Ulutham Paruppu Kanji / Foods for puberty in Girls- Urad Dal Porridge

                                      This is usually a weekend recipe of my childhood days. In my earlier days, I will always stay away from this kanji, because of the mucinous (sticky like texture). But now, I prefer this kanji after knowing its value. When anybody in my family gets infected by cold, then this kanji is made immediately. It is normally advisable to take high protein rich food, when being infected by cold. 

                                      This magical recipe has many good ingredients in it; Urad dal, Palm Jaggery, Garlic, Dry ginger and Coconut. Urad dal is full of proteins. Kanji / Porridge is always good for our stomach.

Prep time 10 mins

Cooking time 15 - 20 mins    

1 cup Urad Dal (whole with/without skin)

3-4 cups Water 
1/4 cup Coconut Grated

2 nos Garlic (Full) 

1 inch long sized Dry Ginger/Sukku (Crushed)

1/2 cup Palm jaggery /Jaggery (Crushed)

1 cup Milk (optional)

Procedure

1) Take all the ingredients urad dhal, peeled garlic, crushed dry ginger and water. Pressure cook for 15 minutes.
In another side, make jaggery syrup from crushed jaggery, by adding little water.

2) When all the ingredients are cooked, add the filtered jaggery syrup and grated coconut.
Let it cooked for 2-3 minutes. Add boiled milk and allow it to cook for another 2-3 minutes in medium flame.




                  Hence the healthy, simple, stomach friendly kanji is ready to be consumed.


                       Note:

•  If you prefer to add 1 cup of milk, reduce 1 cup of water while pressure cooking.
• You can add urad dal with/without skin. I added without skin urad dal.

 

Arisi Maavu Rotti / Rice Flour Roti

                              

                        This may sound a simple and new recipe for many, yes and it is absolutely simple. But, I will go mad for the taste of these rotti’s. Whenever I am from my college hostel, my amma(mother) will make these rottis for me. Sitting in the kitchen(beside my amma), will keep on eating these hot rottis, straight from the tawa. This recipe is known to my mother by one of her muslim friend. Now even after my marriage, when I go to my home, I will be given a plate of these rottis and a cup of tea, for relishing me.

 

                      The rotti is made using arisi maavu(rice flour), grated coconut, ghee and salt only. The taste of rice flour along with coconut and ghee will give a divine taste. I will just eat these rottis without any chutney or thovaiyal.

Prep time 15-20 mins
Cooking time 10 mins                 
                       

Ingredients

2 cups Rice Flour
3/4 - 1 cup Coconut Grated
As required Water
As required Ghee
As per taste Salt


Procedure

• First in a wide opened vessel put the rice flour and coconut. In another vessel pour the water along with salt and mix well. 
• Then pour the water little by little and mix along with rice flour for kneading the dough. While kneading the dough, use the back portion of ladle(the stick like) instead of front one, so that the kneading will be easier. Knead the dough until they become soft.
• Take small portions of kneaded dough and pat it using your hands (to the desired size).
• In simmer position,on a heated tawa, put the patted dough and cook one side. Add 1/2 tsp ghee for one side. 
• When cooked on one side, cook on the other side, again using a 1/2 tsp of ghee.

                       Hence a tasty arisi maavu rotti is ready. This is a simple version of arisi maavu rotti. Simple coconut chutney, Kara chutney can also be used as side dish. We can also make sweet and spicy version of rotti.

                      Note:

• Instead of ghee, oil can also be used.
• For the size of the rotis, I usually pat up to palm size.
• After kneading the dough, close the dough with a moist cloth so that the dough will not turn dry.
• We can also cook it using jaggery, sugar for sweet version.  
• For spicy version we can cook using onion, chilly, cumin seeds and curry leaves.

Achu Murukku Recipe without Egg / Rose Cookies Eggless using Palm Jaggery

                                   Achu murukku may sound new to many, but one who have tasted it will surely be addicted to the taste of it.  I am a very big fan of this achu murukku, so wherever I see the name achu murukku I will feel like, found something which I have lost (related to my childhood memories). Waiting for our arrival (during vacations) my grandma will be stacking this achu murukku in big containers. Myself along with my cousins will fight, break, share and eat this achu murukku. Lovely memories.

                             About this achu murukku, is of two types, for vegetarians and for eggetarians. In the below recipe I have made it with palm jaggery and no egg is used. Adding palm jaggery gives more and enriched taste, but the colour of these murukku’s will turn more brown in colour.
 
                            On the other hand, making the murukku with sugar will be a bit difficult process as coconut milk should be extracted and be added along with it. But the murukku's will be little white in colour in this case.

Prep time 2-3 hours ( For soaking the raw rice)

Cooking time 40-50 mins

Ingredients 

Mold for making Achu murukku
2 cups Raw rice
1 cup Palm jaggery /Jaggery Crushed
1 tbsp Till Seeds/ Ellu (Black)
2-3 nos Cardamom Crushed (optional)

as needed Water

as needed Oil ( For Frying)

Procedure

1) First soak the raw rice for 2-3 hours. Then make smooth batter out of it.(Grind it very fine). The batter should not be very watery.

2) Then powder the palm jaggery and make syrup out of it by adding very little water.

3) While you soak the rice itself, soak the murukku mold in water. Then dry the murukku mold and wipe off if moisture is present.
Pour the oil in the kadai and let the oil get heated. Put the murukku mold in hot oil and let the mold get heated.

4) Now with the grinded batter, add the strained palm jaggery syrup, till seeds and crushed cardamom. Mix all the ingredients together.
The batter is ready for the mold to be dipped in.

5) Do not completely dip the mold into the batter, instead dip the batter only half of the mold (or 3/4 of the mold). (If the mold is dipped fully the murukku will not come out).
Put the dipped batter in mold, into the hot oil.

6) Using a spoon just remove of the murukku from mold and let it fry in the oil. When one side is fried, turn to the other side and let it fry.

7) After the boiling sound stops, strain off the oil and keep the boiled murukku aside. Meantime keep the mold in the boiling hot oil, let the mold gets heated upon. After that once again keep continue the process of making murukku by dipping in batter.

                    Important:

•     It is a must that the murukku mold be heated up in the oil after each and every murkku is made. Because, only when the mold is heated the batter will stick to it. If the mold is not properly heated the batter will not stick to it.

                   Note: 

•    While grinding the batter it should not be very watery. It should be a bit thick (thicker than idli batter consistency) as we are going to add the jaggery syrup.
•    Instead of palm jaggery, normal jaggery can also be used.
•    Do not dip the mold fully, so that the murukku will not come out.