Athirasam

Athirasam was not a very common sweet in my home and as a place where I was bought up too. Neiappam took the place of athirasam in all our functions. But Athirasam is a very much common in all functions of Tamil Iyers. We get to taste this sweet occasionally for marriages where the girl is from a Tamil Iyer family. I was introduced to this sweet when I was a kid aged 6 or 7. My neighbor's daughter was married to a Tamil Iyer family and they had insisted on Athirasam as part of Cheeru. Those were days, when the whole village took part in the preprations of marriage. Murukku and athirasam was prepared at my home. I had watched my neighbor hood aunties making these discs. Amma was also part of the team. But the sweet was not prepared at home.

For long I was thinking of trying it at home. I have heard its not easy to get it right at the first attempt. I rang up my Amma to ask about the measurements. She told me for one glass of rice, one glass of jaggery and explained the steps. I took mental note of all that she said and proceeded. Amma specifically asked me to leave the dough for few hours. I get impatient soon. After 5 hrs. started making it. When I started making I felt the dough has turned stiff. Added few drops of milk and kneaded it. Made a disc and slowly slided into oil. I could see some formations coming out of the disc. Slowly each layer was coming starting off from the outer end. In seconds the whole thing disintegrated and the result was some fried crumbs. I felt jaggery is too much and thought may be Amma has got the measurement wrong (!!!) since she doesn't make this at home. I added some rice flour and tried again. I was confronted with the same result. I felt its better to stop it there. The fried crumbs was very tasty and it got over in no time. I updated Amma of the outcome. She was very much perplexed about the result. Next day, early morning I got a call from Amma. She has found out where I had gone wrong. She said I have misunderstood the measurement. Amma had told 1 glass rice and I took it as 1 glass flour. Then I adjusted dough accordingly and this is the result you see. Started with a disaster and ended with a not so perfect looking but soft athirasams.

Ingredients

2 cups rice flour
1 cup jaggery powdered
1/4 cup water
1 tspn cardamon powder
Oil for deep frying

Soak 1 cup rice in water for 45 minutes. Drain and spread on a kitchen towel. When it is still moist and not dried fully, powder it in a mixer grinder and sieve to get fine flour. I get them powdered in a near by flour mill.

For one cup rice you will get 2 cups of flour. I am not sure about the results with store bought flour. You will have to try at your risk.

Prepare jaggery syrup by heating jaggery and water to single thread consistency. If you drop a teaspoon of syrup in a cup water, you should be able to roll into a soft ball. Remove the syrup from fire. Add a teaspoon of powdered cardamom to the syrup. Slowly stir in the rice flour to the syrup. Mix and knead to form a dough similar to that of chapati. Leave the dough overnight or at least 5 hrs to get soft athirasams.

Take lemon sized ball off the dough. Press into discs of the size of pooris on your palm. Slide into the hot oil. Deep fry. After you slide them into the oil, wait for it to rise to top. Gently flip and then fry of few seconds. You get 15 nos with this measurement.




Update: If the flattened discs fall apart on deep frying, add some more of rice flour to the dough and try again. This may be due to more amount of jaggery.


This deep fried goody is off to Mythrayee for her Deep fried/Steam Cooked sweets event

This also makes to Sunshinemom's FIC-Brown

And to Vasihali's Vegan Sweets

Dasara, Kolu, and Paal Payasam

DASARA, KOLU, & PAAL PAYASAM

What better way to celebrate the victory of Sri Chamundeswari over

the demon Mahishasura and his retinue, than Dasara! According to the legend, the war lasted for nine days and victory prevailed on the tenth day - the Vijaya Dasami day. It is considered auspicious to start any venture on this day for its glorious success.

Mother Goddess is worshipped on all the ten days with great fervor. It is also a dolls festival and children and women get busy with Kolu or Bombe Koorisodu. The various types of dolls made of mud are show cased on nine steps constructed for the purpose. This is to illuminate the fact that the diverse creations are all made up of the one and the same element.

Animals, fish and birds are usually arranged on the first step from the ground, and then human beings and the avataras follow, culminating in the Divine form of the Goddess on the ninth or the highest step, indicating the evolution of creation.

The picture alongside shows a Nala Gowri puppet. These puppets are life size, an can be assembled in a variety of postures, and dressed up in different costumes.

Married women (Suvasinis) and young girls (Baalaas) are considered as the Goddess personified. They are invited and honoured with taamboolaas (Betel leaves, areca nuts, kumkum and turmeric powder, coconuts and flowers) as a mark of reverence. They are even treated to a grand feast at least on one day, if not on all the ten days.

Every day a special dish is offered to the deity during the pooja. Sakkarai Pongal, Ven Pongal, Curd rice, Tamarind Rice, and different types of payasams are prepared for the purpose. Sundal is prepared and offered in the evenings and it is distributed to the visitors who come to view the kolu.

Here is the recipe for Paal Payasam which I learnt from my athai (aunt) - who used to celebrate Navaratri with great religious fervour.

PAAL PAYASAM
Paal Payasam is a rice and milk based porridge like sweet, cooked a in heavy bottomed bronze vessel called Urli (see picture below). Rice is cooked in milk on slow fire for a long time until it reaches the creamy and right consistency.

We can achieve more or less the same result by using a pressure cooker which is less time consuming and demanding less attention.
INGREDIENTS:
Rice – ½ cup

Milk - 3 cups
Sugar – ¾ cup
Cardamom – 4
Saffron – a few strands
Almonds – 8
METHOD:
1. Soak saffron in a tablesppon of warm milk and keep it aside.
2. Soak almonds in warm water, peel and coarsely crush and keep aside.
3. Dry roast rice until it acquires a reddish colour.
4. Wash the roasted rice and add the milk and pressure cook until three whistles.
5. Leave it on low flame for five more minutes and turn off the flame.
6. When the pressure subsides, open the cooker and add sugar.
7. Cook without the lid until the sugar blends with the payasam.
8. Add saffron, powdered cardamom and crushed almonds.
Enjoy the creamy and rich Paal Payasam after offering it to the deity.

This post goes to Navaratri & Navaratri Festive Food Event hosted by our dear blog friend Lakshmi of Taste of Mysore.

Refreshing Watermelon Cucumber Juice

It's quite hot here in LA! So I bought Watermelons and baby Cucumbers and made a juice to beat the heat. I loved it totally. The subtle flavor of cucumber blends very well with the watermelon. Addition of ginger gives a little zing to the juice.
I am sending this recipe to Culinarty's Original Recipe event.

Ingredients:
Watermelon pieces-3 cups
Baby Cucumbers(not the bitter ones)-3(skin peeled)
Tomato-1(optional)
Ginger pieces-1 tsp
Salt-a pinch
Sugar-1.5 tbsp
Lime juice-1 tbsp

Method:
Blend everything together with little water to a smooth paste. Sieve through a strainer and enjoy this refreshing drink.