Pori Urundai (Sweet puffed rice balls) for Karthigai Deepam

A crunchy sweet shaped into balls made specially as a offering to Lord Muruga (Karthik) on the day of Thiru Karthikai. But it makes a good snack at anytime of the year.

You can use any variety of puffed rice viz., avil pori, nel pori, normal pori.

avil pori

Nel Pori

pori (nomal one)

Ingredients :-

Puffed Rice - 4 cups
Jaggery - 1 Cup
Coconut - 2 tbsp (finely chopped)
Cardamom - 4 Nos.
Dry Ginger Powder - 1 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tsp

Preparation:-

• The ratio of puffed rice to jaggery is 4 : 1 (Take a measure of jaggery which is 1/4th of the puffed rice)

• Small preparations will ease the process. Put the puffed rice in a sieve to get rid of sand or small stones & black over roasted particles and put it on a plate & clean them.

• Break a coconut (use only fresh ones). Make thin slices and chop them thinly. 

• Powder the cardamom and Dry ginger.

• Grate / slice with knife, the jaggery, melt it and strain it to remove impurities / sand particles.

• In a small bowl or plate, pour little water & keep ready (to check consistency of jaggery)

• Making the preparation & keeping them handy will ease the process.

Procedure :-

•  In a Kadai, pour the melted & filtered Jaggery water, Chopped coconut and boil till it becomes thick & froth well. Drop a little of that in the water kept in a bowl. Take it out with your finger and roll it. If you are able to shape it round like a ball that is the perfect stage. If you throw it on a plate, it will make a sound. Turn off the flame.

• Add Dry Ginger Powder, Cardamom Powder, mix well

• Add the puffed rice (pori), mix well and let it stand for two minutes (to cool down a bit).

• Start dividing them into equal portion. If it sticks to your palm, just moisten your palm with just few drops of water (or dip your finger tip in water and spread it to you palm) and start doing. don't dampen just moist.

• Take out each portion and shape them into round balls (at this stage too, you may moisten your hands)

• To further tighten the balls, grease your fingers & palm with ghee and tighten them once again. 

• Perfect pori urundai (sweet puffed rice balls) is ready!

• Store them in an air tight container.

Brought the karthigai Deepam Prashad for you

Karthigai Deepam

This festival of lights in southern india falls in the karthik month & the day in which karthik star falls and full moon day coincides.  In Northern india it is celebrated as Karthik Purnima / Dev Diwali. In southern India it is known as 'Karthigai Deepam'.

Sharing with you this year's celebration.

Appam, Pori - brought the prashad for you. Adai missing as I made only limited quantity and it's all vanished into our stomach before I could get you a glimpse of it.

 

 

 

 

 

Put the traditional Maakolam using wet rice flour.

May this festival of lights bring more prosperity, good health and happiness into your life.

Best Wishes

Cuckoo - Male & Female koyel at breakfast hour

Everyday when rice is kept for crows, other birds and animals do visit to take their share viz., squirrels, pigeons, cuckoos, sparrows and parrots. During morning hours for few days I visited the place everyday to make them tolerate my presence. Then finally one day I sat patiently with my camera and with minimal movement able to capture these photos. Because of still posture for long time, my hands and legs pained but all is for a worthy shot though my humble camera could give only this much zoom.

Cuckoos are shy birds. Male cuckoos are black in colour and they are the ones who make long sweet calls. They are jet black in colour and have red eyes. Cuckoo and crow pheasant fall in same family.

 Female cuckoos have spots and brown in colour and gives out short and rapid calls. They don't build nest but lays eggs in a crow's nest. The male cuckoo divert the crows by making them come behind it while the female lays the eggs.

This female cuckoo is bolder than its counterparts and came boldly to have its share of rice.

Other winged friends..... couldn't share the picture of parrot as it got erased by mistake :-(

padikolam design

Design -12