Kovil Sakkarai Pongal

Sakkarai pongal is the original sweet pongal recipe taught to me by my Father-in-law. The pongal is absolutely divine recipe served specially as temple prasadam. This religious recipe just melts in your mouth.  The edible camphor and cardamon boosts flavors and the dry fruits adds crunch in every bite.

Ingredients

1 cup Rice (sonamasoori)

5 cups Water

1 1/4 cup Jaggery, powdered/grated

5 Cardamom, powdered

1/4  Ghee

8-10 Cashewnuts

Handful Raisins

Pinch of edible camphor

Method

• Soak rice in water for 10-15 minutes
• Boil water in a pot. When water begins to boil, add rice. Cook rice until it is completely cooked with mashed rice consistency
• To this add jaggery and cardamom. Stir until it is completely melted about 10 minutes. Set aside 
• In a separate pan, heat ghee. Add cashew nuts and roast until it is light brown. Add raisins and roast until raisins puffs up. Then transfer it to the cooked rice
• Add camphor and mix well
• Serve hot

Egg Puff

Enjoy this mini appetizer made in just 30 minutes. This mini appetizer is  made from puff pastry and hard boiled eggs with onion filling. Yummy!!

Ingredients

4 Hard boiled eggs, halved

8 Pastry shells

1 Egg white

For onion filling:

1 Medium sized onion, diced

2 Garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp Chili powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Coriander powder

1/4 tsp Garam masala

Salt

4 tsp Oil

Method

• For onion filling-
• Heat oil in a pan. Add garlic and onions. Saute on medium heat until it turns light brown. Reduce the heat, then  add chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and garam masala. Add 2 tsp of water to avoid spices getting burnt
• Preheat oven at 400 F
• Place pastry shells on a greased tray. Apply egg white on each pastry shell. Top each pastry shell with a spoon of spiced caramelized onions and hard boiled egg. Place in oven at 375 F for 20 minutes. 
• Serve hot 

Nippattu | Thattai

Nippattu is a spicy and crunchy snack from South Indian cuisine.  This tea time snack is made from rice flour, peanuts, Bengal gram and chilies. 

The secret to this recipe is using thin and dry cotton cloth to flatten the dough. By using cloth; it absorbs excess water, reduces cooking time and the end product turns out to be extremely crispy. 

Ingredients

3 cups Rice flour

3/4 cup Peanuts
1/2 cup Dalia (roasted channa)

Handful of Green chilies

1 cups Bengal gram, soak in water for 3hours

1/4 tsp Asafoetida (hing)

1/2 cup Hot oil

Salt

Oil for frying

Method

• Roast rice flour in a pan for 5 minutes sauteing frequently without burning flour. Set aside

• Roast peanuts until brown. After it cools, remove the skin by rubbing peanuts between your palm. Then make a coarse powder of peanuts

• Make smooth paste of green chili by adding very little water

• Drain excess water from Bengal gram 

• Make smooth powder of Roasted channa (dalia)

                                                      

• Mix together roasted rice flour, powdered peanuts, green chili paste, soaked Bengal gram and season it with salt. Add hot oil and mix again

• Make a smooth and stiff dough by adding water. Divide the dough into 1 inch balls. Take a ball of dough and flatten it on a dry cloth. You can apply on your fingers to flatten the dough for non sticking purpose

• Heat oil for deep frying. When oil is ready for frying, gently drop the flattened dough  in oil. Fry evenly on both the sides until it stops bubbling

                          

• Use an absorbent paper to drain excess oil
• After it cools, store in an air tight container which can last to 2-3 weeks