Vellai Paniyaram — Chettinad Special (200th Post)

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Chettinad Palaharam, chettinad recipe, Paniayaram recipe, tips for vellai paniyaram, Vellai Paniyaram

Here comes my 200th post, with the chettinad special dish vellai paniyaram. In any chettinad house this dish is inevitable. This is served in all of the chettinad functions. You will find this as one of the breakfast items in marriages.

It is a very simple recipe, but needs some practice. I have tried it a few times and never got it right. Finally I could nail it 🙂 It is always accompanied with the spicy millagai chutney (Red Chili Chutney) , recipe in the next post.

Ingredients:

Raw Rice/Pachai arisi : 1 cup ( measure exactly up to rim)

Urad Dal/Ulunthu : 1 1/2 tablespoon/make a gopuram over rice ( urad dal, we get in US is poor in quality, so I use 1/4 cup which gives better result)

Water : as needed to grind

Salt : as needed

Milk : 1 tablespoon( optional)

Oil : to deep fry

Method:

• Soak rice and urad dal in water for 2 hours.
• Grind it to a smooth batter with salt, just like dosa batter.
• This batter needs to be a little extra watery than dosa batter. So you can add extra milk and bring it to that consistency.
• Heat oil in a pan for deep frying.
• Take a ladle which is not at all deep.( In Tamil we say kuli illatha karandi)
• When the oil is hot enough, in the ladle take the batter and make sure the bottom of the ladle doe not have any batter. And pour it in one place.
• With another ladle, pour oil on the top of the paniyaram.
• Let it get cooked for a minute. Now turn the sides and cook around 30 sec.
• Drain oil and place it in a paper towel to drain extra oil.

Tips:

• This paniayaram should be thin and not thick, you can see the last picture on how it looks when cooked. Once the first is cooked , tear it and see if the center is cooked well, if not then cook for some more time.
• This paniyaram has to be cooked one at a time and not more than one.
• Do not over cook once the side is turned. They must look white and not brown, hence the name vellai paniyaram.
• This batter can be prepared and stored for later in fridge. Make sure to have a little watery consistency than dosa batter.
• In case urad dal is very good quality, these paniyaram might come out very thick and like a ball.
• In this case adding little milk or water helps(I have tried this option). You can also add rice flour and adjust( I haven’t tried this)
• In case Urad dal is too less, then paniyaram becomes very thin and rubbery. In this case you can add some urad dal flour and adjust.
• The sides of this paniayaram will form a flower shape which is the exact shape of this paniyaram.
• Final tip my grandma gives me is, when you don’t get it right make uthappam with this batter 🙂

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Thirattupaal/Paalkova (Chettinad Style)

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authentic thirattupaal, Chettinad Desserts, Chettinad Foods, Chettinad Palaharam, Chettinad style thirattupaal, healthy paalkova, karupatti, paalkova, pillaiyar nombu, Thirattupaal, Thirattupaal recipe

Diwali nearing and list of sweets lining up 🙂 Thirattupaal is a very common sweet in my place. This is the Chettinad style thirattupaal. Only difference in this style is that instead of sugar we use palm candy(karupatti) And that taste is a little different from normal paalkova. And this is quite healthy and better than normal refined sugar. Gur/Jaggery can be replaced instead of palm candy(karupatti) This is as well a healthy option.

Ingredients:

Milk : 1 liter (whole milk works best)

Palm Candy/Karupatti : 3/4 cup ( can be replaced by Jaggery/Sugar)

Lemon Juice : 1 teaspoon

Salt : a pinch

Method:

• Take a heavy bottomed pan, pour milk and boil it.
• Keep boiling in medium heat.
• Break down karupatti to pieces. In another small pan, heat karupatti with very little water and let it boil. Then filter out for any impurities.
• When milk simmer add the above karupatti liquid or directly add jaggery powder/sugar.
• Keep stirring for a while. If karupatti is used then milk will curdle automatically. (somehow mine did not curdle, so I used lemon juice to make it curdle)
• If jaggery or sugar is added, then lemon juice needs to be added in few mins after adding them.
• Make sure to keep stirring and add a pinch of salt. At one stage all the water content would evaporate and become thick. Then stop and cool.
• This is a fabulous dessert 🙂

Optional Elaichi powder can be added for a bit of flavor. This whole process takes around 45 mins to one hour.

Masala Cheeyam – by, Malar

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Cheeyam, Chettinad evening snack, Chettinad Masala Cheeyam, Chettinad Palaharam, Masala Cheeyam, Masala Cheeyam Recipe, Savory Cheeyam

My guest post at Shruti’s space, Cooking with SJ, I am just so glad I am on her space with her special 501 th post 😀 It feels so wonderful to get connected with such a lovely blogger 🙂 Do check the post for the “Masala Cheeyam” an authentic Chettinad snack recipe 🙂

Thengai Pal Kozhukattai

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Chettinad Palaharam, Coconut milk rice dumpling, Kozhukattai, Pal Kozhukattai, Pal Kozhukattai recipe, Thengai Pal Kozhukattai

Pal Kozhukattai and Pal Paniyaram are both a Chettinad delicacy. I have never tried both of them, so pestered my grandma for recipe 😛 There are 2 ways of preparing Pal Kozhukattai. I have got the simple one 😉  This is made with coconut milk, so a total vegan recipe. I have used the store bought rice flour. I got the Bob Red Mill’s white rice flour and this is totally good.

I did show her the outcome in skype. She said the rice balls needs to be much smaller than what I had prepared. So I got a bit upset. But the balls turned out really soft and tasted perfect. And hubby gave thumbs up 🙂 So I thought let me share it.

Also when I took pictures, it didn’t come out well 😦 I still have lots and lots to improve in my photography. I want to take pictures and show it the way it comes out naturally and I am still working on it.

Ingredients:

Rice Flour : 3/4 cup

Coconut Grated : 1 1/2 cup

Hot Water :1 cups

Warm Water : 3 cup

Jaggery/Gur : 1/2 cup to 3/4 cups (depending on your sweet cravings 🙂 ) Sugar can be used instead

Cardamom : 3 pieces

Salt : 1 pinch

Method:

• First coconut milk needs to be prepared. Add 3/4 cup of warm water and grind the coconut in a blender. Remove the first extract in a cup. This the thick coconut milk, keep it aside.
• Next add the remaining warm water and remove the coconut milk extract. This will be light.
• Now to the rice flour add salt and mix, then add 3/4 cup hot water and mix with a wooden spatula, so that it forms a nice dough. Don’t mix more water. Cool it down.
• When it is warm enough make small balls out of it. Make sure to put those balls in a closed container, otherwise it might go dry. If it sticks to your hand, grease your palms with oil and make the balls.
• Next heat the thin coconut milk. When it is heated well add the rice balls slowly. Make sure the coconut milk is hot, otherwise the rice balls would melt.
• As well don’t mix with any spatula as soon as you put the balls. Leave it for 5 mins and then stir with spatula.
• Now add Jaggery or sugar to this.  Add cardamom pieces as well. If you use sugar it will be fully white.
• Let it boil for 15 mins. Check if the rice balls has got cooked by just pressing it a bit.
• Don’t boil it too much, otherwise it might go harder.

Stop and serve warm. This does not require any topping 🙂