Menthulu Sankati / Vendhaya Kali / Fenugreek Rice Balls

I always rely on menthulu sankati whenever I feel to cool my body. A simple healthy breakfast which I like to have once in a week during summer. I am not sure which cuisine it belongs to, but we are making this recipe since a long time at my home as far as my memory can travel.



Menthulu Sankati - Telugu

Vanthaya Kali - Tamil



Sankati or Kali is nothing but cereals cooked in the form of a paste. This paste is obtained by soaking the cereals in water for sometime, then ground to a fine batter and cooked in water till to get a thick ball kind of paste. Menthulu sankati is usually served with sugar syrup and sometimes it is cooked with sugar syrup.



Priya of Now serving plotted the health benefits of fenugreek here.



Basic Information:
Preparation Time: 3 hours for soaking + 15 minutes for grinding
Cooking Time: 20-30 minutes
Serves - 4 people 


Inredients:



For Sankati:

Idly Rice / Par boiled rice - 1 cup

Fenugreek seeds - 2 tablespoons

Salt - 1 teaspoon / to taste

Oil - 1 tablespoon



For Sugar Syrup:



Jaggery - 1 cup, grated

Water - 2 cups

Cardamom - 2 nos (Optional)

Method:



For Sankati:



1) Wash first and soak rice, fenugreek separately for minimum 3 hours or over night.

2) Grind fenugreek and rice to a fine batter using the mixer / grinder / food processor. Add enough water to grind them.

3) Then, add 2 cups of water and salt to the batter and mix well without any lumps.

4) Heat this batter in wide pan and stir it using a wooden spatula not allowing any lumps to form. Make sure the flame is in medium high.

5) Continue stirring till the batter gets very thick consistency.

6) Now reduce the flame to low and add a tablespoon of oil. Continue stirring for 5 more minutes.

7) When you see the glossy shining thick ball kind, remove from heat.

8) Divide them into generous size balls and serve hot with sugar syrup. If you find the sankati is hot, cool it and on medium heat make balls or make it simple and have them using a spoon directly without making balls.



For Sugar Syrup:



1) Boil jaggery in 1-2 cups of water. Add crushed cardamom to it.

2) When the jaggery completely dissolves, filter it to remove the impurities.

3) Boil again the filtered syrup till it reaches the slightly thick consistency. It should not be very thick or very thin.

I am sending this recipe to CWF - WS - FENUGREEK hosted by Priya of Now Serving.

Thattai /Crispy Rice Snack

Thattai is a crispy rice snack that is made during Janmashtami. Since Krishna Janmashtami is around the corner, I decided to post this recipe. They are perfect for eating as a snack with tea, or just like that when you get bored!! It is very easy and simple to make them. It requires very few ingredients and I am sure it will be readily available in all your pantries.

Ingredients:

Rice Flour - 1 Cup
Urad Flour - 3 Tbsp
Sesame seeds - 1 Tbsp
Chana Dal - 2 Tbsp
Asafoetida - 1/2 Tsp
Crisco or Dalda - 1 Tbsp
Ghee - Clarified Butter - 1 Tbsp
Curry leaves - A Few
Salt - According to taste
Water - A few tablespoons
Oil - For Frying

Method:

• Soak the Chana dal in water for about 2 hours and drain the water and keep aside.


• Take a bowl and add the rice flour, urad flour, sesame seeds, soaked chana dal, asafoetida, crisco/dalda, ghee and the curry leaves.

• Mix all the ingredients well without adding water.

• After mixing the ingredients well, we have to be able to hold the dough together between our fingers and our palm.

• Add water slowly using a spoon and make a very stiff dough.

• The dough should be like as shown below.

• Take an aluminum foil or a zip-lock cover for making the Thattai's.


• Take a little bit of ghee for greasing the hands so that flattening the Thattai's will be easy.

• Make small balls out of the dough and place it on the foil and flatten it out.

• Do not make it very thin otherwise they will break while removing.

• Make enough Thattai's and keep so that it gets easier and it saves you a lot of time.

• Prick the Thattai's with a fork so that they don't puff up while frying.

• In a pan heat oil and once the oil is hot enough, drop in a few Thattai's and allow them to fry for some time.

• Once they fry on one side, turn them so that they fry equally on the other side.

• Once they turn golden brown,you can remove them from oil.

• Drain out the excess oil and place them on a paper towel.

• Allow the Thattai's to cool down completely before relishing them.

• Store the Thattai's in a air-tight container and it stays fresh for about a week.

Notes:

• You can dry roast the curry leaves and add them or add dried curry leaves too.


• Crisco or Dalda is added so that the Thattai's get more crispy.

Recall: Martha Stewart Collection Enamel Cast Iron Casseroles

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Communications
Washington, D.C.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 18, 2011
Release #11-308


Firm's Recall Hotline: (888) 257-5949
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

Macy's Recalls Martha Stewart Collection Enamel Cast Iron Casseroles Due to Laceration and Burn Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Name of Product: Martha Stewart Collection(tm) Enamel Cast Iron Casseroles

Units: About 960,000

Importer: Macy's Merchandising Group, New York, N.Y.

Hazard: The enamel coating on the cast iron casseroles can crack or break during use. This can cause the enamel to crack and fly off as a projectile, posing a risk of laceration or burn hazard to the user or bystanders.

Incidents/Injuries: Macy's has received two reports of the enamel cracking and flying off of the casseroles during use. No injuries have been reported.

Description: The recall involves Martha Stewart Collection(tm) Enamel Cast Iron Casseroles in 7 quart, 5.5 quart and 2.75 quart sizes, with exterior enamel finishes in red, cobalt blue, sand, green, blue, white, mustard, brown and teal, with cream colored interior finishes. The casseroles are embossed with Martha Stewart Collection(tm) on the bottom and lid handle.

Sold at: Macy's stores and AAFES, MCX and NEX locations nationwide, and on macys.com between June 2007 and June 2011 for between about $25 and $170.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the casseroles and return them to any Macy's store for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Macy's toll-free at (888) 257-5949 between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. ET or visit the Macy's website at www.macys.com

To see this recall on CPSC's web site, including pictures of the recalled products, please go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml11/11308.html