Ingredients:

Raw Rice – 1 1/2 cups

Urad Dhal – 2 tsp

Toor dhal – 2 tsp

Maida – 1/2 to 3/4 cup

Green chilli – 2 nos

Curry and coriander leaves – little

Salt – to taste

Oil – to fry

Seasoning:

Oil – 2 tsp

Mustard – 1/2 tsp

Urad and channa dhal – 2 tsp

Asafoetida – 2 pinch

Method:

1. Soak rice and dhal in water for 2 hours and get it grinded with chilli, curry and coriander leaves and salt to a fine paste.

2. Now add maida slowly and mix well.

3. Heat oil in a pan and season the batter with the ingredients mentioned in seasoning.

4. The consistency should be like that of the dosa batter.

5. Now heat oil in a tawa, take small amount of this batter and pour one by one into the oil.

6. When you pour, the batter would go to the bottom and as it starts cooking it will come to the top and then you can turn it to the other side and get it cooked.

Karthigai or Karthikai Deepam is the festival of lights in Tamil Nadu and it is observed on the full moon day of the Tamil month Karthigai (November-December) on the Karthigai Nakshatram day.

On this day, temples, homes and streets are decorated with traditional oil lamps. Special pujas and prayers are held at temples.

Karthikai Deepam - Diyas

As a tradition, we prepare some dishes as offering to God on this day.

Some have the habit of preparing pori urundai or puffed rice balls and some have the habit of preparing sweet and savory appams.

Sweet Appam Recipe:

Ingredients:

Raw rice – 1 1/2 cups

Jaggery – 1 1/2 cup

Maida or wheat flour – 1 cup

Cardamom – a pinch

Coconut scrapings – 2 tsp

Oil – to fry

Method:

1. Soak rice for 2 hours and get it grinded along with jaggery and coconut to a fine paste adding little water.

2. Mix maida slowly to this mixture not allowing it to form clumps.

3. The consistency should be like that of the dosa batter.

4. Now heat oil in a tawa, take small amount of this batter and pour one by one into the oil.

5. When you pour, the batter would go to the bottom and as it starts cooking it will come to the top and then you can turn it to the other side and get it cooked.

Sweet Appam

Ingredients:

Fresh Coconut scrapings – 2 cups

Sugar – 1 cup

Cardamom – a pinch

Method:

1. Melt the sugar in a thick bottomed vessel adding little water.

2. Add the cardamom to the sugar syrup and mix well.

3. Now add the coconut scrapings little by little and stir well.

4. As the mixture starts thickening, transfer it to a ghee greased plate and cut them to pieces immediately.

Note: If needed can add 2 tsp of ghee before transferring it to plate.

Coconut Burfi

Ingredients:

Besan/ gram flour – 1 cup

Sugar – 2 cups

Ghee – 2 cups

Method:

1. Prepare sugar syrup by adding little water in a thick bottomed wide vessel.

2. Once sugar melts, start adding the besan/ gram flour little by little with continuous stirring.

Note: Stir well continuously or else lumps will be formed.

3. After finishing the gram flour, start adding ghee little by little, allowing the flour to get cooked nicely.

4. The ghee will start blending with the mixture and the color will start changing. (Please do not stop stirring)

5. Once if ghee is completely absorbed by the mixture, take it spread it in a ghee greased plate and cut them the pieces.

Note: Please do not cook in high flame.

Mysorepak

Ingredients:

Yam or senai or elephant foot – ½ cup (Cut to small pieces)

Raw banana or plantain – 1

Pepper powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Water – 1 cup

Salt – to taste

Grated coconut – 1 cup

Jeera or Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp

Ghee – 2 tsp

Coconut oil – 3 tsp

Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp

Method:

1. Cut the raw banana to pieces without removing the skin.

2. Boil yam and banana adding pepper powder, turmeric powder and salt in 1 cup of water.

3. Add ½ cup grated coconut and jeera and grind it to fine paste.

4. Grind the remaining coconut and saute in a low flame till golden brown and keep it aside.

5. Season mustard seeds in ghee.

6. Add the coconut oil, seasoned mustard seeds and the sauted coconut to the vegetable mixture.

Mix well and serve. Our Eriserry with yam and raw banana is ready.