Coconut milk payasam-Aadi velli special

 The fourth month of tamil calendar is called Aadi.The tamil almanac marks many festivals during this time,celebrating Mother goddess"Shakti",and all the fridays and tuesdays of this month are considered very auspicious.Worshipping "Amman" with different abhishekams,making  "koozhu",and offering neyvedyams are religiously followed in temples and at homes, one such recipe that I would like to share with you today is coconut milk payasam .

Ingredients

• coconut scrapings -1 cup( white part only,avoid the brown layer)
• jaggery - 3 to 4 Tbsp,add more or less according to preference
• rice flour-1 Tbls
• dried fruits and nuts of choice -2 Tbsp
• ghee or oil to fry the nuts and dry fruits 
• cardamom seeds powder from 2 pods .

Instructions :

• start by boiling the jaggery in 1/2 cup of water .When it is fully dissolved if you feel there are impurities, filter and return to simmer .
• add the coconut scraping to a blender and add in 1/2 cup of warm water to this ,blend to obtain thick milk.
• extract the milk using a strainer into a separate bowl.
• Repeat the process with another half a cup of warm water,using the same scraping  .This way you will end up with about 2 cups of coconut milk .
• add in the rice flour and whisk well
• now add this milk to the boiling pot of jaggery and keep mixing .do not boil,as it can promote curdling ,always simmer once the milk is added .let this sit on simmer for the next 5 minutes 
• while this is simmering roast the nuts and dry fruits and make a powder of the cardamom seeds.
• once the time is up ,turn the heat off ,add the cardamom powder ,and garnish with the roasted nuts .
• Enjoy with loved ones. 

Here is a quick video tutorial:

Thank You for visiting !

Ada Pradhaman recipe

"Pradhaman" in Malayalam means number one ,and it is so for a good reason ! unlike its counterpart 'payasm' or 'kheer' ada pradhaman is made elaborately using a variety of ingredients on the occasion of OnaSadya ,which is a banquet arranged for the celebration of onam festival in kerela.
  The recipe itself can be divided into two parts ,first being the preparation of ada and second -preparation of pradhaman .There are ready-made ada available in the market but you can sure tell the difference when its homemade .

For Ada:
rice-1/2 cup
banana leafs - cut into small portions
water

preparation of Ada :
(makes apprx 1 cup )

• Soak rice for about 4 hrs 
• make into a thick paste using very little water at a time 
• clean and pat dry the leaves and spread the  batter on top like a dosa,leaving enough space on the corners 
• Roll up carefully and tie with a string 
• steam cook for about 10-15 minutes 
• remove from the streamer using tongs and let cool
• Once cool open up the leaves and sprinkle with a little water to make the ada stop sticking 
• using a sharp knife start making horizontal and vertical lines on the sheet and remove carefully
• This is our base for the pradhaman lets proceed with the recipe

Notes: The ada will be sticky due to starch content,dip your fingers in oil before handling the sheet to make it easy to work with

For pradhaman :

(makes 2 medium servings)

1 cup ada
1/2 cup crushed jaggery(or adjust to your taste)
1 cup thick coconut milk
seeds of 3 cardamom-crushed
nuts and dry fruits of your choice

• Bring the jaggery to a boil along with 1/4 cup of water.filter if you feel there are impurities .
• add 1 cup ada and boil for 5 minutes 
• add the coconut milk simmer for 5 minutes 
• finally add the crushed cardamom and turn of the heat
• top with your favorite nuts and dry fruits toasted in ghee  .

Notes: the traditional recipe calls only for coconut milk but one can use part milk and part coconut milk or any proportion to their liking and taste . 

Here is a quick video tutorial:

Thank you for visiting greenhouse cuisine .

Wishing everybody a happy 2012!