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.

 

 

MURUNGAI KEERAI STIR FRY/முருங்கைக் கீரைப் பொரியல்

Murungai keerai or DRUMSTICK greens have seven times more Vitamin C than Oranges and 15 times more Pottassium than Bananas. The leaves have Calcium, Protein, Iron and amino acids helping in building muscles.

Murungai tree is also known as "Miracle Tree" why because its all parts have medicinal properties.

Moringa leaves are rich in Vitami  A, C, B1, B2 B3, B6 and folate. also rich in Iron, Magnesium,  

Calcium, Phosphorous and Zinc.

One cup of Moringa leaves are packed with 2 gms of Protein, Magnesium, Vitamin B6, Iron, Riboflavin, and Vitamin A. 

source credit Google.

How to make this incredible greens into tasty stir fry?

Ingredients:

Moringa greens one bunch 

Groundnut oil 1.5 tbsp

Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp

Whole Urad Dal 3/4 tsp

Dried red chillies  2 split

Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp

Shallots 1/2 -3/4 cup

Shredded Coconut 3/4 cup 

Rock salt 3/4 tsp

Water 3/4 cup

PROCEDURE:

How to make this nutri greens stir fry?

Wash the greens. Remove matured yellow leaves if any.

Pluck the leaves with tender stem and flower buds if any. 

Chop roughly.

Heat oil on medium flame.

 

Throw Mustard seeds into hot oil.

Once they start to splutter, add chopped shallots and split Red chillies.

Add Whole Urad Dal.

Saute for a while until shallots fried translucent. 

Add turmeric.

Transfer the chopped greens.

Saute for 2 minutes.

Add one cup of water and salt.

Let cooking covered until the greens turn soft and no water remains.

Turn off the heat.

Add shredded Coconut and mix to combine.

Enjoy with hot steamed Rice and one tsp of ghee.

So simple yet so healthy.

Note:

Addition of 1/2 cup of shallots or Bellary onion and 3/4 cup of shredded Coconut balances the bitterness and turns this dish more yummy. 

Moringa greens have immense health benefits so we must have this miraculous greens cooked in any variation. We can add this with cooked dal.

We can make Moringa greens soup or podi that can be enjoyed with Idlis or hot steamed Rice.

 

HEALTHY CURRY LEAVES THOKKU/PICKLE

Curry leaves, the quintessential aromatic ingredient used in South Indian, especially in Kongu regional kitchen have an array of health benefits and therapeutic properties.

It is indegenous to India, Sri lanka  and many South East Asian Countries. It is known as கடி பட்ட or Meetha Neem in Hindi, karuvaeppilau in Tamil, Karivempu in Malayalam, Karivepaaku in Telugu.

Curry leaves are a rich source of  Calcium, Iron and many other minerals. Apart from it, they are loaded with Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin C, Vitamin B2.

Benefits of Curry leaves:

For EYE health:

Curry leaves are rich in Carotenoids  contents of Vitamin A supports the health of Cornea. Vitamin A dificency can cause night blindness, vision loss and Cloud formation. The Rich content of Vitamin A present in Curry leaves treats cataract

Further it keeps Retina safe and protect against vision loss.

For HAIR:

Curry leaves are actively beneficial for abundant hair growth, cures dandruff and prevents premature graying of hair.

For SKIN:

The high Vitamin C contents and anti-oxideants present in Curry leaves maintains skin supple and young.

For LIVER:

Curryleaves protect the liver from various infections and strongly support liver health.

Curry leaves for Anaemia:

They are have an excellent quantity of iron treating Anaemia and they also contain adequate  folic acid to Absorbs iron by the cells.

For control cholesterol levels:

The antioxidants in the leaves lower the cholesterol levels and support heart health.

                               source  credit: google

How to make this Curry leaves Thokku/pickle?

Ingredients:

Curry leaves  one big bunch

Tamarind one Gooseberry size 

Red Chillies 4-5 pcs

Rock salt 3/4 tsp

Cold pressed Gingelly oil 50+15 ml

Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp

Dry roasted coriander powder 1 tsp

dry roasted Cumin seeds powder 1/2 tsp

Turmeric 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida 2 pinches 

Dry roasted Mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds powder 1/2 tsp

Jaggery powder 1 tsp

 

VALENTINE SPECIAL 💝 STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE