Vella Seedai

Uppu Seedai and vella seedai are the most common snack made for Gokulashtami.It is the same dough made in sweet and salt versions. It is made with rice flour and jaggery. It is very crispy and little hard like a chikki but tastes awesome!!Vella seedai is always tricky and to be more honest it failed me many times Past two years it doesnt came out good .either the vella seedai will come too hard or when i put it in oil everything will dissolve in oil... but I never gave up. but This year it came out perfect and taste is very delicious.

Ingredients:

Rice flour - 1 cup

Urad dal flour -2 tsp

Jaggery - 3/4 cup

Butter - 1 tbsp

Coconut grated - 1 tbsp

Sesame seeds - 1tbsp

Elachi powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil - as required to fry

Method:

1. Soak the rice and rinse it in water for about 30 mins and then spread the rice in a towel till it becomes dry..Now grind the rice in a mixer to a fine powder.

2. Soak the sesame seeds in water for 30mins.Then dry and roast the sesame seeds

3. Add jaggery in a pan with 1/2 cup of water and when it dissolves, strain the jaggery water to avoid sand.

 4. Again boil the jaggery water along with cocunut and sesame seeds and keep stirring it until the jaggery comes to one string consistency.

5.When we take a drop of jaggery in a finger and it should form like a string. This is the correct consistency for the jaggery

6.  Now remove the jaggery from flame. Pour the jaggery into the rice flour and mix it well along with cardamom powder.

7. Keep this mixture aside for at least one day

8. The next day, heat the required oil in a heavy bottomed pan

9. Make gooseberry size small balls of the vella seedai mixture and drop around 5-6 balls once the oil is hot.

10Deep fry the seedai till it becomes golden color. Repeat the process for the rest of vella seedai flour.

11.The Delicious Vella Seedai is ready for Neivedhyam for krishnajayanthi as well as for serving

Idiyappam with Vegetable Stew

Idiyappam /Noolappam /String Hoppers:

Sevai & Idiyappam thought both to be the same. But Sevai is made with par boiled rice and idiyappam with raw rice. Sevai is ground, cooked/steamed and then squeezed thru the nazhi where as idiyappam is rice made into flour, cooked in boiling water, then steamed and squeezed . It goes along with Morkulambu And one of my favorite.In Kerala, idiyappam is served with stew, kurma, kadala curry etc.

Idiyappam is a typical and healthy Keralite dish usually served for breakfast. It looks like noodles but entirely different from it. This dish goes well with vegetable stew or any gravy curry. It also tastes best with coconut milk with a dash of jaggery or sugar.I Prepare Rice Flour for Idiyappam at home and I always like to have Idiyappam with grated fresh coconut and sugar. It’s one of the favorite breakfasts of my family.

1.   Wash and soak 1 cup raw rice ( pacharisi ) for 3 to 4 hrs.

2.   Drain well and allow it to dry in a cotton cloth.

3.   When the rice is damp and semi dry, grind it to fine powder in mixer

4. Roast the rice flour until you get a sandy texture until you are able to draw a line dropping the powder through your fingers. . (Do not over roast the flour till it changes colour ).

5. Seive for lumps and these lumps can be powdered again.

6. Allow the roasted powder to cool before storing in clean air tight containers.

7. You can store that flour in an air tight container and use it whenever you need it.

Idiyaappam Ingredients:

Powdered and roasted rice flour 1 cup

Water 1 and 1/2 cups (sometimes a little more water needed in case dough dries up quickly, hence add more water.)

Oil - 2 tsp

Salt as required

 

Method

1.Boil water well, add salt and oil to it.Add the water little by little to the rice flour and make a soft dough. Knead it well.

2. Add little amount of oil for your palms, mix the dough kneading it applying some pressure. Knead to a smooth lump free dough. If necessary increase the oil by another teaspoon

3. Grease the inside of the idiyappam maker with oil and fill it with the prepared dough and press it in a circular motion on idly plate in the form of long strings.

4.Pour some water in the steamer and heat it. I used my idly pot for steaming

5. Place the plate inside the steamer and allow to Steam it for 5 to  10 minutes of steaming.

6. Open the lid and remove this plate. Now the idiyappam is ready. It can be served as such with vegetable stew, sweetened coconut milk, coconut chutney, Kurma or any gravy of your choice.

                               

Vegetable Stew

This is a very simple dish, but I like it because of its subtle flavor and of course I love the thick & creamy coconut milk. This is a very simple recipe which goes well with appam and idiyappam

 

INGREDIENTS:

Onion - 2 Medium

Veggies - 1 Bowl( Cauliflower, carrot, potato, Beans, Peas, Onion)

Coconut milk - 2 cups

Green chilli - 5-7

Bay leaf - 1

Cloves - 2

Ginger Paste - ¼ Tsp

Salt - As Needed

Oil - 1 Tsp

Curry Leaf - Few

METHOD:

Microwave the veggies along with salt as needed. Keep aside.

Heat a pan and add oil to it. Then add the bay leaf, cloves and ginger paste. Fry it for few seconds.

Then add the sliced onion, green chilli and fry it. Don’t allow to change its colour. Once it’s add the cooked veggies, curry leaf and mix it.

Then add the coconut milk and mix it. Add water if the consistency is thick. Allow it to come to a boiling point and switch of the flame.

Serve hot with Idiappam.