Omapodi - Ajwain Sev

 Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4 -5 cups

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Ingredients:
Gram flour / Besan / Kadalai maavu - 2 cups
Rice flour - 1 cup
Ajwain / Omam / Carom seed - 2 tbsp
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Ghee or butter - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - for deep frying

Method:

1. Clean and soak ajwain / omam in water for 30 minutes. Grind it with the soaked water to and grind until smooth.  Strain the ground paste with a tea strainer.  Save the water.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine gram flour, rice flour, red chili powder, asafoetida and salt.  Mix well. Add the ghee and ajwain / omam water.  Mix well.
3. Add water little at a time and make dough that is pliable.  
4. Heat oil in a pan.  Attach the Om podi disc to the murukku maker.  Fill the murukku maker with some dough.
5. Reduce the heat of the oil to medium.  Place the top of the murukku maker over the dough and press it over the hot oil in a circular motion.
6. Fry until it turns bright yellow in color and bubbles subsides.  Turn to the other and fry for few seconds. Remove and drain on a paper towel.  Repeat the process with rest of the dough.
7. Store in a air tight container.

Boondi Ladoo / Laddu

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Yields: 25

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Ingredients:
Besan / Gram flour / Chickpea flour - 1 1/2 cups
Rice flour - 1 tbsp
Baking soda - a pinch
Sugar - 3 cups
Cashews - 10, broken into halves
Raisins - 20
Cloves - 5, slightly crushed
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Nutmeg - 1/2 tsp
Saffron - few strands
Ghee - 2 tsp
Oil - for deep frying
Boondi ladle or big slotted spoon - for making boondi

Method:

1. Heat ghee in a small skillet and fry the cashew and raisins until golden brown.  Add the crushed cloves.  Keep aside.
2. In a large bowl, sift besan / gram flour, rice flour and baking soda.  Add water and mix using a whisk into a smooth and thick paste.  Add more water and mix until it forms a flowing thin batter.
3. Heat oil in a pan.  To check the batter consistency, drop a little batter using a back of the spoon into the oil.  If it forms a round shape your are good.  If it forms like a tail, you need to make the batter little thinner.
4. Hold the slotted ladle right above the oil, near the edge of the skillet.  Pour some batter on the ladle. The batter will start to flow down.  You can use a spoon to spread the batter.  If you hold the ladle too close to the oil, you will get tail shape.
5. Cook the boondi while constantly turning.  Once the bubbles cease drain on paper towel.  The boondi has to be soft to touch.  
6. Wipe the slotted spoon after each use and repeat the process.
7. For the sugar syrup:  In a skillet, place the sugar and add enough water to cover the sugar.
8. Boil until one string consistency.  To check this, place a spoon in the syrup and lift it.  Wait for couple for seconds and touch with your index finger.  Press your thumb and index finger together and pull it back.  If the syrup forms a single thread then its ready.  If using candy thermometer it should read 220 to 222 degree F.  
9. Once this stage reached, turn off the stove.  Add the saffron, cardamom powder, fried boondi, cashews and raisins to the syrup.  Mix well to coat.  Let it sit for 10 minutes to cool.  
10. While the boodi is still warm, take a handful of mixture and press to form a lemon size balls.
11. Cool completely and store in a airtight container.

Jangiri

Ingredients:
Whole white urad dal  - 1 cup
Raw rice - 2 TBSP
Sugar - 4 cups
Water - 1 cup
Saffron strands - 1/4 tsp
Rose essence - 1 tsp
Oil - for deep frying
Orange food color - optional ( I used saffron for the color)
Zip lock bag or piping bag with round nozzle

Here is a video on how to make jangiri.

Method:

1. Soak urad dal and rice for 1 hour.
2. Drain the water and grind with very little water until soft and fluffy.  Add little crushed saffron while grinding the dal.
3. Place sugar in a pan and add 1 cup of water.  Bring it to a boil.  
4. Just before it reaches to one string consistency, switch off the flame.  Add rose essence and saffron. 
5. Prepare the zip lock bag by piercing a hole in the middle of the bottom.  Use a thin hot nail or rod.
6. You can also use a piping bag with a round nozzle.
7. Heat oil (fill about 1 inch deep) in a broad skillet on a low flame.
8. Half fill the zip lock bag or piping bag with the batter.
9. Press the batter over oil to make a circle and continue pressing along the sides like a coil.
10. Make like 3 to 4 jangiris at a time.  
11. Fry until golden brown.  Remove from the oil and drop them in to the sugar syrup.
12. Press the jangiris down to soak.  Leave them in the syrup until the next batch is fried.
13. Repeat the process.
14. If the syrup becomes thick, stop the frying and add little hot water to the syrup, bring it to boil.
15. Makes about 30 jangiris.

Deepavali Legiyam / Marundhu

Legiyam / Marundu is a herbal medicine,  prepared during deepavali / diwali.  In some households,  it is a tradition to have a spoonful of this medicine first thing in the morning on deepavali day, before eating all the sweets and savories.  This herbal medicine helps to aid digestion problems and also great for cold and cough.

Ingredients:
Black pepper - 2  TBSP
Cumin seeds - 2 1/2 TBSP
Coriander seeds - 2 1/2 TBSP
Omam / Ajwain - 2 1/2 TBSP
Kandan thipilli - 10 sticks
Arisi thippli - 10
Sukku / Dry ginger - 2 inch size
Elakkai / Cardamom - 3
Jaggery powder - 1 cup ( same amount as ground powder)
Ghee - 4 TBSP

Note:  If you can't find kandan thippli and arisi thippli, omit and use other ingredients.
Both Arisi thippili and Kandan thippili are called pippal in hindi and long pepper in english.  Arisi thippili is a small, black grainy pepper and kandan thippili looks like a stick.  I did find the stick pepper in local indian store, here in NJ.

Method:

1. Place all the ingredients except jaggery and ghee in a skillet.  Slightly saute for 30 seconds.  No need to roast them, just heat it up.
2. Let it cool.  Using a blender, make a smooth powder.
3. Measure the powder and take the same amount of jaggery.
4. Add water to the powder and make a thick paste, like a soup consistency.
5. In a large heavy pan / kadai, heat the paste on a low flame.  Keep stirring.
6. Once its start to thicken, add the jaggery and keep stirring until jaggery is melted.
7. Add the ghee slowly and cook until you get the jam consistency.
8. When the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan without sticking, switch of the flame.