Chennai: Deepavali is just a week away and all women out there, we are sure that you have already started thinking about the preparation of ‘bakshanams’. But we can also hear you saying, “Can I prepare healthy organic sweets?”
Working women, obviously, your question would be about ‘short and sweet recipes’.
Here we have answers for both questions.
Celebrity chefs – Kaushik and Shri Bala – explain the simple and healthy way of making Deepavali sweets. And to those who have deep interest in cooking traditional recipes, we have also discussed about the recipes that are reviving this year in the city.
Chef Kaushik says, “This year, I have explored a lot of sweets in Chennai and there are a number of new arrivals. It is notable that Chennaiites choose health over taste. This can be proved by people searching for organic sweets by surfing online. Many organic sweet shops, too, do well in the city. I personally wanted to lose weight this year, so I researched more on these kind of eateries. Some of them that impressed me are murukku seedai made out of red rice, karupatti laddu and more. Desserts like karupatti tiramisu is the best example of traditional ingredients influenced by western style.”
According to him, adhirasam, vella seedai, maa laadu, sweet sevai, karupatti cheeni mittai, thengai mittai, panai olai kozhukattai, karupatti ellu urundai and suyyam are some of the popular dishes that are mandatory in the sweet list in the Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari and Kongu region.
YOU CAN DO IT
“Many people just go out and order the sweets. I understand their work schedule and I am not against the sweet industry. But, if you are not making it, then it is not worth it. Even a simple payasam that you make at home is worth the work. Traditional dishes like akaravadisal is very easy which will take just 20 minutes to prepare. And for people in Tirunelveli region, the Deepavali morning will start with idli and okkarai. It’s sodhi with a mixture of sweet and kaaram which is also a standard, easy recipe,” he explains.
REVIVING TRADITIONAL DISHES
Talking about traditional dishes, chef Shri Bala says, “We can rightly say that traditional ingredients are coming back. Karupatti halwa is done with kambu paal and karupatti. Okkarai is done with paasi paruppu and siru payiru which is a very old dish that is coming back. Thiruvaiyaru Ashoka is very famous already but Chennaiites seem to like them so much now.”
“Our ancestors stressed on healthy dishes. Many traditional sweets that are substitutes for white sugar are also resurfacing. Natural sugar like coconut sugar, dates mixture, etc., are preferred. Millets and panangarupatti are ruling the sweet industry now. People are aware of the problems of using white sugar. So palm and cocunut sugar are ready substitutes. Healthy laddus are done with thinai added with finely chopped dates,” she adds.
Chef Kaushik shares the recipe of one of everyone’s favourite sweets:
PAAL KOZHUKATTAI
Milk : 500 ml
Rice flour: 150 gm
Salt: 10 gm
Sugar :200 gm
Coconut milk : 150 ml
Water: 100 ml
Cardamom: Pinch
METHOD
Take a big bowl, add flour, salt, hot water. Mix it well to get soft dough.
Take the dough, make small balls . Keep aside.
Take sauce pan, add milk, coconut milk and bring to boil. Add the dough balls one by one in to the boiling milk. Cook well.
Finally, add sugar and cardamom powder to get the flavour.
KARUPATTI ELLU URUNDAI
Black sesame: 200 gm
Karupatti: 200 gm
Cashewnut: 20 gm
METHOD
Take black sesame seed, roast it and keep aside.
Add jaggery and black sesame seeds and make it as a powder.
Transfer into bowl, add fried cashews and mix well . Make small balls of it.
AKKARAVADISAL
Raw rice: 200 gm
Moong dal: 100 gm
Jaggery: 500 gm
Milk: 500 ml
Sugar: 50 gm
Salt: Pinch
Cardamom powder: Pinch
METHOD
Heat the pan, add ghee and raw rice, moong dal. Roast for 5 minutes in low flame.
Add milk to cook rice till it is soft. Add jaggery and gently mix it up.
Add the cashew and raisin to the mixture and akkaravadisal is ready.