RAVA APPALU

INGREDIENTS

Bombay rava – 1/2 cup

Grated jaggery – 1  1/2 cup

Water – 1 1/2 cup

Cow ghee – 1/2 tsp

Oil for deep frying

Appalu is the main neivedyam for lord hanuman. It has a crunchy outer layer and soft smooth inside.

METHOD

• Heat a heavy bottom pan with 1 1/2 cups of water. Add grated jaggery and ghee, boil till the jaggery melts .
• Add bombay rava slowly and keep stirring. Make sure there are no lumps.
• Cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Open the lid, mix well and cook on low flame while stirring.
• Turn off the flame and allow it to cool down. The flour mixture should not be too hard or too soft.
• You should be able to make a round patty with the mixture. Heat oil in a pan for deep frying.
• Grease your palms with ghee, make small lemon sized balls and keep it side.
• Once the oil is heated up, keep it in medium flame and shape the lemon size balls by pressing with palms into round shape patties..
• Fry in oil till it becomes golden brown in colour. Fry equally on both sides .
• Once the appalu are done, place them on a tissue paper. Serve as neivedyam.

SUGGESTIONS

Do not over crowd the pan as they tend to stick with each other and break .

PULAGAM (ATTESARU)

INGREDIENTS

Rice – 1/2 cup

Moong dal – 1/4 cup

Water – 2 1/2 cups

Turmeric powder – generous pinch

Salt to taste

Small jaggery pieces – 2

Cow ghee -1 tsp

Pulagam is an Indian traditional dish made with rice and dal. It is also prepared as naivedyam during every festival.

METHOD

• Wash rice and moong dal together. Put rice and moong dal together in a small pan with 2 1/2 cups of water.
• Bring it to boil, add salt and turmeric powder. Cook on low flame till the water is completely absorbed and rice is cooked.
• Switch off the flame and add 1 tsp of ghee. Put jaggery pieces on top of the rice.
• Serve as naivedyam to god.

 

PARAMANNAM ( RICE PAYASAM )

INGREDIENTS

Rice – 1/2 cup

Milk – 6 to 7 cups (cows milk if making naivedyam)

Grated jaggery – 1 cup

Cow ghee – 1tsp (cows ghee if making naivedyam)

Cashewnuts and raisins – optional

Ghee for frying nuts

METHOD

• Wash rice several times and soak it in enough water for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Drain and keep it aside. Pour milk to a rinsed heavy bottom pot.
• Bring it to a boil on a medium flame. To the boiling milk, add drained rice and stir.
• Stir once every few minutes. Cook the rice till it turns mushy and soft.
• Adjust the consistency of the payasam by adding more milk. Let the rice and milk bubble up after adding milk.
• Turn off the stove. Add grated Jaggery and 1 tsp of ghee mix well. Stir well until dissolved.
• Heat ghee in another pan. Fry cashew nuts till they turn light golden in colour. Add raisins. Stir till they swell and pour this into the rice payasam.
• Serve rice payasam warm or cold.

CHICKEN FRY WITH MASALA PASTE

INGREDIENTS

Chicken – 1 kg

FOR MASALA PASTE

Small onion – 1

Cloves – 25

Cardamom – 4

Cinnamon – 1 1/2 inch piece

Poppy seeds – 1/2 tbsp

Ginger – 2 inch piece

Garlic – 12 or ginger garlic paste 1 1/2 tbsp

Star anise – 1

Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp

Fennel seeds – 1/4 tsp

Cashew nuts – 15

Grind all the above ingredients into a fine paste using little water.

Water – 1/2 cup

Red chilli powder – 4 tbsp

Salt to taste

A generous pinch of turmeric

TALIMPU

Oil – 1/2 cup

Crushed garlic – 8

Cumin seeds -1/2 tsp

Broken red chillies – 10

Curry leaves few

Finely chopped onions – 3

A pinch of salt

Green chillies – 6

Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

Finely chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

METHOD

• Wash the chicken and put it in the pressure cooker. Grind all the masala ingredients to a fine paste using little water.
• Transfer the masala paste into the chicken. Add salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and 1/2 cup of water. Mix well.
• Pressure cook the chicken for 3 to 4 whistles and turn off the flame. Wait for the pressure to release naturally. Keep it aside.
• Heat oil in a wide pan. Add all the talimpu ingredients one by one. Fry till the curry leaves turn crisp and aromatic.
• Add sliced onions, turmeric powder and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook on medium flame till the onions light golden brown.
• Now add the cooked chicken along with any left over gravy and cook on high flame.
• Let the water evaporate. Mix well and adjust seasoning. Roast the chicken on medium flame for 5 to 6 minutes.
• Scrape the sides and bottom of the pan now and then. When the chicken turns light brown in colour, add finely chopped coriander and mix throughly.
• Fry for another 2 to 3 minutes. Check out the seasonings. Switch off the flame and serve hot.

 

PALALLO UNDRALLU (PALATALIKALU )

INGREDIENTS

FOR RICE FLOUR DOUGH

Rice flour – 1/2 cup

Water – 1 1/2 cup

Grated jaggery – 1/4 cup

TO MAKE PALALLO UNDRALLU

Milk – 2 1/2 cups

Water – 1/2 cup for diluting dough

Grated jaggery – 3/4 cup to 1 cup

METHOD

• In a pan, put 1 1/2 cups of water bring it to a boil. Add grated jaggery and 1/3 tsp of ghee.
• Let the jaggery melt into water. Add rice flour and keep stirring until it forms a smooth dough.
• Swicth off the flame. Keep it covered for 5 minutes. Let it cool. Open the lid and knead the dough until it forms a smooth dough.
• Take half a portion of dough. Make very small balls with the dough by greasing your hands with some ghee.
• Keep them aside. Dilute remaning dough with 1/2 cup of water and keep it aside.
• Take 2 1/2 cups of milk in another pan and bring it to boil.  When the milk starts to boil, add the prepared rice balls slowly.
• Give it a stir carefully with out crushing the undrallu. Let them cook with milk on low flame for about 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes you will notice that the balls are soft and floating on top. Add the diluted flour mix. Mix well.
• Cook for 1 to 2 minutes and switch off the flame. Wait for a minute and add grated jaggery.
• Gently mix it well until the jaggery is well combined. Transfer this into a bowl, offer this as naivedyam or prasadam to Lord Ganesha on Ganesh Chaturthi .

METHI RICE

INGREDIENTS 

Basmathi rice  – 1 cup

Cloves – 3

Cardamom – 3

Cinnamon – 1 inch piece

Star anise – 1

Garlic cloves – 8

Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp

Finely chopped methi leaves – 1/2 cup

Finely chopped mint leaves – 1/4 cup

Finely chopped coriander leaves  – 1/4 cup

Salt to taste

Oil – 1 tbsp

Ghee – 1 1/2 tbsp

Water – 2  1/2 cups

METHOD

• Wash basmati rice and soak in water for 20 minutes. Drain and keep it aside.
• Wash all the finely chopped leafy vegetables and keep it aside.
• Heat oil and 1 tbsp of ghee in a pan. Add garlic cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and star anise.
• Fry for 1 to 2 minutes, add ginger garlic paste. Fry till the raw smell fades away.
• Add 2 1/2 cups of water and salt. Let it boil. Add finely chopped methi leaves, mint leaves and coriander leaves. Mix well and let it boil again.
• Add drained basmati rice. Mix well. Cook on medium flame. Make sure the rice is fully cooked.  Once cooked, keep it covered for 5-6 minutes.
• Lastly, add the remaining ghee. Mix throughly and serve hot with any type of gravy curries.

SUGGESTIONS

Adjust the water quantity according to your wish.