We live in an age of instant gratification. A time when the cravings for food or desserts take less than an hour to be delivered to your doorstep. It was not always like this. I remember preparing for festivals like Diwali as a kid. Not only the Diwali fireworks and shopping began a few days before the big festival day. It was also the sweet and savory preparation that sometimes started a few days in advance. It was also a time when most sweets and savory snacks were prepared at home and shared among neighbors, friends and relatives.
The flavors of ghee and subtle spice thrown into some of the candy would permeate most households and test the determination of tiny kids, particularly “dessertarians” (to borrow a Calvin and Hobbes phrase) like me. While we were speaking about the sweets made for Diwali or festivals like Janmashtami, we had to wait patiently for these sweets to be offered for the first time to the presiding deities in our pooja rooms. That was especially tough for me as I got to eat piping hot Mysore Pak fresh off the stove for the rest of the year.
It is now a different scenario where many households have switched to buying candy or festive wrapping that candy stores are now launching for various festivals. Of course, the tradition of making sweet and savory pastries continues in many households in Chennai and Tamil Nadu. One of the many positive food trends that have emerged over the past decade is the return of millet to the mainstream diet and also the use of white sugar substitutes such as karupatti (palm jaggery). Not only health food stores or health food stores are fueling this trend.
It’s great to see the mainstream candy stores have healthier options too. Ananda’s in Coimbatore makes a delicious Karupatti Mysore Pak and Karupati Jangiri, great alternatives to candy that are very popular on festive wish lists. While festivals and special occasions are a license to give the calorie counters a break, it’s great when you use the art of substitution to find a balance between wellness and your sweet cravings. We took three popular sweet and savory pastries in Tamil Nadu and reinterpreted them with a healthy twist.
(Also Read: South Indian Desserts: 7 Dessert Recipes You Can Make In Less Than 30 Minutes)
Festive Recipes: Ribbon Pakoda Recipe with Millet.
Recipe – Barnyard Millet Ribbon Pakoda
(Recipe courtesy of GudFudBox, Chennai)
Chennai-based GudFudBox offers a variety of healthier alternatives to traditional sweets and savory snacks. The Ribbon Pakoda gets its name from its ribbon-like shape and is usually made from rice flour, besan and fried gram. This recipe contains chicken millet (kuhiravalli in Tamil or Samvat ke Chaval in Hindi).
Ingredients (for about 1.1 kg Ribbon Pakoda):
- Barnyard millet flour – 550 grams
- Rice flour – 120 grams
- Grams of flour – 120 grams
- Toasted gram flour – 60 grams
- Urad Dal flour – 70 grams
- Asafoetida – 5 grams
- Sesame seeds – 2 grams
- Cumin seeds – 2 grams
- Ajwain – 1 gram
- Coriander leaves – 25 grams
- Mint leaves – 25 grams
- Salt – 20 grams
- Refined oil – for frying
Method:
- Grind the fresh coriander leaves and fresh mint leaves to a fine paste
- Sift all the flours and mix the other ingredients, add enough water and knead into a medium-firm dough
- Heat the oil, pour the dough into a mold and press the dough to loosen the dough in ribbons directly in the oil.
- Cook until crispy
- Take out and let cool.
Recipe – Kodo Adhirasam
(Recipe courtesy of GudFudBox, Chennai)
The classic Adhirasam is a popular Diwali delicacy. This recipe replaces rice flour in the traditional recipe with the goodness of Kodo millet (Varagu in Tamil or Kodo in Hindi).
Ingredients (for approx. 2 kg or 40 pieces):
- Kodo millet – 1Kg
- Jaggery – 0.7 kg
- Cardamom – 10 grams
- Ghee – 100 grams
- Oil – for deep-frying (cold-pressed gingelly / sesame oil is ideal)
Method:
- Soak the kodo millet for about an hour.
- Strain, dry and grind to fine flour.
- In a kadai, add jaggery and just enough water; Melt and cook until it forms into a ball when drizzled into a shallow bowl with water.
- Add the ground kodo millet, stirring constantly.
- Cook for about 10 minutes, add melted ghee and cardamom powder and stir until incorporated.
- Depending on the size you want, press the mixture flat and fry in medium-hot oil on both sides, turning the sides occasionally.
- Remove when the color changes to dark golden brown.
- Place each adhirasam on a flat surface to smooth it out and remove all of the oil.
Recipe – Karupatti Suzhiyam
Recipe courtesy – Saravanan R. – Executive Sous Chef, Novotel Ibis Chennai OMR
This traditional Diwali candy is usually a big hit with the kids because of its spongy texture. In this variant, head chef Saravanan has replaced jaggery with the healthier Palm Jaggery (Karupatti in Tamil).
ingredients
- Bengali grams of dhal (cooked and mashed) – 250 grams
- Coconut (grated) – 250 grams
- Karupatti (palm jaggery) – 250 grams
- Ghee – 15ml
- Cashew – 20 grams
- Cardamom powder – 10
- Chekku peanut oil (cold-pressed peanut oil) – 1 liter
- Idli dough (ready / homemade) – 500 grams
- Idli rice – 1kg
- Urad Dhal – 300 grams
- Fenugreek – 5 grams
- Non-iodized rock salt – 15 g
Method:
- Soak the Idli rice for 2 hours, soak Urad Dhal and fenugreek for 2 hours, grind the Idli rice in a wet mill to a coarse, thick dough.
- Grind urad dhal and fenugreek into a smooth, thick batter.
- Mix rice and urad dhal batter together and add enough salt. Can be used immediately (fermentation for 6 hours at room temperature is not required for this particular dish).
- Melt the karupatti in a pan with water and let it cool down to the syrup consistency.
- Heat the ghee in a pan, fry the cashews flat, add the coconut, Bengal gram dhal (puree) and karupatti syrup, leave to cool.
- Shape the mixture into a ball, dip in an idli batter and deep-fry in peanut oil.
About Ashwin RajagopalanI’m the proverbial slashie – a content architect, writer, speaker and cultural intelligence coach. School lunch boxes are usually the beginning of our culinary discoveries. This curiosity has not diminished. It only got stronger as I explored culinary cultures, street food, and upscale restaurants around the world. I discovered cultures and destinations through culinary motifs. I am equally passionate about consumer tech and travel.
