential source of human life sustainence.
Variety rice known as Chitrannam, like lemon rice,tamarind rice,coconut rice,sakkarai pongal,kalkandu saadham,curd rice etc. are prepared at home and offered as prasad to the deities at home and then carried to the river banks .A small pooja is done at the river banks and later the food prepared is enjoyed by relatives, friends and family at the river banks .
Tradition behind the Prasadam/offering...
The prasadam is offered in odd number of preparation where in a sweet and curd rice are mandatory i.e items prepared are 3,5 ,7 or 9 in number
THIRU AADI POORAM / AADI POORAM (this year 26 july 2017) is celebrated to mark the birth of Sri Andal .The Pooram star in the Tamil month of Aadi /Aashada is called Aadi Pooram
Andal is one of the 12 Azhwars and has composed the Thiruppavai and Nachiayar Thirumozhi which is a part of 4000 divyaprabandham. Srivlliputhur ,Srirangam and all Vaishnava temples celebrate this Aadi Pooram festival for 10 days and the final day of Aadi Pooram they conduct a grand Aandal Kalyanam.
Akkara Vadisal is made as neivediyam to Sri Aandal
Many of the households donot make use of onion and garlic on regular days and some on special occassions like Amavasai,Festive days,Pooja days etc etc. The general feel is making gravies without onion and garlic will not be tasty and hence many of them donot attempt making gravies at all. Donot worry,try this gravy and you will really love to eat No Onion No Garlic recipes . Preparation Time : 15-20 mins Cooking Time : 10 mins Serves : 3-4 Complexity : Medium
Presenting the famous Karnataka special Bisi Bele Baath / Bisi Bele Huli Anna.
Bisi means Hot Bele means dhall/paruppu/lentil Huli means Sambar/ Sour taste from tamarind Baath/#anna means Rice
Literally it means Hot Lentil Rice /hot dhall rice
Mostly this recipe is liked by one and all due to the mixture of flavors that burst into your mouth when you take a spoonful. Enjoy this speciality with a small twist. Today's preparation is without use of Onion & garlic.
Does anyone really need an introduction to Rava Dosa? The name itself makes us imagine of a crispy ,lacy and big sized golden brown color dosa / crepe loaded with jeera,pepper corns,finely chopped green chillies ,curry leaves,corriander leaves and some bits of finely sliced coconuts or cashewnuts..
This itself must have set you all drooling....am I right?
So now for all of us Rava Dosas are synonymous to restaurant order as we take a back stand to make it at home . henceforth,with this recipe you can always make crispy restaurant style rava dosas at the comfort of your home and dunk them in your favorite chutney and sambar and relish it.
This is an absolutely instant dosa that requires no special ingredients and can be whipped in actually less than 20 min.
Coconut chutney ,Tomato chutney are the best side dish for rava dosa.
Please read the tips and follow the video to get the perfect crispy Rava Dosa. Jain Version : Skip the onion and follow the recipe as is
Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : approx 2 mins per dosa
Makes : 9 dosas
Complexity : medium
Arisi upma or Broken rice upma is a very staple breakfast or dinner in most tamil homes. If you have rice rava handy then its a breeze to make this upma as it gets done in less than 15-20 mins.
Once the upma is ready,allow a standing time of min 20 mins to get the perfect crumbly and grainy texture . We call it Udhur Udhur Upma ,I don't know the exact translation for this in English; as it is a texture to be felt and enjoyed .
Arisi upma is a very filling breakfast and can keep be eaten for brunch as well. Tamil Brahmins have arisi upma on Ekadasi , during Pitru Paksh or even on Amavasya night for dinner when the men folk are not allowed to eat rice at night after performing the Tharpanam .
Having rice rava handy at home,this upma comes to my rescue even as a dinner option when I am pressed for time or run out of options. Serve this upma with coconut chutney,tomato gothsu/ tomato gojju or as is with just a cup of plain curds it tastes heavenly.
I am including the method of making rice rava at home which I normally follow. There are different ways in which you can make rice rava at home.
I have included the different methods of making rice rava at home. You may use the regular white rice or even the brown unpolished rice. Pls donot use any aromatic rice variety like basmati, jeera Samba, jasmine rice etc.
Jain version : Skip the ginger and follow the recipe as is
How to make rice rava /akki thari / kurunai at home?
Rice rava is known as Arisi kurunai in Tamil and Akki Tharri in Kannada. Kurunai and Tharri means coarsely broken bits of any grain (wheat , millets,rice etc)
Method 1
Pulse the required quantity of raw rice in a mixer grinder . The texture should be slightly coarse and granular as compared to the regular upma rava .
Method 2
Wash and drain the required quantity of rice in a colander and leave it for half an hour .
The water will drain completely and the rice would have soaked well . If you touch the rice with your palm it shouldn't be wet and must easily fall off your palm when you shake . This means the rice is well soaked and ready to be pulsed in the blender .
Add it to the blender and pulse until you get a coarse and grainy texture .
Method 3
(Updated in Oct 2024)
Soak and drain the rice as in Method 2.
For 1 cup of rice, dry roast 2 tsp thoor dhall, 3 to 4 dry red chillies ,1tsp pepper ,1tsp jeera and curry leaves until the dhall turns golden brown. Let this cool.
Pulse this roasted ingredients along with the drained and soaked rice till you get the coarse rava texture.
(This 3rd method of making rice rava ,I recently learnt through a reel on Instagram and I must say the taste of arisi upma was too good . The color wasn't pure white like how arisi upma normally looks,but taste was outstanding)
Now ,let us see how to make arisi upma using home made rice rava . The entire post has undergone a cosmetic change in terms of adding clear and better pictures along with some tips and tricks to get a perfect Arisi upma . Hope all my readers find it useful.
Preparation Time - 20 mins
Cooking Time - 15 mins
Standing Time - 15-20 mins
Complexity - medium
Ingredients
1 cup rice rava
3 cups water
2 green chillies finely chopped
2 dry red chillies
(skip if your rice rava already has red chillies)
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
Handful of curry leaves
2 to 3 tbsp coconut oil / regular cooking oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp udad dhall
1 tsp channa dhall
1/4 cup fresh grated coconut
Method
Prerequisite
Using thick bottom pan is very important as we will be doing slow cooking and don't want the upma to get burnt . Pressure cooker vessel is ideal for making this upma or a huge bronze pot(vengala paanai)
** I have used rice rava made using method 3 for making arisi upma in the pictures that you are seeing on the post now.
Heat oil in the pan and crackle the mustard seeds , channa dhall and udad dhall till it turns brown.
Fry the green chillies , curry leaves, ginger along with asafoetida.
Add in the 3 cups of water will required about of salt and let it come to a rolling boil.
Carefully add the rice rava and keep stirring constantly to avoid lumps . (Or)
Roast the rice rava lightly and add 3 cups of boiling water and salt into the pan ,this will prevent lumps.
Add the grated coconut, mix everything well ,reduce the flame to low ,close with a lid and continue cooking on low flame for 10 mins.
Open after 10 mins ,give it a good mix ,close again and cook for another 5 mins on low.
You can see that the rice rava has absorbed all the water and the upma looks fluffy and well done .
Turn off the stove and let it sit for 10 mins before serving.
Chole a.k.a chickpeas are a hot favorite among Indians and are used in various recipes in a number of ways all over India . Chole Puri , Chole Bhature Chole Chawal are eternal combinations and there will seldom be anyone who doesn't like to enjoy these delicacies .
Jain Chole is a spicy North Indian chickpeas gravy made without the use of onions,garlic and ginger specially customised for my Jain friends and all those who like to have Saatvik food sans onion and garlic.
This saatvik, vegan chole can be made on the occasion of any pooja or divine ritual like Navratri , Pitrupaksh Amavasya , Shraadh etc wherein most North Indians avoid the use of onions and garlic.
The non Jain,regular version of chole masala is already featured on this blog - Punjabi Chole
You may also want to try a very different and delicious chole variation called as the Chataka Chole which as the name suggests is really very tongue tickling and tasty.
Jain Chole , Puri and Badam Elaichi Shrikand will be a fantastic menu to prepare and serve for Gudi Padwa or Ugadi which falls on 2nd April 2022 this year . Gudi Padwa /Ugadi is the New year celebrated by the people of Maharashtra, Andhra, Telangana and Karnataka
Soaking Time : 6-8 hrs Preparation Time : 5-10 mins Cooking Time : 20 mins Serves: 2-3 Complexity - Medium
Ingredients
200 gms chick peas/kabuli channa/kondakadalai
2-3 tomatoes medium sized - finely chopped
1-2 green chillies slit
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp haldi powder
2 tsp dhaniya powder 3 tsp chole masala (home made or any brand - Everest,MDH,Catch etc)
salt as per taste.
1 tsp lemon juice - optional
fresh corriander for garnish
2-3 tbsp oil
Method
Wash and soak the chole overnight for about 6-8 hrs.
Pressure cook the chole with salt on medium flame for 3-4 whistles or until soft.Incase you feel the chole is not cooked soft,you can adjust the water level and pressure cook it for another 2 or 3 whistles.
In a kadai,heat some oil ,splutter the jeera and saute the green chillies.
Add in the chopped tomatoes,haldi,red chilli powder,dhaniya powder,chole masala,salt and mix well and cook until the tomatoes become mushy. You can sprinkle little water if you feel the masala is too dry. If the tomatoes are little hard and semi ripe you can even puree them in the blender and use.
Cook until its all mushy and the oil starts oozing.Add the cooked chole ,mix well and pour about half cup water .Adjust salt and spice level if you wish at this stage. Using a masher or back of a ladle slightly mash the chickpeas here and there. This helps in giving a nice texture to the gravy.
Cook covered for about 5 mins.
Add in the lemon juice and garnish with corriander leaves and serve hot.
Another very interesting recipe from Kerala made out of slightly sour yogurt ,coconut,green chillies,pepper a tuber like yam or raw banana . Its slightly sour as compared to avial and also slightly thick compared to Pulissery or Mor Kootan. One of the many dishes served as a part of the Sadhya during Onam,Vishu or any special occassion.
In my recipe,I have made Kaalan using only Raw Banana ,while you can make it with a combination of yam and raw banana as well.
Kalkandu Saadham / Kalkandu baath is a very creamy,rich and a delicious pudding made using rice,milk,saffrom and rock sugar candy /kalkandu (tamil) / kal sakkre (kannada) / kadi saakar (marathi) .
Kalkandu Baath, is a very popular prasad served in many South Indian temples especially Vaishnava (Vishnu).temples. It is also referred to as KsheerAnnam wherein Ksheera in Sanskrit means Milk and Annam meaning Rice.
We can also use diamond sugar in place of rock sugar. This recipe uses diamond sugar as I had run out of rock candy sugar.
If you want to make a yummy and a quick dessert ,this is your best pick. Gets done very easily without any mess or strain and makes it a perfect option for large get togethers or pot luck parties .
Kalkandu Baath is a close cousin of the rice kheer but for the consistency. Kalkandu saadham is thick and creamy while kheer is liquid .
The rice is entirely cooked in milk along with saffron till the rice is well cooked and mushy . To this cooked rice, we add the rock candy sugar or diamond sugar and cook for a few more mins till the sugar candy melts and adds taste to the kalkandu saadham . Lastly nuts fried in ghee are added and the delicious and creamy kalkandu rice is ready. The subtle yellow color comes from the saffron which gives a very good taste and flavor , but you can skip using the saffron if you don't like the taste or flavor.
Watch this detailed video from my channel for a step by step recipe .Do subscribe to my channel without fail.
Preparation Time : 5-10 mins Cooking time : 30 mins approx (inclusive of Pressure cooking time : 15 mins) Serves : 3-4 Complexity : Simple
Ingredients 1/2 cup rice (approx 100-120 gms) 1 cup milk 1 cup diamond sugar few saffron strands 2-3 cardamoms powdered pinch of edible camphor handful of assorted raisins & cashews 2 tablespoon ghee.
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Giving a face-lift (30/10/22) to this recipe originally published in 2017 by adding new pictures, editing the write up as part of our foodies redoing old post activity actively managed by Renu .
This paticular variation of Pulao is very popular in the state of Karnataka and is called as PALAAV.
Karnataka being in the coastal belt uses a lot of coconut in the cooking ,so does this Palav. A flavorful masala is ground using fresh coconut,mint leaves,corriander and whole spices like jeera,cloves,cinnamon etc.
A one pot wholesome meal that can be done in less than 30 mins and most importantly has an array of flavors and tastes that will pep up your tastebuds wanting you to have some more.
Preparation Time : 15-20 mins Cooking Time : 25-30 mins Complexity : medium Serves : 3-4 people generously
Sakkarai Pongal is a very common neivedhiyam offered to the lord and served as Prasad to the devotees. This Sakkarai Pongal is slightly different from the Pongal we make during Makara Sankranthi / Pongal Pandigai .
Sakkarai in Tamil means Sugar but contradictory to the name ,the recipe doesn't use sugar at all . The Pongal is made using jaggery .
Here ,in this recipe , the main ingredients are rice and jaggery while the Pongal that is prepared on the eve of Sankranti is made using Rice,Moong Dhall,milk and jaggery where in the rice and dhall are cooked in milk until they are soft and mushy. Compared to the long drawn process ,this is very quick and easy to make.
Chaitra Navratri,Ugadi,RamNavami,Tamil New Year ,Vishu - with all these festivals lined up in the next 10 -15 days prepare this delicious mouth watering Sakkarai Pongal and treat yourself as well as your family.
Sakkarai Pongal is also made as an offering during Navaratri , Aadi Velli, Aadi Sevvai (Aashada Friday and Tuesday) and most importantly during Purataasi Month (corresponds to Gregorian Months of September- October ) on Saturdays as an offering to Lord Balaji along with Ellu Saadham (Sesame Rice) or Puliyogare (Tamarind Rice)
The color of the sakkarai Pongal will depend on the kind of jaggery that is being used. I normally use organic jaggery ,hence the color is deep brown . If you use the normal jaggery which is golden in color,the Sakkara Pongal would also have a golden color.
Use of edible camphor /pacchhai karpooram is optional ,but I highly recommend using it as it gives a very nice taste and also a refreshing after taste lingering in your taste buds.
Preparation Time : 15- 20 mins Cooking Time : 10 mins Serves : 2-3 Complexity : medium Ingredients 1/2 cup rice ( approx 100 gms) 1/2 - 3/4 cup powdered jaggery . 2-3 cardamoms powdered pinch of edible camphor / pachhai karpooram 2 tablespoon mix of cashews and raisins 2 tablespoon ghee
Method
Pressure cook the rice with water in the ratio of 1 rice : 3.5 water.
Mash the rice well with the back of a spoon until its all mushy . You can add about 1-2 teaspoons of ghee while mashing . It gives a distinct aroma to the rice. Mashing is the key step to get a very nice gooey texture like the ones we get in temples.
Add the powdered jaggery to this mashed rice and mix it well until most of the jaggery melts and mixes well with the rice. Alternatively you can also melt the jaggery in 1/4 cup water and then mix the mashed rice with it .
Note : Incase you feel the jaggery is having some impurities,melt in hot water ,strain it and then add it to the rice and mix it well.
In a kadai,heat about a tablespoon of ghee,roast the cashews and raisins and keep it aside.
In the same kadai add this cooked rice and cook on medium flame.
Incase there were some jaggery lumps ,they will start melting now.Need not worry.
Add the elaichi powder,camphor and mix well.
After about 2-3 minutes,you can see that the mixture starts oozing ghee from the sides and looks very glossy and attractive.
At this stage add one more tablespoon of ghee and mix well till you get a good aroma.
Stick a ladle in the middle of the rice and it should stand without falling,this is the right time to take it off the flame. Check out the detailed video below with all tips and tricks to get the perfect sakkarai Pongal .
Add the roasted cashews and raisins,mix well and serve .
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Updated this post with latest photos,write up and my yotube video link as part of Redoing Old posts activity of our Facebook group .
First published in March 2017 and updated today on 18 sept 2022.