Sourashtra special recipes

Here are some sourashtra special recipes. I've given the dishes names in palkar.


Kangulo (Modhakam)

Ingredients:

For outer layer:

Idly rice or rice flour -1 cup
salt as per taste
water
oil - 2 tsp

For Filling:

coconut scraped
jaggery
cardamom
black sesame seeds
fried gram dal

Recipe:


Filling:
In a mixer add cardamom, sesame seeds (Refer the procedure to clean sesame seeds), fried gram dal and jaggery one by one. Since all these items grind at different stages make sure to run 2, 3 pulses before adding the next ingredient. Mix the scraped coconut to this mixture and knead to form small balls. This is the inner filling.

Outer Layer:
If you're using idly rice, soak the rice for 1 hour in water add salt and grind it nicely in a wet grinder or mixie.
If you're using rice flour, mix the flour, water and salt to idly batter consistency.
Personally i prefer the idly rice method, since the original tastes better.

Following steps are for both methods:
1. Pour 2 teaspoons of oil in a skillet and add the rice batter.
2. Stir it continuously without forming lumps.
3. Within few minutes the water will evaporate and a dough will form without sticking to the skillet.
4. At this stage remove from stove and keep it aside.
5. Take a damp cloth or plastic sheet and place a small size ball of the rice flour dough. Spread it thin to a circle shape by hand.
6. Now place a filling ball at the center of the circle, fold and stick the edges to form a half circle shape.
7. Steam this in a idly pot for approximately 7 to 10 minutes (4 to 5 mins after steam comes out).
Now kangulos are ready to serve. Serve hot with ghee.

Tip to use less oil for frying

Use a non stick kuzhi paniyaram kal (Looks like muffin pan with flat bottom) and pour 2 to 3 tsp oil in each hole and fry. This method uses very less oil and best for deep frying.

Healthy Palm jaggery (panai vellam or karupatti) cake

Palm jaggery is a great alternative to refined sugar and has lots of nutrients. This recipe is an healthy alternative to regular cake and tastes good too!!!

Pre preparation:

Dissolve 250 gms of Palm jaggery in 1 cup of warm water and filter the impurities with a cheese cloth.

Ingredients:

Concentrated Palm Jaggery syrup - 1 cup
Wheat flour -1 cup
Butter - 3 Tbsp
Egg -2
Baking powder -1 tsp
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
salt - 1/4 tsp
Chopped Walnut - 1/4 cup (optional)
Pumpkin pie spice - 1 tsp (optional)
olive oil - to grease pan

Recipe:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degree Farenheit.
2. Mix wheat flour, salt, pumpkin pie spice, Baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl.
3. Bring the butter to room temperature and beat them with the eggs.
4. Pour the egg mixture and palm jaggery syrup in the bowl and gently mix the flour and liquids.
5. Finally add the chopped walnuts to the batter and fold it gently.
6. Grease the cake pan with olive oil, and pour the batter into the pan.
7. Bake this for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean.
8. Cool the cake for about 10 minutes and serve.

Note:
If the cake is refrigerated, slightly warm it in microwave oven before serving.

Diet carrot cake

Ingredients:

Maida – 2 cups
Sugar – 1 cup
Egg – 8 (White part)
Oil – 4 tbsp
Carrot – 1 cup grated
Baking soda – 1 tbsp
Walnut, Almonds, raisins – 1 cup mixed


Recipe
 
1) Pre heat the oven to 350.
2) In a large bowl add the egg white and beat well
3) Then add the Sugar, baking soda, Maida, oil, Carrot, nuts one by one and mix well.
4) Add water if required and mix well till no clumps.
5) The mixture should be in thick idly batter consistency.
6) Pour the batter in a cake pan and cook for 25 mins in the oven.
7) Insert a spoon or knife in the cake and check whether it’s sticking to the knife. If not the cake is ready.
8) If it is sticky cook for some more time and check again.

Refer http://www.finecooking.com/articles/ratios-for-great-cakes.aspx for ratio tips
Flour=sugar=liquid (oil, milk or butter)
(Note: A cup of sugar weighs about 7 ounces, and a cup of all-purpose flour weighs about 4-1/2 ounces)
Eggs>=fat
Egg+liquid=sugar
For 1 cup flour 1tbsp baking powder or ¼ tbsp baking soda
More sweet -> tender cake, more flour-> pound cake
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Healthy walnut sweet balls

Ingredients: 
Walnuts and Raisins


Recipe:
1) In a mixie add the walnuts and raisins and grind well.
2) Make the mixture to small balls.

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Peanut Balls

Ingredients: 

Roasted peanuts, Jaggry





Recipe:
 
1) Remove the peanut skin. (Roast the peanuts in a pan and rub it to remove the skin).
2) Grate the Jaggry.
3) Add the peanuts and Jaggry to a mixture and grind well.
4) Now make the mixture to small balls.
5) Delicious peanut balls are ready.

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Rasgulla

Rasgulla:

Ingredients:
Milk – 1 litre
Lemon juice – 1/2 cup
Sugar – 1 cup
Water – 3 cups
Cardamom powder – ¼ tbsp




Recipe:

1) Heat the milk in a heavy bottom vessel.
2) When the milk starts boiling slowly add the lemon juice until the whey water separates.
3) Now drain the water and collect the paneer in a cloth.
4) Squeeze the paneer as much as possible to drain the water.
5) Keep this aside for 10 to 20 mins to reduce the moisture.
6) Knead the paneer well like chapathi flour. (Note: If this is not in correct consistency Rasagulla may broke or turn hard while cooking. Remove as much water as possible) To make this process simple quick run the paneer in a mixie or food processor for 2 seconds. Make this as small balls.
7) In a cooker add the sugar and water and heat it.
8) When it starts boiling add cardamom powder and the paneer balls.
9) Close the cooker lid and cook without weight for about 15 mins.
11) Now the Rasgulas will be doubled in size.
12) Serve it when chilled.

Carrot Halwa

Carrot Halwa
 
Ingredients:
Carrots, sugar, ghee, cardamom powder, cashew nuts and raisins.


Recipe:
1) Peel the carrot skin and boil until it is soft.
2) Mash the boiled carrots in mixie.
3) In a saucepan add 2tbsp ghee, carrot mash and sugar.
4) Stir the mixture until the sugar is melt.
5) Add the cardamom powder.
6) Now gradually add ghee and keep stirring until the mixture doesn’t stick to the pan.
7) In a small pan add 2 tbsp of ghee and fry cashew nuts and raisins.
8) Decorate the Halwa with fried cashew and raisins and serve chilled.

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Healthy sathu maavu (sprouted multigrain flour) cookies

Ingredients:

Sathu maavu flour - 1 cup
baking soda - 3/4 tsp
salt - 1/4 tsp
sugar - 1/2 cup
butter - 1 tbsp
Corn oil - 3 tbsp

Recipe:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2) In a bowl mix sathu maavu flour ( for information about how to prepare sathu maavu refer to my previous posts), sugar, salt, baking soda, oil and butter. Slowly add cold milk and gently knead it to make a dough.

3) The dough should not be very stiff or too watery. Grease your palms with few drops of oil and prepare small balls using the dough.

4) Place the balls in a cookie sheet and gently press them to get nice cookie shape. Allow adequate space between cookies as they'll raise to double during baking.

5) Place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.