22 SUN FLOWER SEEDS POWDER / PODI

Sunflower seeds are not only tasty but also very nutritious. Toasted seeds tastes great to have as a snack in between meals.
The seeds provides you with high level of linoleic acid, minerals and amino acids. The substances in such seed will decrease the level of cholesterol in your body if taken regularly. Also it is very rich in Vitamin E,the body's primary fat-soluble antioxidant.

Here is an easy and delicious way to use the seeds in Powder/ Podi form to use in our daily diet. Can be served with our Indian dishes like Idli/Dosa and also mixed up with rice. Try this it out and you will love it.

Sun Flower Seeds - 1 cup
Urad Dhal - 1 cup
Channa Dhal/ Bengal Gram Dhal - 1/4 Cup
Curry Leaves - 1/4 Cup
Red Chillies - Around 10( as spice needed)
Asafoetida/ Hing - Few Pinches or a small piece of block
Garlic - Around 10( optional)
Salt as required
Oil - 1 tsp

In a kadai/frying pan toast sunflower seeds in medium flame until they are toasted and nice smell come out. Remove and fry urad dhal until nice brown. Remove and add Channa dhal, fry till nice brown. In the same pan add oil and fry garlic, remove and keep aside.(It is optional to use garlic, but adding gives a good taste and aroma though the shelf life will not be for more than a week, can store in a fridge). In the same remaining oil add curry leaves and red chillies, fry till they are crisp. Switch off flame and add asafoetida powder and mix well. If using asafoetida block then add before adding curry leaves and red chillies. Remove and cool everything.

 
Take all the ingredients in a dry mixer/blender and run to powder as fine as possible. In the end add salt and garlic if
adding and run in for few seconds. Store in a airtight container and serve with any of your favourite dishes.
Note in this recipe the whole sunflower seeds with hull has been used, you can use seeds without hull. In case you are using with hull then follow all the steps and in the end to remove the extra fibre or the ones that are not grounded or powdered properly, you can sieve it through a siever for better powder consistency.

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23 MAA VILAKKU

Maa Vilakku / Rice Flour Lamp / Biyyam Pindi Deepam / Akki Thambittu

 

Maa Vilakku is a lamp made with freshly pound rice flour and jaggery prepared during some months like Thai(Mid January - Mid Feb on Fridays) or Aadi( Mid July - Mid August on Fridays(or Tuesdays or Sundays) and or Purattaasi( Mid September - Mid October on Saturdays) and offered to god. The tradition varies from family to family. During the month Aadi, this is prepared and offered to goddesses like Mariamma or Amman or even to the House god or Diety especially on days like Friday which is considered to be very auspicious if not can also prepare and offer on Tuesdays or Sundays which is also considered good for Goddesses. Also it depends on the family to light one lamp or 2 lamps. It is then placed on top of a Banana Leaf.

Spread in front of the diety and the lamps are placed with some flowers below it and kumkum/vermilion applied to all four sides on the dent/hole where wick is placed. Ghee poured in the hole and wicks are litted. 

Other than preparing it on certain days, my grandparents used to prepare this and take to us to a temple( SankaranKovil), a temple near our native and offer it to the god in return to some prayings that is prayed for a cause( That is for a quick cure of something that someone has been having for a long period).

In Karnataka this is called as Akki Thambittu and prepared during Mangala Gowri Vrata and Nagar Pachami( The fifth day after Bheemana Amavasya that comes on Mid July - August)

Note, this post is just showing you how to prepare and how it looks. This has not been offered to any god, Will update the post with new pictures with the offerings.

Recipe and details from Mom:-

Raw Rice / Pacharisi / Pachi Biyyam - 1 cup
Jaggery / Vellam / Bellam - 1 cup
Ghee
Wicks
 

Wash and soak rice in water for 20 - 30 minutes. Drain water completely and spread on a cloth to dry under shade. Next when still moist, powder it in a mixie to a fine powder. Use a siever and sieve the powder over a paper. Place back the ones that does pass the siever again the mixie and run it to powder again until you are left with just few granules.
Next add the grated/shaved/powdered jaggery and mix well. Run this mixture once again in the mixie so both gets mixed. Remove and transfer to a wide container. Press it well and mix them both to form a dough consistency. The pressing itself warms the jaggery to melt and help in mixing well. Next shape as lamps like a round ball. Use the thumb to press on top to make a dent or hole to place the wick. Instead can use a lemon and just make a small push to form the hole. Pour ghee to fill it and place wick. Lit it and place and offer it to the god.

Break into pieces and distribute as prasadam to eat.

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21 VENDAKKAI MOR KUZHAMBU

VENDAKKAI MOR KUZHAMBU(KULAMBU) / BENDAKAAYA MAJJIGA KOORA / BENDEKAAYI MAJJIGE HULI / OKRA(LADIES FINGER) IN BUTTERMILK GRAVY

 
Back from our vaction to Florida. Visited few places in and around Orlando including the beaches on either side. Kids loved playing in the beach and sand and want to visit the beaches alone again soon.

Now coming to today's recipe is a simple and yet delicious dish that goes well with rice and can be served with a spicy side dish/vegetable. Basically this a very mild gravy and we can adjust the spiciness by adding some extra chillies which will not make a very large difference.

Okra/Ladies Finger - around 15
Coriander seeds - 3/4 - 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 3/4 - 1 tbsp
Toor dhal - 1 tbsp
Raw Rice - 1 tbsp
Green chillies - 3
Red chillies - 2

Coconut - 1/2 cup
Curd/Yogurt - 1 - 1 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder

for tempering:
Oil - 1 tsp
Hing/Asafoetida - 2 - 3 sprinkles
curry leaves - few
Mustard seeds and urad dhal - very few

 

Soak coriander seeds, cumin seeds, toor dhal and raw rice in water ( May be few tsbp until they are fully immersed) for 10 - 15 minutes.
Grind the soaked ingredients with coconut, red chillies and green chillies to a fine paste.

Wash and pat dry okras. Then cut in 3/4 - 1" inch round pieces. Shallow fry or deep fry in oil until it fuly cooked and or crispy and keep aside.

Take curd/yogurt in a wide pan add turmeric powder and using a whisker whisk it up until it is creamy and frothy on top. Add the ground paste and salt and whisk again for a minute. If needed add some water to make it as dilute you want. Heat the pan and cook in medium - low flame until you see the froth on top. It should not boil or bubble up. Now turn it off and add the fried okras.

 
Temper it with the tempering ingredients and pour on the gravy.

Some Tips:-
1. Avoid reheating of the gravy as the curd would curdle.
2. To reduce the stickiness of the okra wash and pat dry and cut them into 1" piece and spread on a plate or paper to dry them.
3. You can also cut them and store in the fridge for later use as this will help you a lot. I have found the stickiness is very less when I am making any dish with it like stir fry.

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