Semiya Payasam

This blog came into being only because of my mother and periamma, the worlds best cooks. This recipe is my mothers and the perfect recipe for a creamy delicious Semiya Payasam. If you are a sweet tooth then this is a must do recipe.

I enjoyed this when i had a terrible tooth ache as I had a strong craving for something warm & sweet. 

I managed to click some pictures as my mother was cooking. I hope you all enjoy making this delicacy as much as i did.

Ingredients

Semiya (Vermicelli) - 3 Cups 

Sugar - 4 Cups (As required)

Diluted Coconut milk - 500ml

Milk - 1000ml

Milk Maid - 1/2 tin

Dry grapes 

Cashew nut

Elaichi Powder

Saffron soaked in warm milk

Ghee

Cooking Method

Heat ghee and fry raisins and set it aside.

Fry Cashew nut in the same ghee and set it aside.

Add semiya to the remaining ghee and fry it on a slow flame until you get a good aroma.

Switch off the stove and allow the semiya to cool down a little.
Boil 1/2 cup water with the diluted coconut milk. (I used Maggie coconut milk powder)
Add semiya to the boiling coconut milk. 
Once the semiya is cooked, add milk and let it come to boil.
Add Sugar, Milk maid, Fried Cashew, Raisin, Elachi Powder, and Saffron soaked in milk.
Serve warm with lots of love.

Pictorial

Notes 
Add sugar only after the semiya is well cooked. Sugar usually arrests the cooking of semiya.
Let the payasam be a little watery as it tends to thicken as it cools down.
Add warm diluted milk when you want to reheat.
You can use only coconut milk or only milk for this payasam.
Add dry fruits as per your liking.

Vazha Yellai Kozhukattai

Irrespective of the fact whether we celebrated a particular festival or not,  My Amma always ensured that all the delicacies of the season is cooked at home. We never once felt deprived of anything.

This is my childhood favorite and i can just go on eating this....... Its a simple and Yummy dish.

Outer Covering 

Ingrediants

Rice Flour - 250gms
Ghee - One Spoon
Hot water - As required
Salt - 1/4 tsp

Cooking Method

In a large mixing bowl, Add Rice Flour and salt, Mix well.
To the above mixture slowly add boiling hot water and mix it using a spatula. When the mixture turns like chapati dough, add ghee and knead the dough until you get a smooth dough.
Set it aside.

 For Filling

Ingredients

Coconut - 1 Full (Grated)
Jaggery - 1 Big Cup (As per taste)
Cashew / Raisins / Badam / Dates - 1 Cup (Finely Chopped)
Ghee - 5 tsp

Cooking Method

In a large pan, add coconut and powdered Jaggery, Slowly heat it and mix until Jaggery melts.
Heat Ghee in an other vessel, fry all the dry fruits and add to the coconut mixture.
Add the remaining ghee and mix well.
Once the mixture leaves the sides of the pan, remove from heat.

 Making Kazhukattai

Take Banana leaf, cut into small rectangles, Wash and dry it.
Take a small ball of the outer covering and spread it on the Banana leaf, wet fingers in cold water if you find it difficult to spread.

Place half a spoon of filling in the center, press the sides and close the leaf carefully. Make many such Kozhukattai's and steam them for 5 min in a steamer or cooker.

The Kozhukattai is done, if you are able to remove the leaf without breaking kozhukattai.

Serve hot with a generous drop of Ghee :)

Remember :

1. Do not cook the filling for too long, It will turn hard and become a candy
2. Do not cook the stuffed kozhukattai for long, It will lose its shape and become watery, The filling might come out.
3. Make the outer covering thin, else it will become rubbery.

Sakkarai Pongal (Sweet Pongal)

Pongal is one of the most popular harvest festival of South India, mainly Tamil Nadu. Pongal falls in the mid-January every year and marks the auspicious beginning of Uttarayan - sun's journey northwards. Pongal festival lasts for four days. Celebrations include drawing of Kolam, swinging & cooking of delicious Pongal. This is a dish prepared with rice, dal, jaggery, dry fruits, sugar and milk. All these ingredients are cooked in a new clay pot in the open and allowed to boil over, signifying plenty and prosperity for the year ahead.
The tast of sakkarai pongal is soo heavenly that it does not require a festival to prepare it. I usually like to make both sweet and khara pongal together as we get to pamper our taste buds.

Ingredients
Rice (Preferably freshly harvested rice) - 11/2 cup
Moong dal - 1/2 cup
Jaggery - 11/2 cup
Milk -  6 cups
Cashew nuts
Raisins
Almonds
Cardomom Powder - 1/2 tsp
Ghee - 2-3tsp

Cooking Method
Chop cashew and almonds. Roast them in ghee and set it aside.
Heat a pan, and roast the moong dal on a low flame till u get a nice aroma. Add water and wash the dal well. This procedure is very important as it removes the slimyness of the dal.
Cook rice and dal with milk till soft and done.
In a thick bottom pan, Melt jaggery with a cup of water. Once the jaggery starts boiling add the rice and dal mixture, along with the dry fruits, cardomom powder and ghee.
Mix well, Bring the entire mixture to boil.

Note : Pongal tends to solidify as it cools down. You can add boiled milk to adjust the consistency.
          The given propotion of jaggery gives a mild sweetness, You can add sweet as per your taste.

Cooking Time : 30 minutes
Serves : 3-4

Parippu Payasam

Sorry i have not posted anything in the last 2-3 days as it was a long weekend.

Parippu payasam is a must in our home on most of the occassions and my periamma makes YUM payasam.... I love this payasam on a plantain leaf after a BIG MEAL. This payasam is traditionally eaten with ripe banana.

Ingredients

Moong dal 1cup

Coconut milk 2 cup (Thick)

Jaggery 1 cup

Raisin/Cashewnut

Coconut sliced

Ghee - 4 tsp

Cooking Method

Heat a pan, and roast the moong dal on a low flame till u get a nice aroma. Add water and wash the dal well.

This procedure is very important as it removes the slimyness of the dal.

Cook dal till it is just done and not mashy.

Heat a kadai, add jaggery along with a cup of water. Once jaggery is melted add cooked dal. mix well for a couple of minutes, Mix in coconut milk slowly. Ensure you cook this entire mixture on a low flame.

In an other kadai, heat ghee, fry coconut pieces, cashew nut and raisins till golden brown (Fry them seperately). Add this along with the ghee to the payasam.

Adjust the consistency of the payasam as per your taste.

Serve with banana.

Serves : 5

Cooking time : 30 min

Tips

• This payasam tend to solidify as it cools, to avoid this you can mix 2 tsp of custard powder in water or milk and add to the payasam. This way the payasam will remain in the consistency you desire for a long time.
• You can also use normal milk and coconut milk in 1:1 propotion.