Karupatti (Palm Jaggery) Paniyaram and Elai Maavu for Pillayar Nonbu

Pillayar Nonbu this year was celebrated on 29th January. Here in Vadodara we are about 5 to 6 nagarathar families. For us it is a time for a get-together. This year again Pillayar nonbu was celebrated with great pomp. So now I am back again with the recipe of the Karupatti Paniyaram which we make as the most special prasadam for this day. And the recipe for the Elai Maavu also. Last year I didn't take clicks of the prasadam. This year with all the hurry bury I managed to take some clicks. 

Karupatti Paniyaram takes some practice to get a perfect, nice one with the exact shape (karai).  It is made using rice flour and karupatti or a mix of karupatti and jaggery (vellam).

This Paniyaram is also many a times made in Padaippu Veedugal in Chettinadu. Infact wherever this Paniyaram is made it is the main Prasadam which is distributed.

 

Make the dough for the Paniyaram atleast one day before to get a soft Paniyaram.



Ingredients
Raw Rice - 4 cups
Karupatti - 1/2 Kg
           or
Karupatti + Jaggery - 1/2 Kg ( 3 : 1 ratio)
Ghee - About 1 tb.sp



Methods

1.  Soak the rice for about 3 to 4 hours.  
2.  Drain the rice and spread it on a white, clean cloth.  
3.  Let the cloth absorb the water for about 15 to 30 minutes.
4.  Powder the rice in a mixer or in the flour mill. Wet Rice grinding flour mills are not available everywhere. They are very popular in Tamil Nadu. 
5. Sieve the rice in the fine or a little bigger one (the one which we use for sieving Rava).
6. Crush the Karupatti with a stone so that it breaks into very small pieces. If using Jaggery, grate it with a grater.
7. Put the Karupatti in a kadai, a thick bottomed vessel, pour about 1 cup of water and let the water boil. 
8. Start smashing the Karupatti so that all of them dissolve in the water.
9. After it dissolves fully, add the Jaggery and let it also dissolve.
10. Remove the vessel from fire and let it cool a little.
11. Strain it with a strainer so that all the dust and unwanted wastes are strained.
12. The syrup should be little thick not very watery or very thick.
13. Now add this syrup to the grinded and sieved flour. Keep some flour handy so that you can add it if needed. Add the syrup little by little to the flour and not all at once. And keep mixing it in the flour with your hand.
14. This step is where you have to remove the dough for the Elai Maavu. Once you have mixed the flour and the jaggery mixture, it will form like a dough. Remove the amount of dough you want for the Elai maavu. 
15. In the remaining dough mix the remaining Jaggery mixture and mix well. Close it with a lid and keep it with in a side.
16. Add little ghee to the dough which you had kept for the Elai Maavu and mix it well. Keep it in a correct sized box and close it with a tight lid.
17. When you want to make the Paniyaram, heat enough oil in a kadai for deep frying the Paniyarams.  If you want heat a mixture of ghee and oil or vanaspati. I prefer to use only oil.
18. Take the a dough in a deep vessel and add some water to it. Make the dough to a running consistency. It should be of the Idli Maavu consistency not too watery.
19. Mix well and pour it in the hot oil with a ladle.
20. Once cooked it will come up on its own, turnover cook for a few seconds about a half a minute and remove it after draining the oil.
21. So now our Karupatti Paniyaram and Elai Maavu is ready for the Pooja.
22. Shape the Elai Maavu in small conical shapes and put the wick made of 21 thin threads in between and keep it ready.

 


I have tried my level best to explain the process in full detail. Incase of any doubts please feel free to leave your questions as comments in this post, I will try to answer it as soon as possible.




Sending this to the event "Let's Cook - Rice" hosted by Radhika of Tickling Palates.

And also to Cooking Challenge - Flavors of Tamilnadu hosted by Vidhya Subromany of Sweet Karam Kapi