Jangiri

Ingredients:
Whole white urad dal  - 1 cup
Raw rice - 2 TBSP
Sugar - 4 cups
Water - 1 cup
Saffron strands - 1/4 tsp
Rose essence - 1 tsp
Oil - for deep frying
Orange food color - optional ( I used saffron for the color)
Zip lock bag or piping bag with round nozzle

Here is a video on how to make jangiri.

Method:

1. Soak urad dal and rice for 1 hour.
2. Drain the water and grind with very little water until soft and fluffy.  Add little crushed saffron while grinding the dal.
3. Place sugar in a pan and add 1 cup of water.  Bring it to a boil.  
4. Just before it reaches to one string consistency, switch off the flame.  Add rose essence and saffron. 
5. Prepare the zip lock bag by piercing a hole in the middle of the bottom.  Use a thin hot nail or rod.
6. You can also use a piping bag with a round nozzle.
7. Heat oil (fill about 1 inch deep) in a broad skillet on a low flame.
8. Half fill the zip lock bag or piping bag with the batter.
9. Press the batter over oil to make a circle and continue pressing along the sides like a coil.
10. Make like 3 to 4 jangiris at a time.  
11. Fry until golden brown.  Remove from the oil and drop them in to the sugar syrup.
12. Press the jangiris down to soak.  Leave them in the syrup until the next batch is fried.
13. Repeat the process.
14. If the syrup becomes thick, stop the frying and add little hot water to the syrup, bring it to boil.
15. Makes about 30 jangiris.

Deepavali Legiyam / Marundhu

Legiyam / Marundu is a herbal medicine,  prepared during deepavali / diwali.  In some households,  it is a tradition to have a spoonful of this medicine first thing in the morning on deepavali day, before eating all the sweets and savories.  This herbal medicine helps to aid digestion problems and also great for cold and cough.

Ingredients:
Black pepper - 2  TBSP
Cumin seeds - 2 1/2 TBSP
Coriander seeds - 2 1/2 TBSP
Omam / Ajwain - 2 1/2 TBSP
Kandan thipilli - 10 sticks
Arisi thippli - 10
Sukku / Dry ginger - 2 inch size
Elakkai / Cardamom - 3
Jaggery powder - 1 cup ( same amount as ground powder)
Ghee - 4 TBSP

Note:  If you can't find kandan thippli and arisi thippli, omit and use other ingredients.
Both Arisi thippili and Kandan thippili are called pippal in hindi and long pepper in english.  Arisi thippili is a small, black grainy pepper and kandan thippili looks like a stick.  I did find the stick pepper in local indian store, here in NJ.

Method:

1. Place all the ingredients except jaggery and ghee in a skillet.  Slightly saute for 30 seconds.  No need to roast them, just heat it up.
2. Let it cool.  Using a blender, make a smooth powder.
3. Measure the powder and take the same amount of jaggery.
4. Add water to the powder and make a thick paste, like a soup consistency.
5. In a large heavy pan / kadai, heat the paste on a low flame.  Keep stirring.
6. Once its start to thicken, add the jaggery and keep stirring until jaggery is melted.
7. Add the ghee slowly and cook until you get the jam consistency.
8. When the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan without sticking, switch of the flame.

Sweet Rice Puttu with Jaggery - Navarathri Recipe

Happy Navarathri

Ingredients:
Rice flour / Puttu flour - 1 cup ( I used puttu flour,  Nirapara brand)
Jaggery - 1 cup
Fresh grated coconut - 2 TBSP
Cashew nuts - 5
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Ghee - 2 tsp
Water - 1/2 cup

Method:

1. Boil 1/2 cup water with salt and turmeric powder.  Let it cool.
2. Dry roast the rice flour until hot and slightly brown.
3. Sprinkle the turmeric water little by little to the rice flour and mix.  The right consistency is, you should be able to form balls with the flour and break to powder again.
4. Tie the flour mixture in a clean white cloth / towel and stem cook for 15 - 20 minutes.
5. Transfer the steamed flour mixture into a large plate and crumble the big pieces. You can sift the mixture, if it has lumps.
6. Place jaggery in a pan with little water and melt.  Strain to remove impurities.
7. Boil the jaggery water and make syrup.  Test the syrup for right consistency.  That is when you drop some jaggery syrup in cold water, you should be able to form a ball.
8. Remove from the heat.
9. Add the jaggery syrup little by little to the steamed flour with one hand and mix the flour with another hand using a spoon or spatula.  The syrup will be very hot, so be careful while mixing.
10. The puttu should be grainy and not like halwa.  
11. Heat ghee in a small skillet and roast the cashew pieces and grated coconut until brown.  
12. Add it to the puttu and mix well.

Verkadalai / Peanut Sundal ~ Navarathri Recipe

Ingredients:
Verkadalai / Dry Peanuts - 1 cup
Grated Coconut - 2 TBSP
Lemon Juice - 1 TBSP (optional)
Salt - to taste
For tempering:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 2
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Few curry leaves
Spice powder: Dry roast until fragrant and grind to a fine powder
Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
Whole black pepper - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
White sesame seeds - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Soak the peanuts in enough water for 2 hours.
2. Drain and pressure cook with 1 cup of water and salt for 3 to 4 whistles.  Drain and keep it aside.
3. Heat oil in a skillet and add the mustard seeds. Let it splutter.
4. Add urad dal, red chillies, asafoetida and curry leaves.  Fry till golden brown.
5. Add the drained peanuts and mix well.  Add the ground spice powder and mix thoroughly.
6. Cook for a minute.  Adjust salt.
7. Add the grated coconut and mix well.
8. Mix in the lemon juice and serve.

Maladu - Roasted Moong Dal & Split Gram Flour Laddu for Navarathri

Ingredients:
Moong Dal Flour (store bought) - 1 cup
Roasted Split Gram dal / Pottukadalai / Dalia - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 to 1 1/4 cup
Ghee - 3 to 4 TBSP or little less than 1/4 cup
Cardamom Powder - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Take the roasted gram, and dry roast in a skillet on low-med heat.  For about 2 minutes.  Let it cool.
2. In a blender, grind the roasted gram / Pottukadalai / dalia to a fine powder.  Keep it aside.
3. In the same blender, place the sugar and make a fine powder.
4. In a skillet, on a low heat, roast moong dal flour until it gives a nice aroma.  Let it cool completely.
5. Sift both flours in a bowl.  
6. Add the powdered sugar and mix well.   Add 1 cup sugar first and if you think you need more sugar add the rest.  Mix in the cardamom powder.
7. Melt the ghee.
8. Slowly add the hot melted ghee to the flour mixture.  Mix well.
9. Once you are able to form a ball, stop pouring the ghee.  
10. Mix thoroughly and start making round balls.
11. If you find hard to form balls, sprinkle little bit milk (about 1 tsp) to the mixture.  
12. Store it in a airtight container.