Roasted Chenna - Dry Coconut Karchikai.

Happy Deepavali : Enjoy the Festival of Lights with loads of Sweets and Savoury.
KarchiKai/Karanji/Jujiya/Karchikayilu 

Karchikai/karanji/sweet poori /Jujeeya , the names are bit different. The sweet is the same with different stuffing. Here is one of the traditional Karchikai Recipe that is very easy and with simple ingredients.
I have seen Our relative and a close friend Tara preparing these Kachoris for Ganesha Festival. I realized that kadale poppu, roasted chenna, sugar and dry coconut makes a good combination and it does not make the kachori that soft very next day.
Since long I wanted to try these kachoris and Deepavali is the perfect time and Kachori is the perfect sweet that one can prepare in lot and distribute it around the neighbours and friends.
I have used Thin variety of rava/semolina, roasted chenna, sugar and dry coconut/Copra. You can use dry fruits like raisins and cashews. (Optional).
Let us see the recipe now :

Things needed :

Thin variety of Rava/Chiroti rava/Semolina : 1 Cup
Maida : 1/2 Cup.
Ghee : 2 Tablespoons
Sugar : 2 to 3 Tablespoons (1/4 Cup)
Dry coconut :  1 Cup
Roasted Chenna /Hurikadale/Kadale poppu : 1 Cup
Salt : Very little (1 to 2 pinch)
Cooking Oil : 1 to 1 1/2 cup.

Method : 

1. Put Rava, maida, salt and ghee in the big bowl.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients nicely.

3. Add required water little by little and prepare thick chapati dough.

4. Dry grind roasted chenna and coconut. Dry grind sugar.

5. Mix all these powdered sugar, chenna and coconut nicely. Keep it aside.

6. Now kneed chapati dough nicely and divide them in to small portions.
7. Take a small portion of the dough and kneed it well.

8. Roll it as big chapati and take a small cap or cup, cut into small round shape.
9. Place a tablespoon of sweet mixture and fold it at the end and give 1/2 moon shape.

10. Press the edges tight so that it does not open up while frying in hot oil.

11. Keep a frying pan on the fire and put oil. Let it get hot.
12. Fry the ready kachoris on both side in low and medium flame.

13. Remove from the hot oil and put them on a kitchen tissue.
14. Repeat the same and fry remaining kachoris.

15. Let it get cooled. Put it in a glass jar or airtight box. Serve whenever you feel like.

Note :

You can add more maida if you wish.
You can also add more sugar to the sweet mixture. Just fill in the sweet mixture. (Do not fry or roast).
You can divide the dough into very small quantity and then roll each portion and then prepare kachori.(Optional)
Frying them on low flame makes kachoris crisp and it does not get soft later.
Time : 30 to 40 minutes.
Serves : 20 Small Kachoris. 

Chakkuli ( Rice Flour- Urid Flour & Chenna Flour)

Happy Deepavali - Happy Deepavali - Happy Deepavali - Happy Deepavli To You All.

Deepavali is festival of lights and Goodies. Spicy and Sweet dishes are poured in distributing and eating 😉😃.

Chakkuli/Chakli is one of the easy dish that you can prepare in lots and one of the favourite Namkeen (Salty dish) of many.
Chukkuli is done in using different ingredients and their are varieties of  Chakkulis that you can prepare.
Here I have tried Chakkuli and is adopted from Madhura Pradeep's recipe. She has put up this particular recipe in FOODIE (cookery) blog. She is one of the admini in Foodie blog. It is one of my favourite blog also.
Madhura Pradeep is very interested in cooking and baking. Very creative  and got the Queen crown
for baking,from Our Main FOODIE Admini   Sadashiva Rao Mailankody. Madhura Pradeep 's interest in cooking made her to have her own Cookery blog recently.
A big thanks to Shri Kripa who is also a Foodie Group Admini, very intelligent, very good in cooking, informative, sincere and helpful to members in all manners. When I asked her to find about the writer of this recipe she helped me to get the recipe writer by checking  up the recipes. Thanks Shri Kripa for finding exact. That is happened to be our lovely Madhura Pradeep. Thank You Shri Kripa.
Shri Kripa also started writing foodie blog very  recently. All the best you 2 and keep going...It might help some one some where that is what I believe.
I have used urid dal, roasted chenna /Huri kadale/pottu kadale, rice flour, butter and white sesame seeds.
Instead of urid flour I have dry roasted urid dal and then powdered and used it. This particular Chakkuli does not take much oil and it is crisp, aromatic and stays fresh for many days.

Lets see the recipe Now :

Ingredients :

Rice flour : 4 Cups
Urid dal : 1 Cup
Roasted Chenna /Huri Kadale/Pottu kadale : 1 Cup
Red chilly powder : 1 Teaspoon
White Sesame Seeds : 2 Tablespoons
Butter : 2 Tablespoons
Salt : As required
Cooking Oil : 2 Cups

Method : 

1. Clean and dry roast Urid dal till the raw smell disappear. (Slightly golden brown). Let it cool. Dry grind and keep it aside.

2. Dry grind roasted chenna and keep it aside.

3. Take a big bowl. Add rice flour. powdered urid dal, powdered chenna dal, sesame seeds, salt and butter.

4. Mix all the ingredients nicely and then add required water. Prepare chukkuli dough. ( Not too hard or not too soft).

5. Kneed the dough nicely and divide the dough into smaller portions.
6. Apply oil to chakkuli preparing mould and place the chakkuli plate inside.
7. Put a portion of chakkuli dough and close the lid. Keep it aside.

8. Take a plate and press the mould and form chakkuli in circle shape. Prepare 4 to 5 chakkulis.
9. Now keep a frying pan on the fire. Add oil and let it get hot. (Medium flame).

10. Drop the prepared chakkuli and fry them on both sides till golden brown.

11. Remove the done chakkuli and place it on kitchen tissue. So that extra oil will be absorbed.
12. Repeat the same and prepare remaining chakkuli in the same way.

13. Hot chakkulis are ready to serve. Serve as you wish.

14. Let the fried chakkulis turn cool. Put them in a clean Jar. Enjoy when ever you feel like.

Note : 

I have used fresh roasted and powdered urid dal powder. It adds to the taste and aroma. You can  use ready available urid flour got from the shop. Dry roast the flour slightly just before using. Add only required butter. Adding more butter to chakkuli dough might spoil the chakkuli while frying. ( It might turn as powder because it turns too soft while frying). Adding more /less chilly optional. You can also add jeera/cumin seeds along with sesame seeds.
Time : 40 Minutes.
Serves : 25 to 30 Chakkulis can be prepared. ( Depends on shape and size).

Oats - Baragu/Prosso Millet Laadu/Laddu

Happy Deepavali to Each and Every One. 

Oats - Prosso Millet Laadu is one of the sweet dish that you can prepare and keep it ready for celebrating Deepavali. Deepavali is full of lights and sweets. Loads of sweets are prepared and distributed among friends, neighbours and relatives.

Here are some Laadu/laddu/Unde which are prepared using Oats, Prosso Millet/Baragu, Coconut and jaggery. Nuts are added to make the laddu little rich and taste.
 Prosso Millet is known as Barri in Hindi, Panivaragu in Tamil, Varigulu in Telugu and Baragu in Kannada. 
Let us see the recipe now :

Ingredients : 

Oats : 3 Cups
Prosso Millet/Baragu : 2 Cups
Jaggery : 2 Cups
Ghee : 1/2 Cup and little more ( 2 Tablespoons)
Dry Nuts : Cashews and Raisins : 2 to 3 Tablespoons.

Method :

1. Dry roast Baragu, Oats nicely till the raw smell disappear. (Separately). Let it cool.

2. Grate coconut and dry grind it.

3. Dry grind dry roasted and cooled baragu and oats. (Powder it).

4. Now keep a pan on the fire and put jaggery and 1/4 cup of water. Mix the content nicely.
5. Let it melt completely and turn as liquid. It starts to boil and bubbles up.
6. Stir for another 2 to 3 minutes and check for one string consistency. ( On low flame).
7. Put dry ground oats, coconut and baragu. Mix it well and put off the fire.

8. Keep a small pan on the fire and put 1/2 cup of ghee. Add cashews and fry.
9. Add  raisins and fry till raisins double its size. Put this fried nuts and ghee to baragu mixture.

10. Mix it nicely and prepare laddu.  (Take a handful of the laddu mixture and press it in between your palm and finger. Give a ball shape).
11. If you find it hard to prepare laddu ( If it turns powder again), divide the laddu mixture and add a table spoon of ghee and mix it well. It helps you to form laadu.

12. Arrange them in a tray or plate and serve whenever you want. ( As you wish).

Note : 

If you are using shop bought jaggery use a filtering method and clean the jaggery and then use it. I have used organic jaggery bought from Sagar/Shivamogga. Use of more or less ghee is optional. Les ghee turns the laadu very hard. Use of more jaggery is optional. Use of more dry nuts optional. Use of coconut is also optional. (You can prepare laadu without coconut also).
Time : 30 Minutes.
Serves : 25 to 30 Laadu can be prepared. (According to shape and size).