SABUDANA THALIPEETH

Sabudhana thalipeeth is a popular Maharashtrian vrat (fasting) recipe. Its a flavourful dish with the aroma of peanuts and sago in ghee. Its very easy to make.

INGREDIENTS:

Sago(Javvarisi/sabudana) - 1 1/4 cup
(medium sized, regular variety and NOT the nylon one)
Skinless roasted peanuts (coarsely ground) - 1/4 cup

Potato - 2 medium sized
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Green chillies - 2 or 3 (finely chopped)
Coriander leaves  - 3 tablespoons (finely chopped)
Salt - to taste (approx. 1 level tsp.)
Ghee - 3 tablespoons
Oil - 3 tablespoons

METHOD:

Clean the sago without mud and stones, wash gently two or three times and drain the water completely. Now pour in VERY LITTLE WATER, JUST TO COVER OR IMMERSE THE SAGO AND KEEP ASIDE FOR 2 HOURS. Rake the sago gently with a fork once an hour.

Boil, peel and mash the potatoes. Keep aside.

After 2 hours, separate the sago pearls gently with your hand. By this time the sago would have absorbed all the water. It will be moist but no trace of water will be there. Add mashed potatoes, cumin seeds, roasted  & crushed peanuts, chopped green chillies, coriander leaves, salt and knead well.


Heat a tawa. Wet the hands, take a medium sized ball out of the sabudana mixture and flatten it on the tawa to a thin, round thalipeeth. Make one or two holes and pour  little oil / ghee into the holes and around the thalipeeth. Cook for a while and flip both sides until golden on both sides.  Serve hot with dahi, pickle or any chutney of your choice. 

NEI PAYASAM (KERALA SPECIAL) & MY 500TH POST

Surprise!!!! A special occasion as this post marks 500 on my blog. I still remember, scratching my head how to proceed the first step of my blog. I had no clue how to do it, the benefits of blogging, or the joy it would bring me. I did not  even know how to choose a name  for my blog and just started it as a cookbook of mine. By the time, I felt to change my blog name, the search engines showed a good number  of responses and  I continued in the same banner, slowly it turned out to be of great help to the  novice cooks, which now has earned a good recognition for  me. 

After my VRS from a bank, it started out as ‘just another thing’. Never did I think, 5 years before, when I first created my blog, that I would keep updating it for so long. Even some said me " A vegetarian blog??? that too traditional blog???. You cannot do it for more than 2 years." Regardless of what others think about me and my work, I’ve dedicated an enormous amount of time and energy to each and every post, in cooking the  correct texture and  consistency of the dishes, taking photos and posting, which I think will be useful for the future generations at any point of time. I know, good bloggers post 500 posts in a  year, but I do blogging as a useful timepass. I am feeling quite exciting and emotional right now because  many  of my readers now say they preserve my blog as a treasure of traditions. 

It’s been a lovely journey so far, sharing whatever little I’ve learnt all the way, from my mother, grandma,   from other blog friends and have also had the pleasure of knowing so many wonderful people from all over the world. It’s been a real pleasure to have known you all. Thanks to all my readers, who have been simply wonderful and have lent so much support. Thanks to all  of you who mail me regularly and ask clarifications.   

All over the world, good things come with a sweet. Shall we go in for a really something sweet for all of you? Luv you all. 

NEIPAYASAM... Yes...  A very sweet combination of rice, ghee and jaggery. This is a Kerala recipe offered in temples as prasadam.  It is also prepared during poojas like bhagawath seva, sastha preethi etc.

The taste of the payasam will be heavenly. Keralites say it as as "kadu madhura payasam" meaning very very sweet.  In Kerala, the nei payasam will be made in an uruli (a heavy brass utensil).

INGREDIENTS:

Raw rice - 1/3 cup
Ghee- 1/3 cup 
Jaggery - 1 cup (preferably paahu vellam)
Cumin seeds - a pinch
Cashews- 10 
Coconut - 2 teaspoons (cut into small pieces)
Water - a ladle

METHOD:

NOTE: 
The Rice: Jaggery ratio is  1:3.  
The rice when cooked in jaggery tends to become slightly hard. So, cook the rice well. DO NOT MASH THE RICE.

Wash well and pressure cook the rice.  Dissolve jaggery in a ladle of water. Strain without any mud and allow the jaggery syrup to boil. Add  the cooked rice, and stir without any lumps. Add a tablespoon of ghee. Keep on stirring.  Add ghee at intervals and  keep stirring. Cook till the mixture becomes glossy and saucy. (Do not over cook as it will become like kamarkat  when cool).

In a pan, heat a spoon of ghee. Add finely chopped pieces of coconut. Fry till it browns. Keep aside. In the same pan, heat another spoon of ghee, add cuming seeds, when it sizzles add cashews and fry till golden brown. Garnish the payasam with roasted coconut, cumins and cashews. Kerala special Nei payasam is ready.

NOMBU KOZHUKATTAI (SWEET & SALT)

CLICK ON THE IMAGE FOR THE  RECIPES
HAPPY KARADAIYAN NOMBU TO ALL

CLICK ON THE IMAGE FOR THE  RECIPES
HAPPY KARADAYAN NOMBU TO ALL