Saturday, January 12, 2008

Arusuvai Friendship Chain

The Arusuvai Friendship Chain has been inspired by the Amish Friendship Bread Starter chain doing the rounds outside of India. More details about the chain, here. It has been quite active and as part of it, I received a surprise ingredient from Bhags of crazycurry!!! This is the beautiful logo created by Lakshmi.
The Arusuvi Friendship Chain is about sending along a surprise ingredients as a gift to your friends. Your friend prepare any tasty with it and share the recipe and pass on other surprise ingredients to another people. My blog friend Bhags send the surprise ingredient to me. But when she is send me I am not at home and my mom say your friend send you something to you. I am really very happy and excited when my mom says me on phone. After three days I am coming at home and open the packet. Say what is surprise ingredient for me? Rajgari flour is in the packet. I decided I made two different items from this flour one is sweet and another is spicy. So I made Rajgari sero and Rajgari Tikki.

Rajgira Flour Halwa/Rajgira Sero/Farali Sero

Preparation Time: 2 minutes

Cooking Time: 8 minutes
Serves / Makes: 2 persons

Ingredients:

1 cup rajgira flour
1\2 cup sugar
3\4 cup ghee
1 and 1\2 cup water
1-tbsp elaichi (cardamom) powder
Kaju (cashewnuts) for garnishing

Method:
Step 1: Heat the ghee in pan.


Step 2: Then add rajgira flour on medium flame.

Step 3: Roast it till it change colour and the small starts coming.

Step 4: Boil the water side by side in another pan.

Step 5: When Rajgira flour is roasted turn the gas on law flame and add water slowly.

Step 6: When water starts boiling and mixture becomes thick then add sugar in it.

Step 7: Heat till all the sugar dissolves and mixture start leaving side of Pan.

Step 8: Turn off the flame and add elaichi powder. Place it in serving plate.

Step 9: Garnishing with kaju and serve hot.


MakarSankranti
On January 14 the sun enters the rashi Capricorn. This is known as Makar Sankranti. Sankranti means the entry of the sun from one zodiac to another. Adults, children, even aged men and women, spiritedly fly kites all day. Kites dot the sky.


Gujarat Tourism started hosting International Kite Festival. So many well-known Kitists from many states and countries come here for this event. Kite Flying is now a special event in Ahmedabad held on Makarsakranti day, 14th January. The sky is full of colorful kites flying high in the air.


In Gujarat we made different type of chikkies like Til (sesame seed) chikki, Singdhana Chikki, Murmure Chikki, and Peanuts chikki. My next post for the different type of Chikki.:)

Something about Makar Sankranti........

Traditionally, this period is considered an auspicious time and the veteran Bhishma of Mahabharata chose to die during this period. Bhishma fell to the arrows of Arjuna. With his boon to choose the time of his death, he waited on a bed of arrows to depart from this world only during this period. It is believed that those who die in this period have no rebirth.

Makar Sankranti festival holds special significance according to the solar calendar as the day and night are of exactly equal duration on this day. For the people of northern hemisphere, the northward path of the sun marks the period when the sun is getting closer to them. This signifies that the days will get longer and warmer after Makar Sankranti. Makar Sankranti festival holds special significance according to the solar calendar as the day and night are of exactly equal duration on this day. For the people of northern hemisphere, the northward path of the sun marks the period when the sun is getting closer to them. This signifies that the days will get longer and warmer after Makar Sankranti.

In Uttar Pradesh, Sankranti is called 'Khichiri'.
In Punjab, Sankranti is celebrated as 'Maghi'.
In Madhya Pradesh, Sankranti is celelbrated as 'Sukarat' or 'Sakarat'
In South, Sankranti festival is known by the name of 'Pongal'

Pongal


A three-day harvest festival and one of the most joyful events in the South. Newly harvested rice is ceremonially cooked and cows and bullocks are gaily decorated and fed and are led out in procession to the beat of drums and music.
In south these three days people made Ven Pongal, Sarkkarai Pongal, and Aval Payasam
Pongal festival history is here.:)

Farali Tikki/Rajgira Tikki
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins
Serves/Makes: 3


Ingredients for paste:

50gm roasted peanuts
7-8 green chillies
1 small part of ginger
4 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp sugar
Salt to taste

* Cut the chillies, ginger and mix with peanuts.

* Add sugar, lemon juice and salt in it.

* Grind all this material in to the mixer.



Ingredients for making Tikki:

1 cup Rajgira Flour
2 big size boiled potatoes
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp oil

Method for making Tikki:
Step 1: Peel the boiled potatoes and grated it.

Step 2: Add the papered material of peanuts in it. Mix very well with spoon.

Step 3: Add one tbsp oil and rajgira flour in it.

Step 4: Make tight dough. If material is very soft then add 2 tbsp rajgira flour and salt to taste.

Step 5: After that take small portion of this material and make the rajgira tikki with help of hand.

Step 6: Add sesame seeds over the each tikki and slightly press.

Step 7: Heat the flat pan and spread little oil over the surface. Place the tikki gently over it.

Step 8: Cook into medium flame for one minutes and turn into another side.
Step 9: Cook on other side for golden patches.

Step 10: Repeat the step 8 and 9 for remaining tikkies.

Step 11: Place the tikki in to serving bowl or plates.

Step 12: Serve hot with Tomato ketchup.


When you receive a package with a “surprise ingredient” as a part of Arusuvai here are the basic rules you need to follow:
1. Prepare something tasty with it and post recipe with a picture if you are a blogger with the logo, a link to person who passed it to you and to this post if you like for reference.
2. If you don’t blog, do share the recipe with the friend who gave it to you or post it as a guest post on someone you know who blogs.
3. Pass on a “surprise ingredient” to two or more friends, one of whom must preferably blog. We all want to have some fun together right?

I am sending my secret ingredients to Priya from Priyas kitchen-spices in life and Foodie from Zaayka now, hope they will continue the chain.:)


32 comments:

Jayashree said...

Two good recipes Kajal...I like the detailed step by step pics that you've provided.

Rajitha said...

kajal..that tikki looks awesome!!

musical said...

Hey Kajal, both the seera and tikki look so good! I can have those tikkis anytime!

Bharathy said...

Kajal!!Absolutely Great!!
Is the flour, wheat??by any means??

I do make the sweet exactly what you had made Ragjira flour with wheat flour(I still wonder if both are the same?)after one of our gujrathi family friends ;)
(this dish has to be done carefully and fast and I wonder how you managed to click along :O )
Love the step by stepillustrations of the savoury dish too :)

Srivalli said...

Wonderful dishes Kajal..nice and new ones for me to learn...Can you please update Priya's link to your post to say you are sending it to her...Priya's Url is http://priyaskitchen.wordpress.comthanks..

Anonymous said...

Hi Kajal,
I Often these rajgira flour packs in the super market but never bought one as i didn't know how to use it.Thank you for the recipes.Happy Makar Sankranti to you and your family.

Anonymous said...

Hi Kajal,
Very Very good post. A very detailed and informative post about sankaranthi. I love all types of chikki's particularly peanut chikki. When i was in baroda my neighbour aunty used to help me make this chikki. Ur chikki and halwa looks yummy. By the way what is rajgira flour? Looking at ur recipe i need to prepare. Anyway,
HAPPY SANKARANTHI/PONGAL!!!

Rama

Richa said...

hey kajal, kem che?
sero ne patties, bau sara lagey che. busy che? dekhati nathi? take care sweetie

Anonymous said...

hi kajal nice recipes...Gujarati che right...thats awesome...i have lived all my life in Baroda..so i claim to be more of a gujarati than tamilian..looking forward to the secret ingredient...

Anonymous said...

I would like to try that tikki !! Looks so gud!

Sia said...

wonderful recipes kajal... and happy sankranthi to u too :)

bha said...

That was wonderful work .....and only cud be done by someone as efficient as you.....rajgira patties, seriously, never wud have ever thought bout it.....

Sia said...

donno where my comment disappeared:(
rajgira tikki looks absolutely delish kajal. ur step-by-step pics make me swoon:)

Sagari said...

nice recipea kajal pics are wonderfulll

Kajal said...

Hi Jayashree,

Thanks a lot!!!
Good day.:)

Kajal said...

Hello Rajitha,

I am glad to see your comment.
Thanks.:)

Kajal said...

Helloooo Musical,

Ohh…if possible than I will definitely send it to you.

Cheers!!!

Kajal said...

Helloooooooo Bharathy,
This is not wheat flour but you make the sweet same as you make from wheat flour. Only things are its color is dark black when you cook it. This is different flour.

Thanks.:)))

Kajal said...

Hiiiiiiii Srivalli,

I am sorry I don’t know about that I can write about Priya in my post but I edit my post.

Thanks a lot!!!!

Cynthia said...

Kajal, you know how much you have educated me? And an added bonus are those step-by-step pictures that provide. Outstanding! Thanks hon.

TBC said...

The halwa looks great, Kajal.:-)
I've never heard of Rajgira flour.:-(

Alpa said...

tikkis look so good! and as usual, your step by step pics are terrific! Also, a late Happy New Years to you!

Anonymous said...

I just looked this up, rajgira flour is actually a flour made from the seeds of the Amaranth plant. It is available at health food stores in the U.S

Anonymous said...

Hi Kajal,

I recently came across your post, it is wonderful to see all the gujarati recipes that i was looking for and in step by step picture format. Keep up..
Also, i was looking for kopra paak recipe. Do you have this recipe on your blog? Please let me know.
Thanks
Mira

Kajal said...

Hi Mira,

Thanks for your nice words. I was never post kopra paak recipe in my blog. If you like to search any recipe in my blog then you can type the name or any ingredients and search in Google custom search. You find easily or you just see in my side bar labels and check it. I am glad to see your comment.

Have a nice day.:)
Kajal

Hetal said...

Hi visiting ur blog for the first time,love these recipes.

Vaidya Aparna S. Pattewar said...

Very nice blog.I like your step by step method.Keep it up!!

Anonymous said...

Kajal,
In Andhra Pradesh also it is called Sankranthi.

Wow Gold said...

Very Nice Blog.

Anonymous said...

Hello. And Bye.

Devarshi Thakkar said...

thanks Kajal. I m from US, a student. On ekadashi 05/10, I planned to make seera but that was 1st time by me, otherwise room-mates makes it. But this time nobody was on the room, so your recipe helped me a lot for making seera. thanks again.

Unknown said...

The Incredients for making Makar Sankranti Recipes is very nice. The process is amazing. There are lots of Makar Sankranti Recipes in indianrecipes.co.in