Juicy Jalebi

Guntur Traditions is wishing you all a very Happy Mother's Day .

 Celebrating this day with warm and juicy Jalebi!!!

Ingredients : 

for batter: 

Maida / all purpose flour - 11/2 cups

Senagapindi / besan - 2tbs

Turmeric powder / yellow food color - pinch (optional)

Baking powder - 1/2 tsp

Curd / plain yogurt - 1/2 cup

Water - 1/2cup (more if needed)

Oil - for deep frying 

For syrup:

Jaggery (chopped)- 11/2 cups

water - 11/4 cup

Elachi powder / rose essence - 1/4 tsp

- Mix maida , turmeric powder and senagapindi in a bowl , add water and yogurt to it and mix well to make a smooth batter . The batter should be  idly batter / pancake batter consistency .

- Close the bowl and put it in warm place like oven / microwave (don't switch on) and let it ferment for 24 hours ( it worth) , if you live in warm place 6 hrs of fermentation is enough . After fermentation , it won't double in size but some bubbles form on top .

- After 24 hours of fermentation , when u ready to make Jalebis , take the batter , add baking powder to it and mix it will .

- To make syrup , take a wide open pan , take jaggery , water and mix it will and bring it a boil ,( if u want to add elachi powder / rose essence add now) and simmer it   for another 5-10 minutes until one string consistency . let it cool until it is worm (not too hot) .

- Take a wide bottom pan and add oil , not more than 1" from the bottom and let it heat on medium flame . 

- can make Jalebis with ketchup battle or ziplock bag .If  you are using ziplock bag , take the batter in a ziplock bag make a tiny hole by cutting the corner with scissors .

                                 

- Check if the oil is hot enough for frying Jalebi by adding a drop of batter to the oil , it should come up slowly but not very fast.

- Start frying the jalebis , take the ketchup bottle or ziplock bag that is filled with batter and carefully sqeeze the batter in the oil my making circles (shape of jalebi) .

- Once they are fried on one side , turn them to the other and let fry completely (fry them until they are crisp on both sides) .

- When they are fried on both sides , take them out of the frying  pan and add to the syrup pan (syrup should be warm , not hot) . let them soak the syrup for 20 secs on each side .

- Now arrange them in soaked jelabis in try and they are ready to enjoy!!!

cheese pelalu / cheese pop corn

not the flavor that I grew with...but recent love!!!!

Ingredients :

corn kernels - 1/4 cup

grated cheese - 1/4 cup 

ghee / clarifies butter - 1 tbs

salt - pinch

- add the ghee in a wide bottom pan and heat in on medium high heat .

- when ghee is hot , add corn kernels .

- now add salt , mix it well .

- wait until they swell little bit (20-30 secs)  , close the pan .

- when they start to pop , start to shake the pan for every 5 secs so that they all pops evenly (keep an eye if not they burn in no time)

- once they stop popping , switch off the stove and add the grated cheese ans mix it well .

chakralu / murukulu / jantikalu

my all time favorite snack!!!

ingredients :
senagapindi / besan :2 cups
biyam pindi / rice flour  : 2 cups
vaamu / ajwain : 1tsp
karam / red chilly powder : 1tsp
salt : 1 1/2tsp
inguva / hing : 1/2 tsp (optional)
turmeric : 1/4 tsp ( just for color , optional)
water -  1 cups + 2 tbs
oil for deep frying

- mix all dry ingredients very well ( senagapindi , biyam pindi , vaamu , karam , salt , inguva , hing , turmeric )

- make soft dough by adding water little at a time .

- select the desired shape of chakralu mold , make log of dough and put it in the chakralu press and press it .

- Now heat oil on deep bottom pan on medium high and  when oil is hot , carefully transfer the pressed chakralu dough to the frying pan .

- When the fried on one side until golden brown color( it may take 5 - 7 minutes), turn them to other side and let them fry until golden brown color ,for not than another 5 minutes( you know when they are done when it stop bubbling or when all the bubbles are gone)

- Now  transfer them to a plate and repeat this process until you are done with all the dough .

- Let them cool for some time and when the are completely cooled  , transfer them to a clean and dry air tight container and they will stay for more than a month .

boondi laddu

Welcome new year with boondi laddu!!!

Ingredients :

senagapindi  / Gram flour - 2cups

 sugar - 2 cups + 2tbs

 water - 4 cups (2+2)
salt - pinch

 cardamom seeds - 1 tsp

edible  camphor -  pinch(optional)

 cashew nuts - 2 tbsp

 raisins - 2 tbsp

Ghee /clarified butter - 2 tbsp 

oil for deep frying

make smooth batter by mixing 2 cups of senagapindi with 2 cups water , salt (it should look like dosa batter or honey consistency) and leave it a side of 10 minutes .

Mean while take a wide pan to  prepare sugar syrup by  adding 2 cups of sugar and 2 cups of water . bring it to boil and on high heat . once it start to boil , reduce the flame to medium low and simmer it until syrup gets to 1 string consistency. check for the sugar consistency as shown in the pic .

Now  heat oil in a heavy bottom  pan on medium heat, once the oil is hot ... place the boondi ladle on top of the frying pan(little hight)  ladle should not touch the oil ,with  a small cup and pour batter slowly in to the boondi  ladle so that the batter drips in the hot oil by forming tiny little rounds(boondi).

stir them so that wont stick to each other fry them until  boondi gets  golden color .

 once they are done , take them to a clean and dry  bowl .

 repeat the same process by taking 1 small  cup of batter at a time for the rest of the batter.
now take all the 2tbs of sugar , add cardamom seeds , edible camphor and ground it to fine powder .

take another  small pan and add the ghee to it and fry cashew nuts and raisins and they turn golden brown color .

Now add this sugar powder to the the sugar syrup and mix it well . check if the syrup if hot , if not reheat it until syrup gets hot(boodi absorbs syrup very well when syrup is hot).

now add fried boondi , fried cashew nuts and raisins to the syrup and mix it well and take it off from the heat and  cool by stirring once in a while so syrup is absorbed by boondi evenly .

once the mixture is worm enough to touch , start making laddu by taking fist full of soaked boondi and press it between 2 hands by making it in round shape(almost ).should be little quick here...if the mixture gets cool , syrup from crystals and can't make laddu with it .

Once they are cooled store them in a clean airtight container , they will be good for up to 2 weeks(if they last!!)

Punugulu / bonda

Punugulu is a very popular South Indian tea time snack .

Ingredients :
    
Idly batter - 2cup
Onion - 1small
Green chillies - 2
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Rice flour - 1/4cup
Maida / all purpose flour - 2 tbs
Oil for deep frying

• Heat oil in a skillet on medium high heat .
• Mean while finely chop the onion , green chillies and add to the idly batter and mix it well by adding salt .

• Add rice flour , maida to the batter and mix well .

• Consistency of batter should be like a thick paste  . Now pugulu batter is ready( check  for the final seasoning , if you want more salt add now)  .

• Once the oil is hot , take a small spoon full of batter and drop it into the oil or  you can also do it with hand by dropping little bit of batter .( for a single batch you can fry 5-6 punuglu ) .

• When the edges turn golden brown colour the turn punugulu to other side .

• when they fry on both sides then it is time to take off from the oil and drain them on the paper to take off any excess oil .

• Repeat it until you are done with all the batter .
• Now the punugulu are ready . serve hot punugulu with coconut chutney , allam chutney , tomato chutney....

NOTE :
      - Be careful while working with hot oil .
      - If you like coriander leaves / cilantro , add it along with onions to the batter .
      - If the batter is too thick add little more water , if it is too thin add some rice flour and  maida (2:1 ratio)
      - Don't fry punugulu is very hot oil , they will burn out side and raw inside or not in cold oil they will  absorb lot of oil . Fry them only in medium high heat  .