Karupatti Suyyam - Palm Jaggery Suyyam

                                             No, I didn’t go into hibernation, in case if anyone is wondering. I was simply basking in the aftermath of the pongal feast and another celebration in the family. But, I might go into a dormant state, as I am planning to take a break for sometime, after posting a few more recipes, a break that I hope will help to rejuvenate the blog and the creator.

                         I was given a few discs of palm jaggery/Karupatti, from Mangalore which tasted very sweet, with a unique taste of its own, unlike the palm jaggery/Karupatti that we get here . This palm jaggery was so delicious by itself, that it was so irresistible to nibble, even before I could think of using it in a recipe.

 Many seem to have a lot of doubts about Karuppatti/palm jaggery, while some think that jaggery and palm jaggery are the same. Jaggery is the unrefined product of sugar cane juice and Palm jaggery is the unrefined product of palmyra palm. Palm jaggery that is available in south India is a mixture of the extract from the palm, dry ginger and other spices. Since jaggery and palm jaggery are in the unrefined form with all its essential nutrients intact, it is a healthy sweetener than the chemically treated, refined white sugar. Karupatti/palm jaggery can be used in all recipes, where jaggery is used, but taste wise it will differ, still very sweet. The karupatti/ palmjaggery from south India is used to make a wonderful karupatti kapi (coffee) with a sharp gingery note that hits our palate, right on the first sip, which slides down the throat causing a mild burning sensation and cleanses the digestive system stimulating hunger. I have had aromatic Sukku kapi from the petty shops in the campus of the new Secretariat, which I don’t think is available there anymore, but with a good amount of Palm jaggery in hand it is easy to make a delicious karupatti kapi or Sukku kapi at home.

   Suyyam or Sugiyan or Susiyam is another Tirunelveli speciality sweet, the filling similar to the one that is used in poli. I like my sweets to taste extra sweet, so reduce the amount of sweet level according to preference. If using jaggery or south indian karupatti, when it is melted,  make sure to strain to remove the dirt particles, which is usually present in them. These palm jaggery discs were so clear when they melted, that I didn’t have to strain them at all.

Ingredients
Bengal gram                1/2 cup
Palm Jaggery              150 -160g
Grated coconut           1/2 cup
Cardamom                   2
Ghee                             1/2 tsp
Almond/cashew          5 - 10
Idly Batter                    1 cup

Method
Pressure cook bengal gram with just enough water. Mash it with a ladle or grind it to a paste. ( I mashed to a course paste , with  a few bits of the dhal here and there)
Melt the palm jaggery with a tbsp of water, boil until it begins to thicken.
Add the mashed bengal gram, grated coconut, cardamom powder, chopped almonds/cashew, stir until the mixture gathers well and leaves the sides the pan.
Add the ghee and give a final stir. Let it cool.
Divide into portions and make balls.
Dip the balls one by one using a small ladle in the idly batter, till its well coated with the thick batter, drop it in medium hot oil, deep fry until it turns golden brown.

Note:
I have used palm jaggery discs from mangalore which did not have any spices mixed, so it was more or less like using  jaggery, but if south indian palm jaggery is used, the taste might differ.
If idly batter is not available, either use a cup of flour mixed with a tbsp of rice flour, a pinch of salt and water as a batter or soak and grind equal amount of parboiled rice and urad dal to make a batter with a little salt.
Each disc weighs about 80 gms and I used 2 discs for the sugiyan.
These palm jaggery discs seems to melt soon when it comes into contact with air, keep refrigerated when not used.
The palm jaggery disc in the picture was the last one I had and it was used to make a very delicious 'chocolate', which is going to be my next post!

Gulkand Cookies - Candied Rose Petal and chocolate Cookies

                    Last year, this time of the year, I was walking around wrapped in warm sweaters, much to the teasing of the people around, but this year,  I haven’t even pulled my woollen clothes out yet and  it feels like summer has already set in, with the temperature still high, the days are hot quite contrary to what it used to be, presumably a prelude to a long, hot and sweaty summer this time!

         
   Pale pink rose petals marinated in sugar, packed with health benefits and rich, sweet rose flavour ; that’s ‘Gulkand’ or Candied Rose Petals. As a kid, I was fed with jars and jars of Gulkand with the faint hope of my father, that it would improve my skin tone, that wasn’t fair compared to his other kids. I don’t know if it helped, but I was enjoying the sugary treat for sometime but soon got fed up, that even after decades the taste of gulkand, still lingers in my memory.

 A post on 'gulkand cookies' in  good food magazine, rekindled my childhood memories and for the shear curiosity of going through that ‘ sweet torture‘ all again, I couldn’t postpone making these cookies and it was all given away, before I could devour every one of them. The roses in the picture are not the ones used for making gulkand, it’s a lovely pale pink rose, which was usually grown in almost every home garden back in those days. Now it’s so rare to even been seen. These red roses are the darker version of the pale pink rose, with a slight bitter taste. Nevertheless,
                                                                                                   
                                                                                                              " a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose"
                                                                                                                                                                     -  Gertrude Stein.
     

                                The picture above is small part of a wedding invitation from a well known family, that came with a certain style. The  beautiful thoughts of the groom, expressed in his wedding invitation and those  meaningful words which outline the rules of a perfect marriage is quite impressive and I guess this  couple seemed to have understood that before tying the knot.

Ingredients
Unsalted butter                  12 tbsp
sugar                                    1 cup
Light brown sugar             1/2 cup
Large egg                            1
Egg yolk                              1
Heavy cream                      2 tbsp
Gulkand                              1/2 cup
Flour                                   2 1/4 cups
Baking soda                        1 tsp
Salt                                      1/2 tsp
Semisweet chocolate        2 cups, finely chopped

Method
Combine butter, sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl and melt in a double boiler ( The book says in a microwave for 15 - 30 seconds on low power). Let it cool slightly.
Blend in the egg and egg yolk.
Add the heavy cream and gulkand.
Stir until just combined and set aside. Do not over mix.
Sift flour, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and fold into the wet mixture.
Gently stir in the chocolate.
Freeze the dough just until cold and firm, about 5 minutes.
Using a ice cream scoop, drop the dough a few inches apart onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 180*c in a preheated oven for about 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies begin to brown.

That’s gulkand  in the above picture, that was used in the cookies and the one I used had chopped nuts in it.
I used only a cup of chocolate chips and regretted for not using two cups!

Enjoy this with my favourite song ‘Angel' by Shaggy and this goes to all those who are in love.

Kambu Dosai - Pearl Millet Dosa

                                          If Christmas is all about ‘Food and Wine', gathering of ‘Family and Friends', ‘Gifts and Joy', then I think I had a  fair bit of my share this past christmas. There were a bunch of us gathered in an old couple’s crib for christmas, who were visibly pleased to be the host and it was the extreme warmth and the hospitality displayed by the couple that was more satisfying than the wonderful food spread. It’s disturbing to note that, we enjoyed a hearty meal and a congenial atmosphere in the midst of a group of malayalam speaking people, even as we hear and read about violent attacks on keralites in Tamil nadu and tamils in kerala, over the dam issue. If not for the intrusion of the politicians, I guess people of the two states, still and will always share a healthy relationship.

                          ‘2012' dawned beautifully, with laughter, cakes, crackers, late night chatting, movies and a sumptuous food. Surrounded by a good number of chatty and dynamic nieces and all our dear ones, the celebration could not have been better. Overall it was a great start for a new year.  The following day, my sleep deprived eyes refused to cooperate, as a result of which I paid someone a brown piece of paper thinking it is 10 rupee note in a sleepy state!

                             Last year I don’t think I was strictly sticking to my blog’s concept of spreading the 'southern aroma'. A little affinity towards the french cuisine and baking, had deviated my attention from the blog’s theme. So, I am starting with an authentic south Indian recipe and a healthy breakfast, just to remind myself the reason I started 'KR' for.  

Ingredients

Pearl Millet                            1 cup

Urad dal                                  1/4 cup

Parboiled rice or Idly rice    1/4 cup

Salt                                           1 1/4 tsp

Oil

Method

Combine pearl millet, urad dal, rice and rinse well with water.

Add enough water to the above mixture and soak for 3 hours.

Grind to a fine batter, add salt and let it ferment overnight or for about 8 hours.

Pour some batter on a hot tawa and spread to make a thin dosa. Drizzle 1/2 tsp of oil on the dosai to crisp up. 

Turn it over and cook on the other side. Serve with chutney or Thakkali thokku ( Tomato chutney).

Here I have served with a different style of tomato chutney:

Temper mustard + urad dal in oil, add a few curry leaves,  split red chillies, a pinch of asafoetida powder.

Add chopped  tomatoes, garlic cloves, turmeric powder, salt and sauté until it’s cooked. Add little water and cook for a few more minutes. Serve with idly or dosai.