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Vella seedai for the astral mascot of an army regiment
Every dish has an interesting story attached to it, which makes them all the more alluring for me.
By
migrator
migrator
Chennai
This particular incident happened on a dark, cloudy afternoon, with lightning lighting the sky and rain providing the perfect background rhythm. My friends, who had come all the way from the border to celebrate and witness the Deepam lit on Thiruvannamalai hills were disappointed that their wish may not come true due to the weather. The electricity was shut down; hence the TV and music system came to a grinding halt. So, all of us sat around at my place in Puducherry, sipping coffee and exchanging old stories.
When you are forced to being indoors, you find your true ingenuity coming to foray in entertaining others. Brigadier Aniljeet Singh, my friend from the Artillery based at the border was a great storyteller. He started narrating a story about a friendly astral being, which loved helping itself to food from their barrack dining room in Leh. The vision was of a lady, but none in the regiment were sure whether it was an angel, a ghost, or merely a force, as each time when someone from the regiment was in danger, the force seemed to save them. The lady became the official mascot for the regiment and Brigadier Aniljeet ended his story by declaring that it is regiment’s tremendous faith in this lady that made so many impossible missions successful.
After a minute’s silence, everyone pounced on him and Brigadier Rajesh Nair to call the mascot to Thiruvannamalai so that it could save the day by making us witness the divine Deepam. So we were asked to close our eyes, while the two brigadiers got up and saluted someone near the ceiling. A sudden hush and a deep silence made us all tremble with excitement. Suddenly the lights came on and the sound of rain could be heard no more. Everyone ran out and saw that the rain had stopped. Witnessing this miracle, we decided to leave for Thiruvannamalai that very moment, as the Deepam on the Annamalai Hill in Thiruvannamalai would be lit in a few hours. Faith won the day, and we are still unsure whether it was mere coincidence, divine intervention or Aniljeet’s astral mascot who suddenly made the impossible possible. Aniljeet added that the mascot had one request and that is to taste the south Indian delicacy called Vella Seedai, which I later prepared as naivedyam for the divine protector. It was an exciting day with our men in uniform, who protect our country and other friends. The crowd, the faith, and the deepam at Thiruvannamalai added to the special feeling called divine. It was indeed an unforgettable Karthigai Deepam.
Deepam special vella seedai
Cook time:Â 15 min
Prep time: 1 hour
Serves: 4 – 5 max
Calories per serving of 4: 190 cl.
Ingredients
Sifted raw rice flour: 1 cup
Urad dal flour: 11/2 tsp
Freshly grated coconut: 1/2 cup
Jaggery: 1 cup | Cardamom powder: 1/4 tsp
White sesame seeds: 1/2 tsp
Dry ginger powder: 1/4 tsp
Cooking oil: 1 cup
Ghee: 1 tsp
Salt: 1 pinch
1 glass hot water
Method
- If you have those big pieces of jaggery, powder it.
- Dry roast the rice flour on a skillet until aromatic about a minute or so. Do it on low heat, so one does not burn the flour.
- Set aside to cool it down.
- In the same skillet, dry roast the sesame seeds for 20 seconds. Set aside.
- Add 1/2 tsp ghee to the skillet. Add grated coconut and stir fry on low fire till the colour changes. Set aside.
- Mix the crushed jaggery in a bowl with hot water and grind in the mixer.
- Strain the syrup.
- Pour the jaggery syrup in the same skillet.
- Add cardamom powder.
- Give it one quick stir and take off the stove. This is only to warm it a bit.
- Add all the dry ingredients — rice flour, sesame seeds, dry ginger powder, cardamom and a pinch of salt along with coconut.
- Now slowly pour the jaggery syrup and mix well to form a smooth firm dough.
- Keep aside the dough for 35 mins.
- Place a wet towel over the dough.
- Later, take a small piece of the dough and using a greased palm, roll it out into small balls, little bigger than a marble.
- Place a frying pan on fire, pour the oil and heat it.
- When oil is hot, lower the flame and start frying a few balls at a time.
- Deep fry without breaking or burning it.
- Slowly move it around to prevent it from sticking to one another.
- Remove one by one on to a paper towel.
- Small cracks may be there, that’s normal, but seedai should not break.
- Ensure flame is medium to low and remove seedais when brown outside.
- After draining excess oil, plate it for eating.
Kitchen Tip
- Roast nuts, rice, rava and dal (lentils) before cooking. It increases the flavours considerably
- Grate a whole coconut at a time and refrigerate/freeze it so that it can be used whenever needed. You can use the grater attachment in the wet grinders to get it done easily. I prefer freezing, as it stays fresh longer (up to three months). Thaw it for 5 minutes before each use
- Rub your hands against a stainless steel sink or vessel to remove the strong smell of onions or garlic
— Chef Ramaa Shanker is the author of Festive Offerings to the Gods: Divine Soul Recipes
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