Akkaravadisal

I am not too much into writing cook blogs as I just read and work on recipes. Not yet into creating something original. Creating a cook blog is amazing work. Till recently I thought it was all about thalichufying, vegetables adding, mashing, mixing, blending, cooking, sauting and eating.

But a short while ago, in the most unlikeliest of places it dawned upon me that the coffee's taste is highly changed or 'flavorized' with different kinds of pastries that go alongside : STARBUCKS. and I also experienced it the same day.

So the lesson? A cook must flavor the tastes and store them under his/her tongue. When tamarind comes to the mind, the tanginess must be released under the tongue salivating. When red chilli is to be added, the modification must undergo the inside the mouth. In effect, before cooking, the taste must be with the cook.

A sort of an 'anusandan' one does after yoga. A ritual of exercises, followed by deep thought stimulation wherein the exercises are repeated with the reactions stimulated by the brain rather than the muscles. Very efeective. I must tell you.

So the cook must have a repertoire of tastes and smells and must be extremely sensitive with his/her olfactory and oral nerves.

Yesterday being Navarathri Velli Kizhamai and the first day of the Navrathri, I decided to make some sweet pudding for Ummachi. What could else be the choice? I will now give it a title, "The king of Iyengar dishes". Aazhwar in his hymns for "Thiruniradal" - bathing ceremony of the Lord- tells the kind "akkaram paalil kalanthu, sonnapa naan suttu veithen, Narana neerada varai". Such is the might of the dish that Krishna comes running to bath.


So akkaravadisal it was..yesterday..

Called amma @ 10:30 ISD. :)) Athukkulla enga amma niththiraa deviyin pinnaippil sikki erunthal(kalki style). Wake up mom.."Akkaravadisal eppdi ma panrathu?" ;."ammam di. kekkara nazhiya paru? kathala thane phone panna?" ;"please ma. late agarthu!!!"; "onnum akkarivadisal ellam panna vendam. kai koopi Perumala sevi. padi. panna vanthuta samayala masters panna poitu"/

Then good sense prevailed. Amma recipe solla, I completed it amidst a lot of test against fire. I repeat the recipe here. It turned out to be amazing.

Ingredients :

1. 3/4 cup rice
2. 1/4 pasi paruppu
3. 1.5 litres (atleast) milk. More needed if neccessary
4. 2 cups jaggery(minimum. If u r a sweet toothy, then 2+1/4 should be okay)
5. ghee, cashews, badam, raisins, etc, --lot if you like to much during cooking.. :)) This gonna take a long time.

The actual procedure :
1. The table is cleaned.
2. Set up the bunsen burner.
3. Aluminum is ...

oops!!! sorry!!!!!! 12th standard thane padikaren..konjam tension agiten..;))

Sei murai villakam :

1. Place a deep bottomed vessal(preferably Indian make) on the stove. Light the stove or you will be cooking forever.

2. Heat two tablesoons of ghee and slightly saute the rice+pasi parrupu for 3-4 minutes. Not too much heat.

3. Add the milk to completely cover the rice and cook on open vessal. A pressure cooker might be used. But you have every chance of burning the milk if less quantity is used and you cant really predict it.

4. Take the trouble to keep stirring the mixture. "adi pudichudama pathukanum".

5. Keep adding milk in gradual steps till the entire of the rice is "completely"-fully, totally, absolutely... cooked. Very imperative.

6. Take offf from the fire. Mash the rice completely.

7. Place another(or the same washed) deep bottomed vessal on heat. Slightly grease with a little ghee.

8. Put the jaggery slivered into the pan and add 1/4 tumbler of water.

9. Melt all the jaggery in the heat and boil for 3 minutes.

10. Slowly from a careful position, add the mashed rice in steps to the jaggery.

11. Mix thoroughly to remove the lumps of rice to get a liquidish consistency.

12. If it is too thick, add milk.

13. Add ghee as the mixture cooks in the jaggery.

14. Remove from fire 6-7 minutes later

14. Top with a spoonful of ghee, cashews(roasted in ghee and if any are left), badam, raisins(dont roast) and elaichi powder.

15. Ummachi kku amsiya pannitu, namba sapidalam.

:)) Long post but I thoroughly enjoyed cooking it yesterday. Wish you were all here to share it. The least I can do is to share the recipe.. :))