Kadala Mittai | Peanut Chikki

 

Ingredients:

1. Peanuts - 1 cup
2. Jaggery - 3/4 cup
3. Ghee - 1 teaspoon
4. Cardamom powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Method:

Dry roast the peanuts on medium flame until they are crisp.

Allow the peanuts to cool for a while and rub them against your palm to remove the skin. Separate the peanuts from the skin. 

Lightly break the peanuts into half by pressing the peanuts with the base of a steel bowl.

Grease the marble countertop or wooden chopping board with little ghee. Also, grease a rolling pin(chappati roller) and spatula with ghee and keep it ready.

In a heavy bottom pan, melt the jaggery along with 1/4 cup water. Boil it till the jaggery melts. At this stage, you can sieve the syrup to remove any impurities. 

Transfer the syrup back to the stove and keep boiling on low flame.

Drop few drops of syrup in a bowl of cold water and it should crystalize and become brittle immediately. This is the desired consistency. You should keep checking for the right consistency when the syrup starts to bubble. Initially, the syrup will be elastic and soft and if you keep boiling for some more time it becomes brittle. Getting this syrup consistency is very crucial in chikki making. 

Once the desired consistency is reached, add the cardamom powder, a teaspoon of ghee, and crushed peanuts.

Give it a quick mix and transfer it to the greased surface. Gently press the mixture with a rolling pin and give it a rectangular shape with a spatula.

Cut the chikki into the desired shape while it is still hot.

Cool completely and store in an air-tight container.

Sweet Pongal

Ingredients:

1. Sona Masoori Rice/Raw Rice - 1/2 cup
2. Moong Dal - 1/4 cup
3. Jaggery grated - 1 cup
4. Cardamom powder - 1/2 teaspoon
5. Ghee - 2 tablespoon
6. Cashews - 10 no.
7. Raisins - 2 tablespoon
8. Salt a pinch

Method:

1. Rinse rice and moong dal in water. Strain the water completely.
2. Heat a pressure cooker and dry roast rice and moong dal for around 5 min until it turns out aromatic.
3. Add 3 cups of water and pressure cook for 4 whistles.
4. Meanwhile, take a saucepan and add grated jaggery and 1/2 cup water. Boil till the jaggery melts and turn off the stove.
5. Strain the jaggery syrup to remove any impurities. 
6. Once the pressure subsides in the cooker, slightly mash the rice and dal mixture.
7. Add the jaggery syrup and mix thoroughly. Add cardamom powder and a pinch of salt to balance the sweet. Simmer for 5 minutes.
8. Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a small pan and roast cashews and raisins. Add this mixture to pongal and serve hot. 

"Warm Desserts" was the theme for the January 2021 "Shhhhh Cooking Secretly" event. The theme was suggested by Rafeeda who blogs at "The Big Sweet Tooth". Do check her blog for a collection of delicious recipes. Some of the eye-catching ones include: "Easy Lime Cake", "Apple Crisp" and "Eggless Fruit Cake"

My partner for this month is Priya Iyer who blogs at 'The World Through My Eyes'. Check out her 'Carrot Kheer' and 'Omapodi'. Priya suggested jaggery and rice as my secret ingredient and I made this sweet pongal. I gave her raisins and sugar and she made a delicious Strawberry Rava Kesari. Do check visit her blog to get the recipe.