Ona Sadhya / Feast at our Home

Hello,

This year (2014) had a great onam celebration. With the help of my 10, 5 and 3 lit pressure cookers, i could easily make a Sadhya / Feast. So sharing with you a glimpse of the onam feast so that you can enjoy virtually.




Menu :

1. Palada Pradhaman
2. Kichadi
3. Pachadi
4. Aviyal
5. Kurukku Kalan
6. Olan
7. Thoran
8. Puli Inji
9. Pazha Norukku
10. Pappadam
11. Kai varathadhu
12. Salkara Upperi
13. Nadan Ari Choru
14. Parippu
15. Arachu vitta Sambar
16. Rasam
17. Nei
18. Thayiru

 
Here is the appartment Ranogli + Pookalam fusion I made on that day

Now, did you..... burrrrrrrrrrrrrrpp?

Enjoy the virtual feast.

Bajra Ragi Idli - Kezhvaragu kambu idli

Idli - is considered to be an healthy breakfast which supplies the required energy to start a day in the form of carbohydrates.   

Adding native grains of our country make an oridinary idli into an elated Healthy Idli. Native grains have their own health benefit. our traditional food consisted of this. But after the white rice entered our cuisine, the native grains which are compeltely filled with goodness from mother nature has been pushed to a corner which is noticed only by few. Those few are trying to bring them to the lime light through their innovative recipes.

Sharing with you a one such recipe which includes Ragi and Bajra into this healthy idli making.

Ingredients :-

1. Bajra / Pearl Millet - 1 cup
2. Ragi - 1 cup
3. Parboiled rice - 3 cup (idli rice)
4. Whole Urad / Bengal Gram - 1 cup
5. Sago - 2 tbsp
6. Fenugreek seeds - 1.5 tsp

Procedure :-

• Wash and Soak Bajra, Ragi and rice for 10 hours  along with sago and fenugreek seeds

• Wash and Soak urad for one hour

• Drain water from soaked urad

• First in a wet grinder, put the Urad and grind it for 20 to 30 minutes by adding water little by little till it becomes nice & fluffy like butter.

• Transfer the batter to a vessel.

• Now Add the soaked rice+ragi+sago+bajra+fenugreek and grind it to paste by adding water little by little as and when required so that you can easily transfer it to the vessel without dropping.

• when rice is ground, add the already ground Urad & required salt & grind them together for 10 minutes (no need to add water now) so that they get mixed well.

• Transfer it to a bigger vessel and let it ferment for 6 hours or till the batter raise well. If you are leaving it overnight on a hot day, do keep a big eating plate (thali) under the vessel so that in case any spillage happens during fermentation, it will fall into the plate.

• To make idli, to the fermented batter, add required water (slightly more than dropping consistency) and mix well.

• Grease the idli mould, Put the steamer on the stove and let the water inside it boil.

• Now pour a laddle of batter into moulds and steam it for 10 minutes.

• Insert a knife. if it comes out clean, the idli is done!

Enjoy the healthy idli with a healthy coconut or onion chutney or go as per what your taste bud suggest!

Eat Healthy, Live Healthy!

 

Pazha Norukku / Pazha Nurukku

Pazha Norukku / Nurukku is one of the servings done for Ona Sadhya. A sweet dish made out of the special banana of Kerala 'Nendram Pazham' that is fully ripe.  It is also prepared on ordinary days as a snack and served along with salted accompaniments like fried kerala papad or banana chips.

The dish is very simple to prepare.

You will need :- (4-5 pieces)

1. Nendram Pazham (Etha pazham) - 1 No. (big)
2. Jaggery (shredded)  - 1.5 tbsp
3. Salt - a pinch
4. Water to boil the banana
5. Ghee - 1 tsp (optional)

Procedure :-

• Wash the nendram banana and wipe it dry.

• Cut the banana into equal pieces (4 ot 5 pieces) with skin

• Boil water, add jaggery, a pinch of salt and the cut banana (with skin)

• Cook till the banana is done and the water reudces and the Melted jaggery syrup coat the bananas like a glazy sauce. 

• Add ghee, gently mix without breaking the bananas.

• Pazha Norukku / Pazha nurukku is ready!

• It is served with papadam (kerala fried papad) or Kai varathadhu (Banana chips). A bite of salty papadam / chip, a bite of the sweet pazha nurkku... what a combo!

Sweet Rice Puttu

Today being friday, I decided to offer the Goddess, one of her favourite - the sweet puttu.

Puttu is a traditional dish made of pounded rice, which is steamed and consumed. Puttu means 'portioned' in Tamizh Language and the dish is prevalent in Tamil-speaking areas in South India and Sri Lanka.

Two varieities of puttu are there. One sweet and the other Salt. The salt version prevails both in the state of Tamizh Nadu and Kerala as a breakfast item, which is savoured with various accompaniments like Kadala Curry, Peas Curry, Coconut milk, Banana, Sugar and Fried Papad.

I have already shared the recipe for Salt Puttu with you long back. Here I am with the Sweet version of the steamed dish (puttu)

Sweet puttu is considered a favourite of the Devi and is prepared specailly during the Navratri Celebration.

You may use boiled rice or raw rice or a special rise available in southindian shop called as 'puttu arisi' (Rice used for puttu making).

You may need a clean muslin cloth (you may also use the cloth used for packing parcels like I did) and a idli steamer. If you don't have a steamer, you may use your pressure cooker (without weight) or a big vessel with lid.

Video of this recipe is published in Mira's Askhaya Patram. Link :- https://youtu.be/-kpU5M19hXI

  

Ingredients :-

1. Rice - 1 cup
2. Jaggery - 1 cup (shredded)
3. Turmeric Powder - a pinch
4. Green Cardamom - 2 Nos.
5. Salt a pinch
6. Water
7. Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp
8. Ghee - 2 tbsp
9. Cashew nut - 4 nos.

 Procedure :-

• Wash Rice, drain. Let it rest for 10 minutes, covered.

• Heat a kadai (wok), roast the rice till it turns golden in color. Transfer to a plate or paper & let it come to room temperature. 

• Dry Grind it to little coarse texture and transfer to a mixing bowl.

•  Add a pinch of salt and turmeric to it. Mix well.

• Sprinkle water little by little while mixing it. Rice will keep absorbing water. So when it becomes little dry, keep adding tbsp of water till you feel it becomes moist, soft and like a finely grated coconut. The volume of the flour will double.

• When you get the crumbling texture (take a fistful of the flour. try crumbling it), close it and keep it aside for sometime (half hour for raw rice. One hour for boiled rice)

• As the rice flour stands for sometime, melt the shredded jaggery and filter it to remove any sediments / impurities. 

• Chop / break the cashewnut into small pieces, heat ghee in a small wok and fry them till golden brown. keep aside. 

• Powder the green cardamom. (I use a mortar and pestle)

• Now let us get back to the rice flour. Transfer the moist flour to the cloth.

• Heat a steamer and steam it for 10 minutes.

• Carefully lift the cloth (use a glove as it will be too hot) and open it.

• On a wok, heat the filtered jaggery water to a thick syrup. Keep a small bowl with water for checking the jaggery syrup ready.

• When the syrups becomes bubbly, thick, drop a little into the water kept. Take it with your fingers. If you are able to shape it into a ball, that is the right consistency for this dish.

• Now switch off the flame. Add grated coconut, ground cardamom powder, fried cashewnuts along with the ghee to it.

• Add the steamed rice flour. Mix well

• Let it stand for 20 - 30 minutes. 

• Delicious flavourful sweet puttu is ready!