Peanut Chikki

Peanut chikki is very simple, crunchy, tasty toffees.
When I was little, when we used to visit mysore palace, we used to  see vendors selling these strips of peanut chikkis, it used to be crunchy and tasty.
While going back home we used to buy a whole lot of them to enjoy later.
This is the sweet, which is enjoyed by all ages, up till today I have not heard a single person saying that he/she doesn't like chikkis.
My mil never misses out this on Krishna Jayanthi.

Ingredients:
Peanuts - 2 cups,
Jaggery - 11/2 -13/4 cups,
Ghee to grease the plate.

Method:
Fry the peanuts in thick bottomed kadai in medium flame.
Add a teaspoon of oil to fry, so later the skin of the peanuts comes out easily.
Take care to  roast evenly, by stirring continously.
The skin of the peanuts becomes dark, once the peanuts are well roasted.
Remove from heat and cool.
Remove the skin of the peanuts by rubbing between the hands.
Clean the peanuts and separate the peanuts from the husk skin very well.
Keep the de skinned peanuts aside.
In a thick bottomed kadai, add jaggery and 1/2 cup of water.
Allow to boil, once the jaggery dissolves completely and strain for impurities.
Bring the jaggery and water to boil again.
Allow the jaggery to boil until it forms ball consistency.
That is, keep a  bowl of water by your side while making the jaggery syrup.
Once the syrup starts to thicken, pour tiny drops of the syrup in water.
If it forms a stiff ball, without getting messed up, also when you take the ball in your hand from water, it should be a stiff ball.
This consistency is very important for crunchy chikkis.
At this stage add the syrup to peanuts and mix well.
Spread the mixture evenly on the greased plate and cut immediately into desired shapes.
Remove them once cooled and store in air tight containers.

Badam Puri

After a long time a post from my mil's corner.
My mil is very popular among friends and family for this sweet.
Everytime she makes it, it comes out perfect and yummy.
I still remember her making it hundreds and hundreds of them during Krishna Jayanthi, with such ease.
I used to simply savour and enjoy.
It took some time for me to master it. Now I make it perfect badam puris just like my mil.
My husband himself has certified it.

Ingredients:
Plain Flour/All Purpose Flour/Maida - 2 cups,
Salt a pinch.
Hot Oil - 11/2 tablespoon,
Oil to Fry.

For Syrup:
Sugar - 1/2 cup,
Water.

Method:
Mix plain flour, salt and hot oil
Take half the flour and add water to make a soft, stiff dough.
Knead the dough very well, say for at least for 10 minutes.
Heat sufficient oil in a kadai.
Take a small amount of dough and press to thin roundels.
Fold it to triangle shape  and seal it from all sides.
Put these triangles, one at a time in medium hot oil.
Immediately after putting the triangles into oil, press the triangles down tightly for couple of minutes.
This is to avoid the puffing or bloating up of puris.
Fry it until very light brown and crisp.
Repeat with the rest of the dough and keep ready.
Make sugar syrup once all the puris are fried and ready.
Now in broad pan add sugar and water, just to immerse the sugar.
Boil together, remove the impurities by adding a teaspoon of milk, while it starts to boil.
The syrup should be of sticky consistency. That is, when you take a drop of it and press between two fingers it should be sticky.
Remove from heat, cool for a couple of minutes.
Dip the puris both the sides in sugar syrup, while the syrup is still warm.
Put them away in a plate and allow to cool well and store in air tight containers.

Note:
The sugar syrup should be of sticky consistency only, if it crosses this stage, then when you dip the puris it becomes crystalised and doesn't taste good.
Make sure while frying the puris doesn't puff or bloat up, when you dip the puris in sugar syrup it becomes soggy.

Coconut Barfi/Kobbari Mithai

Barfis are the all time favourites and especially the coconut based barfi is very popular.
Somehow, being a south indian I have always love the coconut based sweets, even coconut biscuits.
This is one of my favourite barfis..not that I am a big fan of barfis.
I love the old traditional sweets of south india, mostly jaggery based.
Now coming to the recipe.

Ingredients:
Fresh/Frozen Grated Coconut - 4 cups(loosely packed),
Sugar - 2 cups,
Ghee - 1 tablespoon,
Cardamom Powder - 1/2 teaspoon,
1 teaspoon of ghee to grease the plate.

Method:
Grease a plate with ghee and keep aside.
Grate the coconut, grate only the white part, therefore do not grate to the core of the shell.
Just leave the last layer of coconut in the shell.
In a thick bottomed kadai, add sugar and water just to immerse sugar.
Boil both of them in medium heat.
Once it starts to boil pour, say about a tablespoon of mild to remove the impurities from the mixture.
The dirt would collect at the edges of the kadai, remove it from a spoon.
Allow the mixture to boil, until it comes to a single string consistency.
It means, when you take a drop of syrup between two finger and stretch, you can see it forming a thin string.
If it forms a single string then add the coconut.
Keep stirring the mixture, without leaving it for a minute.
After few minutes, say about 10-12 minute, you can see all the mixture coming together into  a single lump, without sticking to the pan.
Add a tablespoon of ghee and cardamom powder and transfer into greased plate.
Allow to cool for couple of minutes and cut into desired shapes, while still hot.
Once completely cooled, remove from plates and store in air tight containers.

Nipattu/Thattai

One more typical karnataka sanck, just like ring murukkus/kodubale.
The only difference is that, this are pressed into flat plates and flavoured with curry leaves and peanuts.
Yum Yum....typically savoured with evening coffee.
But no coconut is added. Again this is available in all condiment stores and popularly liked snack.

Ingredients:
Rice Flour - 2 cups,
Roasted Gram Powder - 1/2 cup,
Red Chilly Powder - 2 teaspoon,
Sesame seeds - 1 teaspoon(optional),
Peanuts - 1/2 cup crushed,
Curry Leaves - 20,
Asafoetida - a fat pinch,
Salt,
Hot Oil - 1 tablespoon,
Oil to fry.

Method:
Mix all the ingredients, except oil to fry.
Make sure that the oil added to the flour is right enough.
After mixing all the ingredients, if you can make a ball of the flour, then the consistency is right.
Or if the ball breaks, add a little more of oil and adjust the consistency.
Take a little flour at a time and mix with water to make a stiff dough.
Knead well ,as there are no cracks.
Heat oil.
Press the dough to equally sized, your palm sized roundels.
Deep fry in medium hot oil.
Turn the sides to ensure even cooking and fry until crisp.
Drain the excess oil on a tissue and serve with hot coffee.

Kodubale/Ring Murukku

I would credit this spicy snack to Karnataka..very yummy spicy snack..people enjoy this with their evening hot filter coffee. This is also made during festival season.  It best served with sweet kobbari mithai or coconut barfi. You could find this in all most all the condiment stores and most popularly savoured snack. It is one of my family's favourite too.

Ingredients:
Rice Flour - 2 cups,
Red Chilly Powder - 2 teaspoons,
Roasted Gram Powder - 1/2 cup,
Fresh/Frozen Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup,
Hot Oil - 1-11/2 tablespoon,
Asafoetida - a fat pinch,
Salt,
Oil to fry.

Method:
Mix all the ingredients, except the oil to fry.
Mix well and try make a ball of the flour.
If the flour holds into a ball, then it is right quantity of hot oil is added.
Or if it breaks, then it means that you need to add a little more of hot oil.
Once this consistency is reached, take a little amount of flour at a time.
Mix with water to a stiff dough.
Knead well so that there are no cracks in the dough.
Pinch a small amount of dough, roll into sticks and connect the ends to form rings.
Heat the oil. It should be medium hot.
Fry the rings until golden brown and crisp.
Keep turning the sides and fry evenly.
Remove and drain excess oil on a tissue paper and serve.
Enjoy with a hot cup of coffee.

Thenkuzhal

One more south indian snack varieties, made during krishna jayanthi and also during deewali, when we all do different kinds of snacks and savouries. This is a very easy, simple, tasty snack. No need to fry the rice and dals like other murukku varieties.

Ingredients:
Rice - 2 cups,
Urad dal - 1/2 cup,
Cumin - 2 teaspoon,
Salt,
Butter - 2 tablespoon softened,
Asafoetida - a fat pinch,
Oil to fry.

Method:
Mix rice and dal and flour mill to a fine powder(no need to fry the ingredients).
Add salt, asafoetida, cumin and butter to the flour.
Take a little amount of the flour at a time and mix with water to a stiff dough.
Knead the dough well, so that there are no cracks in the dough.
Put the thenkuzhal plate to the mould. Stuff the dough into the mould.
Press into thenkuzhal murukkus and fry in medium hot oil.
Keep turning occasionly and ensure even cooking in both sides.
Fry until lightly browned.
Remove and drain excess oil on a tissue and serve.
Repeat the procedure with remaining flour and enjoy.

Muchore-Murukku with Moong Dal

This is one snacks prepared during Krishna Janamashtami..
Very tasty just like urad dal murukkus, good even with evening tea.

Ingredients:
Rice - 1cup
Moong dal - 3 cups
Butter - 2 tablespoons(Softened),
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tspn,
Salt.
Oil for frying.

Method:
Prepare rice as it is given here.
Fry moong dal until it is lightly browned and emits nice aroma.
Mix both rice and dal and flour mill to fine powder.
Keep enough oil for frying.
Mix salt, softened butter, cardamom powder and mix well
The flour will form crumbles.
Take little flour at a time at a time and mix to a stiff dough.
Knead the dough well, so that there are no cracks in the dough.
Heat the oil. The oil should be medium hot.
Use 3 star murukku mould plate and prepare the mould.
Stuff the dough.
Press into murukkus and fry in oil until crisp.
Keep turning occasionaly to ensure even cooking both the sides.
Remove from oil, drain the excess oil and serve.
Repeat the same with rest of the flour.