Happy Sankranthi ~ Chakkara Pongal



May Pongal fill your life with sweetness!

May the sun radiate peace, prosperity and happiness in your life on PONGAL and always! Like a bright and beautiful Kolam may your days be sprinkled with joy and happiness!

 May the Pongal bring in new hopes and good harvest for you!Wishing you a Happy Pongal!

I wish you all my Friends ,Blog readers &Visitors and everone  a Very Happy Pongal.

The best of South Indian dishes are relished during the harvest festival of Pongal making the occasion a gourmet's delight.So I want to let you Know about the preparation of "Chakkara Pongal".Try this popular recipe with love and share the dish with family and friends and have a blast this Pongal!!

Ingredients

•  Long Grain Rice -1 cup
• Moong Dhal -1/8 cup 
•  Milk -1 cup 
•  Melted Butter (Ghee)- 1/2 to 1 cup
• Powdered Jaggery (Gur) or Brown Sugar- 1 3/4 cup 
•  Cardamom Powder 1/2 tsp 
•  Raisins 10 no
• Dry coconut pieces-few
•  Cashew Nuts (whole) 6 to 8 no

Method

• Cook rice and moong dal with milk and water until well done. 
•  Fry cashews,coconut pieces and raisins in ghee until golden brown and keep aside.
• Take water and add gur (or brown sugar) and boil it until it dissolves and becomes thick. 
•  Add cooked rice and dal to gur and keep stirring on low heat until well mixed.
• Add remaining ghee in spoonfuls and continue stirring.
• Add powdered cardamom and mix well.
• Decorate with fried raisins and cashews.
• Offer to the God & Serve to your Frends & family with a Smile and Enjoy!!!

Note:

• You may also cook the rice and Moong dal with Water instead of Milk.
• You can also Dry roast Moong dal and Cook.

Sweet Pongal

Ingredients

•  Raw Rice-1cup
•  Green Gram Dal-1/2cup
•  Milk-1cup
•  Jaggery (powdered)-3cups
• Ghee-4tbsp
•  Cashewnuts-2tbsp
•  Raisins-2tbsp
•  Cardamoms (powdered)-5no
•  Cloves (powdered)-2no
•  Nutmeg (grated or powdered)-1 small piece
•  A pinch of Saffron
•  Water-2 1/2 cups

Method

1. Roast dry the green gram dal for a couple of minutes.

2. Cook the rice and green gram dhal with 2 1/2 cups of water and 1 cup milk in the microwave or on the gas and set aside.

3. Dissolve the jaggery in 3/4 cup water and cook on a low heat till the jaggery melts.

4. Strain the jaggery to remove the dirt.

5. Put the syrup once more on the heat and stir till it becomes slightly sticky.

6. Add the cooked rice and dhal.

7. Heat the 4 tbsp ghee.

8. Fry the cashewnuts and raisins and add to the pongal.

9. Add the powdered cardamoms, cloves nutmeg and saffron.

10. Mix well and serve hot.

Happy Sankranthi ~ Ariselu

Sankranthi Subhakaankshalu

Happy Pongal Wishes.

Ariselu is one of the traditional sweet of Andhra Pradesh,which is originated from South a part of Andhra.Usually this sweet is made for Marriages and Festivals.At the time of Kaartikamasam also for the Kedareshwara swamy Vratam,offered this item for Naivedyam and sure this dish is made during "Makara Sankranthi" Festival as it is the right time for the new harvest to the farmers.Every women in the house seems being busy to cook this sweet with the help of servants or by their neighbours.The traditional way of making this delicious sweet takes for 2days.One day for soaking the rice in water for overnight and the second day for blending the powder and preparing the syrup for the dough to make Ariselu.

Son-in-Laws arrive to In-Laws home for this Big festival and they are tasted with this special item and Festival gifts.In India,some people distribute this sweet for the Kid's First Birthday time as a variety describing that "Adugulaki Ariselu" (as the infant started foot steps) and allow the kid to walk on this sweet item as a tradition too.I came to know this at the time of my kid Neelesh 1st Birthday. Also prepared at the time of Marriage Function & Baby shower time. 

One important thing is Old rice for rice flour will give a good result than the New rice ,it becomes hard.Regarding this delicious sweet ,I recollected some beautiful Child-hood memories as kid.I used to go to my grandparents home for each and every festival along with my Mother and there would be a big family gatherings.I remember whenever the ariselu are made,my grandma used to soak the rice for whole night and she wake up early in the morning to blend the rice.Now a days ,powders are easily prepared by using the Mixy jars and blenders.Those days ,people use their own energy and prepare the powder in the Stone Pestle.Really it was very hard ,as I experinced it by put my hand to the pestle for only 2times along with my grandma and use to go for play.Once after cooking these ariselu another work was to press them with an special instrument to drain all the excess oil/ghee from it. Frying them in the Ghee known as a "Nethi Ariselu"We all the kids ,use to play and enjoy all the festival items made by my Grandma.Me,while returning back to home ,I used to pack more ariselu than other kids.I like this sweet Very much especially made by my Lovely Grand Mother.She also says that the "Beauty of the dough can be stored and used whenever we want" also known as "Chalimidi".

Those who have no time ,can choose an option from purchasing from the Sweet shop and enjoy the Festival Sweet.So, friends with a tough work for this Sankranthi I prepared these Ariselu following the Instructions given by my Mother.I felt little harder making the sweet alone but was Yummy.Here goes the recipe
.

 Ingredients:

• Rice- 2cups
• Jaggery(grated)/Sugar- 2cups
• Coconut grated-1/2 cup or 1cup cubed and shallow fried coconut pieces  (optional)
• Water-3 cups approximately
• Ghee-2tbsp
• Sesame seeds or Poppy seeds-2tbsp
• Oil /Ghee for deep frying
• Also keep excess flour
• Plantain leaf/Ziploc bag/parchment cooking paper -to press the balls

Preparation:

• Wash and soak the rice in water over night for 7-8 hrs.
• Drain the rice and dry the rice on a cotton cloth,so that the cloth will absorb any remaining water.
• Make a fine powder out of this rice,sieve the rice powder and if desire grind once again and make a very  fine powder.And take this flour in to a bowl and cover with a lid and set it aside.
• This powder should be little wet and don't leave it dry.
• Now make a Jaggery/Sugar syrup in a vessel by adding water just to cover the jaggery under a flame and start boiling.When the syrup is made remove from the heat and strain to remove if any dirt in the Jaggery.
• Bring back to heat and boil it in to a low flame till it becomes like a thick syrup.
• To check the syrup consistency,take a half cup water and leave a drop of syrup and check that should become like a lump.
• Then add rice flour,Coconut and Sesame or Poppy seeds and stir well to avoid lumps.
  

  
• The texture should come somewhat like a soft Chapati dough.
• If you think the mixture is semi-solid,add some rice flour.
• Remove from the heat and add little ghee to make a softy dough.
  

  
• Cover with a lid and cool it for few seconds ,it means the dough should be able to touch with your hands to make balls.
  

  
• Apply Oil/ghee to your hand and surface of the Plantainleaf or polythene sheet and put one dough on it and press to form a circle.(It should be thicker)
  

  
• Heat oil/ghee in a pan and meanwhile prepare the circle shapes from the remaining dough.
• Drop them in to oil and fry under a lowflame till light brown and Fry one at a time.
  

  
• After the discs turn golden color,remove the discs,and press hardly between two laddles to squeeze extra oil/ghee.(Normally ariselu absorbs oil/ghee when fried)
  

  
• Spread them in abig plate to cool.After they become cool store them in an air-tight container.
  

  
• Serve this special delicious yummy Ariselu for the guests and friends in a plate and Enjoy!!!

Tip:

• You can store and use the dough whenever you want and If it becomes too hard ,just add about 2tsp of water along with the 2tsp of sugar and boil.
• You can add sesame or poppy seeds along with the flour or sprinkle it after making the circles from the balls.
• Don't make  the circles thin,it will be crispy.Make thicker to taste soft and crunchy.

Chakraalu

Chakraalu is one of the Famous Festive traditional South India item.Chakraalu is also known as Murukku or Janthikalu.Its preparation is simple if the Murukku Press is available and if not also we can done it by passing the dough like a thread and forming a circular shape. This is an all time snack item for kids and elders.Children can enjoy its crackling sound while eating and even me too when I am a Kid.Now enjoying it by seeing when my kid eats it.I am sure all the South Indian people almost like this and it goes well as a Tasty tea time snack .I remember well this item was prepared specifically during the "Pongal /Sankranthi" Festival and my school Vaccation time by my Grand Mother when I reach her for the holidays.So friends , I am posting for you all  for the upcoming" Pongal " festival .Try and Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

• Rice flour/Biyyam Pindi-3 cups
• Besan flour/Gram flour/Senagapindi-1 cup
• Red chillipowder according to taste
• Ajwaiin/Vaamu-2tsps
• Hot cooking oil-little
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying

Apparatus: Murukku Press & Plastic Sheet



Murukku Press Instrument

 

Preparation:

• Take vessel or bowl ,Mix the Rice flour,Besan flour,Ajwaiin,salt,and red chilli powder and mix well using little water at a time.
• While mixing the dough add little hot oil and mix it well to form a soft dough.
• Heat the oil in a deep pan for frying.
• Divide the dough in to small portions and place the small dough in to the Murukku press by fixing it with the desired shapes.
• Press these directly in to the oil or you can press them on a Plastic sheet and place them in the oil.
• Fry the  chakraalu  till golden brown.
• Use this dough for making various shapes of chakraalu.
• Drain the excess oil by placing these Chakraalu on a Paper Napkin.
• Cool and store it an air -tight container and are ready to eat anytime of the day.

The below are the various shapes of chakralu made by the dough.

Ribbon Pakodi

Sanna Karappusa

Janthikalu

Note:

• Replace the Besan With Urad dal (Minapa Pindi) to get a different vesrsion.
• Also can try with the Millet flour and you can add little quantity of melted butter for taste.

You might also like:

• Rice Murukku