Author: sarapaka

SWEET PUMPKIN GOJJU

| sarapaka
Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater….pump your kith and kin with this bold and beautiful sweet veggie and see them sprint to a healthy, nutritious diet. Enjoy them ebbing in calories amidst a generous flow of fibre, vitamins and minerals, packing themselves with proteins all the way. Why leave yourself out, Pete? Join them in their race to great health!

Called by many other names like Sugar pumpkin, Pie pumpkin, Baking pumpkin, Golden nugget pumpkin, etc. the secret behind the bright orange hue lies in beta carotene that boosts eye health. While savoring the earthy flavour and sweet taste of the creamy orange flesh don’t forget to save the shell and the seeds, for its true treasure lies here!

 Dish Type: South Indian Side Dish Sweet Pumpkin

Preparation Time: 15 min

Cooking time: 15 min

Serves: 5 persons

Ingredients

For boiling

Sweet pumpkin           500 gms

Water                          ½ litre

Tamarind paste           1 tsp

Curry leaves                1 sprig

Turmeric pwd             A pinch

Salt to taste                 1 tsp approx. (divide into 2 parts – 1 part at the start of boiling and the 2nd part towards the end when ground chutney is added)

Jaggery                        1 tbsp (optional; if used, add towards the end of boiling)

For dry frying

Til seeds                     1 tbsp

Methi seeds                ¼ tsp

Jeera                           ½ tsp

Red chillies                  6 to 8 nos.

For grinding

Raw grated coconut    ¼ of a coconut

Dry fried ingredients (mentioned above)

For seasoning:

Oil                               1 tsp

Mustard seeds            1 tsp

Black gram                  1 tsp

Red chillies                  2 nos.

Asafoetida                   A pinch

Directions

Wash sweet pumpkin in salt water. Drain the water. Remove the seeds. Cut the vegetable into small cubes with the skin.

Boil the vegetables in a vessel along with ½ litre water, tamarind paste, curry leaves, turmeric powder and salt for about 10 min.

While vegetable is boiling….

Dry fry til, methi, jeera and red chillies seperately in a small kadai. Transfer it to a plate and let it cool.

Grate raw coconut and grind it along with the above dry fried ingredients. Use little quantity of water to grind it to chutney consistency.

Mix this ground chutney to the boiling vegetable. At this stage, add little more salt (check if required) and jaggery, if desired. Continue boiling for another 5 min. The tempting flavour you get at this stage tells you, it’s time for seasoning.

Heat oil in a small skillet. Put mustard seeds. When they crackle, add black gram and then broken red chillies. Switch off the flame. Add asafoetida and immediately pour it on to the boiling gojju.

Sweet Pumpkin Gojju is now ready. Use it with rotis, hot steam cooked rice or dosas.

Chefs’Chat:

What’s gojju…did you ask? Read all about it in “Tamarind Gojju” recipe from this blog.

Also view other gojju recipes in our blog “Raisins Gojju” “Onion Tomato Gojju” “Lime Juice Gojju” and “Cucumber Onion Hasi Gojju”.

NEERU DOSA

| sarapaka
When Neeru means water, then doesn’t Neeru + Dosa add up to become Water Dosa? Literally known as ‘Water Dosa”, is it made only of water? Not really…for this paper thin crepe is a batter made using only rice and coconut. Water is added in larger quantity than usual, to get the watery consistency, integral to making this variety of dosa. Coconut adds to the taste and texture of the dosa.

 Dish type: South Indian Breakfast/Supper Dish Neeru Dosa

Preparation time: 10 min

Soaking time:  8 to 10 hours

Grinding time: 15 min

Fermenting time: 12 hrs

Yield: 2 kgs

Ingredients   (for preparing batter)

Rice                             500 gms

Raw grated coconut    ½ fresh coconut

Water                          1.5 litres

Salt                              2 tsp approx.

Directions

Soak rice for 8 to 10 hours.

Drain the water after soaking time is over. Save this water for adding to batter later. Grind rice along with raw grated coconut in grinder or mixie.

Keep adding little quantities of water and stir the batter at intervals.

The batter keeps sticking to the sides of the grinder/mixie. Keep clearing the sides off the batter by pushing the batter towards the centre.

Let the grinding continue till the texture of batter becomes smooth.

Transfer it to a vessel of size that holds the batter in less than half its height. Now add salt and mix thoroughly. Add more water since the batter must be of flowing, buttermilk like consistency. To test the consistency, dip a spoon in the batter. If the spoon has a thick coating of the batter, then more water has to be added. This batter doesn’t need fermenting and can be used immediately.

Neeru Dosa Batter is now ready.

Leftover batter can be refrigerated for later use. But when reusing the refrigerated batter, it should be brought back to room temperature. Cold batter sticks to the tawa. Mix the batter thoroughly before preparing the dosa.

To prepare dosa….

Heat a greased tawa (preferably iron) on high flame. Sprinkle few drops of water on the hot tawa. It should sizzle. Now reduce the flame to low.

Mix the batter thoroughly with a ladle. Do this for every dosa. Pour a ladleful of batter on the tawa in circular fashion starting from the outer sides of tawa towards the centre.  Actually, the batter flows by itself towards the centre. Fill big holes if any with the batter. Let tiny holes remain. No need to add oil, unlike many other types of dosas.

Cover it with a lid. Turn the flame to medium and cook the dosa for a few seconds. Neeru dosa cooks quite fast and doesn’t turn brown. So, make sure dosa is not overcooked expecting it to turn brown. When the top layer appears no longer raw and a bit dry, lift the sides by sliding a flat spatula from beneath. No need to flip the dosa to cook the other side. Fold the dosa into half and again into half to form a triangle. Place it on a platter of size bigger than the size of the dosa you prepared. Wipe the tawa clean, before making the next dosa.

When you continue to make more Neeru Dosas, place them away from each other, since they tend to stick to each other when hot. Once cool, they can be placed one above the other in a covered bowl and served warm later. A fully cooked Neeru Dosa will have a rich white colour.

Serve it steaming hot or cool, with coconut chutney, peanut chutney, ginger chutney, sambar, pickle, onion tomato curry or jaggery-coconut mix.

Also view in this blog recipes of “Plain Dosa” and “Curd Dosa”

Chefs’Chat:

Neeru dosa batter can be refrigerated. Before using, thaw it to room temperature. Also you will see a layer of water on top and the batter settled below. Discard this layer of water and add fresh water (it should be at room temperature). Mix thoroughly and if required, do add a pinch of salt.

Typically, Neeru Dosa is pure rich white in colour. Red rice Neeru Dosa copy

However also shown in the picture alongside is Neeru Dosa in reddish brown colour. This is because it is made using unpolished red rice. It contains high fibre and has high nutrition value. More about red rice and its recipes some time in our future posts.

BAINGAN (Badanekaayi/Eggplant) BHARTHA

| sarapaka
Beauty of an accompaniment embraced equally well by rotis or rice. A delightful dish made with Brinjal, cooked or roasted, peeled and mashed making it awesomely aromatic; cooked tomatoes making it tangy; ginger, garlic making it gently pungent; spice powders making it spicier and onions marking a broad baseline of sweet and earthy flavour. The term “Bhartha” is used when ingredients are mashed roughly either before or after the dish is done. Baingan (also known as Badanekaayi, Brinjal, Eggplant, Aubergine, Guinea Squash, Melanzane, Melongene, Garden Egg) is a low calorie vegetable. Antioxidants present in the vegetable keeps the arteries healthy and prevents heart attack. Being rich in fibre, it helps clear toxins from the digestive tract, prevents colon cancer and prevents overeating since even a small serving makes one feel full. Its high water content also flushes the toxins away….making your skin glow the fairy way!

Dish Type:  Indian Vegetarian Curry BB 3 copy

Preparation Time:  10 min

Cooking time:  20 min

Serves:  2 persons

Ingredients

Brinjal                         1 no. (purple coloured, big size, round variety)

Oil                               1 tbsp

Cumin seeds                ½ tsp

Onions                         4 nos.

Tomato                        2 nos.

Ginger Garlic paste     1 tsp

Coriander powder       1 tsp

Cumin powder            1 tsp

Chilli powder               1 tsp

Masala powder           A pinch

Turmeric powder        A pinch

Salt to taste                 2 tbsps. approx.

Coriander leaves         1 tbsp (fine chopped)

Directions

Cook brinjal in tandoor style for that distinct smoky flavour….greased in oil (with a few pricks all over for fast and uniform cooking) and roasted over an open flame on low setting till it is cooked well. Keep turning and cooking till the entire skin is charred, the inner flesh looks really soft, the skin starts curling and is in a ready to peel state. (hello “easyroutefinders”, cook brinjal in pressure cooker with water like you cook potatoes. Let it cool.) Peel the skin of onions and chop them fine. Pour oil (2 tbsps.) in a kadai. Heat the oil and put cumin seeds. When they splutter, add ginger garlic paste. Fry it and then put chopped onions. Add salt and turmeric powder. Stir well. Fry in low flame slowly. When onions have fried well, they would have reduced in quantity. Now put coriander (dhania) powder, cumin (jeera) powder, chilli powder and masala powder. Mix well and continue frying in low flame. Fried onions appear further reduced in quantity. Now add finely chopped tomatoes and continue frying. Meanwhile, try piercing the cooked brinjal with the back of a spoon. Did the spoon make its way in, just as it would into soft butter? Yes…now peel the skin of cooked brinjal. Open the brinjal into half. Make sure brinjal is not spoilt inside. Sure fire check systems in place…right? Now mash it and add to the onion tomato mix that is being fried. Mix well. Let it simmer for few more minutes. Switch off the flame. Garnish with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves.

Baigan Bhartha is now ready. Serve hot with rotis, chapathis, phulkas, plain rice, jeera rice, crunchy toast…hmmm can’t resist!

Chefs’Chat:

Brinjals that are big in size, with smooth and shiny surface are more likely to have lesser number of seeds. Pick the ones that look firm, shiny, healthy, heavy and solid.

Check to see if the stalk is green, firm and stout. The whole vegetable including its skin and small, fine seeds are edible.

It is preferable to use a stainless steel knife to cut brinjals since it prevents the chemical reaction between phytochemicals present in brinjal and the metal.

If you have itching problems et al, don’t go dying for brinjal.

VEG FRIED RICE

| sarapaka

Can “fried” n “light” go hand in hand? Yes, of course and a Great Go it can be with this ‘Light Fried Rice’. Few ingredients….fabulous flavour. Believe me, it’s unbelievable! Serve it with a spicy curry…savoury that’s lip smacking when savoured! fried rice in red n yellow copy

Basic Ingredients: Rice, Vegetables, Oil.

Short and simple statement…yet feels too vast and vague an outline, right?  Since it gives rise to some very basic doubts like “Which oil should I use, which rice is better, which vegetables to choose ….etc.” and when asked, isn’t a reply like this highly likely…. “You can use any oil, any rice, any vegetables!” Simple answer, yet a complex set of doubts crop afresh clouding our misty minds furthermore! So, we at Sarapaaka try to list, in our recipes, (wherever required) choice of ingredients to choose from. If the list is long, it will be mentioned at the end, like in this case.

Ingredients

For cooking rice

Basmati Rice               1 cup

Water                          2 cups

Oil                               1 tsp

Salt                              a pinch

For stir frying:

Oil                               2 tbsps

Cumin seeds                ½  tsp

Onion                          2 nos. (medium size, cut to thin, long slices)

French beans               ¼  cup (cut into diagonal pieces)

Carrot                          ¼  cup (cut to matchstick size)

Capsicum                    ¼  cup (shredded)

Cabbage                      ¼  cup (shredded)

Turmeric                     Just a small pinch (it’s antiseptic…why miss it?)

Salt to taste                 2 tsps approx. (put it in pinches at different stages of cooking)

Pepper powder           3 tsps

For garnishing:

Spring Onion               ¼  cup (fine chopped)

Coriander leaves         2 tbsps (fine chopped)

Directions:

Wash rice thoroughly in water. Drain out the water and keep rice aside for half an hour.

Wash vegetables thoroughly in water. Drain out the water. Chop or shred vegetables (as the case may be) as mentioned above under “Ingredients – for sautéing” and keep aside.

Cook rice in a pressure cooker along with the other ingredients listed under “Ingredients – for cooking” for upto 2 whistles.

A tip or two before you begin cooking….Rice has to be just cooked al dente. Cooking rice in vegetable broth adds to the flavour. Adding lime juice while cooking rice also adds to the flavour.

Heard 2 whistles…now switch off the flame. Let it cool.

While it is cooling….

Heat oil in a frying pan (or sauté pan) over medium heat. Swirl oil all round the pan to form a coat. The secret here lies in selecting a sturdy pan so that the veggies can be cooked evenly.

Put cumin seeds. When it splutters, add onions, a pinch of turmeric powder and salt. Sauté till it turns golden brown. (If you wish, you can keep this aside for garnish at the end). Now add all other vegetables and sauté. Also add pepper powder and continue tossing the veggies till they are cooked enough to be tender inside, crispy and crunchy outside.

By now, pressure in the cooker would have subsided. But has the rice turned cold….no, for sure.

(While you wait till it cools down read “Technique of cooling hot rice cold”  given  below under Chefs’Chat)

Now that the rice has cooled down, add a pinch of salt and mix well. Its time to heat it up! Add this to the cooked veggies in the pan or vice versa (i.e., transfer the cooked veggies on to the cooled rice). Mix them well. Garnish with fine chopped coriander leaves, fine chopped spring onions…many more choices listed a wee bit below.

Veg Fried Rice is ready to serve.

Also view in this blog recipe for “Vegetable Biryani”

Chefs ‘Chat….about

Choice of oil, rice, vegetables, garnish and flavour; Basmati Rice; Technique to turn hot rice cold; Sauteing; Stir Frying; Saute Pan; Frying Pan.

Choice of oil: Olive, canola, dark sesame, peanut, soy

Choice of Rice: Basmati Rice, Brown rice or any long grain rice since they remain fluffy and don’t get clumpy.

Choice of Vegetables: (In addition to the ones listed under ingredients) Onions, Peas, Bell Pepper, Garlic, Ginger, Green soybeans, Baby beans, Baby corn, frozen Broccoli, Button mushrooms etc. Adding sugar retains colour of veggies. Whichever vegetables you choose, the time spent in the pan is short n sweet, so choose those that are tender by nature.

When using tougher, thicker vegetables head them straight not into the pan for sautéing but for blanching them briefly (by cooking in boiling water). They are now ready to be mixed with the other softer veggies.

Choice of Garnish: Toasted slivered almonds, fresh coriander leaves, fresh lime juice, fried brown crisp onion slices.

Choice of flavour: White pepper powder preferred. Crushed red pepper gives a hint of heat (optional), Toasted sesame seeds (optional), Soy sauce

Basmati Rice:  A variety of rice that is long bodied with a unique aroma. Cooked basmati rice results in grains that are long, dry, light, fragrant, slender, separate and non sticky.

Technique to turn hot rice cold: The golden rule of thumb to follow while sautéing rice for “Fried Rice” and certain other rice varieties is to make sure that the hot cooked rice is cold. To cool down the hot cooked rice grains and keep it separate, spread it on a wide flat tray and let it become warm. Rub it with a spoon of oil and keep aside till you use it.

Sautéing is a cooking term that means “to cook food fast using minimum amount of fat on a fairly high heat” as against Stir Frying which means “to cook food fast using relatively higher amount of fat on a fairly high heat”. Food is tossed once in a way during sautéing whereas stir frying needs accelerated and constant stirring action. The word sauté originates from a French verb “sauter” which means “to jump”. Sautéing preserves the texture and flavour of food intact.

Sauté pan has a long handle with slightly taller sides compared to a frying pan. This permits stirring food easily without spilling or jumping out of the pan. Frying pan is deeper to accommodate larger quantities of fat for frying.

Summer drinks

| sarapaka

Its cool and simple 😘

Cooking Without Limits

lemonade

We had a wave of heat for a few days which killed me. I am not a big fan of the heat, so I had to do something to get me fresh all through the day. It is a simple recipe, healthy and makes  your day easy to  survive.

Ingredients:

– 1 litter water

– 2 lemons

– 5 strawberries

– 5 mint leaves

lemonade

Directions:

Add the fruits and the mint in the water. Keep the water in the fridge or use ice. Make it 3 hours before serving. Enjoy!

lemonade

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CARROT HALWA (Gajar Halwa)

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Towering atop a host of Indian delicacies is this classic Indian dessert, Carrot Halwa, also known as Gajar halwa.

Carrot when consumed traverses quite a journey inside our body beginning with its rich content of beta-carotene (orange coloured pigment) converting itself into Vitamin A in the liver and Vitamin A in turn travelling right up to the retina where it transforms itself into rhodopsin (purple coloured pigment that enables vision at night)

The crux however lies in the crunch. Carrot when chewed behaves like a brush cleaning our teeth and mouth, piercing through that plaque to scrape it off, triggering saliva, a clear liquid and a vital contributor to a healthy body….

Can we afford to stay off from this delicious veggie that is low in salt and calorie, high in fibre, a natural body cleanser, age retarder, blood sugar regulator and much more?

Dish Type:  Indian Vegetarian Dessert Carrot Halwa copy

Preparation Time:  15 min

Cooking time:  45 min

Serves:  3 persons

Ingredients

Carrots                        8 nos. medium size (4 cups approx.)

Ghee                            3 tbsps

Milk                             2 cups

Sugar                           1 cup

Cashewnuts                 10 nos.

Raisins                         1 tbsp

Cardamom                  2 nos. crushed

Saffron            threads           A pinchful

Directions

Wash carrots (select sweet and juicy ones) thoroughly in water. Drain out the water. Peel the skin and grate the carrots. Soak saffron threads in a tbsp. of milk in a small bowl. Keep it aside.

Crush cardamom seeds just enough to release their flavour.

In a heavy bottom pan, melt ghee. Fry cashewnuts till golden brown, also fry raisins. Remove them from the pan and keep aside.

In to the same pan, put grated carrot and sauté for few minutes stirring constantly over gentle flame. Now add milk and let it boil on medium flame. When it begins to boil, reduce the flame, let it simmer, but keep stirring and scraping the sides. If not, milk can scorch. Also make sure the spatula is dug deep down to the bottom of the pan while stirring. Add the soaked saffron threads.  Continue simmering till the quantity reduces to a third. At this stage, the milk should nearly be not seen and the mixture should look thicker. To this mixture, add sugar. The mixture becomes watery again. Keep stirring at intervals till the sugar is completely dissolved and the dish starts thickening once again and changes colour to deep red. Switch off the flame. Add cardamom powder, fried cashews and raisins.

Serve it hot, warm, cold or at room temperature. A blob of hot carrot halwa over a scoop of vanilla ice cream makes for a great hot n cold combo dessert!

Note:

Unsalted Pistachio nuts, blanched almonds can be used for garnishing.

Regular milk, sugar and ghee can be replaced by Almond milk, date paste and cashew butter respectively.

Adding sugar early i.e., along with milk prevents halwa from gaining a soft texture.

Khoya or mawa lends a soft, creamy texture to the halwa. Either sweetened or unsweetened variety can be used, but quantity of sugar has to be adjusted accordingly. Khoya has to be added and allowed to mix and melt before adding sugar.

Condensed milk makes for a richer, creamier, sweeter halwa. Again it calls for adjustment of sugar quantity.

Shorter route to making carrot halwa:

Cook carrot in pressure cooker.

Use condensed milk instead of skimmed milk and sugar.

 Shredding vs Grating (in brief):

1 medium size carrot when shredded measures ½ cup.

Vegetables, when shredded, look like long strips (long and thin similar to noodles) whereas, when grated, the result is very tiny pieces to the point of being powdery.

Time taken for cooking is longer when shredded as compared to gratings.

Shredded vegetables look smoother and uniformly textured whereas gratings appear uneven.

Taste however doesn’t alter.

Sweet Corn Song

| sarapaka

SWEET CORN SONG

(penned by Mangala Madhuchand)

Grand Old Corn

Bright when born

Shows up when husk is torn

So so sweet to taste

Yes, can be cooked in haste

Wow… so great! Please don’t waste

This beautiful, dear corn

Lest it feels forlorn.

Spice them up with corns of pepper

How about grated mozzarella

For a scatter?

Sprout them, grind them

To a superfine flour

Mix it to a dough, roll it flat though

To make a tempting tortilla.

Oh I see…you still have

Some kernels leftover?

Oh so sweet….use them up

As filling for quesadilla

Hey, did I hear you say

“Idella namage gothe iralilla!!” *

* This  sentence  is written using kannada language. In English, it means “We didn’t know all of these”

SWEET CORN KOSAMBARI (Salad / Curry )

| sarapaka
Cooked as curry, served as snack but called by the name of “kosambari”!

Sweet Corn, which has created a niche for itself as a splendid summertime food, is a genetic variant of the maize family and is also known as Sugar Corn. It contains healthy levels of vitamin B complex and minerals, especially iron and is a rich source of fibre. Fibre helps to alleviate digestive problems and stabilize blood sugar levels.  Well known for contributing to overall nourishment, especially when combined with legumes like peas, beans, nuts etc. it is a must add to everyone’s diet.

Sweet Corn, true to its name, is sweet for the tooth and especially when cooked al dente, its tender outside and crispier inside makes one crave for more and more.

Dish Type:  Indian Vegetarian Curry Sweet Corn Kosambari

Preparation Time:  5 min

Cooking time:  15 min

Serves:  4 persons

Ingredients

For boiling:

Sweet corn kernels     200 gms

Water                          (200 ml approx.)

For sautéing:

Oil                               2 tsps

Cumin seeds                1 tsp

Onion                          1 no. (medium size, fine chopped)

Turmeric pwd             A pinch

Salt to taste                 1 tsp approx.

Carrot                          1 no. (medium size, grated)

Sweet corn                  (steam boiled kernels)

Chilli pwd                    1 tsp

Jeera pwd                    ½ tsp

Coriander pwd            ½ tsp

For garnishing:

Coriander leaves         1 tbsp (fine chopped)

Lime juice                   1 tsp approx.

Pomegranate seeds    2 tbsps

Directions:

Wash carrot, coriander leaves and sweet corn kernels thoroughly in water. Drain out the water and keep aside.

To cook sweet corn kernels, bring water to rapid boil in a vessel. Quantity of water must be just enough for the kernels to be covered. To this rapid boiling water, add sweet corn and a pinch of sugar. Let it cook for about 5 min. Switch off the burner. To retain its sweet taste, do not overcook the kernels. Remove the steamed kernels from water and keep aside.

While water is boiling (i.e., before putting sweet corn)….

Heat oil in a pan. To this add cumin seeds. When it splutters, add chopped onion, turmeric and a pinch of salt. Sauté till onions turn transparent. Now put grated carrot and resume sautéing till carrot gratings are partially cooked. Add boiled kernels, salt, chilli powder, jeera powder, coriander powder and mix them well. Switch off the flame.

Garnish with fine chopped fresh coriander leaves, lime juice and a tiny blob of butter (optional).

Sweet corn kosambari is ready. Serve it warm or cool.

A bit of thought for a bite of food:

To pick fresh corn, just prick a kernel. It should squirt whitish juice. Husks should appear as fresh, tender and green like grass. Size of kernels need to be on the plumper side and spaced snug fit in the cob. Colour of corn is not a determinant of quality.

Cooking corn by steaming for just the optimum time required is considered to be a healthy way of cooking since loss of nutrients is minimized to the maximum extent while still retaining its color and enhancing its taste and texture.

Please do read “Sweet Corn Song” in this blog where you also get to know few other ways of using corn.

THAMBITTU (Sweet Wheat Flour Laddus)

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Light brown coloured laddu (ball shaped Indian sweet), daintily dotted by cashews and raisins, its soft appearance adorably spoilt by strands of dry coconut gratings. Popular prasadam dish especially in South Karnataka. Makes its way into many homes as part of “Exchange Programme” customary to festival rituals. Its consistency can be described as a cross between typical laddu and halwa. Fat content minimal when compared to “desserts” in general. Dish sweetened by….

A wonderful, delicious, blood purifying and cleansing agent, enemy of anaemia, gives cool company during hot summers, makes your skin flawless, lovely and charming. Hello to this healthy darling called Jaggery, which blends beautifully with wheat flour and transforms into rolls that make you rock!

Dish Type:  South Indian Dessert Variety  Thambittu

Preparation Time:  5 min

Cooking time:  10 min

Cooling time:  15 min

Yield:  8 nos. approx.

Ingredients

Wheat Flour                1 cup (125 gms. approx.)

Water                          ½ cup

Jaggery                        ½ cup (grated or powdered)

Fresh coconut              ¼ cup (grated)

Ghee                            ¼ cup

Cardamom                  1 no. (powdered)

Cashewnut                  1 tbsp (pieces)

Raisins                         1 tbsp

Directions:

Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a small kadai. Fry cashew pieces in it till golden brown. Also fry raisins.

Switch off the flame. Keep them aside.

Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a medium sized pan. Roast wheat flour in it on low flame, slowly till the raw smell disappears and you feel the fragrance of the roasted flour. Caution: Do not over roast the flour! When done (4 to 5 min. approx.), the flour changes colour to light brown. Switch off the flame, transfer the flour to a bowl and keep aside.

Pour water on to a kadai.  Add grated jaggery to it. Stir continuously till it dissolves completely. Now add grated fresh coconut, cardamom powder, fried raisins and cashews. Also add rest of the ghee. When the syrup starts boiling, add roasted flour slowly and stir continuously till it forms a unified mass without any lumps. Cover the pan with a lid and let the mixture get cooked for another 4 to 5 min. Maintain the low flame all through. Switch off the flame. Let it cool for about 15 min. Then grease your palms with ghee, take a handful of the mixture and roll it either into balls or flatten them as patties. Garnish with dessicated dry coconut if you wish. Arrange them on a flat plate and keep it open for about an hour. Store them in an air tight container. It remains fresh for a day or two. It stays for about a week if stored in the fridge.

Note:

In case the mixture appears very dry, sprinkle a few drops of water. Mix well and let it cook for another minute or so. If it appears watery, let it steam off. However, this adjustment is possible only if the margin of error with respect to water: flour ratio (1: 2) is negligible.

Thambittu can also be prepared using rice flour / roasted gram flour.