Monday 21 February 2022

SANTHAGAI/SWEET AND LEMON SANTHAGAI

Santhagai or Santhagai is a kind of Fresh rice Noodles steamed and is specifically named as Santhagai or Santhagai in Tamilnadu especially in Kongu Nadu.

Santhagai is made fresh from rice grains from scratch by the following steps.

Soaking of par-boiled rice in water for about 4 hours.

Grinding the soaked rice in a wet grinder into a fine paste.

Shredded Coconut 3/4 cup is added to get nice, nonstick and smooth strings easily while pressing. 

Kongu regional cuisine named these stringhoppers as SANTHAGAI and a must have dessert in wedding ceremony rituals of newly married couple, served as dessert sweetened Coconut milk with  jaggery, Dry ginger powder and Cardamom powder.



This sweetened Santhagai tastes heavenly.  

Santhagai can be a base for spicy variants such as flavourful lemon Santhagai, Tamarind Santhagai, Coconut Santhagai, Sesame Santhagai, Paruppu Podi  Santhagai, Egg Santhagai, Chicken Santhagai and we can try more yummy variants using even mutton, fish. 

In this episode, we learn to make both sweet and spicy versions  using Santhagai.

For spicy version, we use lemon.

First step:

We have to make Santhagai plain base for making sweet and spicy Santhagai.

Ingredients:

Par-boiled Ponni rice 3 cups
Rock salt 1/4 tsp
Shredded Coconut 3/4 cup
Water as needed.


Procedure:

Rinse the rice until clear water.
Pour water until rice contents immersed.
Soak for 3 -5 hours.
Drain the water. Set aside.





Pour 2 cups of water in grinder.
Switch on the grinder.
Now add drained rice little by little.
Add salt.
Let grinding for 5 minutes.
Add shredded Coconut while grinding.
Scrape the sides for uniform grinding. 
Add 1/2 cup water if needed.
Let grinding until smooth batter.
Switch off the grinder.













Grease the Idli moulds with little oil or ghee and pour one laddle of batter in each cavity.
Steam cook for 10 minutes.
Take out the in mould plate and splash some water over it.
Demould Idlis and collect them.
Repeat the process till the batter exhausts.
Place 2-3 Idlis into the Santhagai press.
Squeeze the Idlis into strings in a bowl or plate under the press.
Repeat this process for the remaining Idlis. 










 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Plain Santhagai is ready. Set aside to cool down.
Divide into two portions

One portion for sweet another portion for spicy Santhagai.

How to make sweetened Coconut milk for sweet Santhagai?

Ingredients 

Jaggery 200 gms
Shredded Coconut 3/4 cup or one half Coconut.
Dry ginger powder 1/2 tsp
Fresh Ghee 1 tsp
crushed Cardamom seeds or pods 2 pcs.
Water as needed.

Procedure:

Blend Coconut flakes with cardamoms and water.
Extract the thick milk.
Heat Jaggery with one cup water on medium flame.
Let boiling until stick syrup.
Set aside to cool down.
Mix with Coconut milk.
Add dry ginger powder and ghee and stir to combine.




























Sweetened Coconut milk is ready to serve with Santhagai.


How to make Lemon Santhagai?

Ingredients:

Lemon half
Powder Salt
Sesame oil 1 tsp
little water to splash over Santhagai for splitting the strings into small pieces.
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Whole Urad Dal 1 tsp
Groundnut oil 1.5 tbsp
Red Chillies 2 pcs
Curry leaves 10-15 pcs
Asafoetida 1/2 pinch
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Powdered Salt 1/4 tsp
some mint leaves.
We can add coriander greens also.

Procedure:

Sprinkle little water over the remaining Santhagai. 
Pour Sesame oil over Santhagai 
Squeeze lemon.
Mix and split Santhagai stringhoppers into small bits.
Heat oil and add Mustard seeds.
Once they start spluttering, add urad dal.
Throw red chillies and Curry leaves. 
Simmer the flame.
Add Asafoetida, turmeric and powder salt.
Saute once.
Transfer lemonised Santhagai string pieces.
Turn off the heat.
Mix well to combine everything together.
Add mint greens to flavour.


























Lemon Santhagai is ready to serve 


Happy cooking!
Enjoy!



















Refer video tutorials for clear idea.




 

 













No comments:

Featured post

IRRESISTIBLE CARROT MASAL STIR FRY

Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking time: 6 minutes Serves: 2  Ingredients: Carrots 8nos  Peanut oil one tablespoon Mustard ...