FESTIVAL FOOD SERIES -3 by Surekha Chandrasekhar

“Don’t eat anything your great-great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.” – Michael Pollan

In that case, ‘’Sukhiyan’’ is one snack I can recommend with great pride. This is a traditional snack right from my Great Grandma’s culinary treasure. ‘’Sukhiyan’’ name implies one who loves happiness or ‘’Sukha’’. That is a cute name for this yummy dumpling.

When I tried to recollect the recipe of ‘’Sukhiyan’’ the first memory was the lingering fragrance of dry ginger powder and its spicy, earthy flavor lacing the sweetness of the jaggery filling. See the lasting impact of a pinch of spice on your tastebud. As a child, I never enjoyed the healthy filling of sukhiyan , and always I ate the crispy coating and threw away the fillings after taking a small bite of it.

Today while preparing this tasty snack after many many years, I decided to make it very mindfully. Allowing the dish to take its own time to cook on one side, while I rushed through the process of making breakfast and lunch box.

The main ingredients for stuffing are the moong dal with coating and jaggery. Let us take a quick read on the nutritional benefits of Green gram(moong dal ) before we proceed.

One cup of boiled Green gram contains:

Calories: 212
Fat: 0.8 grams
Protein: 14.2 grams
Carbs: 38.7 grams
Fiber: 15.4 grams
Iron: 16% of the RDI
Copper: 16% of the RDI
Potassium: 15% of the RDI
Zinc: 11% of the RDI
Vitamins B2, B3, B5, B6, and selenium

The best source of plant-based protein and rich in many essential amino acids. They are rich in folate and antioxidants too.Isn’t that mindblowing !!!

Ingredients:

Makes 10 to 12

1. 2 Cups Moong Dal

2. 2 cups Jaggery Syrup. (melt 500 gm jaggery in quarter cup water)

3. 1 ½ teaspoon dry ginger powder

4. 2 cups rice flour or All-purpose flour(maida)

5. 1 teaspoon turmeric powder

6. Salt to taste.

7. Coconut oil for frying.

Preparation:

Cook the Moong Dal adding 4 to 5 cups of water in a thick pan. Stir in between. The dal should be well cooked, it should not be overcooked and mushy. Drain any excess water. Heat a thick bottomed kadai, add the ghee and the cooked dal. Allow the dal to cook on a very slow flame for five minutes. Add the jaggery syrup . Allow the mixture to cook on a slow flame add one or two teaspoons of ghee. Add the dry ginger powder. Keep stirring until the jaggery syrup is fully absorbed and the mixture is dry .Take off flame.

Make a thick batter of rice flour. Add a pinch of salt. Make lemon sized balls of the filling mixture, dip in the batter, and deep fry. Rice flour gives a crispy thin coating , while all purpose flour gives a thick soft coating.

Enjoy the Modaks with a hot cup of tea. This is an instant snack and cannot be stored for more than one day. Wait for the steamed Sweet dish in the upcomig post. Jai Ma . 🙂