Happy Sankranthi- Ariselu

Sankranthi Subhakankshalu

Sankranthi Special: Ariselu

Ariselu is a popular Andhra sweet for Sankranthi(a harvest festival celebrated mainly in South India) prepared with newly harvested rice and jaggery. Ariselu is also one of the many things i miss during Sankranthi, but now not anymore. Even though i didn't get new and fresh ingredients i managed to get the flavour. I said i made ariselu to couple of friends and they all said 'Hey aren't they tough'??Actually i also questioned myself several times before. But really i didn't find any difficulty and also took very less time compared with other sweets. The one thing we have to be careful with is the jaggery syrup cosistency.
Also another doubt is that we need some special instrument to squeeze the oil after the ariselu is deep fried , and believe me just two flat laddles will do the work.
so why late??

Ingredients

2 cups rice
approx 3 cups water
2 cups jaggery
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup shredded coconut
oil for deep frying
also keep rice flour handy.

Preparation

Soak the rice in water overnight or for 7-8 hrs. Drain the rice and dry the rice on a cotton cloth for about 1/2 hr-1 hr, so that the cloth will absorb any remaining water. Grind the rice into a fine powder by swifting the flour. Prepare jaggery syrup. The syrup should be thick and if you place a drop of syrup in water it should not dissolve immediately and you should see thread forming. Then slowly add flour, coconut and 1/4 cup sesame seeds. Keep stirring to avoid lumps. The texture should come somewhat like a chapati dough. If you think the mixture is semi-solid, add some rice flour. Now Cool the mixture for sometime. Make small balls from the mixture. Apply oil to your hand and to the surface( i prefer plastic wrap or parchment cooking paper). Place sesame seeds on the surface and flatten the balls. Fry them in oil over medium heat. After the discs turn golden color remove the discs and press hardly between two laddles to squeeze extra oil(ariselu normally absorb oil when fried).
Store the cool fried ariselu in a container and can enjoy for long time if not finished.

This time i prepared ariselu in hurry so can't able to click more photos. Check kodali's version for more photos and for some more info.

Corn and Coconut

This month's jihva ingredient hosted by ashwini made me think so much as i want to try something new for myself and in that process i got late( as usual).

In India, Coconut is given so much importance in everyday life. It is someting considered as 'Holy' and is offered to God. One of the reasons is that the water in the coconut is untouched and so it is pure. But in US it is hard to find good and tender coconut. Also another thing concerned about coconut is its nutritional values. Keeping those stories beside i very much enjoy the taste of coconut in any form..in curries,chutney,burfi or eating raw.

I came across this curry at a friend's party and i liked the combination of corn and coconut. The sweetness of corn and crunchiness of coconut gives a unique taste. Also it is simple to prepare.




Ingredients:

Corn kernels(cooked)
Shredded Coconut
Light Fried Okra(optional)
One small onion chopped
Curry leaves and tadka/sesaoning ingredients
Chillies
Salt and chilli powder


Preparation:

Take oil in a pan and do the tadka/seasoning. Saute the onions and chillies. Add corn,fried okra,coconut and saute for sometime until the water is evaporated. Add salt and chilli powder. Serve hot with rotis. Also we can enjoy as a salad or as a evening snack by adding lime juice.

Happy New Year

To all Friends and visitors....


Wishing you and your family a New Year filled with new hope, new joy and new beginnings.