Category Archives: Festive Fare

Sakkare Acchu

Posted on by
27

Sugar mould figurines

Wow! The last time I thought it was the beginning of a new year, blink and almost a  fortnight has vanished just like that. I knew the days are passing by really fast, but this year, it seems faster than I expected. Weeks are passing by like days, or is it just me?

And, Sankranthi is already here!

I had been looking forward to this day of the year to make Sakkare Acchu right from Deepavali last year. Luckily enough, I got the traditional wooden moulds well in time from India. So, for the very first time in my life, I made Sakkare Acchu. And, it feels like a humongous achievement!

The vision that I always had, of learning it from my mom, making it side by side in her kitchen and she teaching me how to stir the sugar with her arthritic hands though, did not become reality. My mom refused to teach me over the phone as she felt it was way too complicated to explain the nuances of this art form for someone who had zilch as experience. Since my requests for lessons over phone went futile, I made it all by myself on a quiet afternoon early this week after watching my friend do it in her kitchen.

Proof is right in front of you and even now I wonder, if it was beginner’s luck or did I really get it? I don’t mean to brag nor do I want to scare you, but I have seen my aunt struggle to get the right consistency, ending up with burnt brown caramel many a times. May be, mom was apprehensive that even I’d end up with a whole lot of wasted effort and burnt sugar without her hand holding. Whatever it was, I am super glad I tried.

Sakkare Acchu is a wonderful art form, very local to some parts of Karnataka, mostly in and around Bangalore, Mysore, Hassan, Mandya and few other parts. One needs a lot of patience, time and of course sugar to make it. And, these days no one likes sugar, isn’t it? There’s no wonder why it is a dying art form.

I never ate Sakkare Acchu as a kid. I would promptly refuse, I couldn’t imagine eating something so intensely sugary. After twenty years, I don’t think I have a different opinion. But, what drives me so much to learn how to make it, is the simple reason that I want to be the bridge to my next generation, for, if I know, there is a sliver of hope that my daughter has a solid chance to learn someday.

{Sugar syrup just poured into the wooden moulds}

Sankranthi (in India) marks the end of winter and the movement of the sun into the northern hemisphere known as “Uttarayana” indicating longer sunnier days. Sankranthi and Uttarayana both are sanskrit words. Unlike other Hindu festivals for which the exact date varies from year to year based on the lunar calendar, the date of Makara Sankranthi remains fairly constant between 14th and 15th of January year after year.

In most parts of India including Karnataka, it is a major harvest festival celebrated with much fervor. I find the origin of local customs and rituals depending upon the cultural, geographical, agricultural, religious and social influences, around this festival very fascinating. As Sankranthi also happens to be the day of first harvest of sugarcane in Karnataka, historically, it feels natural that this brilliant art form of making sugar mould figurines “Sakkare Acchu”, must have been born out of the need to celebrate the abundance of sugarcane and to share the recent harvest with others as decorative giveaways.

Things that I took for granted as a kid, enjoyed as part of the vivacity of the festival, has a much deeper meaning to me now.

Home made acchu is the purest way to enjoy these beauties. You never know the additives in the store-bought ones!

Tulsi katte (Tulsi pot) has got to be my all time favorites..

{The aftermath of Sakkare Acchu!}

Here’s a comparison of the outcome of experiments with varied ingredients. Hope you get some idea.

I can completely understand if this recipe gives you creeps at the very thought of trying. Most people are; even I was, until I tried.
Sakkare Acchu by MyIndiaRecipe is the single relevant video I found on YouTube on this topic. The Grandma in the video is not only adorable (even without appearing) has done a great job of explaining. Watch it if you are really interested to make Sakkare Acchu and need visual cues.

Wish you all a very happy and prosperous Pongal and Sankranthi. May your year be filled with abundance in food, love, peace, harmony, health and happiness and may you share it with all your near and dear ones..

Happy Sankranthi!

SAKKARE ACCHU RECIPE

Printable Recipe
Things you’ll need:
makes about 12-15 small figurines
(depending upon the size of the mould)
1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp milk (I used 1% milk)

1/2 lemon~ optional

Other:

Traditional Wooden moulds

soft cotton cloth with a high thread count

firm rubber bands

How it’s done:

Wash and soak the wooden moulds in water for a few hours or overnight.

Add water to sugar in a heavy bottomed saucepan and let soak or dissolve for a few hours.

Just before embarking on the Sakkare Acchu making, pat dry the moulds with a cloth, assemble and secure tightly with firm and preferably broad width rubber bands.

Spread the soft cotton cloth over another saucepan to ready it for straining the sugar solution. Bring the sugar solution to a gentle boil over medium heat and add 1 tbsp milk. Let it boil for a minute or so, until the milk solids float to the top appearing as scum. Strain it over the soft cotton cloth readied earlier. You’ll see the milk solids are trapped on the cloth leaving a mildly cloudy sugar solution behind.

Pour the filtered sugar solution to the first saucepan and bring it to a boil again over medium heat. Add the remaining 1 tbsp milk and repeat the straining process as above. This twice filtered cloudy sugar solution is the starting point for the sakkare acchu. And since sakkare acchu is better made in small batches (easier to find the right consistency without burning), divide this sugar solution into two parts.

Keep a shallow bowl of water next to the stove to check for the desired sugar consistency (if you are a beginner).

Bring half the sugar solution in the saucepan to a gentle bubble (not boil) over low heat. Take the saucepan off the stove and stir well with a ladle in a beating manner, about 5-6 times. Return to the stove and repeat this process for up to ten times. Do not increase the heat at any given point. If you are a beginner, after each time, drip a sugar droplet into the bowl of water to check for the consistency required. In the beginning, as soon as you drop, it will dissolve immediately; as we near the required consistency, the sugar drop stays put in the same place and can be rolled into a soft ball. This is the cue.

By this time, you will also notice that the sugar solution is beginning to thicken and appear creamy and you can see a plethora of tiny bubbles.

You can say the desired consistency is reached when, as you beat the sugar solution off the stove for almost the 8th, 9th or 10th time, the beating itself is very quiet and you just hear the liquid moving very smoothly as if the sugary liquid is insulating the ladle from the saucepan bottom. Beating removes air bubbles if any.

Optionally, now add a few drops of lemon juice before pouring out the syrup to add a hint of lemony flavor to it.

Beating it again a couple of times, ladle out this liquid swiftly into the secured moulds until the liquid covers the top, starting with a mould with the smallest opening. This is because, the sugar syrup can thicken in a matter or 4-5 seconds and be difficult to pour.

Let the moulds sit aside to solidify for about 20 mins before opening.

Repeat with the remaining half sugar solution.

To remove the acchu, use a sharp knife to trim the extras on the mould. Do not waste the extras or spilled pieces, just include them into your next batch.

Remove the rubber bands and gently loosen the moulds. Remove the sakkare acchu  when still slightly wet, gently pressing at the top where it was poured into. It is normal for the acchu to appear glazed or wet with a runny sugary liquid below the moulds.

Arrange them on a clean dry plate and let dry for an hour or two until completely dried. Store in a dry airtight container.

What if the sugar solution is not coming to a boil?

Ratio of water to sugar is approximate. You’ll need a little more than just enough water to cover the sugar or the sugar solution will not have enough water to come to a boil. Add a little water and try again.

Sakkare Acchu does not solidify or melts in place

Problem could be there’s too much milk making Sakkare Acchu too soft to solidify.

Too little or no milk will make it too crystalline to show off its design. This is a reason why milk is added. Milk lets the design show well by giving it just the right amount of opacity. Adding a little milk is also the secret to getting melt-in-your-mouth Sakkare Acchu or they end up being hard. Also, when added, milk (and even yogurt) boils forming a scum like layer on top. When filtered, it takes away any impurities or dark spots in sugar as well.

My aunt’s version:

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

2 tbsp yogurt

1/4 cup milk

Some people like my aunt even believe in adding yogurt apart from milk. Start with yogurt for the first iteration and for the next two iterations, use half the milk for each, filtering with a soft cloth at every stage.

Benefit of doing this is, remnants of the acidity of yogurt in the sugar solution get the milk solids to separate well and little or no milk solids remain in the sugar solution thereafter.

Everything else is the same as explained above.

Notes

These stay well for up to a month. Do not refrigerate.

Alternatively, you could use candy/chocolate moulds in place of the wooden moulds.  I’d prefer wooden moulds any day as I’d rather not deal with worrying about the effects of hot syrups ending up in plastic/silicone.

Color of Sakkare Acchu depends on the sugar. Raw/cane/brown sugar will result in pale brown color.

Let the wooden moulds dry completely before storing away or they get moldy.

Now that you know what it takes to make these beauties, if someone gives you a homemade acchu and it is not up to your taste buds, do not discard them. Instead, accept them with a smiley face and use them in place of regular sugar in your hot beverages.

Can you make out which ones are made of what?

You might also like:

 

Benne Murukku

Posted on by
54

Benne Murukku was featured on the kitchn on Oct 14 2011
Back in the olden days, making Murukku traditionally was quite an elaborate affair. Short grain rice would be washed and allowed to dry spread out on a clean white cloth. When dried, it would then be stone ground in small handful batches to a fine powdery flour and the same repeated for roasted Urad dal/split Black gram as well. And the whole process would easily take couple of days before the actual making begins!
I know it verbatim because that was exactly how it was made in my grand dad’s house every year for the festival of Gokulashtami up until a decade ago. No wonder those murukkus were heavenly!
And little wonder why no one makes them that way these days..
Now we neither have the stone grinders, nor time or the patience and probably the stamina to stone grind as well, having been so used to all the luxuries of modern life.. Quite naturally my murukku making starts directly with store-bought rice and lentil flours and takes a fraction of the time it took for the traditional obsolete method.. And it turns out quite well too. But, stone grinding is quite an experience and exercise, take my word for it!

I learnt this recipe from my aunt who has been making lovely crispy white murukku for years.
Benne which means Butter in Kannada is a key ingredient that results in this crispy crunchy typical South Indian snack.
Don’t stare me in the eye because I said ‘Butter’! I’d rather use real butter any day than dalda which is rather extinct even in grocery stores these days or hydrogenated vegetable oils or margarine. And since we don’t make murukkus every other day, I guess it should be ok to indulge once in a while…

One other time when Murukkus were almost certainly made in miniature sizes was on one of the ten days during the festival of Dasara or “Bombe Habba” (Doll Festival) as it is popularly known in Karnataka.

I could not arrange “Bombe/Gombe” for display here as my entire collection of traditional dolls sits boxed up in storage back home. So, last week, I visited the Meenakshi temple instead for a visual feast of the Bommai Golu and made Murukku at home to relive the sweet memories of those “never to come back” golden days of childhood..
Born in the royal city of Mysore, Dasara was no ordinary affair for us. As kids, it was a tradition during Dasara to go to each house in the neighborhood asking “Bombe koorsideera?” (kannada) meaning “Have you arranged the dolls?” visiting those who did. In return, we were given a handful of “Bombe Baageena” (kannada) ~ goodies in short. Murukku was an absolute kid’s favorite owing to its taste and portability.

Murukku or Chakli making might seem quite daunting at first. Once you try, you’ll know how easy it is and probably even repent why you never did all these days..

Benne Murukku Recipe

Printable Recipe
Things you’ll need:
  • 1 cup rice flour
  • 1/4 cup urad/black gram flour
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tbsp white sesame seeds
  • 1/8 tsp  or a pinch of asafoetida (I prefer to use L.G Hing)
  • 2 1/2 tbsp cold butter or hot peanut oil
  • salt
  • peanut oil for deep-frying
Other:
  • Murukku/Chakli press – I use a bronze Murukku press
  • disc with star at the centre (comes with the Murukku press)
  • banana leaf /aluminium foil / parchment paper / wax sheet
  • slotted ladles
How it’s done:
Wash the Murukku press, assemble the disc and keep aside.
Dry roast urad flour on medium heat until fragrant and golden brown. Be careful not to burn it. Alternatively, dry roast urad dal until fragrant and golden brown and grind it to a fine flour in a mixer when cooled.
Sift the flours into a large mixing bowl and mix all the dry ingredients well. Cut in cold butter and mix well using your fingers until incorporated. If not using butter, heat oil to deep-frying temperature or until shimmering and not smoking (test – cumin seeds sizzle) and pour it onto the flour mix and blend. This procedure is called ‘Saati”
When lightly pressed in your palm, this flour should hold shape without crumbling away. If not, adjust butter, mix and test again. The flour is ready to be mixed with water if it passes this test.
In a kadai / thick bottomed saucepan, heat oil for deep-frying so that oil is ready when Murukku is pressed and ready to be deep-fried. Keep the banana leaf /lining sheet of your choice ready.
Divide the buttered flour into two portions, keeping your working portion small so that when mixed, it should be the size of your fist. Sprinkling approx 2 tbsp of water at a time mix the working portion until it is soft, well mixed and holds good shape. The dough should neither be too wet nor too dry. If crumbs are falling off then it is too dry and too wet if the dough is sticky. When correctly mixed, even though it was sticky to start with, it should come off your palm and hold together. Shape the dough into a fist sized cylindrical roll.
Grease the insides of the press for the turning type and both inside and outsides for the pressing type of Murukku press. Doing this lets the dough slide easily inside the press. Fill the dough roll into the press and press onto a banana leaf or wet clean cloth or lining sheet of your choice in circular motion. Don’t worry if the first few strands break or don’t turn out perfectly like they should. The dough is quite forgiving, so if it breaks, just fix the ends or simply re-fill and press away.
To check the oil temperature, drop a tiny piece of dough. It should rise to the top as soon as it hits the bottom of the pan. If not, wait until the oil reaches the desired temperature and then switch heat to medium.
To transfer the murukkus into the deep-frying pan or kadai, slide one hand below the sheet holding on top of the murukku with the other palm, gently flip the sheet to transfer it into your other palm. secure the murukku with your thumb and gently slide it into the oil along the edge of the pan, palm facing down. Be quick to pull back your hand to avoid any oil spatter. If this is your first time, transfer the murukku as described onto a slotted ladle and slide the ladle into the oil and murukku will release itself.
Once murukku rises to the top, flip and deep fry until sizzling stops and the large number of tiny bubbles around the murukku die down to a few. Remove onto a tissue paper using the slotted ladle.
While the deep frying continues, press the next batch of murukkus and repeat.
Enjoy the “karrum – kurrum” as is or with cuppa of your choice!
Let cool and store in an air tight container. Stores well for at least 2 weeks.
Notes:
  • For larger quantities, just remember the rice : lentil flour ratio is 4 : 1
  • Good crispy Murukku depends entirely on how the flour is mixed with butter then water and how it is fried (temperature). So pay more attention to those.
  • Do not mix water to the entire flour. Mix small portions at a time sprinkling couple of tbsp of water at a time
  • Do not press Murukku way ahead of deep frying as the dough dries out and easily breaks when deep-fried
  • If the dough is too dry, just dip your fingers in clean water and mix again until it comes to the right consistency.
  • The color of the Murukku depends on the temperature of the oil. For super crispy (not brittle) and white murukku, deep fry at medium to medium-high heat only.
  • So far I have not found L.G. Hing in the Indian grocery stores here (I bring a stash from India). The most common ones are SSP and Vandevi.
  • Murukku/Chakli press is sold in almost all Indian grocery stores. I find the turning types much less stressful on the hands than the pressing types. 
  • If you are having trouble getting the round shape, don’t fret. With a little practice you should be just fine. Until then, you could even press the dough directly into the frying pan. Cut off the strands with your fingers when you want to stop.

Sending this to Blog Hop Wednesdays ~ Week 6 at Tickling Palates
You might also like:

   

Mawa Gujiya

Posted on by
16

Deep fried pastry purse with a nutmeg flavored nuts and dried milk filling

[maa waah; goo jee yeah] (hindi)
If you are wondering why I haven’t kept up with my usual pace of posting recipes, I agree to have been quite preoccupied lately. But, I have reason to stay away from the laptop and get outdoors.
My Attayya (mom-in-law in Telugu) is with us on a visit. Sure, it means my kitchen is busier than usual and we are having a ball of a time enjoying a whole lot of yummy food. Why should I have all the fun by myself? I want you to be a part of it too and hence in the coming weeks, you’ll get to see dishes from her repertoire featured here.
Attayya is a very versatile cook herself. Having well-travelled within India and abroad, her cooking reflects her unending enthusiasm for learning and sheer excitement for life. She is a foodie from any angle and her expansive culinary repository is the result of an insatiable curiosity and an open mind for experimenting with ingredients.
From the Punjabi chana masala to a Tamil Brahmin Adhirasam, or an Andhra pachadi to a Bengali dal, from cakes and brownies to ice creams and cold coffees, Italian or Middle Eastern – talk about anything and I’m sure she’ll have something to add. Very swift in the kitchen, she whips up dishes out of thin air in no time. I know, those are too large a shoes to fill!
Hope you enjoy her dishes as much as we do.

During one of our grocery shopping explorations, we also happened to bring home frozen mawa from the Indian store a couple of weeks back. And since then, we’ve been on a sweet roll of Gulab Jamun made fresh from scratch (not from a mix), Mawa Gujiya, Mawa Payash and more are in the pipeline.
Call them Gujiya, Kadubu, Karjikai, or even the Mexican Empanadas, they are birds of the same feather – deep-fried stuffed pastry, only the stuffing/filling makes them different as they can be.
Even though I have eaten Karida Kadubu or Karigadubu (Kannada), a sibling of the Gujiyas, for every Ganesha festival since I can remember, my interest spiked when Attayya described the stuffing for this one. It is a given that any milk based sweet is bound to be scrumptious, but the pairing of nutmeg with Mawa sounded rather fanciful and got me wanting for it.
As far as I have known (which could be very less for all you know!), the use of nutmeg in Indian sweets is few and far between in comparison to cardamom and saffron. In fact, for a long time, I had even assumed that nutmeg is best suited for home remedies and Ayurvedic medicine, which in fact is also true. Only after opening my mind to American cuisine did I grasp how ubiquitous this zippy spice is.
Mawa /Khova/ Khoya / Khoa are all but the same names for solidified milk made of either dried whole milk or milk thickened by heating in an open iron pan. More from wiki here.
Mawa/Khova is part and parcel of each and every regional Indian cuisine in various avatars. Because milk and sugar marry so well, Khova forms the key ingredient in copious varieties of rich sweets.
 Mawa gujiyas are a popular sweet prepared categorically during Holi, the Indian festival of colors to usher in a colorful spring and leave behind the harsh winter.
Mawa gujiyas are novel to me, but owing to how oh-so-delish they are, they are sure to be part of my recipe collection for a long time to come and of nostalgic stories to be shared in the future.

                  

{Lovely half-moon shaped ornate pastry purses ready to be deep-fried}
In north India or other parts where it is popular, readily available gujiya molds are used to render the process of pressing and sealing them easier. Here, I describe a method for hand-made gujiyas, without the use of such molds. Agreed it takes a bit longer, yet not a wee bit less yummy!
Need a hint on how this glistening golden snack tastes? Crunchy on the outside, crumbly on the inside with the mild salty outside meeting its sweet inside – an inter fusion of contrasting tastes in a mouthful, to please your palate.
Enough said.
Being the conscious eater that I am (or I was before eating them!), I must’ve downed at least 5 before I swore not to go near them – they are god-damn delicious!
Beware, you won’t stop at one.
Now, tell me about your most favorite Mawa/Khova preparation that you can never resist?
Mawa Gujiya Recipe
makes about 20 gujiyas
Printable Recipe
Things you’ll need:
oil for deep-frying (I used pure peanut oil)
for the dough
  • 2 cups chiroti rava /fine sooji/fine semolina or all-purpose flour (maida)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp ghee/butter/oil
  • pinch of turmeric ~ optional
  • water
for the filling
  • 1/2 cup crumbled mawa/khova/khoya (fresh or frozen)
  • 1/4 powdered raw almonds
  • 1/4 cup powdered cashews
  • 1/4 cup desiccated coconut/ grated copra (sun-dried coconut)
  • 1-1/4 cup powdered/confectioner’s sugar
  • 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp powdered cardamom (about 4-5 pods)
other kitchen equipment
  • rolling-pin
  • kadai/heavy bottomed pan for deep-frying
Prep work
If using frozen mawa, microwave for 20-30 secs or let sit on the counter for 20-30 mins to thaw. Once thawed, gently squish with your fingers making sure to break all the lumps for a crumbled Mawa. If using freshly home made Mawa, make sure it is crumbly before use.
Pulse almonds in a blender/mixer for a few times until it resembles a coarse flour or corn meal. Do not run the blender continuously or you will end up with almond butter.
Ditto for the cashews.
Peel open cardamom pods and powder the seeds using a mortar and pestle.
How it’s done:
In a mixing bowl, mix chiroti rava /fine sooji with salt and turmeric, if you chose to. If using all purpose flour, sieve first. Add in your preferred fat and mix well. I prefer home-made ghee if not, pure butter, though oil is a pretty good substitute too. Using little water at a time, mix the dough to a chapati/roti consistency and set aside covered. Dough should be soft to touch but not sticky.
In another medium bowl, mix together all of ‘for the filling’ ingredients.
Slap the dough a few times on the rolling board or a clean counter and knead well. Divide the dough into portions the size of small key limes or about 1-½” diameter.
for the gujiyas,
Roll the dough into thin circles without using flour for dusting. For perfect round circles, cut out the rolled dough either using a round mold or any cup/container that fits the circumference. Prick it all over gently with a fork, which prevents it from bloating when deep-fried and later from losing its crunch.
Delicately spoon the filling on one half of the rolled dough. Wet the edges of the rolled dough with a few drops of water. Close by bringing both ends of the rolled dough together and press firmly to seal the edges making sure no air is trapped between the filling and the sealed edges.
Either press the edges with a fork or pinch and fold with your fingers to make ornate edges for this dough purse.
Heat oil in a kadai or heavy bottom pan on medium. When the oil is hot enough or shimmering, add a small pinch of dough to check, if it rises immediately, oil is ready for action.
Drop gujiyas one or two at a time and deep fry on medium until golden brown.  Remove onto a tissue to strain extra oil and let cool slightly before serving or the stuffing inside may be very hot.

Don’ts

Try not to use flour for dusting unless rolling the dough is almost impossible, in which case the dough might be sticky. Add a little flour to the dough, a few drops of oil and knead well until dough is of the required consistency.
Extra flour for dusting is best avoided to prevent it from getting burnt when deep-fried and clinging to the gujiya.

Note

Do not discard cardamom skin, use it in lemonade or drop it in the simmering tea for a delicate flavor.
Gujiyas store well for up to 10 days in an airtight container.

Aromas of freshly grated nutmeg and ground cardamom take the sweet to a whole new level. Use of fresh spices cannot be stressed enough.

I prefer using a small to medium size kadai (wok) for deep-frying. Due to its concave shape, lesser oil is required to fry with negligible oil leftover saving me from oil reuse.

 for variation, dried fruits like sultana raisins and even chocolate shavings make a grand addition
If you are interested in making Mawa/Khova fresh at home from scratch, Chef in You takes you step by step on How to make Khoya at home

Mawa Gujiya is off to “Your Best Recipe” – May Roundup held by Nancy of Spicie Foodie
You might also like:

   


Rave Unde | Rava Laddoo

Posted on by
12

Saffron and Cardamom flavored Sweet Semolina Balls

[ruh way ; oohn day] (kannada)
Simple – check; Easy to make – check; Tasty – check.
In comparison to all other traditional South Indian sweets, this one is distinct – in its simplicity, ease of preparation as well as minimal active cooking required.
There couldn’t be a sweet more humble than Rave Unde. Let’s just say it is.

And because it involves shaping dough like mix into balls, it makes a perfect no-fuss preparation to involve your little budding chef(s) in the kitchen as your assistant. It’ll be fun, I promise!
I normally don’t make open promises like I just did. Not that I can’t keep them, but let’s just say I don’t. I just go about doing things. Anyway, there’s a reason I said that for.
The few times I remember distinctly when Rave Unde was sure to be made at home was during Gokulashtami (festival celebrating Lord Sri Krishna’s birth). To us, this was a festival of gastronomical proportions where sweets and savouries of at least twenty varieties were lined up as an offering to the Lord. And, a huge joint family meant that any help from all members of the house, irrespective of age, however small the contribution, was greatly appreciated. Now comes the fun part. And when Rave Unde was to be made, the main cook (my aunt) and her associates (her younger sisters) would be less interested in ‘menial’ jobs like shaping the dough mix into balls. That is where we (my brothers too) would happily pitch in and feel proud to have been part of the festival kitchen conundrum.
Those are a few of my most cherished kitchen memories from childhood. Now, you get my promise?

If you can keep this between us, let me tell you something. If I can count one sweet food I hated the most, growing up, it wouldn’t be any other than Rave Unde. I know, right?
But, times have changed and so have I. To be honest, I have surprised myself by my increased liking for it and more so, the number of times I have made it more than I expected.
I could never think of eating Rave Unde plain i.e. without the fruit and nut garnish
psst: I ate Rave Unde as a child only for the cashews and raisins in them!. So, those are indispensable, if I must say.

 Cardamom and Saffron are such classic eastern flavors. Saffron lends the faint sunshine yellow color to Rave Unde along with its mellow floral aroma.
Every time I crush saffron between my finger tips, however caught up I am in the recipe, I pause for a few seconds (if not for minutes) to smell its pleasantly out of the world aroma – it feels as if I am smelling a beautiful golden red sunset!
Skip if you must, but what is a sweet with its aroma and hue stripped?
 Totally out of context, yet it will be a shame if I don’t say a word about them. Those little dainty blue flowers my friend, are none other than the Texas Blue Bonnets. They are pretty big a deal here in Texas.
In a slightly broader sense, Blue Bonnets : Texas :: Cherry Blossoms : New York

April showers are expected to bring blue bonnets (not may flowers) here. Though this April saw a drought instead of the showers, we were lucky to spot a whole field full of them. Pretty pretty, aren’t they?


 I never met a Rave Unde that did not like raisins and cashews. This fruit and nut couple is a marriage made in heaven. Wherever they go as a couple, they are sure to transform anything they come in contact with. Need I say anything different for Rave Unde?
That is my little girl’s hand trying to grab a cashew in between photo shoots. Just couldn’t keep from posting here.
 If you never ate Rave Unde once, there’s absolutely no harm in trying it.
Assuming you are familiar with it, what kind of nostalgic childhood memories do you associate with Rave Unde?

Rave Unde | Rava Laddoo Recipe

Printable Recipe
Things you’ll need:
  • 1 cup chiroti* rava / fine semolina / fine sooji
  • 1 cup powdered/confectioner’s sugar
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2-3 tbsp fresh/frozen grated coconut
  • 2 tbsp ghee
  • 8-10 cashews, broken into small bits
  • 1 tbsp golden raisins or more
  • 5-6 strands saffron
  • 3-4 cardamom pods, freshly ground
Prep work:
Keep the cashew bits about half the size of a raisin. I use kitchen scissors or a traditional Indian nut cracker for this job.
Wash and pat dry golden raisins. If not for the dirt, it makes them softer for the semolina balls to hold them well without dropping out.
A mortar and pestle brings out the best freshly ground cardamom. The one I have is of marble and I bank on it for all such small grinding work.
If using frozen coconut, thaw in the microwave for 10-20 secs or let sit on the counter for 30 mins before use.

How it’s done:

If milk is not pasteurized, bring it to a boil else heat milk until just steaming either on a stove top or in a microwave. Crush the strands of saffron between your finger tips into the milk, cover and let sit to infuse.
Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed pan or kadai on medium-high heat. Do not let the ghee smoke at any point. When ghee is hot enough or shimmering, add broken cashew bits and fry until just golden brown. Strain and keep aside. To the same hot ghee, add fine semolina and roast on medium heat until fragrant and golden brown. Remove into a large mixing bowl. Even though it might seem like forever, try not to increase the heat higher or owing to its fine grade, rava/sooji will get burnt.
To the same kadai, add freshly grated coconut and roast until fragrant and all the moisture is gone. Remove on to the roasted rava.
Add washed golden raisins, fried cashew bits, ground cardamom, powdered sugar and give a good stir to mix all the dry ingredients well. Spoon some of this dry mix onto the bowl or plate of fried cashews and scoop away any residual ghee. There’s no place for wastage in an Indian kitchen!
Now for the main part, divide the dry mix into two sections. Make a small well in one part of the mix and add milk a tbsp at a time mixing fast simultaneously until you can just mold into a ball with your fingers and cupped palm. Too much milk and you’ll find it is very easy to mold, but when cooled Rave Unde will turn out to be rock solid and hard to bite as you can imagine.

The right consistency is when it can hold its shape but crumbles on pressure. If you get this right, Rave unde should melt in the mouth and then you’ll get to bite on the fried cashews and soft golden raisins.

To make a perfect round ball, first cup in your palm, roll and move with your fingers while applying pressure within the cupped palm until it appears round enough. Arrange all the balls on a plate and let cool.

Store in an airtight container when cooled and consume within 3-4 days.

Don’ts

Do not mix all the milk at one time, just go with one tbsp at a time.
Do not substitute ghee with oil preferably. The sweet nutty flavor of ghee is a must addition to the taste of Rave Unde.
Avoid using granulated sugar as it will not blend with sooji/rava as well as powdered sugar.
Note
If you do not have / have run out of confectioner’s sugar, just run regular granulated sugar in a blender until super fine
Cardamom is best when freshly ground. Avoid buying ground cardamom from the store, as it loses its fragrance on the shelf rather quickly.
To skip stove top rava roasting, instead microwave rava/sooji spread on a microwave safe plate for 2-3 mins in 3o sec intervals, stirring in between intervals.
Though people do make it even with Upma rava/sooji which is a thicker grade of rava, I prefer to make it only with fine rava for its melt in the mouth texture.
Desiccated coconut is a good alternative to fresh grated coconut, if not available.

You might also like:

  

Yugadi Festive Menu

Posted on by
3

Happy Yugadi!

On the eve of this special day, let me wish you in Kannada:
ಯುಗಾದಿ ಹಬ್ಬದ ಶುಭಾಷಯಗಳು - “Yugadi Habbada ShubhashayagaLu”
(Greetings for the festival of Yugadi)
or
ಹೊಸ ವರ್ಷದ ಶುಭಾಷಯಗಳು – “Hosa varshada shubhashayagaLu”
(Greetings on the New Year)
courtesy: Wiki

I wonder where March went?

Yugadi, the first day of the Hindu calendar celebrated as the Hindu New Year in Karnataka (also in Andhra and in Maharashtra as Gudi Padwa) is already here. Marked by fresh Neem flowers and leaves and the scent of tender Mango sprigs and doors decorated with festoons made of Mango leaves pinned next to each other with Neem sprigs at the corner (Taliru Torana), Yugadi is unique in the way it is celebrated and the seasonal changes it brings along.

Back at a time when we were kids and the mall culture was very much absent in India, a big festival like Yugadi (only second to Sankranthi on the english calendar year) was much-anticipated for not only the lip smacking festive menu but more so for the new clothes.

And to me, the best part of Yugadi was the lure of fresh Mangoes ripe and raw. Come Yugadi, it was a green signal to consume Mangoes although Mangoes hit the market earlier. It is believed (even now and is weirdly true) that Mangoes taste best (read sweet) only after the first rain of Yugadi.

Whatever said and done, nothing comes close to the revelry of the childhood days..
Yugadi in those days had its rhythm:
Tradition of starting the day with Abhyanga snana (head-to-toe oil (sesame and castor oil mix) massage followed by near-scalding hot water bath), how good it was!
Wearing new clothes adorned with a pinch of turmeric to mark an auspicious occasion
Witnessing Aaradhanai – a special pooja accompanied with rhythmic bell ringing performed by my Taatha (maternal grand dad) and receive Teertham (holy water)
Eating Bevu-Bella (a mix of Neem and Jaggery) with a bitter squint in the eye
Last but certainly not the least, feasting on each and every item on the festive menu, especially Obbattu
Yugadi is also the day of unveiling the new Panchangam (Hindu almanac).
Yugadi signifies leaving the old behind and ringing in the new.
Starting the day with a head to toe bath symbolizes “to start afresh” and the same is extended by virtue of wearing new clothes.
Bevu Bella (Neem – Jaggery) is essentially a symbolic of stark opposites, sweet and bitter or the representation of happiness and sorrow in life. It is a token of acceptance of the basic truth that Life is neither always sweet nor bitter and to begin the New Year with that expectation and accept both equally with good grace.

Where I am, I have access neither to Neem or the Indian Alphonsos. I get to celebrate Yugadi in all its vigor thanks to the Mexican Mangoes (not bad, you know!) and a small stash of dried Neem flowers, courtesy of a generous friend.

Once again, Wish you a very Happy Yugadi and a peaceful New Year!

The world has tasted enough bitter already, May this Yugadi bring sweet peace and compassion the world over.

Yugadi Festive Menu

Undoubtedly, Yugadi menu highlights seasonal produce – Mangoes.
Here’s a festive Yugadi menu suggestion from my kitchen to yours… Well, having grown up on such an elaborate one, I just couldn’t help it!
Bevu Bella (recipe follows)
Steamed Rice

Homemade Ghee

Hesarubele Carrot Kosambari
Rasaayana
plain dal (paruppu)
Vaazhakkai Mor Kozhambu
Maangai Thokku
Nimbe Saaru (without garlic)
Kaduhu Ohre with grated green mangoes
Ambode (without onion)
Kharjoor Badam Kheer
Obbattu

Bakala Baath

Bevu Bella Recipe:

Things you’ll need:
  • Neem flowers fresh or dried
  • tender Neem leaves ~ optional
  • Jaggery crushed or powdered
  • Ghee

How it’s done:

Crush Neem flowers and tender Neem leaves with your finger tips and mix it with a dot of ghee and crushed jaggery in equal amounts.

Note Bevu Bella is eaten in small quantities, about 1/2 tsp per person, hence made accordingly.

You might also like: