Samaithu paar- Deepavali Special

source :The Hindu:24 Oct 2011

Photos:K. Ananandan (Sl.No.2 &3 only)

This is for all those who will open the newspaper, see the recipes and rush into the kitchen to supplement the store bought stuff. Most of the recipes are grandkids-tested and are made out of pronounceable, easily sourced ingredients, including thippili. Ammas, paatis, periammas and athais have made the kaarasev, maida biscuits, halwa and paniyaaram for you before, now it is your turn to make it for them. The lehiyam is the precautionary part of the menu. It is there to protect you from the eating onslaught of Deepavali. So go ahead and make it a cracker of a festival.

Statutory warning: Sweet and savouries are notoriously tempting. 

We are not responsible for indigestion, weight gain or hyperventilation.

1.Kaarasev

Ingredients

Gram flour: quarter kg

Rice flour: quarter kg

Chilli powder: 1 tsp

Pepper: 1 tbsp

Jeera: 1 tsp

Asafoetida: a pinch

Butter: 50 gm

Cooking soda: a pinch

Oil: 500 ml

Method

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and knead into a thick dough (chapatti dough consistency) using water.

Heat oil in a kadai.

Rub the dough through the ladle with holes in it over the oil.

Fry till it turns golden brown.

For those who like the taste of garlic, mix a little garlic paste into the dough as you knead it.

2.Crispy Maida Chips

Ingredients

Maida: 500 gm

Sugar: 4 tbsp

Salt: quarter tsp

Cooking soda: a pinch

Unsalted butter: 1 tbsp

Sesame seeds: 3 tsp

Cooking oil: 1 tbsp

Oil: For frying.

Method

Blend soda and butter. Mix with the other ingredients and knead into a smooth dough using enough water.

Let it stand for an hour. Roll into thick rotis and slice into small cubes with a knife.

Heat oil in a pan and add a handful of the cubes at a time, frying on a low flame till they turn golden brown.

Place on a hand towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil. These chips taste good when eaten alone or when added to home-made mixture.

3.Godhumai halwa

Ingredients

Broken wheat: 1 tumbler

Sugar: 3 tumblers

Ghee: One-and-a-half tumblers

Roasted cashew nut: a handful

Hot water: a couple of tumblers

Method

Soak the wheat for four hours and grind coarsely. Add water and sieve. Repeat till the wheat milk has been extracted. Let it stand overnight. The next morning, decant the water on top of the extracted milk. You'll be left with about a tumbler of thick wheat milk.

Make sugar syrup with water in a thick-bottomed pan. Once it comes to a boil, add the wheat milk and stir. Add some hot water and continue stirring.

Ten minutes later, add some ghee and stir till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.

Add more ghee, a pinch of orange food colour and powdered cardamom. Once the mixture turns semi-solid, add a couple of drops of lime juice. Pour onto a plate greased with ghee and garnish with cashew.

After half an hour, cut it into pieces and serve.

4.Rava paniyaaram

Ingredients

Semolina (rava): 1 cup

Maida: 1 cup

Sugar: One-and-a-half cups

Oil: To fry

Method

Soak the rava in water for two hours.

Add maida and sugar to it and mix into a thick batter. Stir till the sugar dissolves and there are no lumps.

Heat oil in a pan. Spoon the mixture into the oil and fry till golden brown.

5.Deepavali Lehiyam

Ingredients

Omam: 50 gm

Jeera: 20 gm

Cinnamon: 5 gm

Clove: 5 gm

Elaichi: 5 gm

Kandathippilli: 5 gm

Ginger: 25 gm

Jaggery: 200 gm

Ghee: 1 tbsp

Honey: 1 tbsp

Pepper: 5 to 10 gm

Method

Dry roast omam, jeera, cinnamon, clove, elaichi, kandathippilli and pepper and make it into a fine powder.

Extract juice from the ginger.

Mix the juice with jaggery and make a thick paahu (one-string consistency)

Add the dried spice powder, ghee and honey to the paahu.

After a minute, take the mixture off the heat and allow it to cool.

Store in an airtight container.

Keywords: Sweet and savouries