Vella Adai with Butter.Steamed wheat flour Donut

 Krishna , the Makhan Chor loved Butter

Vella Adai with Butter

Krishna Jayanthi is celebrated with devotion and joy all across India. Ever since ISKCON took Krishna to the  world, the youth too became His fans. Many of them came to India, some as hippies, and wore the saffron coloured Hare Rama Hare Krishna kurtas.

The Bhagavad Gita of course is universal for countless reasons, and now part of many B-school syllabus.





But Krishna Jayanthi is less about Krishna’s message to Arjuna,
 and through him, the world. For that we have to wait for Krishna
to...grow up.It is about welcoming The Newborn.

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 In the South,  baby footprints of  milky rice flour paste trace the new born Krishna’s entry into all our homes, and hearts. In some homes, Krishna’s knees—as he crawls—are painted right into the pooja room.

 In Gujarat, and many parts of North, the palna or jhoola—the rocking cradle—in which Baby Krishna is lying or sitting, are gently swayed by women, often couples too. Some do it out of love for their own babies—however old they may be. And some do it, praying for a baby. It is also a day when the Meeras and the Radhas pine for their Kanha


I must be blessed. My daughter was born as people were celebrating the birth of Krishna! Am sure many mothers feel likewise.

Lullabies are sung, Bhajans are a must. Equally, day long fast is followed by feast. Lovely food, is offered to Krishna, never mind that the newborn must have come without teeth. There is a range of items we all eat to celebrate the birth of one of the most fascinating members of our mythology and faith. 

But the thought of Krishna’s favourite dish brings to mind one of the simplest things we can eat—a ball of fresh, white, unsalted, home made butter! It is time for all of us to sing, "Maiya mere, mein nahi makhan khayo" (Mother mine, I did not eat the butter!)

But to celebrate Krishna Jayanthi, those who don’t want to slog it out in the kitchen can have one of many simple dishes with lots of …Butter!

The easiest savoury item has got to be  Adai with butter .Chant Hare Krishna, and enjoy it.

A wonderful and not awfully sweet dish that is made  , not on Krishna Jayanthi, but Karadai Nonbu in Tamil Nadu, the Vella Adai—made of rice flour, jaggery, some black-eyed beans, ,coconut and cardamom.  And it is eaten with dollops of butter!

I  have simplified it, and made it a bit healthier by substituting  high fibre wholewheat flour for rice flour, and  used roasted chana dal instead of black-eyed beans, which I did not  have .

Time: Half an hour at a leisurely pace

Ingredients:

Wholewheat flour-1 cup

Crushed jaggery-3/4 cup

Cardamom powder-Half a teaspoon

Chana Dal-2 teaspoons

Water -3 cups

Grated/finely chopped coconut-1/4 cup

Ghee- One teaspoon + one teasoon

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Roast the chana dal, and cook it in some water for about ten minutes, till it gets soft but not soggy.Drain the water, and keep aside.

Roast the whole wheat flour in a frying pan  till  it turns golden, and you are able to inhale the lovely aroma. Set aside for five minutes, and add the  coconut, cooked chana dal, and mix well.

Dissolve the crushed jaggery in the water to which powdered cardamom has been added,  and heat it till it dissolves completely. Strain it through a tea strainer, in order to remove any dust or sugarcane residue in the jaggery.

Pour this jaggery syrup over the whole wheat flour, drizzle one teaspoon of ghee around, stir gently and nicely, on a very low flame, till it turns  into a gentle dough. Let cool for a few minutes.

Make small balls – 1.5 inches diameter approximately --out of the dough.

Touch ghee in your fingers, and flatten these balls with your thumb in the centre, to make it like a dough or medu vadai.

Make these “vella adais” with all the dough, and steam them for five to seven minutes.

Vella Adai, a steamed  donut of sorts

Serve hot or warm , with.. a huge dollop of fresh, home made butter.

Those who are inclined to make a lovely,Krishna’s favorite dish, do  check out

http://food.krishna.com/recipe/creme-de-la-creme   

This one makes me crave for it, and makes my mouth water!The site, maintained by ISKCON devotees, has other recipes as well.

Adai and More Kozhambu, wholesome and nutritious..

If it's Sunday, it does not have to be Aaloo-Poori ...

Adai with butter,jaggery and 'more kozhambu' 

Adai is the more buxom and wholesome  cousin of dosai. It is also a more nutritious one, made of three varieties of lentils and rice .

The “side” or accompaniment can vary. In an average South Indian home, it is often had with  mulagaipodi—more famous as gunpowder and oil, for breakfast. On days that are leisurely for the mother making it, you will find a chutney, or “morekozhambu”—a South Indian version of karhi, made with sour buttermilk.

Children are  given a dollop of white home made butter and  some “gur” or “vellam”—jiggery. Perhaps because along with the rice and lentils, we soak a few dry red chillies and peppercorns.

Jaggery , vellam or gur

 At Udipi joints and restaurants serving it, the butter comes  in a neat little parcel made of bright green banana leaf. And the side dish is …hold your breath, avial, a variety of vegetables  in a gravy of coconut,jeera and green chillies, tempered with coconut oil.

That is the combination that the Sharavana Bhawan  serves it --- in Delhi only after 7 pm. I have waited there from 5.45 onwards, whiling away time over a cup of coffee or fresh lime, for them to serve my order of adai, almost 90 minutes later.

While it is the best option if one wants to have it desperately, home made adais, called kal adai – adai made on stone—is unmatched in taste. Restaurants tend to grind the soaked raw ingredients rather too fine!

Here goes the recipe

FOR THE ADAI

Arhar dal- 1 cup

Urad dhuli-1 cup

Chana dal-1 cup

Ordinary rice-3 cups

Dry red chillies—a few

Pepper corns –a few

Salt to tast

Curry leaves- a few

Oil—a little bit

Wash and soak  all the dals and rice, red chillies and pepper corns  TOGETHER for no more than an hour. Grind coarse, but in a way that it can spread on the tawa. Let in rest for about 15 minutes. Add curry leaves and salt.

Coarsely ground batter

Spread out a bit thick,see the "eye"

If you want, you can add finely chopped onions,grated carrots, finely chopped cabbage, to make it even more nutritious, and full of fibre. An aunt of mine used to grate Kraft cheese too!

Place a heavy tawa on the gas, and when it is hot, temper it by spraying some water. Pour two ladels of the batter, and in swife circular movements, spread them out. The “adai” should not be thin like a dosai, keep in mind.

Drizzle oil on the side. When it looks like it can safely be flipped over without it falling apart(about two minutes after you’ve spread it out), flip it. A minute later, transfer it to a plate, and serve with the side dish of your choice.

Flipped

I made the  “more khozhambu” because I did not have all the variety of vegetables it takes to make “avail”

"More Kozhambu"

MORE KOZHAMBU

Ingredients

Cubed Pumpkin or Ashgourd—Half a cup full

Cubed Carrots(they were lying handy)-Half a cup full

1.Boil the vegetables in some water, in  a heavy bootom pan, till they are cooked, adding a pinch of turmeric.

2.Grind together the following, in a  blender:

Sour yoghurt- Half a cup, 

Grated coconut- 3 tablespoons full

Green chillies-3 or 4

Arhar dal-half a teaspoon

Dhania seeds-half a teaspoon

Jeera –half a teaspoon

Rice—a quarter teaspoon

Water- One cup

3.Add the coconut –yoghurt mix to the boiled vegetables, and stirring continuously(otherwise it will split), let it come to the boil, and switch off the “more kozhambu”

4.For the tempering and garnish:

Coconut oil—2 teaspoons

Red chillies—one or two

Curry leaves—a few

Mustard seeds—a quarter teaspoon

Fenugreek seeds—a quarter teaspoon

When the coconut oil comes to a smoking point, add the red chillies, then the mustard seeds, then fenugreek seeds. Finally add the curry leaves,.

Top the “more kozhambu” with this, and it is ready to be served.

Sauted  lady’s finger—okra/bhindi—is also a good vegetable with which to make this dish.

Adai with vellum and butter, and more kozhambu