Venn Pongal, Chakkarai Pongal and Ullunda Vadai

Image Credit: Sriram (my hubby)

Sankranthi was one of my favorite festivals as a kid and I spent hours and hours many days prior to and after the festival flying and chasing kites. I have very fond memories of this festival and wish I can go back to Hyderabad for one Sankranthi to relive the excitement. The Sankranthis I celebrate here have been reduced to cooking and eating festive fare. Typical maharashtrian fare for Sankranthi is the Tila Chi Vadi that I have blogged about previously. My husband and sister both enjoy this immensely and it does not survive very long in my pantry when I make it. Typical tamilian food is venn pongal which is a savoury pongal, chakkarai pongal which is a sweet version and ullunda vadai. The credit for these recipes goes to my in laws and the lovely Meenakshi Ammal cookbook that they gifted me. I am sending these recipes to three events -

1. Venn pongal, chakkarai pongal and ullunda vadai to Festive Food: Makara Sankranthi hosted by Indian Khana

2. Venn Pongal and Chakkarai pongal to Harvest: The Festival of Rice hosted by Bengali Cuisine

3. Venn pongal and vadai to FIC Yellow event hosted by TumYumTreats




Thanks to Asha of foodieshope for pointing me to all these fun events that I could participate in:)



Venn Pongal:

Ingredients

1. Rice - 1 cup
2. Moong dal - 1 cup
3. Ghee - 1 tbsp
4. Green chillies - 4 finely chopped
5. Curry leaves - 10
6. Cumin/jeera - 1 tsp
7. Whole black pepper - 1 tsp
8. Ginger - 1 inch piece finely chopped
9. Water - 5 cups
   
10. Salt
    

Directions

1. Boil the rice and moong dal with 4 cups of water in pressure cooker until it is soft.
   
2. Heat the ghee and add the ginger, green chillies, curry leaves, cumin and black pepper and roast until you can smell all the flavours.
3. Add the cooked rice and dal and salt and more water (depending on the consistency of the cooked rice and dal) and mix thoroughly.
4. Allow the mixture to steam and top off with a little more ghee if you like. Enjoy hot with sambhar or gotsu or just as is.

Chakkarai Pongal:

Ingredients

1. Rice - 1 cup
2. Moong dal - 1 cup
3. Jaggery - 1 cup grated
4. Elaichi powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Milk - 1 cup
6. Cashews - 10-15
7. Ghee - 2 tbsps
8. Raisins - 10

Directions

1. Boil the rice and moon dal in the pressure cooker.
2. Heat a pan and boil the cooked rice and moong dal with the milk and some water if required until soft.
3. Add the jaggery and 1 tbsp ghee and allow it to melt.
4. Fry the cashews and raisins in ghee and add to the mixture above. Chakkari pongal is ready to be devoured with the vada.

Ullunda Vadai:

Ingredients

1. Split urad dal - 2 cups
2. Green chillies - 2 finely chopped
3. Dried red chillies - 3 finely chopped
4. Ginger - 1 inch piece finely chopped
5. Curry leaves - 10 finely chopped
6. Coconut slivers - 1/2 cup
7. Salt
8. Black pepper - 1 tbsp roughly crushed
9. Oil for deep frying

Directions

1. Soak the urad dal with water for 2 hours and then grind it with very little water and salt to taste.
2. Add the green chillies, red chillies, ginger, curry leaves, coconut slivers, black pepper to the urad dal batter and mix well.
3. Wet your palms and place a tbsp of batter on the palm. Use wet hands to pat it flat and make a hole in the center.
4. Heat oil and drop the vada and deep fry until golden brown. Enjoy hot!!!
   

Gatte Ki Kadhi and Guvar Sabji - RCI Rajasthan

Gatte Ki Kadhi Recipe:

This is my first entry ever to any RCI event:)...This entry is for the RCI Rajasthan event. Unfortunately, I don't have any Rajasthani/Marwadi friends and the only influence of Rajasthani food I have had is from eating at those thali places in Hyd (kothi area and Dhola Ri Dhani) but I have enjoyed it immensely everytime I have had it.......This recipe was a mish mash of several recipes that I looked up online and personalized according to my taste. The kadhi was yummy and I would have loved to serve it with Bajra roti but did not have the time for it.



Ingredients:

For Gatte -

1. 2 cups besan
2. 1 tsp chilli powder
3. 1/2 tsp salt
4. 1/2 tsp turmeric
5. Jeera-Dhania powder - 1 tsp
   
6. Ajwain 1 tsp - crushed slightly
7. Curry leaves - 4/5 chopped finely
8. Handful of corriander leaves - finely chopped
9. Fresh ginger paste- 1tsp
10. Fresh garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
11. Baking powder - 2 pinches
12. Oil - 2 tbsps

For Kadhi

1. 4 cups of non fat yogurt
2. Turmeric 1/2 tsp
3. Red chilli powder 1 tsp
4. Jeera Dhania Powder 1 tsp
5. Salt
6. Walter
7. Curry Leaves - 4/5
8. Ajwain - 1/2 tsp finely crushed
9. Oil - 1 tbsp
10. Ginger paste - 1tsp
11. Besan - 2tbsps
    

Directions:

1. For the gatte, mix together together all the ingredients and then add enough water to get it into the consistency of dough. Do not knead it too much.
   



2. Make 1/2 inch wide and 5 inch long cylinders out of the dough.
   



3. Boil enough water in a pot and once it is bubbling drop in the cylinders and cook until the cylinders float up and look fully cooked.



4. Cut the cylinders in to 1/2 inch pieces.



5. Heat oil in a pan and saute the pieces until they brown a bit. Usually these are deep fried but I only saute-ed them and it works well. Must healthier too.



6. For the Kadhi, make a paste of besan and water and beat it into the yogurt with some water.



7. Mix in the turmeric, jeera-dhania powder, red chilli powder, ajwain and salt to taste
   



8. Heat oil and add cumin/jeera, curry leaves, ginger paste and saute for 1 minute.
   



9. Now add in the yogurt and the gatte and simmer on low heat until it is evenly heated.



10. Serve hot with rotis!

My variations: The changes I made was to add the ginger paste, garlic paste, ajwain, jeera powder, corriander, curry leaves and to saute the gatte instead of deep fry and it made a world of difference

Guvar Sabji :

This is a recipe that is very simple and I have often seen it served this way in Rajasthani thalis. I arrived at the recipe only from tasting it and hopefully it is how ti is made by Rajasthan:)

Ingredients:

1. Guvar - 3 cups, cut into inch long pieces



2. Oil - 2 tsps



3. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp



4. Jeera - 1tsp



5. Salt



6. Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
   



7. Jeera-dhania powder - 1 tsp



8. Jeera powder - 1 tsp



9. Yogurt - 1 cup



10. Water 1/4 cup
    

Directions:

1. Heat oil and add jeera and mustard seeds and let them pop.



2. Add the guvar and let is cook until a little soft.



3. Add the spices and water and steam until raw smell of spices goes away.



4. Once cooked, beat the yogurt and add it in. Take the dish off the stove and serve with rotis!