Sippi (Kulkul)

Ingredients 

• Maida - 1 cup
• Water - ¼ cup
• Salt - ½ tsp
• Oil - 3 cup
• Sugar -¾ cup
• Elachi powder - 1 tsp

Method -

• Mix maida in a wide bowl with salt and ¼ cup of water approximately. Knead them to make a stiff dough, like how we make for puris.
• Basically the dough shouldn't stick. Please do not add all the water at one go. Add little by little till it kneads to a stiff dough.
• Now take a very small piece of dough and flatten it on any design like the mould shown in the picture or fork. Then roll each piece off so that the design will be Imprinted on it.
• Heat oil in a kadai and deep fry these sippi’s in batches till they turn to golden brown color and transfer them to paper towels to drain the excess oil content.
• Make sure that the oil is not very hot because it tends to burn the moment u drop them, as they are very thin.
• Heat sugar with ¼ cup water(approximately) over medium flame. When it starts to boil vigorously add 1tsp of Ellaichi powder and check for thread consistency.
• Transfer the sippi’s immediately into the sugar syrup and stir them well.The syrup will crystallize and all the sippi will be coated with sugar. Remove, let it cool and store.

Susiyam

Ingredients:

• Maida - 1 cup
• Split gramdhal - 1 cup soaked for atleast 40 mins
• Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
• Grated coconut - 3/4 cup
• Jaggery - 3/4 cup crushed
• Sugar - 1 tbsp
• Ghee -2 tsp
• Salt - 1 1/2 tsp
• Oil for frying - 150 ml refined
• Water - 2 ¾ cups

Method:

• Take a pressure pan, add the split gramdal,2 cups water and 1/2 tsp salt. Pressure cook this upto 4 whistles. Turn off the flame. Wait for the pressure to be released.
• Open the lid and mash the cooked dhal, add the crushed jaggery, cardamom powder, grated coconut,1 tbsp sugar,2 tsp ghee and mix well. If this stuffing is water ,turn on the flame and saute this till it runs dry.
• Shape this gram dhal stuffing into small sized balls.
• Take a bowl Add 1 cup maida, little more than 1/2 a cup water and 1 tsp salt. Mix this well so that no lumps should form.
• Heat refined oil in a kadai, dip the gram dhal balls in maida flour (so that it gets fully coated with maida flour) and deep-fry this in oil till this turns golden brown on bothsides.

Achu Murukku (eggless)

Ingredients:

• Raw rice flour - 1 cup
• Maida/all purpose flour - 1/4 cup
• Sugar powder - 1/2 cup
• Coconut milk - 1 cup
• Salt - A pinch

Method:

• Sieve the rice flour,maida,sugar powder together.
• Add coconut milk and salt with the sieved flour and mix well,without lumps.
• The batter should be like dosa batter consistency, if the batter is too liquid it won't come out of the mould or if it's too thick it won't be crispy.So adjust the water according to your batter consistency.
• Heat oil in a kadai,once oil is heated up place the achu muruku mould in hot oil for one minute.
• After that take the mould and dip it immediately into the batter to 3/4th,not fully.
• As the mould is hot the batter will stick into it and place that in the hot oil.
• After the batter is half done, use a fork to release the muruku to the oil.
• Turn it on other sides and fry it to light brown/till crispy.
• Repeat the same step for remaining batter. Every time before you dip the mould in the batter, keep the mould in the hot oil for a minute.

Note: The batter consistency is very important,if it is too liquid it will not come out from the mould.So adjust the consistency of batter carefully.
If the mould is new, keep it in dosa batter for a day ,then wash it nicely and apply oil in all sides.keep this for another day then use it.

Jalebi

Ingredients:
For the Jalebi batter

• 200 gms All purpose flour / Maida
• 2 cups Curds/ Yoghurt
• 2 tsp Lime Juice
• 150 gmsapprx* Cornstarch / Cornflour
• 2 tbsp Hot oil
• Food colour - orange / saffron / yellow
• pinch of salt

For the Sugar Syrup

• 2 cups Sugar
• 1 tsp Lime juice
• Water - Just enough to cover the sugar and melt.
• Oil for deep frying

Method:

• In a bowl, take the flour, add salt, then add in the curds, whisk well. Then add lime juice, cornstarch, safroncolour, and finally the hot oil.
• Mix everything well together and make sure there are no lumps. The batter needs to be thick.
• I mistook and made the batter little thin, so I had to add more starch to thicken the batter.
• Once this is done, set it aside to ferment.

To make the Sugar Syrup

• When the batter is all ready, get the sugar syrup ready. Take a pan with sugar, add just enough water to cover all the sugar.
• Keep stirring so that the sugar melts. Strain if required.
• Add line juice to avoid sugar crystallization. But few did after few days.
• Then again cook till you get a syrupy consistency. Keep it warm.

Making the Jalebis

• Heat oil in a kadai. It is advised that once oil hot, you reduce to medium low flame. But I saw that my Jalebis were getting soggy when I do that.
• Spoon batter into a piping bag / zip lock bag or even your milk/ any thick plastic cover. Cut a tiny hole at one end, pipe the batter into the hot oil.
• Fry till it's crisp and starts changing colour. This took about just couple of seconds for me, I had to be really quick with piping and turning the jalebis.
• Flip and cook on both sides. Once done, drop the hot jalebis into the warm sugar syrup. Done dunk them for long, flip on both sides and remove with a slotted spoon.

This is best served hot/warm.

Sweet Somas or Kajjikayalu

Ingredients for Stuffing:

• ½ cup Fine coconut shreds
• 1 cup Rava (sooji )
• ¼ cup Fried gram
• 1 cup Sugar
• ¼ tsp Cardamom / elaichi pwd

For Somas:

• 2 cups Maida
• 1 tbsp Roasted rava
• Salt to taste
• Oil to fry

Method:
To prepare the inside stuffing ( Poornam )

• Grate coconut to fine shreds.
• Roast rava and keep aside.
• Heat ghee in a fry pan.
• Add grated cashew, coconut shreds, fried gram powdered, sugar, roasted rava and cardamom powder.
• Saute till rich aroma comes out.
• Remove from flame and keep aside.
• Poornam is ready for stuffing.

To prepare Somas:

• In a wide bowl, take maida and 1 tbsp roasted rava.
• Add a pinch of salt and knead it to soft dough by sprinkling water(just as we do for making pooris). Keep the dough covered for 5 to 10 mins.
• Make small balls out of the dough.
• Roll it to small discs.
• Keep the poornam inside and close it. Fold it as semicircle and seal the ends with little oil. Repeat the same for all the balls. Heat oil in a fry pan.
• Deep fry the somas in medium flame to golden.

Delicious somas is ready to share & enjoy.

Banana Kachayam

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Maida or All purpose flour
• 1 cup Semolina (white Sooji/Rava)
• 3 Bananas
• 4 Cardamom Pods
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 2 tsp grated Coconut (Optional)
• 1 pinch Baking soda powder
• Water
• Oil for deep frying

Method:

• In a bowl peel the Bananas and mash them well.
• Add Maida, Rava, Cardamoms, Grated Coconut, Baking soda and Sugar with the mashed Banana.
• Add the water with the mixture little by little and make batter like idli/dosa consistency.
• Heat the Oil in a frying pan.
• Take a small amount of mixture using small and round shaped ladle.
• Drop the dough into hot Oil and deep fry until become golden brown on both sides.
• Now the kachayam is ready to serve.
• We can serve it Hot or even store this kachayam upto 2 weeks in a cool and dry place.

Note: I am using Coconut it is optional and Instead of sugar and Maida we can use Jaggery and wheat flour which is healthier than this.

Pidi Kozhukattai - Kudumulu

Ingredients:

• Rice flour - 1 cup
• Water - 2 cups
• Jaggery - 1 cup or to taste
• Coconut grating or coconut pieces - 1/4 cup
• Cardamom – 2
• Gingelly oil - 1tsp

Method:

• Mix the rice flour with 1 cup of water.
• Melt the jaggery with 1 cup of water and strain to remove any impurities.
• Take a non stick pan and heat with strained jagerry water.Bring it to boil.
• Now add the rice flour mix, coconut pieces, cardamom powder and mix well.
• Stir continuously ensuring that no lumps are formed.
• Once all the water is absorbed and appears like a dough consistency.
• Remove from heat and keep aside.
• Apply some gingelly oil in your palm.
• Make a small lemon size balls out of the kozhukattai dough and keep aside.
• For pidi kozhukattai take a small lemon size kolukattai dough and make a ball and keep it your palm just press it by your fingers.
• Steam the kozhukatais in idly cooker or pressure cooker using idly plates for 5 to 10 mins.
• Allow to cool for sometime. Then remove the kolukattai or kudumulu from idly cooker.

Now your easy and tasty pidi kozhukattai is ready.

Poornam Kozhukattai - Modak

Making of dough:
Ingredients:

• Raw Rice – 1 1/2 cup
• Coconut oil – 1 tsp
• Water – 1/2 cup
• Pinch of salt

Method of Preparation:

• Soak rice for 2 hours.
• Grind it finely into a smooth paste.
• Boil 1/2 cup of water in a deep bottomed pan and add a tsp of coconut oil.
• Now add the ground rice , pinch of salt and keep stirring.
• After a couple of minutes it will become a soft ball.
• Cover it and turn off the stove and leave it for 3 to 4 minutes.
• It will be cooked.
• The dough has to be cooked but not completely. It should not be hard.
• This is the main part to concentrate on.

Making of Poornam:
Ingredients:

• Shredded coconut – 3/4 cup
• Jaggery – 1/2 cup
• Cardamom – 2 count
• Ghee/Clarified butter – 1tsp

Method of Preparation:

• Add jaggery to a pan and add 1/4 cup of water.
• Let it boil and let the jaggery melt completely.
• Now filter the syrup to get rid off the dirt and add it to a clean pan.
• Add the shredded coconut and keep mixing for two minutes.
• Add the ground cardamom and mix well.
• When the mixture starts thickening, turn off the stove.

Making of dumplings:

• Now make small balls with the rice dough.
• Take the balls and press it in the middle and make a cup.
• keep a tsp of puran inside close it to make a desired shape. You can also choose one of the shape as in the picture above.
• Repeat the same procedure with the other balls.
• Once you are done, you can arrange them in the idli plates and steam cook for 10 minutes (just like how you make idlis).
• Turn off the stove and remove them from the plates.

Kozhukattai is ready.

Carrot Halwa - Gajar Ka Halwa

Ingredients:

• Peeled and grated carrots - 2.5 cups
• Milk - 6 cups
• Sugar - 1 cup
• Ghee - 3 tbsp
• Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
• Cashew and nuts - to garnish

Method:

• Bring the milk to boil in heavy bottomed pan and continue to simmer till it reduces to half the quantity. Make sure you keep stirring once in a while, so it doesn't stick to the bottom.
• Meanwhile, in another pan, heat the ghee and add the grated carrots.
• Saute for about 5-8 minutes on a low flame till it loses its raw smell and softens.
• Add the carrot to the reduced milk and continue cooking till the milk is completely absorbed and the carrot is just moist.
• Once the carrot is cooked, add sugar and cook for 5 minutes, till the sugar dissolves.
• Add the cardamom powder and remove from flame.

Important! Serve warm.

Passiparuppu Payasam - Greengram Dhal Payasam

Ingredients:

• Green gram Dhal (pasi paruppu) – ½ cup
• Raw Rice (pacharisi) – 2 spoons
• Jaggery (vellam) – ½ cup
• Grated Coconut – ¼ cup
• Cashew nuts – 5
• Dry grapes – 5
• Cardamom – 3
• Ghee

Method:

• Cook Green gram dhal and raw rice in pressure cooker.
• Heat a pan. Add Water and Jaggery(vellam). Make sure that the Jaggery melts well with water.
• Then add cooked Green gram dhal and raw rice.
• Fry Cashew nuts, Dry grapes and Cardamom in Ghee.
• Finally add Grated coconut, fried Cashew, Dry grapes and Cardamom.

Kamarkat

Ingredients:

• Coconut - 1 cup ( freshly grated)
• Jaggery - 1 cup
• Elachi - 2 pod
• Oil - 1 tsp

Method:

• Heat the jaggery in the pan. Allow it melt and change into dark golden color (260 degrees F).
• Add the coconut and cook it until it comes together.
• Remove from flame and spoon the mix on to a tray coated with some oil. Shape them into balls.
• When it drys up pop one into your mouth and experience true delight.

Pal (Milk) Kolukattai

Ingredients :

• Rice flour – 1 cup
• Powdered jaggery – 1/2 cup
• Milk – 1 cup
• Coconut gratings – ½ cup
• Cardamom Powder – ½ teaspoon
• Salt – a pinch

Method:

• In a kadai put the rice flour and fry till it is hot to touch.
• Boil two cups of water along with salt and pour over the fried rice flour and mix using a wooden spoon. When it is hot enough to touch, make a dough.
• In a thick bottomed vessel pour 4 cups of water and bring to boil.
• When it starts boiling, put lemon size dough into Murukku Press (Using Murukku Acchu) and press on to the boiling water (like making murukku in oil).
• Allow to cook for three to four minutes. Do not stir until it is cooked. Then gently stir. Again take little dough and press on the same boiling water.
• Allow to cook again. Repeat this process till you finish all the dough. Add milk and allow to cook for five more minutes.
• Add ¼ cup water to the jaggery powder and bring to boil . When it completely melts and starts boiling, take out from stove and strain it. Add this to the kozhukattai. Stir gently.
• When all mixed well, add cardamom powder and coconut gratings. Mix well and remove. It will thicken when it is cooled.

Note: The quantity of the jaggery may be increased if you require more sweet. If you do not mind calories, then you can add coconut milk instead of ordinary milk. It will be very tasty.