SWAMINARAYAN KHICHDI, how to make Akshardham khichdi

Was so blessed to be in Akshardham in Ahmedabad.....was so taken aback at the size, cleanliness and their water show...this being my first visit...Also, in their Premvati restaurant, tasted this temple prasaad, their famous khichdi, also called Swaminarayan khichdi or Akshardham khichdi....
For those of you, who haven't heard about Swaminarayan....he was an ascetic and a yogi, who renounced everything in his young age, and went in pursuit of a suitable Guru...many believe, he was the incarnation of Lord Badrinath.....
A staff was so kind enough to share this wonderful  recipe with me, out and out in hindi, and I quickly jotted down in a piece of paper, so that I will not forget anything...here I am, reliving in my memory of this superb, fantastic visit..........and also documenting this sacred, divine recipe......so healthy.......it is definitely a comfort food...
Please check my other Khichdi varieties:
Gujarati khichdi
Pancha prayag khichdi
Palak khichdi
Sprouted green gram khichdi

Ingredients

Raw rice/basmati rice - 1/2 cup

Tur dhal - 1/4 cup

Water - 3 1/2 cups

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Peanuts - 1/4 cup, soaked over night, pressure cooked

Veggies (shown above), yellow pumpkin, potato, carrot, fresh peas and beans, all chopped - 1 1/2 cups

Tomato - 1, chopped

Salt to taste

To season

Cooking oil plus ghee - 3 tbsps

Bay leaf - 1-2

Hing powder - 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 3/4 tsp

Jeera/cumin - 3/4 tsp

Red chillies - 2, broken

Cloves - 2

Cinnamon - 3 small bits

Star anise - 1-2 small bits

2-3 green chillies and a small piece ginger pulsed

Curry leaves - handful

Recipe Cuisine: Gujarati; Category: Lunch/dinner

Prep time: 10 mts; Cooking time: 25 mts

Serves 4

Measured rice and dhal taken, with turmeric powder

Ginger and green chillies

Crushed/pulsed

Rice and dhal pressure cooked

Soaked peanuts also pressure cooked, with some water, which we can use to adjust the consistency of the khichdi

Rice and dhal mashed

Mashed rice and dhal and cooked peanuts added , not wasting the  water, and look! the consistency has become right now.

Veggies cooked for 3-4 whistles

Cooked vegetables and salt to taste added

All mixed well

Seasonings done in cooking oil and ghee

allowed to splutter

and added to the khichdi mixture

In 1/2 tsp oil or ghee, saute the curry leaves and tomato, tomatoes need not become mushy..just have to shrink a bit, that's all.

and add

Serve this healthy khichdi, loaded with proteins, really really hot-hot, with  kadhi.

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

Notes

* This is not a very spicy khichdi. If you want it to be spicier, you can add some slit green chillies. But, this is the word-to-word recipe, told at Akshardham.

* Tomatoes can be sauteed along with the seasonings too

* Some might think,why can't we cook the veggies along with rice and dhal. That's not advisable, since, while mashing the rice and dhal, the veggies also will get mashed up, they will lose their beautiful shape.

KALLAZHAGAR KOVIL DOSAI, how to make the azhagar temple prasaad/offering

Who is Kallazhagar??
The beautiul Lord Vishnu, who steals the devotees' hearts with his ineffable beauty...
He is Sundararaja perumal, with Sridevi and Bhudevi, in the Azhagar Kovil, situated at the foot hills of Azhagar mountains, Madurai.
 This temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams.
Had recently been there, and since I knew, this temple prasaad dosa is a renowned one, I got this authentic recipe from the madappalli (kitchen). Ofcourse, I have made slight variations, to make it healthy, home made version. They make it so very thick, almost deep fry it in ghee, and definitely even 2 or 3 small bits are over satiating...Plus, they use only raw rice, but to make it crisper, I have added boiled rice too.

Ingredients

Boiled rice - 3/4 cup

Raw rice - 3/4 cup

Broken black urad with skin - 1/2 cup

Salt to taste

Grated ginger - 1 tsp

Pepper - 1 tsp, Jeera - 1 tsp, both made into a coarse powder

Curry leaves - a few, cut into thin strips

Enough oil and ghee, mixed together, to cook the dosas

Recipe cuisine: South Indian; Category: Breakfast/dinner

Prep time: 10 mts; Soaking time: 3 hours; Fermenting time: 8-9 hours; Cooking time: 3-4 mts for each dosa

Yields 10 dosas

Rice and black urad dhal, soaked separately for 3 hours

Ginger grated, pepper and jeera powdered and curry leaves thinly cut

Urad dhal ground to a smooth batter

Rice also ground and added along with salt

Jeera-pepper powder, ginger and curry leaves added

mixed well, and let aside to ferment

Dosa poured like regular dosa, in the center and spread to the corners, oil and ghee drizzled around

Flipped over

Dosa served with chutney and molagappodi

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

KANCHIPURAM IDLI

The very name denotes, this dish is from the "Temple Town" Kanchipuram. This dish  is offered as Prasaad in Varadarajaswamy perumal temple. Kanchipuram is not only famous for its silk saris, but also for this Prasaad.
When we are bored of regular idlis, we can always bring about this slight change and enjoy these fluffy idlis, which are diffused with the aroma of pepper, jeera, and ginger.

Ingredients

Idli batter - 4 cups

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Gingely oil - 1 tsp for greasing the plate

For seasoning

Ghee - 4tbsps

Finely grated ginger - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 10-12, torn into small pieces

Pepper & Jeera - 1 tsp each, coarsely powdered

Broken cashews - 10-12

Recipe Cuisine: South Indian; Category: Tiffin Varieties/Breakfast

Prep time: 5 mts; Cooking time: 5 mts to season etc; 15 mts for steaming

Serves 2

Seasonings

Add ghee in a pan

                                                                   Add the seasonings

Pour on batter

                                                  Roast the cashews to golden colour and

                                                          add them too. Mix well.

Grease a pan liberally with gingely oil

Pour water in a pressure pan and let it boil.

                       
                                  Pour the prepared batter into the greased pan and steam it

                                                              for 15 minutes

                                     Open after the time is over, allow to rest or 2 minutes.

First with a flat spatula dipped in water, loosen the sides, then gently lift the bottom too, and invert on a plate. It will be so soft and fluffy.

Cut into wedges. Makes 8 wedges.

full of flavour, steamed and good for health too, because of ginger, pepper and jeera. 

                                       Serve with coconut chutney and Molagappodi.

Tips

*You can make these idlis in regular idli plates too.

*Some people season channadhal and urad dhal. I feel, that spoils the soft texture of the idlis. Choice is yours.