Vella Seedai | Sweet Rice Balls!!!

Vella Seedai is Sweet Rice balls for Krishna Janmashtami/ Gokulashtami festival. This is also an authentic and traditional sweet for this festival.

Ingredients
Arasi Maavu/Rice flour - 1 cup(Preferably milled) I always carry about 2-3 kgs from India)
Ullatha Maavu/Urad dal flour - 1 tspn(see notes)
Vellam/Round Jaggery - 1cup(powdered or grated)
White sesame seeds/Till/Ellu - 1 tspn
Elakka Podi/Cardamom powder - 2 pinches
Sukku Podi/Dry Ginger powder -a pinch(Optional)
Oil for deep frying


Preparation Method
In a kadai, dry roast the flour to slightly brown. Allow it to cool.
In a wide vessel kadai, add vellam/jaggery with 1/2 cup water, allow it to boil till jaggery fully dissolves, it should start boiling and till raw smell goes. It need not be to string consistency. You can also filter the jaggery water. Mine is mostly clean so I skip this step.
Low the flame, add ellu, cardamom powder and slowly add rice flour to it. Mix till it becomes like dough. Allow it to cool a bit. 
Take some portion of dough and make medium size balls in batches and deep fry in low medium flame till brown.
Do the same in rest of the dough. Allow it to cool.
Store it in air tight container.
Vella Seedai is ready for prasadam for Krishna Janmashtami.

Notes : -Urad Dal powder - Heat a kadai, dry roast Ulatham Paruppu/Urad dal till light brown and cool it. Make fine powder and seive it. -If the consistency of jaggery is not correct, the seedai will break while deep frying. -If required add extra water to jaggery. -Sometimes it becomes chewy if you do not cook properly.

Uppu Seedai | Crispy Rice Balls!!!

Uppu Seedai is a very traditional recipe for Sri Krishna Janmashtami/Gokulashtami click here for details on this festival. This recipe is simple and for people who cannot do it in a tradtional way.I prepared this for last year's festival. I would also be posting traditional recipe soon.

Ingredients
Thenguzhal Maav/Murukku Flour - 2 cups(Store bought.Easily available at all Indian grocery stores) I used what my mom sent from India
Crushed peper - 1/2 tspn(As per your taste)
Fresh grated coconut - 2 tspns
White sesame seeds/Till/Ellu - 2 tspns
Coconut oil - 2 tspns
Unsalted butter - 2 tspns(at room temperature)
Peringayam/Hing/Asafotida - a pinch
Salt as required
Water as required
Oil for deep frying


Preparation Method
In a kadai, dry roast the flour to slightly brown. Allow it to cool.
In a wide vessel, add the flour, salt, pepper, fresh grated coconut and butter. Slowly mix butter with the flour. Add water and make it to a dough.
Cover it with a lid. Heat oil in kadai.
Grease your hands with coconut oil. This will give aromatic seedai.
Take some portion of dough and make small balls in batches and deep fry in low medium flame till brown.
When deep frying stand a bit far from the kadai, as sometimes it might burst a bit if any
Do the same in rest of the dough. Allow it to cool.

Crispy Uppu Seedai is ready for prasadam for Krishna Janmashtami.

Notes : You can also add Jeera instead of Ellu/Sesame seeds. You can also grease your hands with any other cooking oil.

Store it in air tight container and Enjoy.

Chowchow Kadale Paruppu Kootu!!!

Chow chow kadale paruppu kootu is a traditional authentic Kerala and Tamil Brahmin recipe. This is prepared for festivals and occastions. I prepared this for Avani Avittam Festival on Saturday. I have posted previously one more version of Chow chow kootu here.

Ingredients
Chow Chow/Chayote - 1 no
Kadale Paruppu/Channa Dal - 1/2 cup
Fresh Scraped coconut - 1/2 cup
Green chilli - 1 no(As per your taste)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tspn

Talipu/Seasoning
Coconut oil - 1 tspn
Mustard - 1/4 tspn
Urad dal - 1/2 tspn
Curry leaves - few

Preparation Method
Wash remove, skin, seed and chop into small pieces. (You can use the skin for Thogaiyal/Chutney here.)
Pressure cook chow chow, kadale paruppu with turmeric and a pinch of salt upto 3 whistles.
Grind coconut and green chilli to fine paste with very little water.
When the pressure cooker steam is gone. Mix the vegetable and the grounded mixture in a vessel, add salt, tumeric. Mix well and allow it to boil in low flame.It should be thick in consistency.
Season it with the above mentioned and off the stove.

Chow Chow Kootu is ready to serve in the platter as sidedish or mix it with hot steamed rice.

Notes- - You can also prepare this kootu with Pooshinikayi/White Pumpkin. - You can use any cooking oil instead of coconut oil.