The Best Of Samaithu Paar (10 page)

Mix the rice flour and Bengal gram dhal flour together. Dissolve the salt in water. Pour into the mixed flour. Add chilli powder and asafoetida water. Knead into a firm dough with the ghee or butter, adding enough water.

Heat the oil in a frying pan. Insert the ‘ribbon disc’ in the ‘thenkuzhal’ press. Put a little of the dough in the bottom part of the press. Holding the press over the oil, press out the ribbon ‘thenkuzhal’ into the hot oil. Cook one side till brown and break the ribbons into convenient lengths with a flat spoon. Turn and cook the other side till the hissing sound ceases. Remove and drain excess oil. When cool, store in an airtight container. Fry in batches till all the dough is used up.

Ingredients

Rice flour
1 cup

Bengal gram dhal flour
2 cups

Salt
3 tsp

Chilli powder
3 tsp

Asafoetida water
1 tsp

Ghee or butter
(for kneading) ⅕ cup

Oil
(for frying) 2-3 cups

Mix 1 cup of rice flour with 2 cups of Bengal gram dhal flour. Add asafoetida water. Dissolve salt in ½ cup water. Add about ¼ cup of salt water to the flour and knead into a dough with half the ghee or butter.

Insert the disc with the small holes in the ‘thenkuzhal’ press. Put a little of the dough in the bottom part of the press. Holding the press over the oil, press out the omapoddi into the hot oil in a circular motion. Cook one side. Turn and cook the other side till golden brown and the hissing sound ceases. When cooked, the omappodi rises to the top. Remove and drain excess oil. Prepare dough with the remaining ingredients and make omappodi till all the dough is used up. When cool, store in an airtight container.

Ingredients

Rice flour
2 cups

Bengal gram dhal flour
4 cups

Salt
¼ cup

Asafoetida water
1 tsp

Butter or firm ghee
(for kneading) ⅓ cup

Ghee or coconut oil
(for flying) 2-2½ cups

Thenkuzhal Press (with omappodi disc)

Mix rice flour and Bengal gram dhal flour. Take half the quantity. Add half the baking soda, 1 tsp chilli powder and 1 tsp salt. Add 1-1½ cups water. Pour asafoetida water over the flour and mix into a thick batter.

Insert the kara boondhi (‘kunja ladu’) disc. Pour out the batter into the press with a spoon and rub it through the holes with the bottom of the spoon while holding the press over the oil. Cook the boondhi into a fine gold colour, turning them often with a big spoon. Remove and drain excess oil. Mix the remaining ingredients and prepare boondhi till all the batter is used up. Fry the cashewnuts and the curry leaves separately. Mix with the prepared boondhi. When cool, store in an airtight container.

Ingredients

Bengal gram dhal flour
2 cups

Rice flour
1-2 cups

Baking soda
¼ tsp

Chilli powder
3 tsp

Salt
3 tsp

Asafoetida water
1 tsp

Vanaspati or coconut oil
(for frying) 2-2½ cups

Cashewnuts
20-40

Curry leaves
12-15

Fry the beaten rice flakes, Bengal gram dhal, cashewnuts and curry leaves separately in ghee. Winnow the groundnuts and roast. Cut coconut into tiny little bits. Fry in ghee to a reddish colour. Fry asafoetida and red chillies. Powder fried red chillies with salt and asafoetida. Mix all the ingredients and the chilli-asafoetida powder together. Mix in kara boondhi (See
recipe
) and omappodi (See
recipe
). Dissolve the sugar in a little water. Mix ¼ cup of ghee and the sugar solution with the refined wheat flour and knead into a dough. Roll out the dough in a circle on a floured board: Cut into small diamond sized bits and fry, adding them at the end to the ‘mixture’.

Ingredients

Beaten rice flakes
150 gms

Bengal gram dhal
50-60 gms

Cashewnuts
(Broken) 100 gms

Curry leaves
¼ cup

Ghee or oil
(for frying) 2-3 cups

Groundnuts
100 gms

Coconut
½ (Medium)

Asafoetida
A pinch or to taste

Dry red chillies
8-10

Salt
¼ cup

Omappodi
250 gms

Kara boondhi
100 gms

Sugar
2 tbsp

Ghee
¼ cup

Refined wheat flour
(Maida) 1-2 cups

Heat ghee in a frying pan. Fry vermicelli till reddish brown. Fry cashewnuts separately.

In another vessel, boil the water. Add the fried vermicelli. Stir and cook till soft. Test by pressing the vermicelli between the fingers. When soft, add sugar. Let it mix well. Add milk along with the fried cashewnuts, cardamom, saffron and borneal flakes. Serve hot.

Ingredients

Ghee
¼ cup

Vermicelli
175 gms

Cashewnuts
15-20

Water
2 cups

Sugar
1½ cups

Milk
2 cups

Green cardamoms
7-8

Saffron
¼ tsp

Borneal flakes
¼ tsp

To serve
4 persons

Powder the cardamoms. Heat ghee in a frying pan and fry cashewnuts till golden brown. Dry roast the dhal lightly. Wash four or five times.

Boil the water in a vessel. Add washed and roasted dhal. When dhal breaks up and mixes well with the water, add the jaggery. Let it melt completely. Add milk or coconut milk and remove from fire. (If coconut milk is being used, heat for a few seconds before removing from fire.) Add fried cashewnuts and cardamom powder and serve.

Ingredients

Green cardamoms
7-8

Ghee
1 tbsp

Cashewnuts
20

Green gram dhal
¾ cup

Water
2 cups

Jaggery
1 cup

Milk or coconut milk
1 cup

To serve
4 persons

Powder the cardamoms. Fry the cashewnuts in 2 tsp ghee till golden brown. Keep aside.

Heat a frying pan. Add the remaining ghee. Fry the sago till reddish brown. Add water and stir. Keep stirring to avoid lumps. Cook the sago till it swells, becomes transparent and very soft. Add the sugar and mix well. Pour in the milk. Add powdered cardamom, saffron and borneal flakes. Mix well and bring to boil. Add fried cashewnuts and serve hot.

Ingredients

Green cardamoms
5-6

Cashewnuts
12

Ghee
4 tsp

Sago
3½ tbsp

Water
1½ cups

Sugar
½ cup

Milk
1 cup

Saffron
¼ tsp

Borneal flakes
¼-½ tsp

To serve
4 persons

Heat ghee. Fry cashewnuts and pistachios till light brown. Keep aside. Soak the almonds in ½ cup warm water for an hour. Remove the skin and grind into a very smooth paste. Mix the paste with 2-3 cups of water and the milk. Bring the mixture to boil, stirring frequently, until you get the aroma of almonds. Add the sugar and mix well. Stir till sugar dissolves. Add the fried cashewnuts, pistachios, the cardamom, borneal flakes and saffron. Serve chilled.

Ingredients

Ghee
4 tsp

Cashewnut
(Broken) 1 tbsp

Pistachio
1 tbsp

Almonds
(Shelled) 100 gms

Milk
2-3 cups

Sugar
1 cup

Green cardamoms
7-8

Borneal flakes
½ tsp

Saffron
¼-½ tsp

To serve
4 persons

Photograph