Kavuni Arisi

Kavuni Arisi is a traditional sweet in Chettinadu. Usually this will be the sweet in weddings for the breakfast. And will be served in special occasions like Son-in-law visits his Mother-in-law house. Rice used in this sweet is healthier to have it that too for breakfast. I usually prepare this sweet on my family members birthday by soaking the rice at over night. Always will be in my packing list from Devakottai to Florida.
Let’s check this sweet’s history. Our Patta Aiya's had trade to Rangoon - former capital city of Burma, Malaysia. They brought back a lot of things like black rice. It must have found its way into Chettiar households through these routes.

Now let’s look on health benefits of this rice, reduces blood Cholestral level, good fiber content helps for digestion, Can be added as a part with Idli rice while making Idli/Dosa batter with same method. Tried many times, Idli tastes good and soft, color attracts kids as Idli looks new.

Let me give you the recipe of making this sweet KAVUNI ARISI.  

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
No. of servings: 4

Ingredients:

Kavuni Arisi  - 1 cup
Water - 5 cups

Sugar - 1/2 cup

Shredded Coconut - 1/4 cup
Cardamom powder - 1 Tea spoons
Ghee - 3 Table spoons

Method:

1. Take a cup of Kavuni rice, Will get special rice in Chettinadu, we do get pure quality in Singapore and Malaysia. Soak this rice overnight for 10 hours.
2. Pressure cook this rice by adding water 1:5 ratio.
3. Leave around 5 whistles as this rice is bit tough. Pressure has to be released naturally. Now rice will be soft and mushy.

4. If rice is not cooked and u feel there is an excess water, u can cook some more time by smashing the rice by laddle.
5. Add Sugar, Shredded coconut, Cardamom powder, Ghee in the same cooker pan and mix well, u can feel good aroma while mixing it.Then serve it to the dish.

Tips:

1. Rice has to be soaked not less than 10 hours and cooked for 5 whistles, else this rice will not be cooked properly.

Kandharappam

Kandharappam is a traditional sweet in Chettinadu, this dish occupies first place under Paniaram family, recipe similar to Vellaipaniaram, only difference is adding Jaggery. Usually this will be the predominant  sweet in marriages for the breakfast. Usually this sweet is offered to Lord Muruga, name to resembles the same "Kandar + Appam" - Kandanku aana Appam.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
No. of servings: 4

Ingredients:

Raw Rice or Paniarathu arisi - 1 cup
Urad Dal - quantity that sits on a cup top

Jaggery - 3/4 cup

Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup

Method:

1. Take a cup of raw rice, Will get special rice for this dish in chettinad called Paniarathu arisi, Kandarappam will be so good by using this rice. After taking a cup of rice just flatten the quantity. In our place they mention that "Thalaya thatti podarathu"
2. On top of the cup with rice, add Urad dal, quantity of Dal will be which sits on a cup top.
3. Soak the Rice and Dal for 2-3 hours.

4. Finely grind the batter, While started grinding add Jaggery little by little, at the end of grinding add grated Coconut, batter consistency should be similar to Dosa batter, don't add water while grinding it, as Jaggery will loose out water. 

5. Once the batter is ready, add a pinch of Elaichi powder.

6.  Take a deep Pan with round Ladle, have more concern about this, as Paniaram shape depends on the Pan & Ladle, Border of the Paniaram will be perfect if you chose correct one.

7. Mix the batter once with ladle before pouring it, repeat the same for every Paniaram, Important note is at a time u can cook only one Paniaram not more than that.
8. Pour the batter in same space, when it's get puffy, pour oil with ladle on top of the Paniaram, Serve it to the dish.

Tips:

1. Check first one whether it's cooked properly, if it's not cooked properly add bit water to the batter and try next one. Mostly Kandharappam will not goes on toss like Vellaipaniaram as it has Jaggery in it, so shape will be perfect. 

2. If the Paniaram turns size as so broader one not puffy like Pappad then u can add few spoons of Raw rice flour to the batter for consistency and try next one.

Keerai Mandi

This Mandi goes very well with hot rice. We will be using water, drained after washing the rice called as Mandi, This dish helps to reduce body heat and mouth ulcer. You can use any type of Greens even Spinach too. I have used Drumstick greens in this recipe.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
No. of servings: 4

Ingredients:

Drumstick greens - 1 cup
Onion shallots - 8 no's

Garlic pods - 5 no's

Green chilly - 1 no.

Salt - required

Water drained after washing rice - 2 cups (this water is called as Mandi)
Coconut milk - 1/2 cup
Rice flour - 1 Table spoon

To Temper:

Oil - 2 Table spoons

Cumin seeds - 2 Tea spoons

Red chilly - 1 no.

Method:

1. First will do MEEZ-ahn-plahs. The term is used to keep the ingredients ready before cooking.
Clean, wash and then chop the greens if required. But before chopping, wash the greens, don't do it in reverse, else nutrients in greens will go away in water if u do chopping first and then washing the greens.
2. Chop the shallots, green chilly and garlic pods.
3. Keep it aside of 2 cups of water drained after washing the rice.
4. Get it ready of 1/2 a cup of coconut milk, mixed with 1 table spoon of rice flour.

5. Place a pan and add oil, once oil is hot, add the ingredients mentioned in "To Temper" list, one by one.

6. Then add garlic,green chilly once garlic turns golden brown, add shallots. Shallots takes very less time to cook, don't leave it for a long, else it will be burnt.

7. Once shallots turns to translucent color, add greens, don't add salt now, else greens color will be changed. Just leave it for two minutes.
8. Now add the 2 cups of rice water, add required salt and close the lid.

9. Let the greens get cooked in water, add the coconut milk mixed with rice flour.
10. Switch off the stove once stew starts boiling again after adding coconut milk. Don't leave it for a long else coconut flavor will be changed, now the dish is ready to serve.

This Mandi will goes very well with hot rice.

Tips:

1. Dish will be delicious depends on the water which you have drained after washing rice. Usually I store the water(Mandi) while I grind rice for Idli/ Dosa. As you will get good quantity of concentrated rice water(Mandi).

Thakkali Kurma

This Kurma suits for Idli, Dosa, Chapathi, Poori.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
No. of servings: 4

Ingredients:

Onion - 1 no. big in size

Tomato - 3 no's

Garlic pods - 5 no's
Potato - 2 no's

Green chilly - 1 no

Salt - required

Red chilly powder (Kashmiri) - 1 Table spoon

Coriander leaves - few

To Grind:

Coconut Grated  - 5 Table spoons

Cumin seeds - 2 Tea spoons

Roasted Split Gram - 3 Table spoons

To Temper:

Oil - 5 Table spoons

Fennel seeds - 2 Tea spoons

Bay leaf - 1/2

Curry leaves - few

Method:

1. Chop the veggies required for this dish.
Tip: If Potatoes are chopped finely, it helps to cook faster in Kurma as we are preparing it in pan. Onions and Garlic as to be chopped as lengthier ones, so it will be crunchy while tasting it.

2. Place a pan and add oil, once oil is hot, add the ingredients mentioned in "To Temper" list, one by one.

3. Then add garlic, green chilly. Once garlic turns golden brown, add onion.

4. Once onion turns to translucent color, add tomatoes with required salt, close the lid to get cooked.

5. Tomatoes will be smashed, add potatoes then add chilly powder with required water, close the lid.

6. While waiting the kurma gets boiled, Grind the items required mentioned in "To Grind" list.

7. Once kurma in the pan boiled, add the paste, once it start boiling it again, switch off the stove, don't leave it for longer duration. This will change the taste of coconut paste.

This kurma suits for Idli, Dosa, Chapathi, Puri.

Tips:

1. You can grind tomatoes as a puree instead of chopped ones to get different taste. For that you need to cook the tomatoes in hot water, peal the skin, dice and grind it.