Manoharam - Rice and lentil tubes coated with Jaggery

MANOHARAM

This is a traditional festive sweet and it takes a prominant place especially in South Indian weddings in cone forms. The prepared sweet is moulded in a pair of conical containers and is called 'Manoharam Paruppu Tengai'. This occupies the central position among the other 'seer bakshanams' displayed during the wedding ceremoney. Seer Bakshanams are sweets and savouries presented to the groom's party and will be distributed among relatives during the wedding.
The literal translation of Manoharam is Mind Stealer or Heart Winner! A savoury dish called Thaen Kuzhal (meaning Honey tubes) is first prepared and later dipped in jaggery syrup and is transformed into the delicious Manoharam. This can be relished as it is or formed into balls for easy handling.

INGREDIENTS

Rice flour -2 glasses ( 1 glass can hold 250 ml of liquid)
Black gram dal - 1/3 glass
Green gram dal - 1/3 glass
Bengal gram dal - 1/3 glass
Salt - 1 pinch
Ghee - 4 tbsps
Powdered jaggery - 3 glasses
Dry ginger powder - 1 pinch
Oil - for frying

METHOD

1. Powder the three dals (lentils) smoothly in a mixer. To prepare Manoharam in a large scale the lentils can be powdered in the local mill. For people living abroad all types of flours are available in India Stores.
2. Mix rice flour and the tri lentil flour in a wide bowl.
3. Add salt and rub in 2 tbsps of ghee thoroughly into the flour.

4. Add water little by little and knead the flour into a smooth dough.
5. Add the remaining 2 tbsps of ghee and finish the kneading process.
6. Grease the inside of the chakli press ( a device to get strands of dough when pressed through it) and fill it with the dough.

7. Heat oil and press the dough into it samultaneously swirling your hands, so that the strands of dough form coils.
8. Cook on medium flame turning it now and then till the Thaen Kuzhal becomes crisp and turns into a light honey (thaen) colour.
9. Remove the Thaen Kuzhal with a perforated ladle and drain on a kitchen towel. It will become crisp as it cools down. When a strand of the cooked savoury is broken you can see a fine bore running through the length of the strand making it look like a tube (Kuzhal).

10. Allow the Thaen kuzhal to cool well.
11. Melt jaggery powder in 2 gasses of water and filter it.
12. Break the Thaen kuzhal into small bits and spread them out on a greased plate.
13. Add ginger powder and cook jaggery syrup till it reaches a soft ball stage.
14. Remove syrup from flame and add it little by little to the Tthaen Kuzhal strands.

15. Mix syrup with Thaen Kuzhal using a wooden spatula so that the thick jaggery syrup coats each and every strand.
16. Make balls or store as it is in an air tight container after it cools down.
Though the steps may seem elaborate, it can be prepared with great ease once the ingredients are ready at hand.

Manoharam is sure to steal your hearts when you bite into the crispy sweet delicacy.

Sulfer-Tainted Drywall - Who Knew?

I just finished reading a lengthy expose on Pro-Publica, China Plays Tug-of-War With U.S. Inspectors Over Drywall, about Chinese and American drywall, tainted with sulfer, that causes extensive corrosion of metal components in walls, such as wiring; and also makes the occupants sick.

As a longtime sufferer of sulfer sensitivity, all I can say is this:

It looks like it is advisable to have the drywall that is delivered to your job site tested before it is installed in your home. At the very least somebody needs to give it a "smell test" to see if there is the tell-tale scent of rotten eggs.

There is no other way to protect yourselves from the fate of those people who tell their stories about contaminated drywall in their homes in the Comments below the article.

Peggy

Addendum:

There are a lot more stories on ProPublica about the tainted drywall. Go to http://www.propublica.org/topic/tainted-drywall to read about the Lowe's settlement, now worth up to $100K to homeowners, and much more.

UPDATE 12/14/10

Here is an update from ProPublica on this problem:

http://www.propublica.org/article/federal-probe-of-chinese-drywall-falls-short

Stuffed Capsicum

It was yet another Evening, figuring out what to do for dinner. I made some Yardlong beans parupu-usli and Tomato rasam for Lunch. The parupu-usli was still staring @ me in the evening too, i didnt want to waste it. Long before i bookmarked Lataji's Recipe of Stuffed Bell Peppers, thought of trying it, Voila!!!! it was a hit!!!! Thank you Lataji for sharing a Healthy recipe!!!! :)

Sending this to Bookmarked recipes- Every tuesday(Vol-13), happening @ Priya Mitharwal's Mharo Rajasthan Recipes


Ingredients
2 cups chopped yardlong beans/beans/methi leaves
1 cup of toor/tuvar dal
1/2 chana dal/Gram Dal
5-6nos red chillies

4-5 Capsicums (any color, i used green)
Little oil for brushing them

Seasoning
3-4 tbsp oil (Be generoussssssssssssss)
1-1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp Chana dal
a pinch of turmeric

one tight fist curry leaves

a pinch of hing

Method

Soak the dals for half an hour. Grind the soaked dal, red chillies, and hing. Add no water. let it be not so fine paste, lil coarse will be better. It should of the masala vada batter consistency.In case it bcomes watery, jus add some besan flour.Heat oil in a kadai, be generous. splutter mustard seeds, add turmeric and some curry leaves.Now add the dal batter. stir and cook. Let it cook. you can see the raw color changing to a golden yellow.Add some oil, if necessary.

It takes about 5-6 minutes for the tuvar mixture to cook. Well cooked usli has no moisture/water, has a crumbled texture.Now add chopped beans. check the salt. Keep the flame low, cover and cook.Stir often to avoid burning. Take it of the flame when the beans is cooked.Beans can also be pre-cooked and add it here, but i have used uncooked beans. In case of using cooked beans, pls do strain the excess water and add it to the usli

Preparing the Capsicums

Wash and dry the Capsicums, Cut open the top and remove all the seeds. Boil a Shallow pan with water, place the capsicums covered in it,Put the flame off , let them sit in there for 2-3 minutes. Take it off the water, Brush some oil inside, Spoon the parupu usli into it. I brushed some more oil on the outer skin of the capsicums too. Keep in a MW safe bowl, Cover and Cook @ high for 4-6 minutes. This cooking time depends upon ur MW Power, So once the Capsicum skin starts shrinking, its cooked !!!! We enjoyed with some Tomato Ketchup!! A filling Dinner indeed, and Light on everything!!!! :)