Cheedai as it is known in Tamil Nadu or Palakaya as it is known in Andhra Pradesh is one amongst the treats that is enjoyed on this special festive occasion– Gokulashtami , Krishnna Janmashtami,
Krishnashtami , Krishna Jayanthi and Sri Jayanthi.
All the above festival names refer to the celebration of the birth of Lord Krishna and is an occasion celebrated with great pomp and grandeur all overIndia
This popular treat is conformed to South of India. This Cheedai is made out of fine rice flour and jaggery and tastes delicious!!
Ingredients to make approximately 20
1 Cup Fine Rice Flour
1 Tbs. Urad Dal
¾ Cup Powdered Jaggery
¼ Cup Water
4 Tbs Sesame Seeds
4 Tbs Coconut chopped in small squares
1 Tsp Cardamom Powder
For Deep Frying
2 Cups Oil
Preparation
Dry roast the rice flour for about 2 minutes on a medium flame.
One tablespoon of urad dal should also be dry roasted till it turns golden brown.
The roasted urad dal is ground into a fine powder and set aside.
Bring the water to the boil and add the powdered jaggery to it, gently stirring the mixture.
To check the right consistency of the syrup, add a few drops of the jaggery syrup into a bowl of water.
The syrup is ready when it feels and looks nearly like the consistency of ‘jam’ and the drop of syrup can be moved with the finger.
The jaggery syrup is poured into the bowl with the rice flour and stirred swiftly.
The urad flour, sesame seeds, coconut chopped in squares and the cardamom powder are sprinkled on to the rice flour and jaggery syrup mixture and mixed thoroughly. The mixture may look powdery.
Sprinkle 3-4 tablespoons of warm water little by little and bring the entire mixture together to form a stiff dough
(this can be prepared overnight as well and fried in oil the following day – if the dough is too stiff, sprinkle some warm water and bring the dough together)
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan.
Make balls slightly bigger than the size of a cherry and keep aside.
Reduce the heat to a low flame and gently drop the balls in batches of two or three into the oil and let it fry till it turns golden brown.
It should take approximately 3-5 minutes for every batch to fry.
Drain it on to a paper towel. Every batch should be allowed to cool for about 5 minutes before it is served.
The above measure makes approximately 20-22 Cheedais.
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Note: Traditionally, the Rice Flour is made fresh. Dry roast the raw rice for a few minutes, cool and grind it into a fine powder
It is very important to test a pea-sized ball in a ladle of oil before frying batches of them as it is quite common for the dough to break up in the oil especially if the measures are incorrect. When this happens, slight alterations can be made to the dough caused by too much of jaggery in the syrup. Sprinkle a tablespoon or two of the rice flour and mix it well. Test it again with a ladle of oil.