Munthiri kothu / Roasted green gram and jaggery balls

    Hi everyone ! I was on a 6 week vacation to India, came back a week ago with a lot of fond memories. It was my son’s first trip to India and we had a wonderful time with family and friends. This holiday was spent with both our families entirely. No travelling, no big shopping as Aarav is so demanding so we had some quality family time. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise for me because all thanks to my mom, mom-in-law, my hubby’s aunt and neighbor who made a few variety of yummy food for us ranging from paneer pickle to duck curry. I was busy clicking pics, collecting recipes and eating …and more of eating… Oh I miss home!
Btw our blog hit 2 million 3 days back. It feels awesome! While it took 25 months to reach 1 million, it took just 8 months to reach the next 1 million. Thanks a million for your support, my readers!
 
   I do not have anything special to share with you all on this Diwali. Sorry about that..my son, Aarav is still getting used to being back…so I would love to share the recipe for munthiri kothu, a sweet snack from the Southern part of Kerala. I had never heard of this snack until my MIL mentioned it. This was made by my hubby’s neighbor in Kerala. She is an expert at making snacks. She also made bonda and murukku, the recipes of which i will share later. The recipe for munthiri kothu is similar to that of sukhiyan except that we use roasted green gram powder in muthiri kothu instead of cooked green gram. Since the green gram and coconut is roasted and powdered, it will keep for at least one month.

Wishing you all a very happy Diwali!

Ingredients (Makes around 30 – 35)

1. Green gram / cherupayar – 2 cups (You can also use split mung dal / cherupayar parippu instead)

    Cardamom / elakka – 20

2. Grated coconut – 2 cups

3. Jaggery – 250 gm (Around 1 – 1.5 cups) or to taste

4. Oil – To deep-fry

For the batter

5.  Raw rice (pachari) – 1.5 cups (You can use maida, raw rice flour or slightly roasted rice flour / idiyappam podi instead)

    Salt – To taste

    Turmeric powder – 1 pinch

    Water – As required

Method

1. Roast the green gram for 6 – 8 minutes at medium heat, stirring continuously, until they start turning golden. Add around 20 cardamoms. Roast for 5 more minutes or until golden. Transfer to a wide plate to cool. In the same pan, add grated coconut and stir-fry until golden brown, stirring continuously at medium heat for 8 – 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Grind the green gram to a powder, in a mixer. The texture of the ground green gram should be like that of semolina (rava). (If the green gram skin is not ground properly, slightly sieve it).Transfer to a wide bowl. Now grind the roasted coconut to a powder. Add it to the ground green gram. Mix everything well.

2. Meanwhile dissolve the grated jaggery in around 1 cup water. Strain to remove any impurities and transfer to a heavy-bottomed pan or uruli. Bring to a boil stirring continuously. Boil for about 8 – 10 minutes until it has a syrupy consistency.( No need for a one-string consistency (nool paruvam)). Switch off the stove and add the green gram-coconut mixture. Stir everything really well. While still hot, make small balls out of it. If you are unable to shape balls, add more jaggery syrup. (You can store these green gram balls for a day before frying.)

3. To make the batter – Soak raw rice for 2 hrs. Drain well and grind in a mixer adding enough water. Instead of raw rice, you can also use raw rice flour or slightly roasted rice flour/idiyappam podi. Add enough water, mix well and make a thick  batter without lumps. Add little salt and turmeric powder. Mix well. (Instead of rice flour, you can also use maida, but it won’t last long).

4. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan or cheena chatti. Dip the balls in this batter and deep fry in 2 – 3  batches until golden, about 4 – 5 minutes. Store in an air-tight container.This keeps for about 3 – 4 weeks.

Love,

Maya