Sweet Boondi or Tidippu (Sihi) Boondi for Ram Navami

TIDIPPU BOONDI OR SIHI BOONDI

Boondi Laddu is a sweet prepared on all auspicious occassions and feasts. Wedding ceremonies and temple festivals seem incomplete without the traditional Laddus. A piligrimage to Thirupathi is consummate only after the devotee has savoured the Thirupathi Laddus as prasadam.

Every year we have a Vijayadasami procession for the family deity - Lord Sri Rama - in our native village. Rukmani prepares 8 Kgs of the customary Sundal for distribution after the pooja. We usually carry Laddus from a reputed sweet stall at Bangalore to distribute with the Sundal. On one such occassion there was an unexpected surge of devotees and to our utter discomfort we sensed a shortage of laddus.

Our manager's nephew Mani shocked all of us when he suddenly punched four or five times into the Laddu basket crumbling all the Laddus into mere boondies! We were all smiles when he efficiently distributed the sweet boondies in smaller portions to one and all who had gathered at the temple. We thanked smart Mani for his presence of mind and to this day we buy only Tidippu Boondies when it came to distribution of sweets for any occassion.

Tomorrow being Rama Navami, I prepared Sweet Boondies to celebrate Lord Sri Rama's birth day.

INGREDIENTS
Besan or Bengal gram dal flour - 1 glass ( 250 gms)
Sugar - 1 glass ( 250 gms)
Milk - 2 tsps
Cashew nuts - 10
Raisins - a few
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Cardamom - 4 ( Powdered)
Cloves - 4
Edible camphor (Pache karpoora) - 1 small flake( Powdered along with cardamom)
Turmeric or saffron colour - 1 pinch
Oil - for frying

METHOD
1. Add water little by little to the besan and make a thick and smooth batter, similar to dosa batter.
2. Take a heavy bottomed vessel and add sugar and one glass of water to it.
3. Add two tsps of milk to sugar and water mixture and continue to boil.
4. Remove the scum from the top with the help of a spoon thus cleaning the syrup.
5. Heat oil side by side in a kadai on the second burner of the stove.
6. Add colour and cardamom - camphor powder, and reduce flame when the sugar syrup becomes sticky.
7. Take a perforated ladle ( jarani) and hold it about 2 to 3 inches on top of hot oil.
8. Pour a cup of batter on the perforated ladle and gently tap the rim of the ladle, so that drops of batter fall into hot oil. The boondie drops will rise to the top immediately.
9. Drain the boondies when they stop sizzling and add it to the sugar syrup.
10. Switch off the flame under the sugar syrup to avoid crystalisation.
11. Fry all the batter into boondies and add to the warm syrup.
12. Fry cashew nuts, raisins and cloves in ghee and mix into the boondies.
13. Spread the sugar soaked boondies on a plate and cool.
Share your joy and the golden yellow sweet boondies with your loved ones on all happy occassions.

SNAKE GOURD PORIYAL

புடலங்காய் பொரியல்

Ingredients:
Finely sliced snake gourd- 3 cups
Turmeric powder- half sp
Salt to taste
Finely chopped onion- half cup
Finely chopped green chlli-1
Oil-2 tbsps
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Black gram- 1 tsp
Green gram- 2 tbsp
Curry leaves- 1 arc
Chopped coriander- half cup
Shredded coconut- 3 tbsps
Asafotida- half sp
Procedure:
Heat a pan and pour the oil.
When the oil becomes hot add the mustard seeds.
When they splutter, add the black grams and the green grams with the asafetida powder and fry them to slightly brown.
Add the onion with the green chillies, curry leaves and the coriander leaves and fry them slightly with a pinch of salt.
Add the snake gourd pieces with salt.
Cook the vegetable sprinkling water in intervals.
When the vegetable is done and all the water is evaporated, sprinkle the coconut and mix well.

MUTTON KUZHAMBU:

கறிக்குழம்பு

This is one of my mother in law's recipes. In this dish, the fried powder gives a delicious taste.
Ingredients:
Finely sliced onion-2
Finely chopped tomato-3
Ginger paste- 1 tbsp
Garlic paste- 1 tbsp
Chilli powder- 1 ½ tbsp
Coriander powder- 1 ½ tbsp
Turmeric powder- half sp
Mutton pieces- 1 kilo
Cinnamon-2 pieces
Cloves-2
Finely chopped sambar onions-1 cup
Curry leaves- a handful
Chopped coriander leaves-half cup
Salt to taste
Oil- 4 tbsps
Grind the following ingredients in to a paste:
Shredded coconut-2 cups
Peppercorn- 1 tsp
Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
Fennel seeds- 1tsp
Roast the following ingredients in a dry pan to slightly brown and powder them finely.
Raw rice- quarter cup
Fennel seeds- 1 tsp
Procedure:
Heat a pan and pour the oil.
Add the cleaned and washed mutton pieces with the turmeric powder, salt, the ginger garlic paste and 3 cups of water.
When the mutton is almost cooked, add the ground paste with the powders and let it cook for some minutes.
Heat a small pan and add the oil.
Add the cinnamon and the cloves.
When they splutter, add the sambar onions along with the greens and tomato pieces.
Fry them finely until the tomatoes are amshed and the oil floats on top.
Add them to the boiling kuzhambu.
Let the kuzhambu boil for a few minutes.
Lastly sprinkle the powder and mix well.
Cook the kuzhambu on slow fire for 5 minutes.