Paal payasam
Ingredients
Rice - 50 gm
Milk - 1 litre
Cardamom powder - 5 gm
Sugar - 100 gm
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Cashew nuts - 50 gm
Raisins - 25 gm
Method
Wash and soak rice for 1/2 an hour.
Cook the rice in milk until soft.
Add cardamom powder, sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Heat ghee in a pan and fry cashew nuts till slightly golden. Then add raisins and sauté for a minute.
Pour on the rice mixture and serve warm.
Sakkarai pongal
Ingredients
Raw rice - 1/2 cup
Moong dal/pasi paruppu - 1/4 cup
Jaggery - 1 cup grated
Cashew nuts -2 tbsp
Raisins -2-3 tbsp
Cardamom - 4 pods or 1/4 tsp powder
Ghee/clarified butter -1/4 cup
Ghee -1/2 tsp (for jaggery syrup)
Method
Dry roast rice and dal separately until it is hot to touch. It is not necessary to fry until it changes colour.
If using cardamom pods, peel and powder cardamom. Keep it aside.
Heat 1/4 cup of water in a pan and add jaggery to it. When it dissolves, filter it to remove impurities. Boil jaggery water with a teaspoon of ghee on medium heat. Add mashed rice and dal.
Add mashed rice, dal mixture and cook for a few minutes until everything is well blended. Add the cardamom powder.
Fry cashew nuts in a teaspoon of ghee. Remove from pan and add to the rice dal mixture.
In the remaining ghee fry raisins and add it to the rice dal mixture.
Cook for a few minutes on low heat until everything gets blended well. Serve hot.
Medhu vada
Ingredients
Split urad dal- 1 cup, soaked for 4 to 6 hours
Salt - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Powdered black pepper - 1/4 tsp
Chopped coriander leaves - 1 tbsp
Finely chopped ginger - 1 tsp
Finely chopped green chillies - 1/2 tsp
Oil for frying
Method
Drain the dal and grind to a smooth paste.
Add salt, asafoetida and black pepper. Mix until light and fluffy.
Mix in the coriander leaves, ginger and green chillies.
Heat oil in a kadai.
Shape the mixture into flat rounds, make a hole in the centre and then gently drop it into the boiling oil (after reducing the flame). Fry till brown and crisp.
Lift the vadas out of the oil and drain on absorbent paper.
Serve hot.
