The Story behind the divine prasadam Akkaravadisal. Panguni Uthiram is a very important day for Hindus. In Srirangam, when the star Uthiram is in ascension, Divya Thampadhigal (the divine couple), Lord Ranganatha and Thayar, come together for a day. This is the only occasion of the year when Lord Ranganatha and Goddess Ranganayaki are seen together and hence this is a very sacred occasion. Belief is that a visit to the Srirangam temple on this day will relieve one of all sins. The darshan on this day is called “Serthi Sevai.” In Tamil, ‘Serthi’ means alongside and ‘Sevai’ is darshan. Akkaravadisal is served as prasadam on panguni uthiram day.
Akkaravadisal is a very special dish prepared for lord Ranganatha. This dish has been mentioned in Naalayira Divya Prabandham in a couple of instances. Andal herself has composed the poem below. Here are the verses.
நாறு நறும் பொழில் மாலிருஞ்சோலை நம்பிக்கு நான் நூறு தடாவில் வெண்ணெய் வாய்நேர்ந்து பராவி வைத்தேன் நூறு தடா நிறைந்த அக்கார அடிசில் சொன்னேன் ஏறு திருவுடையான் இன்று வந்து இவை கொள்ளுங் கொலோ?
To the divine lord who lives in the fragrant garden of Thirumaalirunjolai, I made hundred thousand pots of butter And a hundred brimming pots of akkara adisal Will the most praised lord come today to accept them.
கூடாரை வெல்லும் சீர் கோவிந்தா! உன்தன்னைப் பாடிப்பறை கொண்டு யாம் பெறும் சம்மானம் நாடுபுகழும் பரிசினால் நன்றாக சூடகமே தோள் வளையே தோடேசெவிப் பூவே பாடகமே யென்றனைய பல்கலனும் யாமணிவோம் ஆடையுடுப்போம் அதன் பின்னே பாற்சோறு மூடநெய் பெய்து முழங்கை வழிவாரக் கூடியிருந்து குளிர்ந்தேலோ ரெம்பாவாய்.
Triumphing over enemies, Oh Govindha, We’ll sing your praises, and with the reward we get We’ll dress up with ornaments new clothes and eat rich Akkaravadisal with ghee dripping down our elbows rejoicing in your company.
AKKARAVADISAL recipe is similar to sweet pongal / chakkara pongal . But its cooked entirely in milk and generous amounts of ghee.
We will be using raw rice and split yellow lentils – moong dal for this recipe. I have used rice cups for measurement. 1 rice cup equals 160 ml. I have used one cup of rice and 1/4 cup of dal for this recipe.
Wash and soak the rice and dal in water for an hour. Drain the water and set aside. Add in 3.5 cups of milk to the rice dal mixture.
I have used a pressure cooker for cooking the dal-rice mixture. As we are cooking the rice mixture in milk, we will be using pot in pot method to avoid the milk from spewing out of the whistle while cooking. Take a 5 liter pan and add in 200 ml of water. Add the pot with the rice-milk mixture inside the pan. Cover and cook for 10 whistles. It took about 12 minutes. Remove the pan from heat. I allowed the pressure from the cooker to settle on its own for 15 minutes. As we are cooking pot in pot, it needs these many whistles for the rice to be cooked creamy and mushy.
In the mean time, powder the sugar and cardamom in a small mixie and set aside.
Heat the broken pieces of jaggery with water and the sugar mixture until dissolved. Remove from heat.
On opening the cooker, transfer the mixture to the pan and strain the jaggery liquid onto the cooked rice. Mash well with a spatula or a cup. If you want a very creamy Akkaravadisal, mix in a cup of hot milk and let the mixture simmer for a minute.
Add in the ghee. Akkaravadisal is ready.
You can also fry some cashews in ghee and add it to Akkaravadisal. While serving, add a teaspoon of ghee and serve.
- I have used rice cups for measurement for this recipe. 1 rice cup = 160ml
Cooking Rice
- 1 Cup Rice
- 1/4 Cup Split Yellow Moong Dal
- 3.5 Cups Full Fat Milk
Jaggery Syrup
- 1 Cup Jaggery
- 1/3 cup Water
- 2 Tablespoon Sugar
- 4 Cardamom
Other Ingredients
- 1 Cup Milk to be added at the end
- 4 Tablespoon Ghee
- 10 Cashewnuts
- Wash and soak the rice and dal in water for an hour. Drain the water and set aside. Add in 3.5 cups of milk to the rice dal mixture.
- Take a 5 liter pan and add in 200 ml of water. Add the pot with the rice-milk mixture inside the pan. (pot in pot cooking method). Cover and cook for 10 whistles. It took about 12 minutes. Allow the pressure from the cooker to settle on its own.
- In the mean time, powder the sugar and cardamom and set aside.
- Heat the jaggery with water and the sugar mixture until dissolved. Remove from heat.
- On opening the cooker, transfer the mixture to the pan and strain the jaggery liquid onto the cooked rice. Mash well with a spatula or a cup. If you want a very creamy Akkaravadisal, mix in a cup of hot milk and let the mixture simmer for a minute. Add in the ghee. Akkaravadisal is ready.
- You can also fry some cashews in ghee and add it to Akkaravadisal. While serving, add a teaspoon of ghee and serve.
- Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Sweet
- Cuisine: Tamilnadu
- I have used rice cups for measurement for this recipe. 1 rice cup = 160ml
Cooking Rice
- 1 Cup Rice
- 1/4 Cup Split Yellow Moong Dal
- 3.5 Cups Full Fat Milk
Jaggery Syrup
- 1 Cup Jaggery
- 1/3 cup Water
- 2 Tablespoon Sugar
- 4 Cardamom
Other Ingredients
- 1 Cup Milk to be added at the end
- 4 Tablespoon Ghee
- 10 Cashewnuts
- Wash and soak the rice and dal in water for an hour. Drain the water and set aside. Add in 3.5 cups of milk to the rice dal mixture.
- Take a 5 liter pan and add in 200 ml of water. Add the pot with the rice-milk mixture inside the pan. (pot in pot cooking method). Cover and cook for 10 whistles. It took about 12 minutes. Allow the pressure from the cooker to settle on its own.
- In the mean time, powder the sugar and cardamom and set aside.
- Heat the jaggery with water and the sugar mixture until dissolved. Remove from heat.
- On opening the cooker, transfer the mixture to the pan and strain the jaggery liquid onto the cooked rice. Mash well with a spatula or a cup. If you want a very creamy Akkaravadisal, mix in a cup of hot milk and let the mixture simmer for a minute. Add in the ghee. Akkaravadisal is ready.
- You can also fry some cashews in ghee and add it to Akkaravadisal. While serving, add a teaspoon of ghee and serve.
- Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Sweet
- Cuisine: Tamilnadu
Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/akkaravadisal-recipe-akkaravadisal-akkara-adisil/
We discovered this gem during our recent trip to Thailand. Every afternoon, our driver Chaiwat Busantia would pick up a pack of Kluay Kaek from the street vendor. He insisted that we have a bite and we were hooked the moment we tasted it. It was dynamite. Crunchy crust, sweet and soft inside, all in one bite. After the AHA banana fritter moment, we had it almost every day in the evening during the trip. The vendors would just come running between cars in the signal with bags of Kluay Kaek and it will all be sold in minutes. They bring them hot. It was a sight to watch. Its such a popular snack in Thailand.
Its very similar to our own Pazham pori . I think every asian country has a version of banana fritter. The Thai Banana Fritters, Kluay Kaek is made in a rice flour batter and the addition of sesame seeds and coconut gives a nice texture to the fritters. Some recipes use black sesame seeds while some recipes use white sesame seeds. Kluay Kaek is a perfect evening snack and we loved it so much. So next time you are in Thailand, pick one of the Kluay Kaek bags and enjoy!
Thai banana fritters is made with the small and firm numwah bananas. Its important that the bananas are ripe but firm. Do not use the regular bananas. They will become into a mush in oil when cooked. A very good substitute for these bananas would be to use ripe plantains ( Nendaram Pazham ). You will need a banana that will hold up its shape without disintegrating in oil. If you are using the small banana variety, do not use the really ripe ones which are soft. Use firm bananas.
Take a bowl and add in the rice flour, maida (all purpose flour), coconut, sugar, baking soda, salt and the sesame seeds. I have used black sesame seeds today. Add in the water and whisk well to make a smooth batter. The batter should nicely coat the bananas when dipped.
Cut the peeled bananas into two. If using plantain, Cut the top and the bottom of the plantain. Cut the plantain into half and peel the skin. Cut the peeled plantain into quarter inch strips. set aside.
Heat oil in a pan to deep fry. When the oil is hot, dip the bananas in the batter and gently place in the hot oil.
Fry the bananas / plantains until slightly golden on both sides.
Serve hot immediately. Its crisp and juicy when its hot! Its banana love in a big bite!
- 3 Ripe Plantains or 6 small firm thai bananas
- 1/2 Cup Rice flour
- 1 cup maida (all purpose flour)
- 2 Tablespoon Sugar
- 2 Tablespoon desiccated coconut
- 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
- a pinch of baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup water (*see notes)
- Take a bowl and add in the rice flour, maida, coconut, sugar, baking soda, salt and the sesame seeds. Add in the water and whisk well to make a smooth batter. The batter should nicely coat the bananas when dipped.
- Cut the peeled bananas into two. If using plantain, Cut the top and the bottom of the plantain. Cut the plantain into half and peel the skin. Cut the peeled plantain into quarter inch strips. set aside.
- Heat oil in a pan to deep fry. When the oil is hot, dip the bananas in the batter and gently place in the hot oil.
- Fry the bananas / plantains until slightly golden on both sides.
Notes
Desiccated coconut can be substituted with fresh shredded coconut too! If the batter is really thick, add a tablespoon of water at a time to dilute. #DO NOT use regular ripe bananas. They will become into a mush and will stick in oil.
- Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: Thailand
