Five Favourites Of Sri Krishna For Janmaashtami - Vella Aval - Beaten Rice With Jaggery

VELLA AVAL

After a lot of persuasion by Sri Krishna, the Lord's childhood friend Kuchela hands out his humble offering to Him. The beaten rice offering conveys to the Lord the predicament of his dear friend Kuchela who is pounded and beaten by the worldly miseries. When Krishna lovingly savours the beaten rice Kuchela is blessed with all the sweetness in life.

Offering Vella Aval to Sri Krishna reminds us that He stands by his devotees in all the ups and downs of life.

                                                 

INGREDIENTS

Beaten Rice - 1 cup
Crushed jaggery - 3/4 cup
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch

Salt - 1/2 a pinch

Cashew nuts - few

Grated dry coconut ( copra ) - 2 tbsps

Ghee - 2 tsps

Cardamom powder - 1 pinch

METHOD

1. Dry roast beaten rice till it pops up and gives out a pleasant aroma.

2. Wash the roasted aval and squeeze out all the water.

3. Rub salt and turmeric powder evenly, cover with a lid and allow to soak for fifteen minutes till it becomes soft.

                        

4. Heat one spoon of ghee in a pan and fry the cashew nuts to a golden colour.

5. Add the soaked aval and stir well.

6. Cover and cook on low flame for a few minutes.

7. Remove lid and stir well and switch off flame when all the moisture is evaporated.

                                                  

8. Add one cup of water to crushed jaggery and boil it in another saucepan.

9. Filter the jaggery water, return it to the saucepan and continue boiling till the syrup foams and becomes very sticky.

                                                  

10. Add the jaggery syrup to the aval and stir well.

                                               

                                                  

11. Switch on the stove and cook the aval in jaggery syrup till the syrup coats each and every grain of aval.

12. When the vella aval becomes dry switch off flame again.

13. Add cardamom powder and the dry coconut gratings.

14.Add the remaining ghee and allow the vella aval to cool.

                                                 

Fluff up the jaggery coated Vella Aval using a spoon or fork and offer it to Sri Krishna.Savour the prasaadam and enjoy the bliss.

Five Favourites Of Sri Krishna For Janmaashtami - Shatti Thair - Pot Of Curd

SHATTI THAIR

Baby Krishna's heart is like a ball of butter. It melts for his devotees.
The devotees know no greater joy than feeding the divine baby a pot of freshly set curd.

Here is a method to set a fresh and thick shatti thair ( curd set in a clay pot ) to celebrate the birthday of the very special Baby.

                                                 

                                                  

INGREDIENTS

Whole milk - 1 lit
Curd - 1 tsp

Saffron strands - a few

Pistachios - For topping
Sugar - For topping

Clay pot - 1

METHOD

1. Boil whole milk in a big vessel so that the milk does not over flow.

                                                 

2. Keep stirring now and then and boil the milk for at least 5 minutes and then switch off flame.
3. Wash the clay pot thoroughly and fill it up with hot water.

4. Allow the milk to cool down until it becomes lukewarm or a little more warm if the day is cold.

5. Take a teaspoon of curd in a ladle and stir it into the warm milk.

                                                  

6. Stir vigoursly till the culture blends well with the milk.

7. Empty out the hot water from the clay pot and pour the milk gently into the warm pot.

                                                 

8. Cover with a lid and leave it near the stove over night.

9. Early next morning gently move the pot into the refrigerator.

                                                 

Fresh thick Shatti Thair is ready for the evening pooja.

                                                 

TO MAKE THE CURD MORE SPECIAL 

1.Add a few strands of saffron to the hot milk as soon as you switch off flame.

2. When it becomes lukewarm introduce the curd culture as said before.

3. Pour the milk into individual katories ( bowls ) and cover each bowl with a small lid.

4. Leave them near the stove to set overnight.

                                                 

5. Refrigerate in the morning.

6. Top the special curd in each bowl with pistachios and a sprinkle of sugar just before offering it to Baby Krishna.

                                                 

Enjoy the Special Curd prasaadam with family and friends.

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.