Last year, I was new to blogging and I was so excited when Lubna invited me to blog in her Ramadan event. Due to other commitments, I was not able to do full justice to my post of Masala Aleesa, despite she confirming that the post had done really well on her blog. Alhamdulillah…. This time, when her invitation came, I wanted to make sure that I do a neat job, the maximum I can at this point that I give her a good enough post with good pictures and with a traditional recipe and here I am with what I am able to do…
There is some food that is so connected to our childhood, which we cease to enjoy once we grow up. Umma used
to cook quite a bit of traditional food and then suddenly she stopped cooking most of it. Now what’s the reason, I really don’t know and at that time, we actually never cared. Of recently, my sister rang her up to get the recipe of
“Kadala Pidi”. That was the time it rang a bell in my head. “Kadala Pidi” is a Malabar sweet delicacy made of chana dal and tiny rice dumplings, cooked in a sauce of jiggery and coconut milk. I had lost count of the number of years we had not eaten this. Umma explained the recipe to her and she did go ahead to make it, to mixed results. That was when I decided I must ask umma to cook it and show it to me. Very impromptu, it came out from my mouth, “Umma, why don’t we make kadala pidi for tea time tomorrow?” This was asked on a Friday and she nodded a yes.
I am so glad that she chose my post to start this year’s “Joy from Fasting to Feasting” which has entered into its seventh edition… and MaShaAllah, she has been successfully hosting this event every Ramadan. InShaAllah, hope this is a good start for this year’s series… 🙂
* I have tried to give a step by step for this but it’s not very clear! L My elder one Rasha had taken it using my mobile phone and the photos were so distant when I tried to crop it, it looks like this. However, I am still attaching it here hoping that it would serve the purpose to at least explain the steps. At this stage, have company around. It is a really boring task doing a big bowl of pidis all by your own. Sit down comfortably and do it. Before, my sister and I used to chat to glory while we completed doing it. This time, I kept my younger one Azza in front of me and she did the non-stop chatting while I just sat nodding to her in acceptance. After all, she made sure that I was fully entertained!!! 🙂 *
Kadala Pidi | Sweet Dumplings and Lentils
Ingredients
- FOR PIDI:
- 1 ½ cup Rice flour one used for pathiri plus 1 cup
- 1 ½ cup Water
- Salt to taste
- Little oil for rolling
- FOR REMAINING:
- 1 cup Chana dal soaked for 4 hours
- 2 cups Water
- 250 gm Jiggery
- 1 tsp. Cardamom powder divided
- Salt to taste
- 1 Coconut grated
- 1 cup Water
- 1 tbsp Ghee
- 6 Shallots sliced thinly
Instructions
- Cook the chana dal in water till soft, but not mushy. It must hold its shape. Drain and set aside.
- Now let’s make the pidi. Boil water and salt in a large bowl. Set aside 1 ½ cups rice flour in a plate.
- As the water starts boiling, be ready with a wooden ladle with a long handle. Slowly tip in the rice flour, increase the flame to make the water boil and mix rigorously to combine.
- Ensure that the rice flour is completely wet and crumbly. Reduce the flame to bare minimum, close the lid and keep it closed for 5 minutes. Switch off.
- In a big flat plate, put this rice flour mixture. Allow to slightly cool, till your hand can touch. It shouldn’t go too cold, otherwise it will be difficult to handle. Keep some water in a bowl close by.
- Dip your hand in water and bring together the mixture to look like a dough. Start kneading.
- Knead for at least 10 minutes, occasionally dipping your hand in water. At the end of the kneading, you will get a non-sticky dough.
- Keep some oil in a small bowl near to you. Keep the extra 1 cup rice flour in another bowl as well. Take a wide plate or bowl and sprinkle some rice flour generously. Oil your hand well.
- Take a lime sized ball, make it into a log shape. Pinch from the top a tiny piece, roll and press to represent a button. Repeat till the log is done.
- Then take another lime sized ball and continue with the steps till the whole dough is exhausted. Keep oiling your hand occasionally if the dough feels sticky.
- After finishing each lime ball, make sure to sprinkle rice flour on top of the pidis so that It doesn't stick to each other. * I have tried to give a step by step for this but it’s not very clear!
- Grind the coconut along with 1 cup of water in the blender. Strain through a sieve and reserve the coconut milk.
- In a large saucepan, add the 2 cups of water, ½ tsp cardamom powder, salt and the jiggery. Let the water boil and the jiggery to melt.
- Now add in the pidis. Cook till done, around 15 to 20 minutes on low flame.
- Keep stirring in between so that it doesn’t stick, but not too much that the pidis lose their shape. You will see that the mixture will start thickening.
- Now add the coconut milk and the dal and cook for a further 5 minutes or until thickened. Add the remaining cardamom powder, adjust the salt. Switch off.
- In a little saucepan, heat ghee, fry the shallots till brown. Pour into the prepared kadala pidi and mix well.
- Serve warm with a cup of chai. Oh, bliss!!!
Rafee what an awesome post dear.Yummy looking kadala pidi.
Lol ..live entertainment by vava.
Thank you so much Meena…
Very beautiful post done n delicious recipe ????
Thank you so much Niloufer…
Yummy Vegetarian Pidi recipe. Looks lovely have to checkout the recipe from Lubnas space.
Thank you so much Eliza…
Looks Delicious!! hopping to lubna's space!!
Thank you so much Aara…
Love kadala pidi..sure looks delish. Now of to Lubnas space
Thank you so much Suhaina…
Lovely dish, hoping to her space for recipe.
Thank you so much Linsy…
this looks yumm…never have I tried it… Mouthwatering here
Thank you so much Anupa…
this completely new to me, ramadhan kareem to you too 🙂
Thank you so much Nammi… same to u 2! 🙂
looks delicious,I am heading over to read the post
Thank you so much Amila…
Just read the whole post from Lubna's space…lovely da….no words 🙂
Thank you so much Ruxana… 🙂
nice presentation 🙂
Thank you so much Vibha… 🙂
delicious looking kadala pidi.
Thank you so much Sanoli…
Looks delicious!
Thank you so much Priya…
Ramadan kareem to you and your family. this looks delish and yes following all of L:ubna's posts.
Thank you so much Sayantani…
Beautiful writeup as always and delicious pudding
Thank you so much Humi…
First time, I am hearing of sweet version…looks attractive and yummy..In our hometown, we use to make savory version of this pidi like mutton,beef or chicken with gravy…We called it kunhi patti or kakka roti :)..
Yes, we also have that Faheema but make it rarely… thanks a lot dear…
looks delicious rafee
Thank you so much Remya…
Kadala pidi is really delicious…noyambu thudangiyalle… Ramadan Kareem..
Thank you so much Preetha chechi…
lovely guest post,too yummy dear ..:)
Thank you so much Julie… 🙂
Ramadan Kareem dear….this is so delish …looks very inviting
Thank you so much Gloria…
This was such a beautiful post. You have a mesmerising way of reminiscing that just captures people in. And oh- great recipe.
Not as much as you, Aiza!!! Thanks a lot dear…
Ramadan Kareem to you and your family Rafeeda…Kadala pidi is very new to me…heading over to Lubna's space to check out this traditional dish
Thank you so much Kaveri…
Ramadhan kareem to you and family Rafee! Great to see something sweet, I am going to try this InsyaAllah during this Ramadhan 🙂
If you do try, pls let me know… thanks a lot deary… 🙂
Beautiful post Rafeeda.. Kadala pidi looks yum , should try sometime..
Thank you so much Sona…
Beautifully written post dear,
Thank you so much Razina…
i thnk ths s a sister-payasam of our chakkara choru…. 🙂 the only difference i can c is we use whole wheat instead of pidis and i hd heard mom saying abt ths pidi used before, bt i haven't ever seen this.
Chakkara choru for us is pachari, chakkara cooked in coconut milk to thick and then tempered… athum thinnittu kureyaayi! Thanks a lot Hasna… 🙂