Chakka varattiyad (jackfruit jam)

To take down a Jackfruit from the tree is a herculean task. Even more tuff job is to cut open the fruit.You will need a big sword for that. Then take out the fruits, deseed them...its a long procedure. But after all this hard labor you could enjoy the honey-sweet and juicy fruits. I am rather lazy to do all this. So I wait for mom to do all this cleaning part.There is whole lot of other items you can make with jackfruit like puzhukku, thoran. I love to eat the ripe fruits. Other than that, i love chips and jam made out of it. . 

 Ingredients

Jackfruit- 2 cups of jackfruit paste

Jaggery- 1 cup

Cardamom powder- 1 tablespoon

Dry ginger powder- 1 tablespoon

Cumin powder- 1/2 tablespoon

Ghee-  2 tablespoon

Procedure

Chop the jackfruit into small pieces. Add 1/2 cup water and pressure cook it for one whistle. Allow to cool. Make a fine paste in a blender. Add equal amount of jaggery powder. Melt jaggery in a heavy bottomed vessel and strain it. 

In a non-stick vessel, mix the jaggery with the fruit paste.Also add in cardamom powder, dry ginger powder and cumin powder. Blend well and cook on a low flame. Keep stirring in between to ensure that mixture doesn't stick to the bottom. Add half of the ghee when partly done.

Keep cooking till almost all the liquid is gone, you can then  switch off the burner and let the jam cool and solidify.At this stage add the remaining ghee and mix it well.Remove and transfer to a bowl. If refrigerated this can be kept for even one year. 

Many delicacies can be used by using this varatti/ jam as base. One my moms favorite is 'pradhaman'-jackfruit kheer in coconut milk. You can also make pothi palaharams/ kozhukkatta and ada with these. Adding the spices in the varatti helps in digestion as jackfruit can sometimes be harsh on the stomach.

 

Uzhunn vada/ Medu vada

Medu vada/ Uzhunnu vada is a staple South Indian snack.Its a crispy Black gram fritters loved throughout India. Its a south Indian snack which has become popular among other parts of the country like idlis and dosas. Generally its had as breakfast but i love them as evening snack with piping hot tea.

The recipe is easy you just have to fry the dough. But the problem is in shaping the vada. The consistency must be right for the holes to form properly. The dough must be stubborn one. What i mean is when you try pouring it with a spoon you should have to literally give a big throw to make them fall. Dont over grind the dal or else vadas wont be fluffy.

Ingredients

Urad dal/ Uzhunnu vada/ split black gram- Soaked in water for 4 -5 hours- 1 cup

Onions- Chopped very fine

Ginger- 1 inch- chopped

Green chilli- 2 - chopped

Ground pepper- 1 or 2 pinch

Hing powder- 1/2 teaspoon

Rice powder- 1 tablespoon

Sooji- 1 talespoon

Salt- as required

Oil- For frying

Procedure

After soaking in water for about 4 hours, drain the excess water and grind the dal to a coarse paste. Try to grind it by adding minimum water. Don't soak the dal too long or it may become too soggy and the batter would become runny.Now add all the other ingredient to the batter except oil and mix well. Heat the oil in a deep bottomed vessel. Add enough oil or the vada will stick to the bottom. 

In a small bowl keep cold water ready to dip and wet your hands before shaping the batter. take a scoop and place on your hands. 

Make a hole in the middle and drop into the oil. keep the flame on medium heat.Fry till golden brown. Drain and drain excess oil by placing on tissue papers.serve hot with coconut chutney or sambar.

Spicy tangy irumban puli achar

Irumban puli or chilumikka in Malayalam is known as bilimbi world over. Its a very sour fruit when eaten raw. But is used as pickles, squash and chutneys. It has many medicinal properties and is considered excellent to lower cholesterol.
Irumban puli pickle is an easy one to make. Just saute all the spices and add in the sliced puli to it.

Ingredients

Irumban Puli- 10-15 nos.

Turmeric powder- 2 tablespoon

Red chilli powder- 4 tablespoon

Hing powder- 2 teaspoon

Fenugreek  powder- 1 tablespoon

Mustard seeds- 2 teaspoon

Oil- 3 tablespoon

Salt- as required

Procedure

Heat the oil and let the mustard seeds splutter. Now lower the flame add all the spices. Keep stirring till the raw smell leaves from the spices. Now add the sliced puli ( you cal also add it whole). Let it cook for some time. No need to add any water as the fruit already has a lot of water. After about 7 minutes switch off the flame. The pickle is done. If you think the pickle is too sour you can add a bit of jaggery.

Store in refrigerator as it can get spoiled quick.

Soft spongy Idli

Rice idli
My favorite comfort food...soft and spongy idlis dipped in sambhar with an accompaniment of coconut chutney...there is no other food that satisfies me as much as this humble idli. Moreover as its steam cooked its a very healthy breakfast. The rice and urad dal in idlis compliment each other, making it a completely balanced meal. The vegetables and dal in sambhar are also good supplements. Though there are many variations in idli, the most delicious one is the simple rice idli.

Ingredients

Idli rice-4 cups 

( One can also use 2 cups raw rice and 1 cup parboiled rice. This makes more perfect idlis. If you dont have paroiled rice then you can add a owl of cooked rice instead.)

Urad dal/black gram- 1 cup

Salt- as required

water- as required

Oil for greasing

Procedure

Wash rice and dal thoroughly. Soak the rice and dal separately for about 5 hours. Dont throw away the water used for soaking as it contain some washed off nutrients. you can use this water while grinding.
Grind rice and urad dal separately in a grinder. Its better to grind dal first as dal paste which does not come off from the grinder will come out with rice. Make sure that batter has a grainy texture. It should not be too runny.
Idli batter should preferably be thicker than dosa batter. Mix the batter well. Now keep the batter overnight. Next day you will find a nicely risen batter which has a fluffy texture. The hardest and crucial part of a successful idli is preparation of the batter. Any mistake in the ratios could either make a hard idli or soggy one. Remember, urad dal makes the idlis soft but too much of it could make it sticky. So always maintain the rice-dal ratio. Another crucial point is giving the batter proper time as well as heat to rise and get a fluffy texture. I remember that my mother used to cover the vessel with a woolen cloth and keep it out in the sun during winters. You could also add a pinch of yeast to the batter if you think the temperature at your place is not enough for the atter to ferment.

Grease the idli moulds and fill 3/4 th with batter. Steam for aout 15 minutes and your idlis are ready.Check by inserting a tooth pick. It should come out clean, or else cook on low flame for a few more minutes. Take care not to overcook. Dont let the idlis remain inside the steamer once the gas is turned off. The cooling of the steam would make droplets of water fall on them and would make them soggy. Scoop the idlis out with the help of a butter knife or a flat spatulaEnjoy this delicious white dumplings along with sambhar or chutney.