Neerattu

Neerattu is my favourite sweet made of maida. Very easy to prepare and consumes less time to prepare.

Ingredients

Maida flour : 1 cup
Milk : 1 cup
Water : to prepare batter
Sugar : as per taste
Salt : 1 pinch
Cardamom powder : 1 large pinch (optional)
Oil : for frying or greasing the pan

1. Mix all the ingredients except oil to prepare a batter. Make sure there are no lumps. The batter should not be too watery (should be just like dosa batter).
2. As you can see in the picture, this sweet can be prepared in 2 ways.
3. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. Once oil is piping hot, reduce to medium flame, pour a laddle full of batter into the oil and let it settle. Once it's cooked, it floats on the oil. Cook until neerattu turns light brown in colour, scoop and place on an absorbent paper.
4. The second method is to prepare it just like dosa. Heat tawa, pour a laddle full of batter and spread it on tawa. Drizzle oil on all sides and on top. Allow it to cook on one side, flip and let it cook.
5. Let them cool and store in a air tight container. This sweet can be stored for 4 days in refrigerator.

Senagapappu Payasam (Chana Dal Kheer)

Kheer/Payasam - is an essential dish in many Hindu and Muslim feasts and celebrations. While the dish is most often made with rice, it can be made with other ingredients also like vermicelli etc. Payasam is served as an offering to the Gods in South Indian Hindu temples during rituals and ceremonies.

Ingredients

Senagapappu/Chana dal : 1 cup
Sago/sabudana : 1/2 cup (if sago is small in size, you can take up to 1 cup of it)
Jaggery/sugar : as per taste
Milk : 3 cups
Cardamom : 4 pods; finely powder the seeds
Ghee : 1 tablespoon
Fresh grated coconut : 2 tablespoons (Optional)
Cashew nuts, raisins : for garnishing

1. Soak chana dal and sago for 2 hours. (If you are using fine sago, soak it for 15 mins before cooking).
2. Pressure cook dal with a cup of milk till dal is 3/4th cooked.
3. Dissolve sugar/jaggery in some water.
4. Bring to boil the remaining milk. Once it starts boiling, add the soaked sago, sugar/jaggery syrup and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes.
5. Add the cooked the dal and cook until it's about to reach required consistency. Remove from heat. (Cooling the payasam will thicken it further).
6. Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan. Toast cashew nuts and raisins till they turn golden brown.
7. Add these to the payasam along with cardamom powder, grated coconut, stir well and cover with a lid.
6. Serve payasam warm or cold.
 
Note :  You can also use vermicelli instead of sago. You can also mash 2 pods of saffron and add it along with cardamom powder. You can also few tablespoons of moong dal (pesarapappu) along with chana dal.

Ravva Kesari

Ravva Kesari (Sooji ka Halwa) is a sweet dish commonly prepared in South India.

Ingredients

Semolina/ravva/sooji : 1 cup

Milk : 3 cups (You can also use 2 cups water + 1 cup milk)

Sugar : to taste

Cardamom powder : 1 big pinch

Cashew nuts : as per your choice

Raisins : as per your choice

Ghee/ clarified butter : 3 tablespoons

Saffron colour/ Saffron strands : as per required colour

1. Heat 1/2 tablespoon of ghee in a heavy bottom saucepan. Roast cashew nuts and raisins. Scoop them in to a cup.

2. In the same pan, add the remaining ghee and roast semolina until the raw smell of semolina is gone. Remove from heat and keep aside.

3. Pour milk (or water+milk) in a vessel and bring to boil.

4. Add sugar and let it dissolve completely. Add the saffron colour water and cardamom powder. Stir well.

5. Add the roasted cashew nuts, raisins, semolina while stirring continuously to avoid forming of lumps.

6. Cook on a low flame till all water is evaporated.

If you are preparing this dish as prasadam then avoid using saffron colour. If you are using saffron colour powder, dissolve in water to prepare the saffron colour water. If you are using saffron strands, gently crush the strands and add to a tablespoon of warm water.

Tip : Semolina should be roasted properly on low flame. This avoids Kesari from leaving a sticking feeling after eating.