Chakkapazha Nei appam using rice flour (Unni appam) - Jackfruit Rice Fritters

 As much as mango is crowned as the King of Fruits and relished in summer ,ripe jackfruit is also enjoyed by many in India and world over during summer . Jackfruit is a delicious tropical fruit which can be enjoyed when ripe as well as raw .

Raw Jackfruit (kathal / कटहल) is used widely in North India as a meat substitute in Biryanis,Pulaos and curries while in south India especially in Kerala, raw jackfruit is used in the making of Jackfruit chips , stir fries and papads. Ripe jackfruit is used in various recipes in the Konkani /Manglorean cuisine as well. 

 

Chakka Pradhaman is a very delicious and tasty kheer or paysam prepared in Kerala from ripe jackfruit  and coconut milk.

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Today ,I will be sharing another tasty and traditional recipe from Kerala called as Unniappam or Neiappam with the flavor of ripe jackfruit. 

Unniappam or nei appam is prepared from rice flour and jaggery batter and fried using either ghee , oil or a mix of ghee + oil . To make a vegan version we can skip the ghee and the rest of the recipe remains the same .

The batter is fried in a special cooking apparatus called as Paniyaram pan or Appa kaaral . Aebelskeiwer pan can be used too for this recipe .

For this recipe, we can either soak the rice for few hours in water and grind into a fine paste and use or ready made rice flour also works fine .In today's recipe, I have used ready made rice flour and I was very very happy with the result 

The appams were soft and spongy . Shelf life of these appams in normal room temperature is 2 days while it can stay long under refrigeration. 

Preparation Time - 10 mins
Resting Time - 1 hr
Cooking Time - 5 to 6 mins
Complexity - easy 

Ingredients 
1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup grated jaggery
4 to 5 pods of ripe jackfruit 
1/2 tsp cardamom powder 
Ghee and oil for frying  (use only oil for Vegan )

Method 

Preparing the Unniyappam / Nei appam batter 

• Deseed the pods of the ripe jackfruit and remove the seeds . Chop it roughly into small pieces. Makes it easier to grind .
• Dissolve the jaggery in 1/4 cup water and filter it to remove if there are any impurities..I use organic jaggery which is very clean hence I skipped this step .
• Blend the jackfruit and jaggery in a blender to form a nice smooth puree.No need to add water while grinding. 
• Remove this pulp in a wide mixing bowl,add the rice flour and whisk it to form a lump free batter . If you feel the batter is too thick to whisk add a few tsp of water and whisk . 
• Add the cardamom powder and mix it well..rest the batter for an hour in a warm place.  Donot  rest the batter for more than 2 or 3 hrs. In case you are unable to make it within 2 or 3 hours refrigerate the batter immediately. 

How to make the unniyappam / nei appam?

• Heat the paniyaram pan on the stove and fill in each cavity with 1/2 tsp ghee and 1/2 tsp cooking oil or use 1 tsp ghee or 1 tsp cooking oil as per your preference. 
• Once the oil is heated, fill in 3/4th of the cavity with the appam batter and let it cook on slow flame .
• Once the top portion is cooked ,it will appear dry and the appams can be flipped over easily. Carefully flip it over and cook until the other side also turns crispy and golden brown. 
• Remove the appams from the paniyaram pan one by one . Refill the cavity with the oil or ghee and repeat the same steps until all the batter is used up .
• Store it a dry container.  Donot close the lid when the appams are hot ,they will become soggy . Let it cool down completely before closing the lid. 

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Payatham Paruppu Payasam (Parippu Pradhaman) | Moong dhall kheer - Mahalaya / Amavasaya Special

Payatham paruppu payasam is a very simple but tasty kheer or paysam made using moong dhall specially during Amavasya .In my home,this payasam is made only during the days when we offer obeisance to Pithrus.   

This payasam is also known as Parippu Pradhaman made in Kerala for Onam or Vishu Sadhyas . In Kerala style a pinch of cumin powder and dry ginger powder is added to this Pradhaman.

In Hindu Tradition,  Amavasya(New Moon Day) / Amavasai / Amavaas(अमावस्या) is considered very important day to pay obeisance to all the departed souls in the family.  The forefathers are called  as "Pithrus" and the oblation ritual is called "Shraadh/ Tharpanam" . There is a mild difference in the way the shraadh is offered in North and South  India . When I say difference, the difference is in terms of the Prasad offered and also the way the ritual is performed.  In my post ,I will quickly describe the way Tharpanam is done in a typical South Indian Brahmin household .

Black sesame seeds (karuppu ellu ) and water are offered as oblation to the forefathers.  The oblation is offered to Father ,grandfather, great grandfather likewise ,mother,grandmother and great grandmother.  The oblation dates back to 3 generations .  Devout and traditional Brahmins perform this Amavasya Tharapanam every month all round the year .

If one is unable to do it every month ,there is a rule that he must perform the shraadh atleast  on Mahalaya Amavasya, during the Mahalaya Paksha / Pithru Paksha which is a period of 15 days starting from Full Moon to New Moon . This special fortnight falls in the month of September- October and generally corresponds to the Tamil Month of Purataasi.  This year in 2021 Mahalaya Paksham has started on 21 /9/2021. 

Mahalaya Amavasya also known as Sarva Pithru Amavasya will be observed on 06/10/2021.

An elaborate meal which is very satvik in nature (sans Onion and Garlic)  using basic native  vegetables will be prepared and offered to the fore fathers .

Moong Dhall / Split yellow lentils are used while cooking a Shraadh meal and native vegetables like cucumber ,arbi(taro root) , snake gourd (podalangai /padwal) , raw banana (vazhakkai),cluster beans(kothavarangai/gawar) , broad beans (avarekkai/paapdi) , bitter gourd (karela/pavakkai) , ginger ,curry leaves ,coconut are used . Jaggery is used for making sweets and not sugar.  The Amavasya meal is more or less  standard in every household with some minute changes here and there . Jeera/cumin,Pepper and dry red chillies are the only spices which are used .Turmeric is avoided in most homes but some families use fresh root turmeric and not turmeric powder. Mustard seeds and Udad dhall are used for seasoning along with asafoetida.

On other special occasions we prepare different  payasams or kheer . It is customary to prepare Medhu Vada and Moong dhall paysam along with Vazhakkai (Raw Banana) Curry  on every Amavasya even if one is unable to prepare an elaborate spread.

Preparation Time - 20 mins
Cooking Time - 10 mins
Complexity - simple 
Serves - 2 to 3 

Ingredients 

1/2 cup moong dhall/payatham paruppu 

1/2 cup powdered jaggery .

5 to 6 tablespoons grated coconut 

1-2 pods elaichi /cardamom 

1 tsp ghee (skip if vegan) 

**you can increase the quantity of jaggery depending on the level of sweetness you like .

Method 

• Grind the coconut and cardamom with some water to a fine paste and keep aside .
• Wash the moong dhall and pressure cook with sufficient water for 3 to 4 whistles or until mushy.  Release the pressure and mash it well with a ladle .
• In a thick heavy bottomed vessel ,melt the jaggery with 1/2 cup water . If you see any impurities , filter it through the sieve .
• To this melted jaggery add the coconut paste ,1/2 cup water and cook until the raw flavor of coconut is lost . Keep stirring as the coconut has the tendency to stick to the bottom .
• Now add the boiled and mashed moong dhall to the above and mix it well . The dhall should blend well with the jaggery coconut decoction. 
• Continue cooking on medium flame with occasional stirring until it comes to a rolling boil.
• Turn off the stove and add the ghee ,cumin powder and ginger powder if using  . Delicious paasi paruppu /hessaru bele payasam is ready .
• You can fry cashewnuts and coconut slivers in ghee and add it to the payasam .

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Mango Coconut Barfi - Vegan dessert under 5 min

It was always on my mind to make some traditional sweet using mango flavor . Long time back,I had tasted this semi soft mango flavored milk barfi somewhere and suddenly it occurred to me ,why not try this with coconut?? 

Coconuts and South Indians are inseparable and hence needless to say, coconut burfi is the most loved sweet in my home . The soft, juicy and melt in mouth barfi is very easy to make and even a beginner cannot go wrong with this recipe . I have detailed the step by step recipe for the Traditional Coconut Barfi / Thenga Barfi and Coffee Flavored Coconut Barfi on my blog.

The microwave bug bit me again and this time I experimented this barfi using the microwave and believe me 5 mins is all that it takes to make this delicious melt in mouth delicacy and no constant stirring or keeping an eye !! So now there can be no excuse to skip and push aside making coconut barfi !! 

And .... hubby,who generally doesn't like Mangoes ,took a few pieces of this barfi and enjoyed it !! Yes, you read it right , hubby dear detests the taste of Mangoes  .... 

Preparation Time - 10 mins
Cooking Time - 5 mins
Complexity - easy 
Makes 9 to 12 pieces 

Ingredients 

1 cup fresh grated coconut 

1/4 cup mango puree from sweet mango 

1/2 cup sugar 

Pinch of cardamom powder /elaichi powder

Little oil for greasing 

Method

• Grate a fresh coconut and take only white portion of the grated part . You can also use frozen coconut, but ensure that it is thawed well and in room temperature.  At times when using frozen directly ,it will release the oil and the taste is not very much welcome .
• In a wide microwave safe bowl, add the coconut, mango puree and sugar and mix it well .Any sweet variety of mango can be used for the puree. Adjust the qunatity of sugar depending on the sweetness of the puree.
• Place it in the microwave and run it for 2 min on high power . Take it ,mix it well as the sugar would have melted and the mixture will be runny. 
• Place it again in the microwave and run for another 2 mins ,take it out and mix once again.  Now the mixture will appear a little less runny and you can shape it into a ball . 
• Now,last step , place it for 1 more min on high power and take it out . This is the most important step as the barfi takes the right consistency at this stage . If we are not careful ,we might end up burning the mixture. So keep an eye in this last step .
• Take it out and pour the barfi mixture on a greased plate and shape it well like we do for any other barfi . Let the mixture cool and while it is slightly warm,mark deep cuts so that it is easy to remove when cooled. You may garnish it with nuts and saffron strands.  

Quick sweet treats using Microwave 

Rose Kulfi 

Basundi 

Gajar Halwa 

Oats Coconut Ladoo

Whole Wheat Nutty choco cake 

Choco Orange Cake 

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Orange Granita - Vegan Dessert

 Granita is a frozen fruit based dessert made using fresh fruit juice and a sweetening agent like honey or sugar and then freezing it . Granita has its origin somewhere in Italy and is popular all over Italy and relished in various flavors . 

Granita is also known as Granita Sciciliana as it was originally made in Sicily . 

To  me this Granita personally reminded of the Indian ice slush delicacy "Gola" ,"Chuski" or "Ice Gola"  where flavored syrup is poured over slushed /crushed ice and topped with some spices like chat masala. When I took a bite of this Orange Granita , I was transported to my childhood where we would occassionally get to indulge into a Gola and my favorite was Kala Khatta or Orange Gola.

I donot mind calling Granita as "Desi Gola Videshi Andaaaz mein"  

If you are wondering, why am I posting this Italian Dessert out of the blue especially when it is chill and raining in many cities in India , well you guessed it right ! It is Monday and time for our weekly post on Foodie Monday bloghop . This week it was Archana's turn to suggest and majority of us opted for Fruit Based Dessert and that is how Orange Granita was born in my kitchen. Archana has some delectable recipes on her blog "The Mad Scientist's kitchen" and true to the name she definitely experiments a lot like a Scientist with her ingredients and recipes. Some of her recipes on my To Do list are Ice Cream Loaf Cake , Samosa Chat . Do check out her space for some really delicious bakes and desserts. 

How does a Granita look like ?

Granita has a crystalline texture and resembles more like crushed ice .

How do we achieve the texture ? 

We must not let the fruit juice freeze completely. In intervals of 30 to 45 mins we must take it out of the freezer and scrape off the slushy mixture and this must be done till the entire mixture appears like crushed ice .

How long does it take to set the granita?

Minimum setting is around 3 hrs. It may take longer depending on the freezer's temperature control.

What is the shelf life ?

Granita stays fresh upto a week when kept properly stored in the freezer.

What are the main ingredients in a Granita?

There are just 3 main ingredients fruit juice , water and sweetener . Sweetener can either be sugar or  honey . Any kind of fresh fruit juice or even flavored fruit juice can be used . The quantity of sugar or honey to be used depends on the sweetness of the fruit juice. We can adjust the level of sweetness accordingly.

How is granita served ?

It is served more like a slush based drink in either small cups or little bowls with a spoon or straw.  Keep the granita frozen  until you serve.

Ingredients

300ml fresh orange juice. 

**you can also used canned orange juice if you donot have fresh oranges. 

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 to 3 tbsp sugar 

Method

Melt the sugar in 1/2 cup water  and boil until it melts. Let the sugar syrup cool for a while.

Now stir in the orange juice and lemon juice into the sugar syrup and mix it well.

Transfer it to a freezer safe container , cover it with a lid or cling film and place it in the freezer.

After 45 mins, take it out of the freezer and you can see that it has set partly and appears semi frozen. Take a fork or spoon and break all the semi frozen crystals and put it back into the freezer. The mixture will appear like a slush now. Donot worry about it.

After the next 45 mins take it out again and break the crystals . This time it would have frozen a little more than the last time. 

Repeat this process of breaking the crystals until the entire juice now appears like crushed ice and has a granular teaxture . Keep it frozen until you serve.

To serve, take a scoop and scrape out a mixture of the granita and place it a dessert bowl or small cups and serve. You can drizzle some honey for extra sweetness or garnish with some cherries or mint as well. 

Some delicious and unique fruit based desserts from my blogger friends that will surely interest you all -

Lip smacking Mango & Passion fruit paletas by Mayuri ji of Mayuri's Jikoni 

Innovative Watermelon Pizza by Poonam who blogs at Annapurna

Evergreen Mango Mastani by Kalyani of Sizzling Tastebuds 

Healthy watermelon berry smoothie by Swaty who owns Foodtrails25

Refreshing Lemon icecream by Priya of Photowali

Granita is being linked to week 259 - Fruity Bites

Coconut Dryfruit Payasam (Kheer) - Vegan

If you have a sudden craving for some warm dessert but donot have much patience to stand and cook one for yourself, this kheer/payasam is sure to come to your rescue and will also satisfy your cravings.
This paysam is made using Jaggery ,hence you dont have to bother about the side effects of consuming white sugar.  No usage of ghee , milk or milkmaid,so your waistline won't increase :-) .
All you need is some fresh or frozen coconut and handful of almonds and cashews and you are ready to go .

Preparation Time : 15 mins
Cooking Time : 8-10mins
Serves : 3-4
Complexity  : Simple

Ingredients
1/2 shell coconut grated or 2 cups grated coconut
8-10 badam /almonds
8-10 cashews
2-3 cardamom pods
1.5 cups grated jaggery (add more depending on the sweetness of jaggery)

** refer notes section on how to use canned coconut milk instead of fresh coconut 
Method

• Soak the grated coconut, badam, cashews and cardamom in 1/2 cup warm water for 15 mins.
• Grind into a very fine paste and add water if needed. The paste shouldn't be too runny .
• Melt the jaggery in 1/2 cup water and filter it if you see any impurities floating . 
• Add another 1/2 cup water to the jaggery and then bring it to a rolling boil . No need for any string consistency. 
• Reduce the flame to the lowest, add the ground coconut paste to this jaggery syrup and stir it quickly such that it doesn't stick to the bottom .
• Continue cooking on low flame with occasional stirring and switch it off once you see the entire mixture appear frothy .
• Donot over boil as there is a tendency for the coconut milk to split and the texture will become too grainy .
• Let it cool down and you can serve it warm or chilled. 

Notes 

1. If you dont have fresh coconut you can use canned coconut milk . 
2. In that case add the coconut milk while adding the cardamom powder.  Don't boil too mucb after adding coconut milk , it will tend to curdle

Check out the various other Vegan kheer varieties in my blog

Aval (Poha) Kheer

Gass Gasse (Poppy Seeds) Payasam

Thengai Paal Payasam (Aadi Paal) - Video recipe

Akki Kadlebele Payasa (rice & channa dhall kheer)

Oats Coconut Ladoo - Vegan Dessert under 3 mins (Microwave recipe)

Another quick ,healthy  dessert / sweet using oats , coconut and jaggery . 

A tasty and filling after school treat for kids to satisfy their sudden sweet cravings ..instead of indulging into white sugar loaded candies or sweets these healthy oats and jaggery balls or ladoo will be a good choice. 

Jaggery is rich in iron and helps fight anaemia and oats being rich in fibre helps in digestion and keeping the digestive track healthy . Oats are also very good for heart health and fresh coconut is also a good source of potassium and other vital nutrients. 

The natural oil from the coconut helps in binding the ladoo and we need not add any extra ghee like we do for the normal ladoos. This makes it vegan friendly as well .

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : 3-4 mins
Makes : 10-12 ladoos
Complexity : Simple

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Ingredients
1 cup fresh grated coconut
3/4 cup roasted rolled oats
3/4 cup jaggery powdered . (I have used organic jaggery powder)
1 tsp cardamom powder
roughly chopped badam & cashews
1/4 tsp coconut oil to grease the palms

Method

• In a microwave safe container , mix the jaggery powder , coocnut , roasted oats and m/w it for 2 mins.
• Take it out from the oven, mix it with a spoon, add the chopped nuts , cardamom powder ; mix and microwave for 1 min again.
• Take it out and let it cool for 2-3 mins.
• Mix it again with a spoon, grease your palms with coconut oil and make ladoos or balls.
• Enjoy it immediately or you can refrigerate and enjoy it chilled as well,

Note
You can roll the ladooos over dessicated coconut if you like. I personally don't like to mix the flavor of fresh coconut and dessicated coconut ,hence avoided it.

Coconut Burfi / Thenga Burfi - Vegan Sweet

I am actually surprised as to how I have not blogged this very simple,yet a very tasty sweet in my blog :-(

Coconut Burfi or Thengai Burfi is very easy to make and almost a no fail sweet

This was the first sweet I learnt to make all by myself a few years ago and it has been a breeze from then .

Generally, there is always some hesitation especially for beginners to work with sugar syrup and making burfis.  That is because if you dont get the consistency of the sugar syrup right , the entire process can turn into a big time flop show.

Traditionally if we go to make we need to check for 1 string consistency and then add the coconut gratings to prepare, but this a quick but no fail recipe and will not let you down.

Preparation Time : 30 mins

Cooking Time : 20 mins

Complexity  : medium 

Ingredients 

1 medium sized coconut 

Sugar as needed 

2 tsp fresh cardamom powder 

1 tsp coconut oil for greasing 

(Ghee can be used if not Vegan)

Method 

• Break the coconut into 2 halves and grate them such that you get only the white portion of the coconut. 
• Dont grate it very deep else the brown portion also will get mixed giving the burfis slightly brown color . 
• You can scrape them left over part of the coconut later to use it for cooking.In that way the coconut won't be wasted.
• Transfer the grated coconut to a container and take sugar in equal measure or 3/4th .
• (I.e if the grated coconut measures 2 cups take 1 .75 cups of sugar )
• In a thick bottomed pan , add the sugar, coconut  and cardamom powder and on medium flame ,let the sugar melt and blend with the coconut. 
• Keep stirring occasionally to prevent burning or sticking to the pan.
• After about 10 mins or so the mixture will appear frothy from the sides and will bubble in center. 
• Now , keep stirring and scraping the mixture from the sides and continue cooking until it forms a nice mass and leaves the sides of the pan .
• Turn off at the stage and immediately transfer to a greased plate and level it quickly .
• Cut squares or diamonds using a knife when the mixture is warm and allow it to set for a while.  Making the mark when warm is important. Otherwise the burfi will crumble when you try to cut after it is cooled .
• Once cooled , remove the pieces carefully from the plate and then transfer to an airtight box and store it .

Gasgasse Payasa | Khus Khus kheer - Vegan Dessert

Gasgasse Payasa is a popular sweet dish from Karnataka made using poppy seeds and fresh grated coconut.  No function or festival is complete without the inclusion of this payasam in the menu.
Each house may have a slightly different recipe for making Gasgasse payasam ;but the end result is very delectable and tingles the taste buds .
This version what I am posting is purely vegan as I have not used regular milk or ghee as a part of the recipe. 
Those who donot follow vegan diet can roast some cashews in ghee and add it as garnish .

Preparation Time : 30 mins
Cooking Time : 20 mins
Serves: 3-4
Complexity:  easy

Ingredients
3 tablespoons Khus khus/ poppy seeds /gasagassa
1 cup fresh grated coconut
10 badam
10 cashews
1.5 cup jaggery powdered
1 tsp elaichi powder

**refer notes section at the end to know how to use canned coconut milk instead of fresh coconut. 

Method

• Soak the khus khus , badam and cashews in 1/2 cup hot water for 20 to 30 mins.
• Add the grated coconut and the soaked ingredients in a blender and make a fine paste . Add 1/2 cup water and keep aside 
• Melt the jaggery in 1/2 cup water . Incase of impurities,filter it and add it to a thick bottom vessel. 
• To this melted jaggery , add the coconut paste and stir well . 
• Cook on low flame until the mixture begins to froth and the raw flavor is lost .
• Mix the cardamom/elaichi powder to the paysam and turn off after a minute. 
• You can garnish with roasted cashews and raisins if you like .
• Tastes best when served warm .

Notes 

1. If you dont have fresh coconut you can use canned coconut milk . 
2. In that case add the coconut milk while adding the cardamom powder.  Don't boil too mucb after adding coconut milk , it will tend to curdle .

Akki Kadlebele Paayasa | Rice Lentil Pudding - Vegan Dessert

This paysam is a speciality of Karntaka a southern state in India . Akki meaning Rice and Kadlebele means Gram Dhall and Paayasa is kheer  .
Akki Kadlebele Paayasa is an easy as well as a very healthy payasam to make .
Why do I call it healthy is because, it doesn't make use of white sugar , milk or ghee like the normal kheer or paysam that we make . For those following Vegan diet , this is an apt dessert for functions or get togethers because we are going to use coconut milk in the preparation.

Preparation Time - 20 mins
Cooking Time - 40 mins
Serves - 3 -4
Complexity - medium

Seeyam | Sugiyan | Chithunde

Seeyam / Sugiyan/ Boorelu/ Chithunde/ Suyyam; call it by any name -this is a very traditional South Indian dessert made for various occasions. Some family traditions call for making this sweet during Navratri ,Diwali or Ganesh Chaturthi while some families make it during Sumangali Pooja or Shraddh / Devasam . In my family it is made during shraadh (the day we pay obeisance to the departed souls) . I am sure many families must be following this ritual of making this as an offering while paying homage to the ancestors / departed souls in the family .
There are various ways in which this dessert can be prepared , some use the Bengal gram / channa dal. - jaggery filling while some use the coconut jaggery filling . I have used the coconut jaggery filling for the same as per my family practice . Likewise the outer covering also varies , some use udad dhall / black gram batter while some use rice flour - maida batter and dip these filling roundels into the batter to coat well and deep fry them in oil .


Preparation Time : 30 mins
Frying time : 10-15 mins
Complexity - difficult

Aval Payasam | Poha Kheer - vegan version

Most often the terms Vegan and Vegetarianism are confused to be one and the same. However, there is a minute difference even though the underlying principle is the same i.e. staying away from consuming meat and animal products.
Veganism goes up  one level further and restricts the use of Diary and Diary products as well . Milk, curd, yogurt, paneer/cottage cheese, ghee, butter, cheese etc are not consumed by those who follow the Vegan Diet.
When someone says they are strict Vegans the immediate questions that arise in people mind is Don't you eat sweets ? How boring, no desserts for you ?
The answer is use of coconut milk, soy milk, almond milk in place of diary milk . Trust me ,our Indian sweets can easily be made using coconut milk and almond milk which makes it taste all the more tastier and richer.

Today's kheer/payasam is one such variant which make use of coconut milk in place of regular milk and the cashews are fried in coconut oil as against ghee.

Preparation Time : 5mins
Cooking Time : 15 mins
Serves : 2-3
Complexity : Easy