sharkara varatty /sharkkara upperi -Traditional kerala recipe

During Onam festival time I love to eat a lot of  sharkara varatti.It is a traditional snack item of kerala.Usually nowadays everyone buy t from shop but we can try it in our home.A lot of care is needed for it while the preparation time.

           Nendrakkaya(banana)cut in special shapes and deep fried in coconut oil and again it is coated in jiggery syrup flavoured with cardamom powder and ginger powder.It can be stored for a long time in containers .

      

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Ingredients needed to make sharkara varatty

1.Raw banana - 3 no
2.Jaggery syrup  -1 1/2 cup
3.Cardomom powder-1/4 tsp
4. Dry Ginger powder -1/4 tsp
5.Sugar - 2 tsp powdered

How to make Sharkara varatty

1.Peel the skin of banana and put it in water ,add a pinch of turmeric powder in it.

2.Now cut the banana in 1/2 inch pieces and deep fry it in coconut oil.

3.In another beacker prepare the thinck syrup of jaggery.Add cardamom powder and dry ginger powder to it .

4.Now add the fried banana pieces to the jaggery syrup and mix it well,till the banana chips coated well with the jaggery .

5.Last and least add the powdered sugar to it and mix it well.

Singhare ka Halwa (Water Chestnut Halwa) - Navrathri Special Recipe

Water chestnut


During the Navrathri time in each and every north Indian home they will prepare Singhare Ka Halwa .But we Keralite are very much unaware about this Singhare or water chest nut.Singhare or Water chest nuts are plants that growing in water or marshes.The plant bear a fruit which contains a large starchy seed inside.These nuts are boiled ,peeled and ground to make the Singhare flour.We can eat the raw water chestnuts .



"Singhare ka Halwa" is prepared as a sweet on Hindu Fasting days like "Navrathri".


Ingredients For Singhare Ka Halwa

1.Singhare Ka Atta - 1 cup
2.Ghee - 4 to 5 tsp
3.Sugar - 1/2 cup
4.Water - 2 cup

Method Of Preparation For Making Singhare Ka Halwa

1.Heat 4 tsp ghee in a frying pan and then add the singhare ka atta to it .Saute the atta in ghee for 5 mts.

2.When the flour become roasted well add water and sugar to it.Make sure that no lumps should be formed.

3.Keep cooking it in low flame till it gets thick .Spread it on a greased plate or butter paper and make it in to shape using a spoon.

4.Allow it to cool and cut them in to square pieces.....

Mutta Kuzhalappam (Love letter) -Madakku San

It is known in different names in different regions.Like in my home town it is called as' mutta kuzhalappam or loveletter' in Ernakulam.And in my new house they are calling it as 'pola',that is in Thrissur.And in some other places it is called as madakku san.It is a sweet filled pan cakes made in the shape of Kuzhal (pipe).

Ingredients for the pancake

1.Maida/All purpose flour -1 1/2 cup

2.Egg - 1

3.Salt for taste

4.Milk - 2 cup

Ingredients for the filling

1.Grated coconut - 1 cup

2.Sugar - 4 table spoon

3.Raisins - 25 gm

4.Cashew Nuts - 25 gm

5.Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

6.Ghee - as needed or 1 to 2 tsp

Preparation

1.For to prepare the the filling melt the ghee in a pan and fry the cashew nuts and raisins in it.Then to this add the grated coconut and mix it well.Then to this add the sugar and fry it .No need to fry it too long.Add the cardamom powder to it and mix it well.Turn off the fire and keep it aside.

2.Then to make the pan cake first you have to prepare the batter.Lightly beat the egg with a spoon and to this add the flour and salt as needed.Make it in to loose batter by adding milk to it.You can also use water instead of it.

3.Heat a non stick frying pan or dosa pan in medium flame.Pour the batter in the center and make it in to small rounds by using a spoon.Just like that for the dosa.

4.Cook both sides until it gets golden brown in color .Keep it aside and just place 1 spoon full of filling in the center. And roll the crepe in to the shape of kuzhal or pipe.

Now the love letter is ready to be served...........

Apple Crumble recipe by Lakshmi Nair

Ingredients

1.Apple Sliced - 3/4 kg
2.Water - 1/4 cup
3.Cloves- 2
4.Cinnamon - 1 piece
5.Sugar - 1/2 cup
6.Lemon juice - 2 tsp
7.Grated lemon skin - 1 tsp

Other ingredients

1.Maida /All purpose flour - 1 cup
2.Sugar - 3/4 cup
3. Frozen Butter - 100 gm
4.Cinnamon powder - 1/4 tsp

Preparation

1.Peel the skin and cut the apple in to slices .Better put it in to water to prevent decolorising.

2.In a pan add the apple ,1/4 cup of water ,cinnamon ,cloves .And bring this to boil.Then add the sugar to it.Keep it in simmer,to dry out of the water in it.Then add the skin of lemon ,lemon juice to it .Remove the cinnamon &cloves from it.

3.Then in another bowl take maida ,cinnamon powder, 3/4 cup of sugar ,frozen butter .Then mix it with your hands and make it in powder form just like we make it for to prepare puttu.

or work very quickly on the flour to make it until crumbly.

4.Then take a pie dish and grease it with butter ,then place the apple mix first then on top place the flour crumble.And bake it in a pre heated oven at 180 degree for 30 to 45 mts.

Till a golden color will obtain on the top .Serve it as hot with combination of ice cream or whipped cream.

Lamington Cake Recipe by Lakshmi Nair

It is an Australian cake recipe with chocolate coating and rolled on dessicated coconut.

Ingredients

1.Maida/All purpose flour - 2 cup
2.Baking powder - 2 tsp
3.Soda powder - 1/2 tsp
4.Salt a pinch
5.Egg - 2
6.Powdered sugar - 7 Table spoon
7.Milk - 1 cup
8.Vanilla Essence - 1/2 tsp


For chocolate Coating

9.Butter - 1 1/ 2 table spoon
10.Hot water - 1/2 cup
11.Icing sugar - 3 cup
12.Coco powder - 3 table spoon
13.Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp

Other ingredients

14.Desiccated Coconut - 1 1/2 cup
15.Glazed cherry - 15 no
16.Butter - 50 gm
17.Icing sugar - 3/4 cup

Preparation

1.To the maida flour add baking powder ,soda powder ,and a pinch of salt.Mix it really well or you can filter it 2 times.

2.Now in another bowl add the butter with powdered sugar using a spoon.Add the egg one by one to it and mix it well.To this add the maida/baking powder/soda powder mixture to it.

3.When it becomes thicken add little milk to it.

4.Add vanilla essence to it and add the rest of milk to it and make it in the form of batter.

5.Then in a prepared cake tin (like greased butter tin ) or( you can use butter paper instead) pour the cake mix to it and level it.Then preheat the oven at 200 degree for 5 mts .Place the cake in this oven and bake it for another 30 mts at 180 degree.

6.Then when the cake becomes cool cut it in to square pieces.

7.Now for the coating mix the coco powder with icing sugar.Then in a pan boil 1/2 cup of water then add the butter to it.When the butter becomes melt turn off the fire and pour this to the coco powder/icing sugar mixture .Make it in to smooth lightly thick consistency and add vanilla essence to it.

8.Then dip each cake pieces in this coating using a fork.Then roll it in the desiccated coconut .And keep it in a tray till the coating become set.

9.For garnishing mix the 50 gm butter with 3/4 cup of icing sugar using a spoon.

10.Make small slit on each cake piece and fill the butter icing in it .Place glazed cherry on its top.

Now the delicious lamington cake is ready to be served.

Thari Kanji (Semolina payasam ) -Malabar style

Thari kanji is also the special dish from malabar muslims.During the Ramzan time it is unavoidable in the Iftar Parties.Very simple to make ,simple ingredients .In some regions it is also called rava thilappichath.This can be made by either coconut milk or cows milk.And usually it is treated as a drink so the amount of rava will be less.But if you want it to be thick its amount should be increased.Even though it is a sweet item in some places they used to add the fried shallots to it.I do not like its taste so i am avoiding that step here.

Ingredients if you are using coconut milk

1.Rava/Semolina - 4 tsp
2.Thin coconut milk - 2 cup
3.Thick coconut milk - 1 cup
4.Sugar - 5 tsp
5.Cardamom powder -1/2 tsp
6.Cashew nuts -One hand full
7.Raisins - one hand full
8.Ghee - 1 tsp

Preparation

1.Mix the thin coconut milk with rava and bring it to boil.Then add the sugar to it ,when the rava become cooked add the thick coconut milk to it.Bring it to boil and turn off the fire.

2.Then heat the ghee in another pan and fry the cashew nuts and raisins.

3.Pour this to the rava mixture and also add the cardamom powder to it and mix it well.


Ingredients if you are using the milk

1.1.Rava/Semolina - 4 tsp
2.Milk - 3 or 3 1/2 cup
3.Sugar - 5 tsp
4.Cardamom powder -1/2 tsp
5.Cashew nuts -One hand full
6.Raisins - one hand full
7.Ghee - 1 tsp

Preparation

1.Mix the milk with rava and bring it to boil.Then add the sugar to it ,when the rava become cooked turn off the fire.

2.Then heat the ghee in another pan and fry the cashew nuts and raisins.

3.Pour this to the rava mixture and also add the cardamom powder to it and mix it well.