manjulabharathkumar@gmail.com

Summer is coming near and watermelons are easily available at every store and farmer market here , So we pick one last week .We had some watermelon slice sprinkled with chaat masala and with the other 1/2 half of the watermelon i wanted to try something different other than juices so was searching for recipes in net then i remember once in a cooking show i saw the recipe of watermelon halwa . They used sooji/semolina and corn flour to make the halwa. I liked the recipe but wanted to try with some variations in that halwa . Wanted it to look like a Thirunavelli halwa or agar ka petha with glossy texture so tried this recipe  .

In traditional thirunalvelli halwa they take out the milk from the soaked whole wheat flour and then make them.. so hear am using watermelon instead of whole wheat flour milk and for thickening  i have used corn flour.

Ingredients

Watermelon – 1/2 medium sized
Sugar -1 cup (heaped)
Cashewnuts-5-6 nos
Pistachoes- 2-3 nos
Ghee – 4 tbsp
Cornflour- 3 tbsp
watermelon essence- few drops

Method

• Deseed the watermelon and remove from the green skin. chop them in to cubes.

• In a blender blend the chopped watermelon and sugar coarsely ,only up to 2 -3 pulse or you can even mash the watermelon with you hands and mix in sugar.

• Take a kadai add 1 tbsp of ghee ,to which add the nuts fry till light brown . Pour the watermelon mixture and mix them till they start boiling. Dilute the cornflour in 2 tbsp of water.
• After it starts boiling  add the cornflour mixture and mix them. Mix it constantly for 10-15 mins.

• Stir continuously till they  leave the sides of the kadai  you can see ghee separating from the halwa.
• Add chopped cashews and pistachios to the halwa.
• After it attains the required consistency  turn off the heat and add the desired watermelon essence which is optional. Now you can serve them warm .
• They taste gud when they are served warm as the ghee in this may solidify if they are chilled. If you want you can heat them again in a low flame till they are warm but do not over cook them .

Hi my dear SNC group !!!Am so happy to complete  the 4th challenge …As you all know there is an event going on +Divya Pramil   space You Too Can Cook  .. The event is all about two teams north and south team ..A member from north team and a member south team respectively  will challenge  the opposite team members with a recipe from their respective zone  and opposite teams have to post the same recipe on their Blog .. this takes place every month .. The idea of this event is that we learn so many different recipes from different zones .. Hats off to divya for this great idea .. click here to partcipate

                            

An update on whats going on till now in SNC challenge:

Challenge 1– October month’s challenge

North team Host shruti dhingra from ” shruti’s rasoi”- Bhel puri
South team Host divya from “Divya’s culinary journey “- Mysore pak

Challenge 2– November month’s challenge

North team host Pallavi from “cook -eat- burrp” – Gulab jamun
South team host Yashodha from “yashodha’s kitchen” – Adhirasam

Challenge 3– December month’s challenge

North team Host Meena from ” Random rambling ” – Misal pav
South team Host Sherin from ” Kuk’s kitchen” – Medu vada

Challenge 4– Janurary month’s challenge
North team Host ” me ” (Manjula bharath) from “Desi fiesta” – Rajasthani  mini ghevar topped with kesar rabdi
South team Host Ramya  from ” Lemon Kurry” – Vada curry

Challenge 5 – February month’s challenge

North team’s host Sanoli from Sanoli’s recipes- Green pea kachori with dum aloo
South teams’s host Tamil from Tamil’s kitchen- paal kozhukattai  click here

As i hosted last months challenge with my fav dessert i received this host Badge from divya pramil.. Thank for the lovely Badge divya.

With any futher ado lets move to the ingredients and methods of making paal kozhukattai ..

For the Paal Kozhukattai dough:

Rice Flour – 1/2 cup
Ghee – 1/2 tsp
Milk -1/2 cup
Water – 1/2 cup
Salt – a pinch

For the sauce :

Coconut Milk – 3/4 cup
Water – 1/4 cup
Jaggery syrup – Powdered Jaggery -1/2 cup
Grated Coconut  – 2 tbsp
Milk – 1/2 cup
Saffron strands – few
Cardamom Powder – A pinch

Method 

• In a pan dissolve jaggery in immersing level  water and heat it up till it bubbles. Then strain to remove impurities.Keep it aside. In a mixing bowl add water, milk,salt and add the rice flour and mix well to prevent lumps.

• The mixture should be smooth and creamy in consistency with out any lumps. Then transfer this mixture to a nonstick pan with ghee.Keep stirring until it forms a dough consistency. Now at this stage switch it off.

• When it cools down a bit but still warm , knead it to form a smooth dough. Note: Keep covered with a wet cloth until use to prevent it from drying.

• Form small balls or in cylindrical shapes. Some use the murukku press to make the cylindrical shape.

• Repeat this process to form all the balls. Keep it  aside. Heat milk and  water in a heavy bottomed pan , when is starts boiling add the balls and simmer it.

• Once the balls are added, first it will all sink to the bottom. Keep closed and cook until the balls turn soft …once cooked it will gradually raise. Stir it without breaking the balls. Once the kozhukattai’s  are cooked add the coconut milk. Then add jaggery syrup and give it a quick stir. Allow it to simmer 3-5 mins.

• Add grated coconut, cardamom powder bring it to a single boil and switch off.
• Let them stand for at least 30 mins so that the sauce blends well with the kozhukattais. As the kozhukattai eaten as such will taste bland and you have to have the kozhukattai with the milk which will taste delicious.garnish it with some saffron strands .. Serve warm / cold.

Notes:

• While making the sauce – You can even add coconut milk along with milk and water. But always add it this way to avoid curdling.
• Do not cook for long time after coconut milk and jaggery are added, as there are chance for curdling.
• While making the dough, you can even first heat water and  milk then add rice flour but here i added and dissolved it prior heating to avoid lumps.
• The kozhukattais will not get cooked fully in milk so add half and half water alteast .You can even  pre-cook the kozhukattais in water or steam them in idli steamer and then add it to the milk sauce. But cooking milk makes is very soft and flavourful.
• You can even replace jaggery with sugar but the authentic way is making it with jaggery and also it is healthy to use jaggery in desserts.