Mrs. Mano's Tamilnadu Delicacies - Part 3

[Mrs.Mano]

This is the most famous sweet in Tamilnadu. In fact, this sweet is very old and traditional one. With just a few ingredients, we can make a very delicious dessert. In old days, raw rice was soaked in water, then it was dried on a wet cloth inside the house after having drained out all the water, then dried rice was pound to a fine powder, then the rice powder was sieved and steamed , again sieved after it had been cooled and stored for months. To prepare pal kozukkattai, a soft and glossy dough was prepared with this rice flour by adding hot water, little oil and enough salt to it. Then ladies in the house would make small balls and turn them like jasmine buds with their fingers. In boiling water, these rice buds were cooked and then jaggery powder, shredded coconut and cardamom powder were added. The result was a frothy golden coloured dessert! Thus pal kozukkattai was prepared in old days.

Even now, some people prepare like this taking all these trouble. Some people will add coconut milk in the end. some people are cooking rice buds in the milk instead of water. Nowadays, with an easy method, the pal kozukkattai is prepared with the same delicious result. I am going to post that easy method here. Hope you all enjoy making this delicious sweet.



பால் கொழுக்கட்டை

The ingredients needed:

raw rice- 1 cup
raw rice flour [ this can be bought in any shop]- a little quantity
jaggery- 2 cups [ this must not be fresh and white in colour. The brown one is suitable]
shredded coconut- half cup
cardamom powder- 1 tsp
saffron- a few stripes

Preparation:

Soak the rice in enough water for a few hours.
Then grind the rice with a little water to a thick paste.
Add enough rice flour and a pinch of salt to make a soft dough.
heat a vessel and pour 8 cups of water.
When the water starts simmering, load the dough in a 'Idiyappam press' with a slightly bigger idiyappa achu or small murukku achu [disc].
Then press and squeeze it in the boiling water so that the dough would fall like small murukku pieces in to the water.
Once they are cooked they would come up and float on the surface of the water.
Then second round must be continued in this same way.
Thus finish all the dough.
Now all the cooked pieces will be floating on the surface.
Check the water consistency and more hot water can be added now if the dessert is too thick.
Now add the jaggery powder along with the shredded coconut, cardamom powder and saffron.
Cook for a few more minutes on medium fire.
The delicious pal kozhukkattai is ready now!!


www.muthusidharal.blogspot.com
www.manoskitchen.blogspot.com

[uwitiusoj]

thanks for the wonderful recipe mam. looks so tempting, I would eat them all. I doubt myself, if i could do the muruku part without help. I have put on a lot of weight Dr and hubby advising me not to eat sweets but I so badly want that paal kozhukatai

Mam 2 request, I need Kovakai dry curry recipe without coconut, 2 ways if you can. Pls post it mam when ever you get free time.

Also Kalyana sambar recipe the one where dal is served on top of rice and sambar is poured over it. I am so craving for this one. nothing urgent so take your time mam.

[suvai]

hello nga mrs mano....epadi irukeenga hope yr husband is on the road to recovery...

oru periya favour.....ongakita irunthichinaalo or if u know of a good recipe for millet idly (soft one) thayavu seithu podunga...i took one from the net...& omg..neenga namba maateenga epadi vanthichinu...
oru mozhuku kozhuku..nu vanthichi...but the nets picture was looking as though it was soft maybe they posted some other soft idly picture for this nu neenaikaren... aaga motham the recipe was a total failure for me

thank u nga mrs mano....but dont have to go out of your way sareengala...mudiyum bothu irunthichina podunga

[suvai]

paal kozhukattai with vellam....never knew that nga mrs mano....thank u nga for the recipe

[Mrs.Mano]

Dear Sangeetha!

As you are carrying a child, it is good to shed off a little weight really. Avoid taking fried food, ghee, butter and white sugar, especially sweets made with white sugar. Sweets made with jaggery and karuppatti would not make that much harm. Eat whatever you like but only a little quantity.

I will soon post the recipes of 'kalyana sambar and kovaikkai dry curry soon!

[Mrs.Mano]

Dear Suvai!

My husband is quite alright now. He is active here in Tamilnadu [Thanjavur]
It is very surprising that you never came across 'Pal kozhukkattai'! Every body makes this here with little variation in recipe! In fact, this one is the most favourite sweet for my husband.

I will soon post the recipe of millet idly [ kambu idly] Actually I have a plan to buy millet this evening! It is again another surprise that you have asked the same recipe!!

[suvai]

Hello nga mrs mano......glad that your husband is out & about....which is absolute good news...

you will be surprised if i tell you that i am not even sure if i have tasted paal kozhukattai...leave alone with jaggery....maybe i should just give it a try with lesser quantity..

ohh neengalum millet shopping panna readya iruntheengala......sometimes its amazing how minds work in tandem glad it did....

podunga podunga onga recipe please.....i really want to make this millet (soft idly)......u know how it is ileengala....try panna dish sareeya varalaina...our hearts sink thaaney.......vida porathilai till i get a soft one... with your recipe ..nga......

[uwitiusoj]

suvai this is mano mam jowar idli from her blog

சோள இட்லி

My close relative gave me this recipe. Even that time, I have not expected that I will make such a soft idli with jowar. I was amazed at the result. It is as soft as the usual idlies we make with the boiled rice. Any kara chutney would make a nice accompaniment for these idlies.



JOWAR IDLI

Ingredients:

Jowar - 1 cups
Par boiled rice ( idli rice) - 1 cups
Urad dhal - 1 cup
Enough Salt
Oil

Preparation:

Mix jowar, rice & urad & wash well.
Soak in enough water for 8 to 10 hours.
Jowar needs at least 10 hours to soak while rice and urad dal only need 4 hours to soak.
Grind to a fine batter adding enough water.
Add salt, mix well and ferment the batter for 10 hrs .
Now you have a nice batter for steaming idlies!
We can prepare tasty dosas with this batter.
Once the batter is spread on hot tawa, pour just a few drops of oil over it, cover & cook.
Turn over & cook for just a few seconds.
Serve with sambar or any chilli chutney.

NB:

When grinding the jowar, it takes a little more time to get a fine batter.
So it is a nice idea to grind the soaked jowar in a mixi and then add at the last stage of grinding the rice and urad dal.

[suvai]

hi sangeetha,
thank u for this jowar idly recipe......will surely try it...once i get hold of jowar....cholam nu pottu irukey...is it cholam seeds?....here we get many a variety of it...so is there any particular type to get for this idly...?

seems like u have tried it....so kindly let me know....thanks sangeetha....for taking the trouble to get hold of this recipe & repost it.....nandri

[Mrs.Mano]

Dear Sangeetha!

Here is the recipe for ' KALYANA SAMBAR'! Hope you will enjoy making it!



கல்யாண சாம்பார்

Ingredients:

Tuar dal- 2 handful
split green gram- 50gm
Tamarind- a big lime size
small onion-a handful
green chillies-3 [ split]
crushed tomato- 1 1/2 cup
mustard seeds- 1 sp
asafoetida- a small piece
turmeric powder- half sp
chopped corainder leaves- a handful
vegetable pieces [ drumstick, carrot, ridge gourd, ladies finger, Pumpkin]
salt to taste
oil- 2 tbsp
Ghee- 2 tbsp.

In a sp of oil, fry these ingredients to golden brown and then powder them nicely:

red chillies[ long]-6, coriander seeds- 2 tbsp, tuar dal- 1 tbsp, bengal gram- 1 tbsp, black gram- half sp, asafoetida- a pea size, fenugreek seeds-half sp and curry leaves-15

Procedure:

Soak the tamarind in hot water for half an hour and extract its thick juice.
Cook the dal
Heat a vessel and pour the oil and the ghee.
Add the mustard seeds with the asafoetida piece.
when the mustard seeds splutter add the onions with the green chillies and fry them until they become soft.
Add the tomatoes with the turmeric powder and the coriander leaves.
Cook them until they are mashed and the oil floats on the surface.
Now add the tamarind extract with enough water.
Add the vegetables with enough salt.
When the vegetables are cooked add the cooked dal with a little salt.
When the sambar starts simmering sprinkle the sambar powder and mix well.
After a minute, reduce the fire and allow the sambar cook on slow fire for 3 minutes.
The del;icious kalyana sambar is ready now!!

NB:

Some people fry 1 or 2 tbsp shredded coconut in a little ghee to a slightly golden colour and then powder it along with the other fried ingredients.
In some place, a little shredded coconut, 1 or 2 tbsp of ghee and 1 tbsp of shredded jaggery will be added in the end. But this will give the ' Hotel sambar' taste!
I have added a little drumstick leaves along with the vegetables.