How to make Karthigai Pori Urundai

Ingredients:
Aval Pori or Nel Pori- 3 cups
Jaggery - 1 1/2 cup
Sukku (Dry ginger powder) - 1/2 tsp
Coconut - 1/2
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Water - 1 cup
Ghee - 1 cup

Method:
Clean the Pori to remove the husk. Ensure that is crisp enough. Spread it on a plate.

Mix jaggery to water and bring it to boil and ensure that the jaggery dissolves completely. Strain it through a seive to remove the impurites.  Cut the coconut into small pieces (about 1/4 cup of coconut pieces are enough for 3 cups of pori). Bring the jaggery mix to boil and bring it to a syrup consistency. Add the coconut pieces, dry ginger powder and cardamom powder. Bring it to a one string consistency.

Pour the syrup over the pori using a laddle little by little. Ensure all the pori is covered with syrup. While pouring the syrup, ensure it is mixed thoroughly. Better use a wooden laddle.

Smear ghee in hand, shape small balls. Ensure it is not pressed very hard because if done so, it will get too hard when cold. Roll them in the palm of your hands.

Note: In general rice flour is used while making balls, but ghee is used to give a shine to the urundais.

While adding the jaggery syrup for the nel pori do it little by little so that the crispness of the poris dont go off.

Lemon Poha | Elumichai Aval

Aval or Poha makes a great evening tiffen for the kids. Making it in different ways enhances the taste.

Ingredients:
Poha - 1 cup
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tbsp
Bengal gram dal - 2 tbsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Asafodeita - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - a few
Coriander leaves - a few
Green chillies - 2 nos

Method:
Wash and soak poha for about 1/2 an hour. Drain excess water and spread it on a shallow vessel of plate. Heat 1 tbsp of oil and pour it on the poha and mix it with the back of a laddle or fork so that the Poha doesnot break. Heat the remaining oil and add mustard seeds, when it splutters add urad dal, bengal gram dal, turmeric powder, asafodeita and slit green chillies. Add it to the poha and mix well. Add salt, finely chopped coriander leaves and curry leaves. Add the lemon juice and mix thoroughly.

Thayir Aval|Poha in Curd

Ingredients:
Poha - 1 cup
Unsour Curd - 2 cups
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad Dal - 1 tbsp
Asafodeita - 1 pinch
Green Chilly - 1 no
Curry leaves - a few
Coriander leaves - a few

Method:
Wash and soak poha in water for about 1/2 an hour. Drain the excess water if any. Heat a seasoning laddle and heat oil, when hot add mustard seeds. Add the urad dal after the mustard seeds splutter. Slit green chilly and add it to the seasoning laddle. Saute for 1/2 a min and add it to the poha. Add curry leaves and coriander leaves and mix well with a fork or spoon. Add salt and toss it well. Just before neivedhyam (for Krishna Jayanthi) or serving, add the curd and mix well.

Sweet Poha

Ingredients:
Poha - 1 cup
Jaggery - 3/4 cup
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Cardamom Powder - 1 tsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp

Method:
Soak poha for about an hour. Drain all the water and separate it with the back of the laddle. Add ghee, cardamom powder, grated coconut and jaggery to it and mix well.

Aloo Poha Recipe

Poha is a very healthy dish for any age. Aloo Poha can be had as an evening snack or as a full fledged dinner if you are dieting.

Ingredients:
Poha - 2 cups
Potatoes - 1
Onion - 1
Green Chillies - 2
Channa Dal - 1 tsp
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Curry Leaves - 1/2 cup
Peanuts - 2 tsp
Oil - 4 tbsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch
Lemon - 1
Coriander Leaves - finely chopped
Salt  - To taste


Method
Soak Poha in water for about 30 mins. Wash and drain the water and spread it in a bowl. Add salt, turmeric powder and toss it well. Pressure cook the potatoes, peel and mash it well. Cut chillies into small pieces and chop the onions into fine piece.

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and when it splutters add channa dal, urad dal, peanuts, curry leaves, green chillies and fry for a while. Add the onions and saute for a while. Add the potatoes and mix everything together very well. Add salt and cook till everything is mixed thoroughly. Add poha and mix well.

Remove from flame and decorate it with coriander leaves. When cool add lemon juice and mix well.