గవ్వలు: Gavvalu- Sweet fried flour nuggets

INGREDIENTS:

Plain flour......................1cup.

Sugar................................1 t sp.

Jaggery.............................1/2 cup.

Semolina...........................1 tbl sp.

Oil.......................................deep frying.

METHOD:

1.Take myda(plain flour). Seive for no lumps. Add 1 t sp of sugar, and semolina. Mix nicely with hand ans with water make a fine dough.It should not be very tight or too soft. Make sure it is good. keep aside.

2.Take a fork or if available use the small board which is meant for the purpose of making gavvalu. Taking a marble size of dough press it on your three fingers with your thumb finger.

Take the fork in your left hand, on its back side press this and role it. It takes a shape of 'Gavva',Shell shape is formed. with few groves on its back side and a hole sort of a thing in the front. Prepare all in the same way. Keep them on a dry cloth.

3.Take jaggery, put little water, keep it on stove. After it melts slowly stir it. when it comes to boil, keep checking it. The syrup must not be over cooked. To get a correct consistency follow the test.

The syrup testing is, take a little in the ladle, drop into a bowl of some water. If the syrup is not spreading in the water,and you can take with fingers try to make a ball, it should be firm. It is called (ball consistency) 'unda paakam'.Keep the flame on low.Maintain the syrup consistency.

4.Keep oil in a pan , heat it. when it is medium hot, slowly drop these prepared(shells) gavvalu few at a time in to the oil. Remove them before they become dark in colour.Drop them in to the syrup. Stir it nicely, so that the syrup will go into the groves too. And take from the syrup, spread them in a plate to dry.

5.As and when you are frying, put them in the syrup, and take out, if the syrup start getting thicker, add little water and warm again to keep the consistency in same way, till all finished. 

6.These are good nick knacks for children to eat as much. They are not harmful like Candys. 

చక్కర పొంగలి: Chakkara Pongali- Sweet Pongal/pudding

Sankranthi special

INGREDIENTS:

Rice---------1 cup
Jaggary/brown sugar/bellam--1 1/4 cup or(as per taste)
Pesarapappu/green gram dal---1/4 cup
Senagapappu/bengalgram dal-----1/2 tbs(optional)
Milk--------4 cups
Cardamom/elaachi-----1/2 tsp (powdered)
Cashews/jeedipappu-----few
Ghee/neyyi-------1tbs

METHOD:

1.Lightly roast dals.
2.Mix it with rice and add milk and pressure cook.
3.Take thick bottem vessel melt jaggary and add cooked rice.
4.Mix it well and cook for 5 minutes.
5.In a different pan heat ghee, add cashews fry them till
light golden brown.
5.Add cardamom powder and cashews to the pongal.

This is my way of making pongal. If you don't like
adding bengalgram dal. Make with out that.

బూంది లడ్డు/ Boondi Laddu/ Chickpea Flour Sweet

Ingredients

Senagapindi/chick peas flour/besan --1 cup
Sugar-----------1 cup
Cashew nuts----1 tbs
Almonds----------1 tbs
Cordamam--------1/2tsp (powdered)
Raisens/endu draaksha/kismiss-----1tbs
Yellow color---------Pinch (optional)
Edible camphor crushed----pinch
Oil to deep fry

Method:

Sift the flour and add water, color to it. The batter should be of dosa batter consistency ( not too watery).Make sure there are no lumps in the batter.

In a vessel add 1 cup of water to the sugar and on medium heat and keep stirring it until you get single string consistency. You can check the consistency by taking a drop of syrup and pressing that in between your fingers. If you see a string then consider it as done.

Deep fry Cashews, Almonds and Raisins separately and keep them aside.

Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan.


Hold the steel skimming ladle above the hot oil and pour a small amount of batter on it. When the drops of batter fall into the oil they should bubble up immediately. Let them cook for 6-8 seconds. Take them into a paper towel to drain the oil.

To see if the boondis are perfectly cooked for laddus, press one in between your fingers. It should get squeezed in, instead of cracking and breaking into pieces.Make sure boondi doesn't turn into brown color.

If the temperature of the oil reduces the boondis will stick together. The boondis should cook and come up separately.

Now add boondi, Cashews, raisins, baadam and edible camphor to the syrup and mix them well. Boondis will absorb the syrup and then you can start making laddus.

This is my pinni's recipe I learnt from her.
Boondi Laddus are usually made during festivals.
There is a saying that there is no marriages is conducted
with out having boondhi laddu.

బొరుగుల లడ్డు/ Borugula Laddu/ Puffed Rice Sweet Crispies

Ingredients:

Murmura/borugulu/ puffed rice- 1 cup
Powdered Jaggery - 1 cup (adjust as per sweet levels)
Water to melt jaggery - 1 tbsp

Method:
In a thick-bottomed vessel, add water and jaggery.
Cook on medium-high heat.
Jaggery melts and begins to concentrate.
To test the consistency of Jaggery syrup, take cold water in a plate and add few drops of jaggery syrup. If the syrup can be rolled to a round it is done and the syrup is ready.
Add Murmuralu while stirring continuously. Turn off the heat and remove the vessel from fire.
Let it cool for few minutes and then start making laddus.
I learnt this from my Mom-in-law

నువ్వు చిమ్మిలి: Nuvvu chimmili/Nuvvundalu- Sesame & Jaggery sweet balls

INGREDIENTS:

1.White Till / sesame seeds..........1cup.

2.Jaggery.....................................1/2 cup.

3.Ghee..........................................2 t sp.

METHOD:

1.This is a very simple item. very good for health. It is given to girls when they reach puberty, which is usually celebrated with a lot of fanfare.This regulates the flow of the blood at that time. It is done by pounding together Till and jaggery, in a grinding stone. Since we do not have the stones any more, it has to be done carefully, in mixi 

2.Clean the seeds. and dry heat them (till / sesame) in a pan. Make as coarse powder in the mixer. Just one round of it. Do not over do.

3.Shred jaggery in to small scrapings.

4.Now mix these two together nicely, with the help of ghee (to grease the palm) make balls.

5.This is the original chimmili laddu. It has medicinal value. If desired, can add cashew nut pieces for more taste. Its optional.

6.Approximately makes 8 to 10 in lemon size balls.

వేరుసెనగ ఉండలు: Verusenaga Vundalu- Peanut & Jaggery Sweet

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Peanuts/verusenagapappu
1 Cup Jaggery (grated)
Water to melt the Jaggery.


METHOD:

1. Dry roast peanuts and let it cool.
2. Now remove skin by rubbing the peanuts with your palm.
3. Separate skin from nuts and keep aside.
4. Heat jaggery in a pan, adding little water.
5. When the syrup becomes a thick string, add peanuts and mix well.
6. Remove from fire and make desired size balls.


Caution : You have to make balls after applying ghee on your hands however your hands will become red because of the hot nuts & jaggery.

Variations : Grease the plate and spread the nuts on it and allow it to cool. Now with a knife, cut it into desired shapes.

చలిమిడి: Chalimidi- Traditional Rice Sweet

ANDHRA SPECIAL SWEET

INGREDIENTS:

Rice ---1 cup
Jaggery----1 cup( grated)
Coconut pieces ---- 1/2 cup (cut in small cubes)
Ghee-------1 tbs
Elachi/cardamom powder -----1 tsp


METHOD :

1. Soak the rice in water for one hour.
2. Drain the water and spread them on a cloth and dry.
3. Do not dry too much.
4.Grind finely and sieve to get very nice flour.
5.Cut the coconut in to small pieces and fry them in little
ghee until turns light brown.
6.Add little water to jaggery and make very thick syrup.
7.Test for syrup take a little syrup and drop in water.
If you can make fa ball out of that from water, that is right paakam.
8.Turn off the heat and add rice flour little by little.
9.while mixing thoroughly to avoid lumps.
10.then add coconut pieces , elachi powder and ghee and mix well.
11.Cover with lid.
12.When it is cool, make balls and store in a dry container.

variations: If you want you can make with sugar instead of Jaggary.

This traditional sweet dish is mandatory in the following occasions:

While seeing off the bride after wedding.
Offered to the pregnant woman at baby shower.
Offered to the young mother while leaving for her husband's home.

కాజాలు: Kaajaalu- Sweet fried pastry rolls

INGREDIENTS:

1.Maida /Plain flour/Multi purpose flour.....1/2 cup

2.Oil......................................................................for deep frying.

3.Sugar..................................................................1/2 cup

4.Water.................................................................enough to make dough, also for syrup.

5.Few cashew nuts, or khoya.............................make into powder.

6.ghee and unsalted butter....................................2 tbl sp.

7.Rice flour.............................................................1/4 cup.

8.Cooking Soda.......................................................1/4 t sp.

METHOD:

1.Heat 2 tbl sps ghee. Make powder of cashews nuts.

2.Sieve maida / plain flour along with cooking soda. mix cashew powder/khoya, put hot ghee in to the flour, rub it with fingers. keep making it till they look like crumbs.

3. Add water little by little while mixing with fingers. The dough must be fine and tight. it should be able to roll out easily.

4.Keep this dough aside for 1 hr.

5.Beat the unsalted butter fine and smoothy.

6. Take the dough and make equal number of balls. all should be rolled out into big rotis in normal thickness.  

7. Now take one ball, make roti and spread the beaten butter on top of it and sprinkle dry rice powder. keep the next roti on top of it. Again spread butter, sprinkle dry rice powder. now all together roll out into a bundle tightly. as you are rolling keep applying little butter. then cut them into 1/2 thickness as shown them in the photo. they look layered khajalu in raw. keep them aside till oil gets hot, ready.

8.Take a heavy bottom vessel put sugar and water and keep it on stove to make syrup, keep stirring. The syrup  must be in one thread consistency.

9. After syrup is ready, take a pan with oil for deep frying. heat it.

10. When oil is hot put the cut and kept ready khajalu, few at a time. fry and take them in slow fire, with out turning color. This is a single fry. do, all this way and then, fry them for second time. Fried well, take out as they turn into light brown in colour.

11. Put them in the ready hot syrup, mix them in  as all can get syrup into them.

12. Remove khajas from syrup, keep them separately in a plate. They should not touch to one another. let them dry.

13.When  all are dried, store them in a container. They stay at least for fifteen days. 

14.These are famous in coastal Andhra. specially Kakinada area.

15. They are tasty and good to serve for the guests.

సోజ్జప్పాలు: Sojjappaalu- Stuffed sweet pooris

To make 9 appalu

INGREDIENTS:

To prepare stuffing:

Rava/sooji/Semolina.......1/3 cup
Sugar.......1/3 cup
Cashew....10to 12 whole (cut in to small pieces
Elachi/Cardamom ...3 no.
Oil to deep fry

To prepare dough:

Maida/all purpose flour.......3/4 cup
Wheat flour.........................3/4 cup
Rava /sooji.........................2 tsp
Salt....................................pinch

METHOD:
1.prepare a soft dough with above ingredients and add little oil and keep it aside.
2.To make stuffing take 2/3 cup of water and heat it.
3.Add sugar and boil.
4.Now add rava and nicely cut cashews and cook.(prepare like upma)
5.When it is done let it cool, then make desired size balls.
6.Take small amount of dough and flatten it.
7.Put sooji ball in it and make round ball.
8.Grease a plastic paper put that ball and roll with rolling pin.(or use puri press)
9.Make thin puri and deep fry in oil.
10.Press them with two big spoons and take them in to a paper towel.



Eat them hot it is so tasty

బొబ్బట్లు: Bobbatlu- Flatbread with sweet bengal gram stuffing

INGREDIENTS:

Channa dal............1 cup
Jaggery...............1 cup(powdered)
Cardamom(ilachi).......1/2 tsp.(powder)
Plain flour(maida)....1 cup
Semolina(bombai ravva/sujji)..2 tsp.
Oil.....................1/2 cup.
Rice flour..............for rolling
water...................as per requirement.

Method:


1.Cook Channa dal just enough to be soft. never over cook.drain extra water.
2.Make paste of Channa dal With powdered jaggery, in a mixer.It should be able to make a ball. while making it should not stick to palm and fingers.
3.Add cardamom powder.
4.Take the flour in bowl,add ravva, put oil mix with fingers.it should be like crumbs.keep adding oil little by little to blend into the dough. the dough should be very very soft.
5.Keep the dough covered for more than an hour.
6.When it nicely stretching, that means it is ready to roll them.
7.Make channa dal paste as laddus.It is called Poornam.
8.Take the dough, make same no.as of laddus.With the help of oil, take one maida ball spread it on your palm and put one of the laddu cover it fully.
9.Now take a board cover it with a white muslin cloth tightly.
10.Dust with rice flour roll on the cloth keep laddu stuffed ball.now roll into thin roti.when ever needed you must dust with flour, so that it should not stick to the cloth.It should able to come out easily.The variation in this is to use two polythene sheets. Take one sheet put oil on top keep the ball and put oil on top again and cover with another sheet and roll it by turning sheet.
11.Heat a pan,on slow fire cook these roties one after another, applying little oil on both sides.they should not burn.
12.Now the bobbatlu are ready.
13.you can eat them with ghee. or else put in hot milk and you relish it either way.
14.They are very tasty.

1.Instead of Channa poornam you can use Green gram dal and jaggery poornam.
2.Second variation is to use grated coconut and jaggery poornam.

సేమ్య పాయసం/Semiya Payasam/ Vermicelli Dessert

Recipe:

1/2 liter milk
1/2 cup Semiya / Vermicelli
1/2 cup Sugar (adjust as per taste)
2 tablespoon of ghee, melted
10 cashews
10 golden raisins
2 cardamom pods, seeds powdered


Heat ghee in a wide Vessel and roast raisins first, and then cashews to pale gold color. Remove them in to a plate.In the same vessel, add and Roast the semiya for one to two minutes. This is to remove the raw smell of semiya , however this is optional. Take the roasted semiya to a plate and keep aside. In the same vessel, add the milk and stir in sugar. Bring the milk to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat and add the semiya, cashews, golden raisins and cardamom powder. Simmer on slow heat for ten minutes. Serve warm or cold, and enjoy.

కొబ్బరి బిళ్ళలు: Kobbari billalu- Coconut burfi

INGREDIENTS:

Coconut 1 big (grate and measure it)
Sugar 3/4 measure of grated coconut
Milk powder 1/2 cup. ( if you want to prepare with condensed milk
instead of milk powder add 1/4 cup.)

Gee 1 tbs
Options Any essence

METHOD:

Heat a thick bottomed vessel , add coconut and sugar keep stirring in medium flame.
When it is not sticking to the edges add milk powder and stir.
Grease a tray and keep aside.
When the stirring is done add ghee mixed nicely and transfer into the greased tray.
Level it evenly and cut into desired size.

To Test Correct Consistency of the Burfi, please follow the tip below:
Take a bowl with little water and put a bit of burfi in it.
You should be able to make a ball of the burfi with your fingers.
The ball should not be too soft or too hard. This will tell you that it is ready to put into the greasy tray.

సున్నుండలు/ Sunnundalu/ Black gram sweet balls

Ingredients

Urad dal – 2 cups
Jaggery – 1 1/2 cup (Grated)
Ghee – 1/2 cup
Cardamom -2 (optional)

Preparation
Roast the urad dal in a low heat till golden brown. Stir continuously, it takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Let it cool.
Now, take the roasted urad dal and grind it to a smooth powder using a mixer or a food processor. Add the grated jaggery and grind it again. If you want to add cardamom powder, you can add it now.
Melt the ghee and keep it aside.
Take the ground mixture in a bowl, add ghee until you get a consistency where you can mould them in the form of laddoo.


Variations : We can use Sugar instead of jaggery. It tastes good either ways, but I like it with jaggery.

This is a very simple sweet and doesn't take much time to prepare.

కజ్జికాయలు: Kajjikayalu

Preparation time: 1 hour
Makes around 15 kajjikayalu



Ingredients

2 cups maida/all purpose flour
½ cup sugar / grated jaggery
½ cup sooji / bombay rava ( Or putnala pappu/ roasted chick peas powder Or gasagasalu/khus khus)
1 tsp cardamom/elaichi powder
¼ cup desiccated coconut powder / fresh grated coconut
2 tbsp Ghee
pinch of salt
Oil for frying


Method:

Mix all purpose flour, salt, 1 tbsp ghee and enough water to make smooth and soft dough (not too soft). Cover with a cloth and let it sit for at least 45 min.

Meanwhile, heat a pan, add ½ tbsp of ghee and roast the sooji till it changes color.
Keep aside and now roast coconut in ½ tbsp of ghee till it changes color. Fresh coconut needs more time than dry coconut.
Add it to the roasted sooji.
Add sugar and elaichi powder to this mixture and let it cool. The filling is ready.

Divide the dough into lemon sized balls.
Now, roll each ball into a thin puri ( use flour to roll out).
Spread a tablespoon( or less) of filling mixture in the center, wet the edges of the puri and close the filling with the puri to form a semi circled shape as shown.
Press the ends firmly with finger tips.



Use kajjikaya moulds to shape it into a kajjikaya.
If you don’t have it, use the edges of a fork and press it gently across the semi circled edges to give it a kajjikaya shape as shown (I use this procedure).




Heat enough oil in a pan for frying. Gently take each rolled kajjikaya without disturbing the edges and slide it into the oil. Oil should be hot enough. Try to fry 3-4 once and deep fry till they are golden brown.

Let the kajikayalu cool and then store in an air-tight container. Can be stored up to 2 weeks.


Note: Instead of 2 cups of maida, you can also use 1 cup of atta and 1 cup of maida. If putnla pappu is used instead of sooji, use jaggery instead of sugar.

కొబ్బరి లౌజు/లడ్డు: Kobbari lousu/laddu- Coconut Sweet

Preparation time : 20 mins
Makes 6-8 laddus

Ingredients:

2 Cups Fresh grated Coconut
1.5 cups Jaggery(adjust as per sweet levels)
3 Elachi/cardamom (Optional)

Method:

1 In a thick bottomed pan add grated coconut, jaggery and little water(about 1tsp. of water)
2 Keep on medium flame and keep stirring, until the whole jaggery converts into liquid.
4 Then it comes together to a single mass consistency(should be very sticky)it takes approx.15-20min to get that sticky consistency. Now add elachi powder.
5 Let it cool for a while , then make round balls(laddus) and serve.


This is one simple and delicious sweet.

రవ లడ్డు: Rava laddu- Sweet semolina balls

Preparation time : 15 mins
Makes around 10 medium sized laddus.
Ingredients

2 cups Rava/ Sooji
2 cups Sugar/ panchadara
5 Elachi/ Elakkayalu
10 cashews/ jeedipappu
2 tbsp Ghee / Neyyi
4-5 tbsp Milk / paalu
How to prepare / Thayarucheyatam

1. Heat ghee in a pan.
2. Add cashews first and then add sooji fry them till light brown.
3. After frying remove from the fire.
4. Add sugar and elachi powder to rava and mix well.
5. Add warm milk to the mixture and mix well.
6. Now make round balls as per desired size.
7. Keep aside for 10 mins and serve.

పూర్ణం బూరెలు: Poornam boorelu

Preparation time: 45 mins(excluding the soaking time)

(Makes around 16 to 18 poornalu)


Ingredients

1/2 cup urad dal
1 cup rice
1 cup Chana dal
1 cup jaggery (grated or powdered)
oil for deep frying
2-3 elaichi
pinch of salt

Method

For batter:
Soak urad dal and rice for about 3 hours
Grind them to make a smooth paste, thinner than idly batter.
Add pinch of salt and keep it aside.

For poornam:
Soak chana dal for 30 mins.
Pressure cook chana dal with water (1: 2) for 3 whistles. Remove any excess water.
Mix the cooked chana dal and grated jaggery to make a thick paste. Add elaichi powder to this.
Let the Dal mixture cool to room temperature. Make medium sized balls
Heat oil in a pan, dip each sweet ball in the urad-rice flour mix and fry till golden brown.
Serve them hot.


Tip: If poornam mix becomes little thinner then microwave it for 1 or 2 mins to tighten it.

Note : This sweet is usually prepared on festivals and special occasions(poojalu, vrathalu).