Ukkarai Recipe,Okkarai | Diwali Special Sweets

 Ukkarai is a special sweet made for Diwali.This ukkarai / okkarai is made even Karthik Deepam in different parts of the city.

Ukkarai Recipe - Ingredients

Preparation Time : 5 mins | Cooking Time : 45 mins | Makes : 3/4 cup
Recipe Category: Sweet | Recipe Cuisine: South Indian

Chana Dal - 1/4 cup
Moong Dal - 1/4 cup
Jaggery - 1/2 cup
Coconut - 3 tbsp grated
ghee- 2 tsp + 1 tsp
Cashews - 5 whole broken
Cardamom powder - 1/8 tsp

Method:

1. Soak jaggery in warm water(till immersing level) , crush it well. Then heat it up until it is slightly thick (no string consistency needs to be checked).Strain and keep aside.(I made more than above mentioned quantity for storing purpose).
2. Dry roast chana dal and moong dal till slightly golden.Soak it in water atleast for an hr.
3. Drain water and transfer the dals to a mixer and coarse grind it.I did the grinding in batches.Make sure you grind it to a coarse mixture and not to a paste.Now fill in a idli mould with this mixture and steam cook it for atleast 15mins in low medium flame.Drain water and transfer the dals to a mixer and coarse grind it.I did the grinding in batches.Make sure you grind it to a coarse mixture and not to a paste.Now fill in a idli mould with this mixture and steam cook it for atleast 15mins in low medium flame.
   
4. Roughly break it and run it again in the mixer, just pulsing will be enough.It should look like breadcrumbs in texture.
5. Heat jaggery syrup till it resembles honey in consistency.Add the ground mixture and keep mixing till all the moisture is absorbed.
6. Keep mixing and add ghee when it gets dried up.Now add cardamom powder and give a quick mix.Fry cashews in a tsp of ghee till golden brown.
7. Cook till the entire mixture become dry and resembles bread crumbs in texture. Add grated coconut and fried cashews and switch off.
8. Serve hot / warm.

   My Notes:

   • The orginal recipe asked to check for single string consistency but I just heated the syrup till it was thick.
   • Keeps well for 2 days atleast when refrigerated

Sabudana Vada-Sago Vada Recipe-Javvarisi Vadai-Navratri Vrat Recipes

Sabudana Vada is a very popular Maharashtrian snack made with tapioca pearls (sago), boiled potatoes and peanuts. As sabudana is rich in complex carbohydrates, it is used to make various dishes especially on days of fasting i.e. navratri, maha shivratri etc. Sago vada can also be served as a tea time snack, a starter or even as a side dish for variety rice. It is easy to make and taste very delicious. Today we will learn how to make sabudana vada following this easy recipe with step wise pictures.

 Ingredients needed

   Sabudana/sago/tapioca pearls - 1/2 cup
   Boiled grated potato - 1/2 cup
   Peanuts - 1/4 cup
   Green chilli - 2
   Ginger (grated) - 1 tsp
   Himalayan rock salt or plain salt as needed
   Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp finely chopped 
   Fresh lemon juice - 2-3 tsp 
    Jeera -1 tsp
   Oil for deep frying

Preparation

Roast peanuts, remove the skin and dry grind it coarsely.

Pressure cook 1 potato, peel the skin, grate it and keep it ready. We need half a cup of grated potato. If you have excess, you can refrigerate it and use it to make aloo paratha. Wash, peel and grate ginger.

I have used the white mavu javvarisi to make this vada. Use good quality sago. Soak it for 5 hours in double the quantity of water. When you press the sago between your fingers, it should get mushed or check it by tasting it. It should be soft.

Drain the water completely. Leave it in the strainer for 15 minutes. Then it is ready to use for making vada.

Method 

In a bowl mix together, soaked and drained sago, grated potato, finely chopped coriander leaves, grated ginger, green chillies, peanuts, salt to taste and lemon juice.

Mix everything well and divide the mixture into 11 equal parts. Make smooth balls and then flatten it to form patties. Dust your hands with rice flour or amaranth flour  (if preparing for fast) to prevent it from sticking to your hands.

Heat oil in a pan, when it is hot, reduce the heat to medium low and gently drop the prepared vadas into the oil.

Deep fry both the sides until golden brown. Once done, remove the vadas with a slotted ladle and place it on a colander or paper towel to drain off excess oil.

Serve hot sabudana vadas with green chutney or tomato ketchup or just yogurt. It tastes good on it own also.

Note - If you are preparing the vada for fasting, use rajgira flour (amaranth flour) for dusting instead of rice flour and sendha namak or Himalayan rock salt in place of regular salt for making the vadas.