Old is gold.

Kollu Podi - not one, but two recipes !

1<SUP>st</SUP> recipe - not hot & spicy:

Kollu or horse gram - 100 gms

Pepper - 25 gms

Moong dhal - 50 gms

Omum - 10 gms

Dry ginger - 10 gms

Salt

Dry roast every ingredient separately till lightly roasted – roast horsegram till crisp & moong dhal till aroma comes.

Cool & powder.

This is very good to be eaten with rice & ghee.

2 nd recipe - hot & spicy, can be used with idli & dosai, as well, besides rice.

Horse gram - 1 cup

Urad dhal - ¾ cup

Hing - 2 tsp

Red chillies - 20-25

Salt

In ½ tsp oil, fry red chillies & hing.

In the same kadai, roast first urad dhal & then horse gram till light brown.

Dry roast salt also.

Cool & powder.

This is very good to be eaten with idli & dosai.

 

Jiffy Paruppu Podi - ready in just a few mts !

Pepper - 1 tsp

Jeera - 2 tsp

Fried gram ( pottu kadalai) - 1 cup

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Garlic cloves - 10

Salt

In the mixi jar first grind together pepper & jeera.

Then add fried gram, salt & fried gram.

Grind fine.

Add garlic, unpeeled.

Grind again.

Serve with hot rice & ghee ( or gingelly oil).

The same can be converted to a quick side dish for chappathi, the following way.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai.

Temper ½ tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp urad dhal & few curry leaves.

Add I chopped onion, 1 slit green chilli & 1 chopped tomato.

When they are fried well add 1 cup of water & salt ( very little only).

Add as much of the powder as the thickness required & simmer.

Before removing, add 1 tbsp fresh ( not at all sour) curds & chopped coriander leaves.

 

Pal Kozukkattai - more traditional than traditional !

Raw rice - 1 cup

Coconut - 1 cup

Jaggery - ¾ cup ( can increase or decrease according to taste)

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Salt - a pinch

Cardamom - 1 tsp

Pachai karpooram - 2,3 granules ( edible camphor )

Wash & soak rice in 1 cup of water for 2 hrs & grind very fine adding 1 tbsp jaggery, a tiny pinch of salt & the soaked water to a fine paste.

Mix with 1 more cup of water.

Heat ghee in a kadai, add paste & stir well till it forms a mass.

Cool, knead thoroughly & roll into very small balls.

In a broad vessel boil 4-5 cups of water.

When the water is boiling vigorously add 7,8 balls at a time.

The water should be continuously boiling on a medium flame.

When the first set of balls start floating, it means they are cooked ( do not remove them), now add another batch.

If the water becomes less, add some boiling water.

Continue cooking in batches till all the balls start floating & are cooked.

In the meanwhile take the first extract from coconut by adding 1 cup warm water & the second extract by adding ½ cup warm water.

Heat ½ cup of water & jaggery in a vessel on a low fire till jaggery dissolves.
Boil till it becomes syrupy.

Immediately strain & add to the boiling balls ( now they should be completely floating).

When the mixture boil after blending with jaggery, add the second extract.

Simmer for a few mts & add cardamom powder, pachai karpooram & switch
off.

Add the first coconut extract & mix well.

The end product must have sauce consistency.

 

Let me explain, Laxmi !

Yes, ponni pacharisi is fine.
To get a soft dough ( we say, thakkali paza consistency) 1 cup rice requires 2 cups water - only then the dough will be thoroughly cooked as well. We prepare the " mel mavu' for purana kozakkattai also in the same way. It should be cooked thoroughly, but like chappthi dough as well. So I suggested 1 cup for soaking & grinding, 1 cup for mixing & cooking. You cook stirring well for a few mts - it will reach the right patham.
Love & regards,
Chithra.

 

add successive batches, Vidya.

There is nothing like overcooking in this. Go on adding further batches - nothing will happen. It will remain with the same softness. I do remember you asked for this recipe, Vidya.
Love & regards,
Chithra.

 

Laxmi, your palkozukkatai had an amazing taste as well !

I do hope now everybody will start calling me Chithra - if our Induslad can remain at 28, why do you want to remember my age ??!!
Laxmi, you have follwed the recipe very correctly. The consistency was just right & the flavour was also very good !
It is such a traditional but delicious dish - I wish more people try it !
Love & regards,
Chithra.

 

Maavilakku - An offering in Adimonth.

There are many mavilakku recipes:
In T N the following recipe is follwed. Take raw rice-whatever vessel you use (I mean any size,depending on the no: of family members, to how many people you are going to distribute etc ) take fullyheaped in that vessel & a handful. You can use a small or big vessel. Rice is not generally washed with water but wiped with a clean cloth.Just smear some milk on it, mix well(pesari vaippathu)& rest it for 10 mts in a covered vessel.. grind it with cardamom in a mixi as fine as possible.Take the same volume of nattu sakkarai(also called poora sakkarai),clean it by picking out tiny lumps etc. Reserve a little of rice flour for putting kolam & mix the rest with the sugar thoroughly. Heap it into a flat mass with your hands, mixing it well. After the mavilakku is offered this will have a nice ghee flavour.Now the coconut offered is grated & mixed with this & the mixture is offered as prasadam.

Kerala recipe:
Raw rice is washed, soaked for 1 hr, drained well on a cloth & powdered with cardamom. Powdered jaggery is gradually added in the mixi itself & blended
gradually till a chappathi dough consistency is reached. Jaggery is not measured
but added as much as necessary. Take it out of the mixi & knead nicely with hand till you can pat it into a flat mass.
The first one is “uthir uthir” whereas the second one is dough-ey!