Janmashtami/Sri Jayanthi/Krishna Jayanthi Basic Snacks

This festival is one of the most sought of festival of hindus in India. The day is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Krishna or otherwise called as Lord Vishnu. It is said that Lord Krishna likes some of the following sweet & savoury accompanied with white cow butter. So to learn about his favourite eatables scroll below. Make it and celebrate the day along with your fellow beings.

UPPU SESDAI
Ingredients:
Rice flour - 2 cups
Soak rice in water. Drain it and dry it on a thin cloth. Once its dried grind it into powder.
Be sure to strain the rice powder once and take of the little granuels.
Uradh Dhall / Ulatham parupu - 1/2 cup
Asefatida - 1tps
Unsalted white butter - 1/2 cup
Warm water - 1/2cup
Salt - As per taste
Sunflower Oil - to deep fry

Method/ Vidhiee:
1. In a pan dry roast the rice flour till it turns hot. Keep stirring so that it doesn't turn brown. Keep the flame low.
2. Once its done, transfer them to a big bowl. Let it cool.

3. In the same pan dry roast Uradh dhall/ Ulatham Parupu till they turn golden brown.
4. Once they are done transfer to a plate and cool it.

5. Once the dhall is cool. Take it and grind into fine powder. To have fine powder use strainer to strain the granuals.
6. Take the bowl which has rice flour. To it add dhall powder, salt, asefatida & white butter.

7. Mix well and do not press hard.
8. To it sprinkle warm water at times needed and make it into a semi solid dough.

9. Note that this dough would not come like a chappatti dough.
10. Roll on ball and see whether it doesn't crack.
11. Once the mixture is done roll the mixture into small balls and dry them.

12. In a heavy bottom pan heat oil.
13. Once the oil is hot lower the flame and add the balls one by one on to the side of the pan.
14. Leave it for 1 min and then keep rolling the balls.

15. You can raise the flame in middle and then again lower it so that the balls turn brown.

16. The balls should turn light brown colour.Means its done.
17. Take them out on a tissue paper and drain excess oil.

18. Once the balls cool down a bit tranfer to a air tight box.
19. Do not close the box immediately as water vapour may form inside it and it would get spoilt.
20. Close half the box for ten min then fully close it when once all the mixture is done.

Enjoy the UPPU SEEDAI savoury. Present it to Lord Krishna and enjoy it with all your near and dear ones.

Tip : You can add white sesame seeds powder or seeds, but be careful that the balls don't burst.
        You can also add jeera powder or seeds as above.
Caution : To much of water or butter would make the balls crackle like small bomb in oil or might dissolve in oil. Hence, be careful and test one first and then if it turns well start the process

VELLA SESDAI
Ingredients:
Rice flour - 2 cups
Soak rice in water. Drain it and dry it on a thin cloth. Once its dried grind it into powder. Be sure to strain the rice powder once and take of the little granuels.
Uradh Dhall / Ulatham parupu - 1/2 cup
Elaichi / Elakai/ Cardamom  powder - 1tsp
Unsalted white butter - 1/2 cup
Warm water - 1/2cup
Salt - 1/4tsp
Jaggery - 1/2 cup (If your jaggery is dark brown this measurement is ok. If, its light brown then ou can take 3/4 cup  measurement)
Sunflower Oil - to deep fry

Method/ Vidhiee:
1. In a pan dry roast the rice flour till it turns hot. Keep stirring so that it doesn't turn brown. Keep the flame low.
2. Once its done, transfer them to a big bowl. Let it cool.

3. In the same pan dry roast Uradh dhall/ Ulatham Parupu till they turn golden brown.

4. Once they are done transfer to a plate and cool it.
5. Once the dhall is cool. Take it and grind into fine powder. To have fine powder use strainer to strain the granuals.
6. Take the bowl which has rice flour. To it add dhall powder, salt, cardamom powder, jaggery and mix well in a processor.
7. Mix well with unsalted white butter.
8. To it sprinkle water at times needed and make it into a semi solid dough.

9. Note that this dough would not come like a chappatti dough.
10. Roll on ball and see whether it doesn't crack.
11. Once the mixture is done roll the mixture into medium sized balls and dry them.

12. In a heavy bottom pan heat oil.
13. Once the oil is hot lower the flame and add the balls one by one on to the side of the pan.
14. leave it for 1 min and then keep rolling the balls.
15. You can raise the flame in middle and then again lower it so that the balls turn brown.
16. The balls should turn light brown colour.Means its done.
17. Take them out on a tissue paper and drain excess oil.

18. Once the balls cool down a bit tranfer to a air tight box.
19. Do not close the box immediately as water vapour may form inside it and it would get spoilt.
20. Close half the box for ten min then fully close it when once all the mixture is done.

Enjoy the VELLA SEEDAI savoury.
Present it to Lord Krishna and enjoy it with all your near and dear ones.

Tip : You can add copra or dry coconut for the crunch flavour, but be careful that the balls don't burst.
Caution : To much of water or butter would make the balls crackle like small bomb in oil or might dissolve in oil. Hence, be careful and test one first and then if it turns well start the process

KAJURKAI
Ingredients:
Maida - 1/2 cup
Atta -1/2 cup
Khus Khus / Poppy seeds - 2tbs
Elaichi/ Cardamom - 3 pods
Ghee - 3tbs
Copra / Dry coconut -1/4cup
Badam - 2-3
Kismis - 5
Sugar powder - 1/4cup
Rice powder - 3tbs
Water
Oil - to fry

Method/ Vidhiee:
1. Soak poppy seeds for 1 hr. Wash it and drain them.

2. Grind them and fry in 1tbs ghee.
3. Dry raost the copra and cool it.

4. Cut kismis and badam into small bits.
5. Mix well copra, poppy seeds, kismis, badam, rice flour, sugar powder and keep aside.

6. In another bowl mix atta, maida, salt and make a dough.
7. Flattent the dough and cut into round rings.

8. Fill in the rings with the poppy seeds mixture.

9. Put water drop on the sides of the rings and close it semi-circle.

10.Close them and seal it.
11. In a pan heat oil and keep in low flame.

12. Put the Kajurkai's into oil and fry till they turn golden brown.

11. Drain them on to a tissue paper and sprinkle sugar powder over it .

Enjoy by sharing with others.

VELLA OPPRA
If you some of the VELLA SEEDAI dough. You can make one more sweet VELLA OPPRA.
Sprinkle the dough into the hot oil.
Keep strring till it turns brown.
Drain it on to tissue paper.
It would turn crisp once it cools down.

This sweet can be given as VELLA OPPRA to young kids and oldies who cannot chew :)

Dry Black - Nightshade Roasted or Manathakali Vathaal

Manathakali seeds or otherwise called as Black Nightshade seeds. Down south of India these seeds are separated from the black nightshade spinach leaves. They would be black /green colour.
Traditional process of dehydrating and using it as and when required. It is believed to have medicinal properties that can heal mouth ulcers and also clears of worms in the stomach.

Ingredients:

• 200 gms  - Black Nightshade seeds or Manathakali vedhai
• 100 ml     - Buttermilk
• 1 tbs        - Rock Salt
• 50 ml       - Oil

Method / Vidhiee:
1. Wash the Manathakali seeds and dry them.
2. Mix rock salt to the buttermilk. Beat them well.
3. Soak the seeds into the buttermilk for 2 days under sunlight.
4. After 2 days drain excess fluids and dry them under the sun for at least 4 days.
5. You can see the seeds shrink and turned into brown and black.
6. Once they are crisp store them into an air tight container.

7. When needed heat oil and slow or switch of the flame.
8. Put in some dried seeds into it and roast them. Beware they get roasted in seconds.

9. Once they turn into filled seeds into a round shape drain them.

You can crush them and mix it with rice and use them.
It can also be used for making the famous Varthal Kozambu of south India.

Note: Drying time may vary depending upon the humidity the seeds are kept. Hence, it might take less or more days to dry.

Dry Fruit Nan

Raining evening and hot Indian bread with full of hidden treat.

Ingredients:

• 15          - Almonds/Badam
• 15          - Pistachios 
• 200 gms - Maida/Refined Flour
• 1/2 tbs   - Baking Soda
• 50 ml     - Yogurt
• 20 gms   - Butter
• 10 ml     - Water
• 1/2 tbs   - Salt
• 1 tbs      - Oil
• 1 tbs      - Sugar 

Method/Vidhiee:

1. Sieve the maida. In a large bowl add in the maida, salt,baking soda, sugar and mix well.

2. To it add yogurt and mix to make a tight dough.

 3. If required add in the water. Make a tight dough and gloss it with oil.

4. Wrap a wet cloth around it and put it to rest for at least 30-45 mins.

5. Meanwhile, grind the almonds and pistachios in a blender. It is up to your taste to powder them or finely  crumble them.

6. I converted them into powder.

7. Mix them into the dough and knead them well. You can also use this powder as a filling by flattening the dough and filling the powder and again making them into balls to flatten again to naans.

8. In a tawa put the naan and bake them in slow flame.

9. Once you find light brown spots add in the butter on both sides.

Serve hot with any basic gravy like Aaloo gobi or any Kashmiri gravy.

Mysore Rasam

You can say this Indian soup is bit spicy filled with luxury. Different from a usual rasam option. It gets its name from one of the most historical places of India -- Mysore. It is certainly bit different from the usual ones and ought to be sorted into a occasional or festival dish.

Ingredients:

2             - Medium red tomatoes

3             - Dry red chilly

2 tbs        - Dry coriander seeds/Sabuth dhania/Kothamalli verrai

2 tbs        - Cumin seeds/Jeera/Jeeragam

1 tbs        - Pepper/Kali mirch/Millagu

1 tbs        - Asafatida

1 tbs        - Channa dal

4 tbs        - Dry coconut scraps or Koppra

2 tbs        - Jaggery/Gudd/Vellam

2 tbs        - Ghee

2 tbs        - Oil

1 tbs        - Mustard Seeds/Rai/Kadugu

75 gms     - Tamarind/Imli/Puli (4 tbs of tamrind paste)

500 ml      - Water

100 gms   - Boiled Thoor dal/Thovaram Parupu

1 tbs         - Rasam powder

1 tbs         - Turmeric powder

4 arcs       - Curry Leaves

1 slit          - Green Chilly

Generous amount of green coriander leaves

Salt to taste

Method/Vidhiee:

1. Soak the tamarind in 250 ml water for half and hour.

2. Extract the pulp and keep aside.

3. Finely chop the tomatoes and slit the green chilly. Add them to the tamarind pulp.

4. Add turmeric powder to the pulp and keep it on flame to boil.

5. Meanwhile, add 1/2 tbs of oil in a pan and roast channa dal, dry coriander seeds,pepper, cumin seeds, 1/2 tbs Asafatida,dry coconut.

6. Roast them till they turn golden brown.

7. Cool them and grind them into a powder.

8. Alongside boil the toor dal and bring it to mashed state.

9. Once you feel the metallic taste of the tamarind has gone add in the salt,remaining water and boiled toor dal.

10. Boil it for another 10 mins. Add in the ground powder along with powdered jaggery.

11. Lower the flame add the remaining asafatida to it and chopped green coriander.

12. In a tempering pan add in ghee and remaining oil. Add in the mustard seeds,remaining jeera and 1 dry red chilly,curry leaves.

13. Once the spices have spluttered add them to the boiling rasam 

14. Close the rasam vessel with a lid to retain the flavors.

Serve hot rasam with white rice along with a gentleness of ghee over it. It would certainly would be a feast once you serve this rasam.