Spicy Verkadalai Sundal/ Spicy Peanut Sundal

Think Navarathri and two things that immediately come to my mind are Golu – arrangement of doll in steps and sundals. A variety of sundals are prepared on each of the nine days. Even though, sweets are also prepared but somehow, everybody seems to be more inclined towards this humble dish – Sundal. Sundal is a simple dish, made out of steamed legumes like Chickpeas, Mung Beans, Cowpeas, Peanuts etc. Though, it may seem humble, each kind is a powerhouse of proteins and nutrients. Moreover these are steamed and tempered in just about a teaspoon of oil and hence they are all the more healthy. A totally guilt free and healthy snack that can be relished not only during the festive season but even otherwise.

Verkadalai sundal is by far my favorite one. I think if you take a popularity vote, this sundal would top the list, since peanuts are generally liked by young and old alike. So here is my way of making this sundal. The tempering and flavor is slightly different from the regular ones with coconut. I like this version a lot. Read on to find out about this slightly different preparation:

What you’ll need

1.       Raw peanuts – 1 cup

2.       Coriander seeds – 2 tsps

3.       Dried Red Chillies – 2 (Adjust according to taste)

4.       Asafetida – a big pinch

5.       Salt to taste

For Tempering

1.       Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp

2.       Curry Leaves – Few

Method

Soak the peanuts in water for about 2 hours. Drain the water, wash the peanuts, and about ¼ cup of water and pressure cook it for about 3 whistles. Drain the water and keep aside.

Heat a Kadai, dry roast the coriander seeds and red chillies till a nice aroma comes. Grind it into a powder and keep aside.

Now in the same Kadai, heat a tsp of oil, add mustard seeds. Once the seeds splutter, add curry leaves. Next toss in the cooked peanuts, add the spice powder, asafetida and salt to taste. Stir well for a minute.

Yummy and tasty verkadalai sundal is ready.

Sending this to Vrat Ka Khana hosted by Kalyani
Also linking to Flavors of South India

Rava Kesari

Navarathri has begun! The festival season brings in so many fond memories. My daughter especially loves it. During the 4 years we lived in S. G. Palaya, Bangalore, we had so much fun during this season. Actually, round the whole year, every Friday a few of us friends would get together at one house and recite Lalitha Sahasthranamam, prepare and offer some prasadam to Devi and return with a donnai of Sundal and some sweet. During Navarathri, this ritual would be done on all nine days but in a more grand, festive and colorful way.  Arranging Golus, reciting Lalitha Sahasthranamam, preparing neivedyams, dressing up in sarees, dressing up my little one, visiting other houses for vettali paaku and bringing home a bag of goodies. All of us used to take special care and purchase something for our little friends (Kids) who used to accompany their mothers and grandmothers. So that was the reason for my daughter’s happiness. She would very readily get ready for these sessions on all nine days of the festival. Oh! How I miss those days!

Coming back to the present, here in Hyderabad, though I did keep Golu, last year, since my younger daughter was really little (8 Months), but I couldn’t feel the festivity. And this year, my lil one has grown into mischievous young girl, that I can’t even imagine opening my box of dolls. So my dolls are all lying packed neatly in the loft of my houseL. Instead, I just placed one doll in my Puja shelf and am performing Pooja and neivedyams to that.

Yesterday was the first day, and I started with my favorite sweet dish – Kesari. This is known by many names all over India, some know it as Sheera and some call it Sooji Ka Halwa. There are different variations to this simple recipe, like Milk Kesari, Pineapple Kesari etc. Here is my version of the simple and yummy sweet dish that gets done in just a few minutes.

Serves:  4 to 6

What you’ll need:

1.       Rava/Sooji/Semolina – 1 cup

2.       Sugar – 2 cups

3.       Ghee – ¼ cup + 2 tbsp

4.       Water – 3 cups

5.       Cardamom/Elaichi – 3 to 4

6.       Cahews – few

7.       Raisins – few

8.       Orange food color – a pinch (optional)

Method

Heat a non stick pan or a heavy bottom Kadai, with the ghee. Fry the cashews and raisins. Once the cashews turn slightly golden, add the semolina and fry on medium heat till the color changes slightly and a nice aroma starts coming.

 In the meanwhile, boil 3 cups of water and keep ready. Reduce heat to low, add the boiling water, and a pinch of colour to the semolina, while stirring continuously. Cover with lid and cook on low heat for 2 minutes or till all the water has dried up.

Next add the sugar and stir well. Keep stirring till the sugar is dissolved completely and the semolina and sugar becomes a whole mass and leaves the sides of the Kadai. Add powdered cardamom and mix well.

That’s it, yummy kesari is ready. Serve warm.

Note:

1. The amount of sugar mentioned is right for us, you can reduce to 1 cup or increase max upto 3 cups depending upon your taste.
2. Also you can reduce the quantity of ghee by a tbsp or so if you feel like.
3. Some people also add a cup of milk with water. But somehow I prefer adding only water and this way it has a shelf life of minimum two days.