Kozhukatta

Rice dumplings stuffed with a mixture made of coconut and jaggery, a traditional sweet.

After a long time made kozhukattas...


Its our family' all time favourite and I make it when I want to avoid a deep fried snack or when there is extra coconut in my shelf  else when I have leftover dough of iddiyappam.

But this time, I had planned to make it as I had a sudden craving for it.Kozhukattas are prepared at home very frequently and especially on saturday, previous day to palm sunday.And the day is called "kozhukatta shinyaicha" or kozhukatta saturday in cochin.

I feel really happy when I cook traditional food because I feel a kind of reunion being established with my roots and also it reminds me of sweet old childhood days.

Badam Sweet

Sweet made of almonds garnished with cardomon and saffron.

 

Avalose unda

This is one of kerala's traditional snacks.

It is one among the snacks that we prepare at home during christmas, while we were staying in tamil nadu.Three or four days prior to christmas, I guess that would be during our half yearly holidays in school we would start our preparations.As my mom was working she would be availed leave only 1 day prior to christmas so we spent our time late nights to make all the "palakarams" or snacks for christmas, so that we could distribute to our neighbours and friends on 'Christmas day'.

Sometimes these unda's turn out hard, so my sister and I, while having a scuffle,used to tease our mom threatening to use "mom's avalose unda" as a weapon to safeguard oneself.However when I grew up found out that lemon juice used could soften these unda's.So here is the recipie.

To know how to make avalose podi please refer to Avalose podi.

Badhusha

This is one of my favourite snacks. Everytime I reach my appartment from office my bus stops in front of adayar krishna sweets and I can never ignore the smell of ghee coming out from there.Poor me..my office was also situated opposite another branch of krishna sweets in Vadapalani.Even though I control my taste buds when I start from office, by the time I reach adayar my mind says indulging once in a while is fine...Then I figured out this recipie.

So you too indulge once in a while no harm...:-).

Ingredients

Maida-1 1/2 cups
Sugar-1/2 tsp
Baking powder-1/2 tsp
Curd-1 1/2 tsp
Water-1/4 cup
Butter-1/4 cup
Oil-1/8 cup
For deep frying-oil

For sugar syrup

Sugar-1/2 cup
Water to immerse sugar
Lemon juice-1/2 tsp
Elachi-1/2 tsp powdered
Saffron-pinch

Directions　
Add sugar,curd,oil and baking powder to melted butter and use a whisk to mix well,to make it almost frothy.

Add the flour to it and knead into a smooth dough with water.

Make lemon size balls,flatten a bit, pull out the sides and fold inwards to get a design on the outer side of badhusha.

Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan to a very temperature, but take care that it does not smoke.Remove from flame and put the badhusha one by one in it and allow it to get cooked.

Once all the badhusha pops up to the surface, place the pan back on the stove and simmer for 5-10 mins until all the sides have turned golden brown evenly.

Drain them of oil and place them on a paper towel and then put them in to the hot syrup one by one and let it stay for a minute and remove to a serving dish.

Preparation of sugar syrup

Immerse sugar in water and keep stirring till we get a thread consistency.
Add lemon juice, elachi and saffron.

Avalose podi

Ingredients


Rice-2 cups
Grated coconut- 2 cups

Cumin seeds-1 tsp

Sesame seeds-1 tsp

Salt to taste

　

Directions


Soak pacha ari for 3-5 hours and strain it and grind it coarsely.
Rub it with grated coconut and salt leave it for one hour.
Fry the cumin seeds and sesame seeds in a pan and then add the rice and coconut mixture

on high flame till it starts becoming brown then simmer till it becomes light brown and remove from flame.

Store it in an air tight container.

　

Ambalapuzha payasam

This is one of my favourite recipies.

This payasam tastes similar to milkmaid.

Try it and taste for yourself!!!