It has been a stressful month altogether. In life, nothing much is happening, Alhamdulillah. It is like I am having a routine that I am following and it is going on without any issues, but then what is happening in one side of the world called P@lestine where the apartheid regime is bombing left, right and center without any inch of humanity in them. The amount of kids being killed and orphaned, mothers losing their children, men having no time to process their emotions while they do what best they can do… The images coming day in and day out has been very unsettling and disturbing. Thanks to social media’s advent and vast reach, despite shadow banning happening in all places, it is good to see that people are being aware and differentiating between right and wrong.

Sometimes it feels very lonely that your own circle of people don’t to discuss it or even support it because “it’s complicated”. I don’t know what is complicated in seeing a whole young generation being ambushed and traumatized for the rest of their lives. I guess it is best left there. It is time for us to look into ourselves, where we stand in our relationship with the Almighty. I have been struggling with my faith extremely over the past, with peaks and troughs unimagineable. It is like, I am constantly telling myself that the only rope I have that will never break is the one that I hold on towards the Almighty. But that is not enough, there is a lot more I have to do – whether it is better my prayers, read more Quran, make more dua, learn more about the deen, because Allah himself has said:

“Verily, Allaah will not change the (good) condition of a people as long as they do not change their state (of goodness) themselves (by committing sins and by being ungrateful and disobedient to Allaah)” [Surah al-Ra’d 13:11]

It simply means that each one of us, who call ourselves Muslims, have to look into ourselves and reform before it is too late. Only our betterment can make this situation…

This is my second post this week for the theme “Don’t be Cheesy” in the Blogging Marathon #151, after this baked pasta. I have already posted a cheese samosa before but the difference between this recipe and that one is that this is a dessert. Sweet samosas are something that is very popular among the Arab and other nationalities especially during Ramadan. Talking of Ramadan, we just have a little over four months for the blessed month to arrive, SubhanAllah… Even though desserts are not very welcome during the month, once in a while, such easy desserts are made and they disappear from the table faster than the time it takes to be made. If it reminds you of the Usbu Al Zainab, it is no cooincidence, because these samosas are the same thing but in another shape.

Usually, small samosa wrappers are used to make this samosa, because they look more presentable and also holds better while serving. I didn’t want to buy the wrappers just for this so ended up making with whatever wrappers were remaining in my freezer. All you need to do is to wrap a small piece of cheese inside the samosa wrapper, usually the triangle cheese, because it is easy to just place it and wrap. Once you fry the samosas till golden brown, immediately drizzle cool sugar syrup all over it. I have used bottled sugar syrup that is easily available now in the market. There are plain and flavored sugar syrups to choose from, and I used the flavored one, which has a nice waft of rose water and orange blossom water. You can make your own sugar syrup by boiling equal quantity of sugar and water till it thickens, and finally flavoring it with flavors of your choice. The only pointer is to cool it completely and pour it on the hot fried samosa, so that it soaks it up and tastes amazing. I sprinkled some crushed pistachios on top, which is optional, yet better if there… Off to the recipe…

Print

Sweet Cheese Samosas

Course Dessert

Cuisine Arab

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Rafeeda AR

Ingredients

• 12 samosa sheets
• 12 triangle cheese peices
• Oil for frying
• Sugar syrup as required

Instructions

• Wrap the samosa sheets with one cheese each and shape into a triangle using a flour slurry to seal the edges.
• Once all are done, heat oil and fry till just golden brown. Make sure that the cheese doesn't ooze out.
• Drain on a towel just till the oil is taken, drizzle sugar syrup on both sides.
• Arrange on to the serving plate. Repeat till done.
• Enjoy while warm with a cup of black tea or coffee!

Notes

If you are using small samosa sheets, then you will need only half of a triangle cheese for each sheet. 

The post Sweet Cheese Samosas appeared first on The Big Sweet Tooth.

A cuisine that has intrigued me for quite some time and I have been really wanting to try has been that of the Parsis.  Parsis are a very small community in India that are known to have their ancestors from Persia, are primarily settled in Gujrat and some parts of Maharashtra and follow a religion called Zoroastrianism. Their cuisine has a heavy influence of Persian cooking with Indian styles and is heavily centered on non-vegetarian delights. I have already posted a couple of Parsi recipes – the Marghi na Farcha and the Akuri  – on the blog and wanted to try more recipes. So when Valli did her announcement post for the Blogging Marathon #139 with a theme “Select one cuisine and cook three dishes” and the list had Parsi cuisine, I jumped at the opportunity to try at least a few easy ones that I can try.

One very iconic breakfast or snack that is a product of the Parsis but is extremely popular in Mumbai in the Irani cafes is the Bun Maska. The dish is very straight forward – bun slathered with some “maska”, which is a mixture of butter and cream. A couple of months ago, I happened to watch a movie called Maska on Netflix, about a son who is pressurized by the mother to carry on his father’s dream of becoming a “maskawala”. The scenes where they show the actor throwing in the flour and then kneading the dough for the buns is a thrill to watch, especially for someone who loves to bake, but hasn’t been doing much due to a lot of reasons and excuses. Hehe…

Since I took some pains in doing the set-up, I thought – why not make a reel with a trending audio, was so apt to this dish!

While I tried reading up about this iconic recipe, it lead me to some beautiful articles like this one that captures the essence of this simple dish. It is usually served with a cup of strong Irani Chai and enjoyed by dunking into it. The bun used can be your regular pav, however the general consensus seems to be to use a slightly sweetened bun that is studded with some tutti frutti. I couldn’t track down sweetened buns and hence settled in with regular pav.

All you need to do is to cut through the pav, toast them for a little time – optional but highly recommended, slather a blob of butter on one side of the hot bun – the heat will melt the butter and make it spreadable – and equal amount of fresh cream on the other. Then bring them together and enjoy it warm with your tea – dunking or no dunking is your choice. I am the latter. Despite being an extremely simple dish, it tastes phenomenal. I have always had toast with just butter or just cream, so combining both of them together is genius. Some do say that you can try sprinkling some sugar in it or add a little jam too, but let’s keep it simple. Try it out for yourself while you enjoy your next cup of tea… The only thing you need to ensure is that the buns are fairly fresh for the best taste.

Print

Bun Maska

Course Tea Snacks

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 2 minutes minutes

Cook Time 3 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Author Rafeeda AR

Ingredients

• 1 pav or tutti frutti bun fresh
• 10 gm butter softened
• 1 tbsp cream use more if you like

Instructions

• Slit the pav or bun and toast on a hot pan just till done - this step is optional but highly recommended.
• Take out, slather the butter on one side and the cream on the other bun.
• Attach together and enjoy with a cup of chai!

The post Bun Maska appeared first on The Big Sweet Tooth.

Ramadan is upon us, Alhamdulillah. It is always the time of the year that we all eagerly wait for. We approach this month with broken hearts and souls, with a lot of doubts, with a lot of disappointments… Yet, we know that our solace is solely on His Destiny for us. The 30 days has a different vibe about it. It makes you feel like you are being given a chance to get better at what we are. As far as Ramadan is obligatory, Allah makes sure that we aren’t burdened by it, if we are unwell or in situations where we are unable to…

The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey – then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful. (Surah Al-Baqarah 1:185)

May Allah make us among the ones who are able to take full advantage of the month… May He make us among the ones who are able to recite the Quran, listen to lectures and absorb them, be good and do good… Aameen Ya Rubb…

Like I mention always, Ramadan isn’t meant for eating. I try to keep my cooking as simple as possible. Even though fried food is in a very minority, I still do fry once in a while, so that the girls don’t complain about it. Hehe… These fritters are very similar to our pinjiyappam, but a slightly Anglicized version. The base uses only wheat flour or all purpose flour, has an egg added to it, and is flavored with vanilla. It basically feels like fried cake bites. Douse them with some icing sugar or dunk them into some chocolate sauce, and they are good to go. I didn’t want to add any more calories, so we enjoyed them as is. They were super soft and addictive, I must say. Since I love anything banana, I ate up majority of these fritters. Hehe… Off to this simple recipe…

Print

Banana Vanilla Fritters

Course Tea Time Snacks

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Rafeeda AR

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas mashed
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• A pinch salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 - 1 cup all purpose flour refer notes
• Oil for deep frying

Instructions

• In a bowl, whisk together ingredients from banana to baking powder. Add 3/4 cup of flour and mix, and in case if the batter isn't thick enough, add the remaining flour slowly till thick.
• Heat oil till smoking hot. Drop spoonful and fry on medium heat till golden brown. Drain and enjoy warm.

Notes

Start flour with 3/4 cup and add the remaining if the batter is not already thick. 

The post Banana Vanilla Fritters appeared first on The Big Sweet Tooth.

So this month as well, I am doing two weeks for the Blogging Marathon #132, knowing fairly well that I will be taking a break from the BM for the next two months, one month because of Ramadan and the other because I am not good at cooking that spontaneously when pressed with time. I better know my weaknesses and play accordingly, isn’t it? Hehe… I am doing the theme “Healthy Snacks” this week and while scheduling my posts, I realized that I had put all sweet dishes in line. So much so for my blog name…

The first snack I chose is a favorite with my kids since a very long time. If there is something that hasn’t changed among their favorites, then it is andiputt. These Malabar style bliss balls are made with roasted matta rice, lots of cashew nuts and coconut. Jaggery is used as the  sweetener. My earliest memories go back to seeing the fresh cashew nuts being roasted on open fire outside till nicely done, then smashed to get those pearl like delicious stuff inside. Those cashew nuts would go into make these sweet balls, giving them a beautiful charred flavor. Clearly, since now that process hardly happens, you get refined tasting balls. Hehe…

The main time taken is to roast the rice. I have used matta rice like I have seen my mattamma and umma using. After washing and draining the rice to get rid of its water, roast it on a hot pan as much as possible, till you keep hearing popping sounds and the rice releases a beautiful aroma. I can’t specify how much time it would take, but it can easily take around 30 to 45 minutes and needs constant stirring to ensure equal popping. The time to stop roasting is when the popping ceases. While you allow the rice to cool, you can roast the cashew nuts, melt your jaggery and keep the grated coconut ready. Once everything is ready, the rest of the process happens in tandem and you get deliciousness that can’t be described.

There are a few factors that determine how the snack turns out. If you use more jaggery, you may have softer balls. The color of the jaggery also determines how dark or light it is. It is not necessary to use all cashews to make them. There are times we take a mix of equal quantities of peanuts and cashew-nuts. Cardamom is used to flavor the balls. Since the coconut is usually used direct, there are chances of it getting rancid as time passes. However, I lightly roast the coconut just till it is less moist, so that the balls stay fresh for longer. I prefer storing them in an airtight container inside the fridge till they are done, which doesn’t take too long, considering my girls love to have them whenever they feel like. I think I have covered all the points here… Hehe… Off to the recipe…

Print

Andi Putt | Ari Unda ~ Malabar Cashewnut Rice Balls

Course Tea Snacks

Cuisine Malabar

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Rafeeda AR

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups matta rice
• 1 cup grated coconut
• 450 gm jaggery melted in 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• 2 cups cashewnuts refer notes

Instructions

• Wash the rice well till water is clear. Allow it to drip excess water in a colander.
• In a hot pan, add the drained rice and roast on medium flame, stirring constantly. You will start hearing pop sounds. Keep tossing till the pop sound ceases. This process can take around half an hour to 45 minutes.
• Once the rice has popped completely and it smells roasted, switch off and transfer to a flat dry tray. Allow to cool completely.
• In the same pan, roast the coconut just till the moisture in gone. Empty into another wide pan.
• Roast the cashewnuts as well till just done and switch off.
• Melt the jaggery, strain the mixture and keep it warm.
• Once cool, grind the rice as smooth as you can. Coarse bits are fine. Drop into the same pan as the coconut.
• Now grind the cashewnuts till coarse. Do not overgrind to avoid it from becoming butter. Add into the rice mixture.
• Add the cardamom and give the whole powder a good mix.
• Now pour the melted jaggery in batches while mixing the powders and use up the whole till all the mixture is moist.
• Start making them in to small rounds as soon as possible. They will be soft when done at first, but as they sit, they harden up slightly.
• Enjoy them with a cup of sulaimani.

Notes

You can use a mix of cashew nuts and peanuts to make this.

You can even increase the nuts to upto 3 cups to make it more nuttier. 

Makes around 12-20 balls dependent on size. 

The post Andi Putt | Ari Unda ~ Malabar Cashewnut Rice Balls appeared first on The Big Sweet Tooth.

When we come back from home, something that we bring without fail is a minimum of two big packs of “pooram varuthath”- also called “poora podi” or “avalose podi”, though the latter is more of a South Keralite name. I haven’t seen this being eaten in HD’s side, so I guess it is more prevalent in the Malappuram side, thanks to its proximity to Thrissur. I store one packet in a container outside and another one in the fridge. It makes a very quick fix breakfast or chai time snack, either on its own along with a cup of sulaimani or with a banana mashed into it. B and Azza loves it a lot, but they have their moods to have it, so it would last us for a long period. D would dread this being served because if you are eating it without the banana, then you can imagine the mess.

Last time, I forgot to bring it, so it has been really long time since we had eaten it and I was craving to make some. It was a very surprising to know that it is quite easy to make at home and I wish you could see my excitement when I tried this. I have used store bought puttu podi to make it, but if you are in a mood to make it from scratch, then you can make your own puttu podi and then go ahead with the rest of the process. The regular rice flour can’t be used since it would be very finely ground. The rice flour to be used for making this snack should be course, and hence the use of puttu podi.

The whole point is to toast the mixture patiently till it is nicely done and has no raw taste, while doing a taste tester. Once it is cooked and cooled, the sugar is tossed in so that it doesn’t melt into the podi. I had a tough time trying to click this. All my clicks turned out a big dud except these two. It is so much easier to eat for sure… hehe… I am linking this post for this month’s A2Z challenge hosted by Vidya and Jolly, the alphabet in question is “R” and I chose “Rice flour” as my ingredient. I had initially decided on rice and had planned out what to cook, but this recipe jumped in between and I couldn’t wait to share it… Off to the recipe…

Print

Pooram Varuthathu | Poora Podi | Avalose Podi ~ Malabar Roasted Rice Flour Snack

Course Snack

Cuisine Malabar

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Rafeeda

Ingredients

• 2 cups puttu podi roasted rice flour (I used Nirapara)
• 3/4 cup grated coconut
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tsp black cumin seeds
• A pinch of turmeric powder
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar

Instructions

• Add ingredients from puttu podi to water in a large bowl and give a good mix.
• In a large saucepan, once heated and dry, add these ingredients and start roasting, stirring occasionally till the mixture looks toasted and golden brown.
• Cook on medium-low flame, tossing the mixture to avoid burning. The process may take around 20-25 minutes to get done.
• Switch off and spread onto a large plate to cool. Once the mixture is lukewarm, toss in the sugar. Allow to cool completely.
• Store in airtight container and enjoy with a cup of tea as is, or with a banana.

Notes

This keeps good in an air tight container for two weeks.

The post Pooram Varuthathu | Poora Podi | Avalose Podi ~ Malabar Roasted Rice Flour Snack appeared first on The Big Sweet Tooth.

I never knew the dish called Kalthappam or Cookerappam till I got married. I must say that marriage to HD did open up a whole variety in food. For us, food is very limited to maybe a pazhampori, pinjiyappam and/or ullivada for snack time, and neychor and erachi curry for lunch time. We don’t even have biriyani, even though we are a part of Malabar! Our main specialty is the Pathiri and that is something that our side women can churn out whenever given the chance, though I can’t include myself in it. Hehe… Umma herself learned a lot after she came here and was staying with a Kozhikodan family, and then from the very minimal friend circle she had over here.

Since we had landed during the evening during our first trip back home, we were treated to a wide range of palahaarams for chai time. Two things I fell in love with was this Mutta Porichath and then the Kalthappam, which his aunt called “cookerappam” because it is usually made in a pressure cooker, sans the pressure. Most of the evenings, she would make this effortlessly and I would be in awe as to how quickly and perfectly it would be done. The main highlight of this snack are those gorgeous lines – aar, as they are called – that can be seen once cut. The next is its chewy texture. I have eaten this snack from so many places, whether homemade or at eateries outside, but nothing can beat what she makes, period!

I have been trying to perfect this since long but somehow it just never turned out as good as I wanted it to be. When I asked ammayi (that’s what we call her…), she just said that adding baking soda when the whole mixture is hot does the trick. She would use a recipe that had raw rice and cooked rice added, however since we cook matta rice at home, I discovered that even a tablespoon of it was making my Kalthappam super sticky. I had first tried with raw rice or pachari, and though it did taste good, I never got those lines. Then I read that Jeerakashala rice, which is used to make Thalassery biriyani, is the best for this. But when used alone, it doesn’t give the softness and cooked matta rice was driving me up the wall. That is when Famidha shared on her IG stories as to how she makes her Kalthappam adding aval or rice flakes instead of cooked rice – what a brilliant idea! Her steps still reminded me of how ammayi had demonstrated it to me. Almost during that time, Vinee also did a try with her mother’s recipe and made the Kalthappam in a non-stick pan, which made this dish even simpler!

So basically these are some of the tips to make a good Kalthappam, which has those beautiful stripes:

• The batter needs to be super smooth, so no grainy bites in it.
• If you want to use cooked rice instead of the aval, use parboiled variety. Please, no matta rice…
• Once the batter is ground, it will be lukewarm. The jaggery syrup has to be added hot and immediately the baking soda has to follow.
• The batter has to be hot as you start cooking it. So always have everything in hand to get started.
• Last but not the least, pour the batter from a little height. Not too much that it splatters all over, but enough for the sides to start settling.

The Kalthappam would still taste amazing even if you don’t get the stripes. But somehow success of this dish lies in those lines. Hehe… I remember I had a guest post long time ago with a similar recipe. I wonder where she is… Off to the recipe…

Print

Kalthappam | Cookerappam ~ Malabar Rice Cake

Course Snack

Cuisine Malabar

Prep Time 6 hours hours

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 7 hours hours

Servings 8 -10

Author Rafeeda

Ingredients

• 2 cups jeerakashala rice soaked for 4-6 hours
• 1/4 cup rice flakes aval, soaked for 15 minutes
• 3 cardamom
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 1/2 cups water
• A pinch of salt
• 350 gm jaggery melted with 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil/ ghee
• 4 shallots peeled and thinly sliced
• 10-15 crushed cashewnuts
• 1/4 cup coconut bites

Instructions

• Drain the rice and aval. Add it into a blender along with cardamom, cumin, salt and water. Blend till the mixture is smooth.
• Meanwhile, melt and strain the jaggery.
• Immediately pour the hot jaggery syrup into the rice mixture. Add the baking soda and whisk till completely combined.
• Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Fry the shallots, cashew nuts and coconut bites till browned. Drain out. Add more oil or ghee if required.
• Pour the warm mixture from a height onto the hot pan, so that it starts spluttering as it settles. Reduce the flame to simmer and close with a tight lid wrapped in a towel to avoid any water dripping onto the appam.
• After five minutes, sprinkle the fried onions and coconut on top of it. Close and cook till a knife tester comes out clean from the center and you see bubbly texture on top.
• Serve warm with a cup of chai.

The post Kalthappam | Cookerappam ~ Malabar Rice Cake appeared first on The Big Sweet Tooth.

HD is a huge fan of Tik Tok. He can continuously keep watching videos on it at any time. I do not seem to enjoy it much and I get irritated when I see him wasting his time on it. At times, he shares videos to my Whassap. There was this video which had two dogs. One was constantly barking on the other, the barking dog was referred to as ” the wife” and the silent dog “the husband”. :/ Then, one comment below it from the Mr., “Don’t they remind us of ourselves?” Yeah, right… At times, he would send me some interesting cooking videos he would see, and among one of them was the Sughiyan.

I was in the kitchen, when he screamed out, “I have shared a video, watch it!”. I usually don’t watch all that he shares. I am not an avid video watcher and try to avoid spending time watching them. Sometimes, he questions if I had watched what he sent and I would just put down my head. Of course, he would get angry but somehow I can’t seem to change myself. Hehe… Since he had asked to watch, I did and as suddenly transported into nostalgia. Coincidentally, I had soaked whatever little moong dal was in the pantry, wondering what I should process it into. I walked up to him and asked, “Are you craving for Sughiyan?” He only smiled, and I assured him I would make it the next day because the moong needs time to soak, and then cook. I kept my promise and made it the next day.

As life moves on in its own course, your favorites change and gets forgotten. When we were just married, our rounds for weekly grocery to Lulu would always include a Sughiyan for him and a cutlet for me. We would get a cup of chai each from the cafeteria in a corner, and munch it along with it silently while gazing out of the car windows. I always would wonder how he eats it. I would take a bite but never because I liked it, but just because I wanted to figure out what he liked it in. I never could. Then we moved locations when I started studying my Masters and those evenings over the Sughiyan and cutlet ceased. After that, I don’t think we ever ate this snack together… Even though we still had our together time in the form of walks and drives during that time, the snack eating had ceased. When he shared the video, I was in a trance of those sweet little memories, that were asleep somewhere inside my head…

If you are still wondering what a Sughiyan is, it is a snack with sweetened mashed moong dal filling, fried in a floor topping. The snack is quite popular in Kerala, though it is more of a South Kerala speciality than north. I haven’t seen it much in abundance among the “chaayakadas” in our vicinity or in Calicut, but yes, as you move southwards, you do get it in every nook and corner. I remember having them from a tea stall when we had gone for a boat ride to Kuttanad when Rasha was small. I love to eat from tea stalls, since they have very homely and authentic flavors, but B and HD get very fidgety when it comes to eating from places like that. The maximum they allow is tea, and then we have to literally beg and prod, with a promise that if anything happens to our tummy, sole responsibility is on us. Hehe…

The recipe is actually very simple. The filling is cooked moong dal, mashed and sweetened with jaggery, coconut and some cardamom. I used powdered jaggery to avoid the mixture from getting soggy. If you are using regular jaggery that needs melting, then do make sure that there is hardly any liquid in the moong dal. Since it is mashed, you may cook the mixture down, till there is hardly any liquid left. I keep the mixture in the fridge for sometime so that it becomes easier to roll and dunk in the batter, though this step is optional. The snack is best enjoyed warm with a cup of sulaimani. Like I mentioned, I am no fan of this snack, but once in a while when I do eat it, it makes me miss those honeymoon days… Off to the recipe…

Print

Sugiyan / Sukhiyan | Green Gram Jaggery Dumplings

Course Snack

Cuisine Kerala

Prep Time 8 hours hours

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 9 hours hours

Servings 3

Author Rafeeda

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup green gram mung beans
• A pinch of salt
• 3 tbsp grated jaggery
• 3 tbsp grated coconut
• A pinch of cardamom powder
• A pinch of dry ginger powder chukku - optional
• FOR THE BATTER:
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp rice flour
• A pinch of turmeric
• A pinch salt
• Water to mix

Instructions

• Soak the mung beans in lots of water overnight or for 6-8 hours. Drain.
• Add into a pressure cooker and add water an inch level up of the dal. Add salt and pressure cook for several whistles on low to middle flame. Switch off and allow the pressure to go by itself.
• The moong dal would be cooked well and would be of mashed texture. Using a potato masher or a spoon, muddle the dal to completely mash it. If there is excess water, keep on low flame and cook, stirring occasionally till almost dry.
• Add in the jaggery, coconut, cardamom and dry ginger powders and give a good mix. Allow to cool completely.
• Roll into small balls - makes around 10 - and set aside.
• Whisk all the ingredients for the batter and add water just enough to make a thick batter, which will coat on the mung bean balls and not drippy.
• Heat oil for deep frying. Once the oil is hot, roll one ball at a time into the batter, till coated and drop into the hot oil.
• Fry 2-3 at a time without overcrowding the pan. Fry till golden brown. Drain onto a kitchen towel.
• Enjoy warm with some tea.

The post Sugiyan / Sukhiyan | Green Gram Jaggery Dumplings appeared first on The Big Sweet Tooth.

Everyone has this habit of making some sort of snacks during Iftar time. In our home, we try not to do it frequently. This year, since my brother’s family is with us, both of us try to experiment something or the other, but in limited quantities, so that there is something to eat for chai time, but not too much to be really heavy. Hehe… But we are always looking to make dishes that are not very time consuming and can be made in no time. So from today, I am scheduling three back-to-back easy snacks that you can make for your family for Iftar time, without spending too much time in the kitchen. I guess that does sound appealing…

Malabar has its own big share of interesting snacks. Even though I am not aware of majority of it, I have tried to cover all that I know in here. InShaAllah, hoping to explore and share more in the future, InShaAllah. Today I am adding one more to the never ending list of “Polas”. A pola is basically any cake that is made majorly with eggs. It can be sweet or savory, though usually it is on the sweeter side.

Some of the polas I already have on the blog are the ever famous Kai Pola, Podi Pola, one made with apple and another with carrot, finally my favorite which is of course the Erachi Pola. Today’s is one which has chana dal aka “kadala” has its main ingredient and due to this, is slightly on the denser side. However, this ingredient makes this pola utterly delicious and healthy too.

The ingredients are pretty straight forward. Just like all the polas, the use of eggs is the main requirement. The chana dal or bengal gram lentils are soaked to soften a bit and then pressure cooked till done. It is then drained and ground along with the remaining ingredients till it becomes a smooth paste. It is then cooked on low flame in a pan with ghee, till you have a nice set thick omelette. Since lentils in itself are known to be densed, this pola ends up being a little dense, and hence quite filling as well. Nevertheless, it is quite easy to make and delicious, so that serves the purpose. Off to the recipe…

Print

Kadala Parippu Pola | Kadalakka Pola ~ Malabar Chickpea Lentil Egg Cake

Course Snack

Cuisine Malabar

Prep Time 3 hours hours

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 3 hours hours 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Rafeeda

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup chickpea lentil chana dal
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tbsp milk powder
• 2 tbsp sugar
• A pinch of salt
• A pinch cardamom powder
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 10 cashew nuts crushed
• 10-15 raisins

Instructions

• Soak the lentil for 2-3 hours. Pressure cook till soft. Drain and set aside.
• Blitz the cooked lentils along with ingredients from egg to cardamom in a blender, till the batter is smooth and fluffy.
• Heat ghee in a deep saucepan. Spread it all over. Fry the cashew nuts and raisins.
• Pour the batter over the fried dry fruits. Lower the flame and cook on low flame till the top is not sticky to touch.
• Flip onto a flat tray and then transfer to the pan to cook the top side for a couple of minutes. Switch off and serve warm with chai.

Notes

If you want a slightly fluffier texture, you can add a couple of tbsp of melted ghee or coconut oil, though it is traditionally not added.

The post Kadala Parippu Pola | Kadalakka Pola ~ Malabar Chickpea Lentil Egg Cake appeared first on The Big Sweet Tooth.

Starting the year on a sweet note is usually what everybody wants to do. Sometimes we don’t realize that the upcoming year is usually a repercussion of what has already happened in the previous years. I really don’t want to muddle over it, but would rather leave you all with a little poem that really made an impact on me during the end of 2019:

Miss Me, But Let Me Go

When I come to the end of the road
And the sun has set for me,
I want no rites in a gloom filled room
Why cry for a soul set free!
Miss me a little, but not for long,
And not with your head bowed low.
Remember the love we once shared,
Miss me, but let me go!
For this a journey we all must take,
And each must go alone;
It’s all a part of the master’s plan
A step on the road to home.
When you are lonely and sick of heart
Go to the friends we know,
And bury your sorrows in doing good deeds,
Miss me, but let me go.

I would like to call Pola as Malabar’s contribution to cakes to the world, albeit in a different format. This dessert is quite loaded with eggs but that is the way it is loved by the community. It is not necessarily sweet, it can be savory too. I have been very behind in sharing even basic pola recipes, apart from the few I already have – Kai Pola – the most loved, Podipola, Erachi Pola and a more modern Carrot Pola. I am planning to concentrate on posting a lot of basic recipes this year, which I hope I can stick to, and that surely includes some of the polas as well.

Today’s recipe of the Apple Pola is a recent variation, just like the Carrot Pola. Apple is something that is in my pantry all the time, so I made this when I had some tart apples that nobody would want to eat. Please do ensure that the apples are sweet enough, since the tart apples do add its flavor to the dessert. The recipe is very straight forward. If you want a little sturdy pola, then feel free to add a couple of tablespoons of all purpose flour while blending the mixture. Off to the recipe…

Print

Apple Pola | Apple Kums ~ Malabar Apple Egg "Cake"

Course Snack

Cuisine Malabar

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4 -6

Author Rafeeda

Ingredients

• 2 large apples peeled and chopped
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• A fat pinch of cardamom powder
• A pinch of salt
• 2 heaped tbsp milk powder
• A pinch baking soda
• 1 tsp ghee
• A handful of cashews and raisins

Instructions

• Add the ingredients from apples to soda in a blender and blend till smooth and fluffy.
• In a saucepan, heat ghee, fry the cashews and raisins. Pour the blend mixture into the pan.
• Keep the flame on the lowest and cook till the top is not sticky and a skewer comes out clean.

The post Apple Pola | Apple Kums ~ Malabar Apple Egg “Cake” appeared first on The Big Sweet Tooth.

It has been a long time since I have contributed to guest posts. The last one I did was more than a year ago.  So when I received an email from Kalyani, asking if I could do a guest post for her blog, I was obviously excited. I have mentioned before that doing a guest post literally feels like going with a dabba of home made food to the host’s house. Kalyani had only one request, that the recipe would be a forgotten family recipe. I had a few ideas running up my head. But then, Malabar food is usually non-vegetarian and most of our snacks somehow have eggs sneaked into it. After brainstorming myself and digging into my deep memory recesses, finally I ended up making this Pazham Vaatiyathu aka Malabar style caramelized plantains.

The recipe is so simple that I was worried if Kalyani would like the post. I was so relieved when she wrote back to me that she loved the recipe and the post. It is sometimes intriguing how a super simple recipe with hardly any ingredients can become an integral part of your nostalgia. To read more about the memories behind this simple dish and the recipes, do hop onto her page… Please do drop in your comments and opinions too…

Print

Pazham Vaatiyathu ~ Malabar Caramelized Plaintains

Course Tea Time Snacks

Cuisine Malabar

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Rafeeda AR

Ingredients

• 2 ripe plaintains
• 1 tbsp ghee
• Sugar as required

Instructions

• Peel the plantains and cut them into long strips.
• Heat the ghee in a frying pan and layer one sideof the plantains. Sprinkle some sugar on the top side and flip after a minute.
• Sprinkle some more sugar on the flipped side andcook both sides till sufficiently caramelized.
• Drain onto a plate and serve hot.

Notes

You can use coconut oil instead of ghee for frying.

We sometimes sprinkle fresh coconut and add cardamom for extra flavoring. 

The post Pazham Vaatiyathu ~ Malabar Caramelized Plaintains appeared first on The Big Sweet Tooth.