{Ramadan Special} – Guest Post: Kadala Pidi from Rafeeda of The Big Sweet Tooth
Ramadan Kareem…..Salam and welcome our first guest of the global Ramadan event, Joy From Fasting To Feasting – VII….Rafeeda of The Big Sweet Tooth from UAE. She has got long post to tell you about her Ramadan celebrations for the year and an interesting recipe which she loves making and indulging….Do read by and stop by at Rafeeda’s The Big Sweet Tooth for more delectable recipes….There is also a Ramadan event running on her blog….Check out details at “Ahlan Ramadan – The Healthy Way“. Thank you Rafeeda for taking about time and coming up with such a lovely post…..
Assalamu Alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakaathuhu…
First of all, let me wish all the readers of this wonderful space a month of Ramadan filled with piety, spirituality and eagerness. Every year, Ramadan comes with a lot of excitement and flies off, leaving us wanting for more. I guess it’s the case for all of us. We so eagerly wait for this month, as the promises that Allah has given us of the ample rewards for each little goodness we do in this month is enticing enough to ensure that we spend minimal time on worldly matters and dedicate our maximum time to Ibaadah (the Arabic word for worship) and doing good deeds. My only prayer for this Ramadan, as is always, that He accepts all our good deeds of our current and previous Ramadans and bless us with ample opportunities to please Him in all ways, till the end of our lives, InShaAllah…
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… hope you like it, Lubna!
This would, InShaAllah, be the last Ramadan that I will be spending with my parents around. They were supposed to leave earlier this year, but Alhamdulillah, they are still there and planning their trip back home for good by Eid-ul-Fitr. Both of them are leaving the country called UAE where they have spent a major chunk of their lives. My D has been here for 38 years and he ended an illustrious career with one of the best banks in the UAE in December 2013. My umma has been here ever since her marriage, that is almost 33 years of expatriate life being a housewife, tending to three of us. Actually speaking, both of them are not very keen about spending Ramadan in Kerala, because first of all, it falls during the rainy season, which curtails the possibility of going to the masjids as frequently as they can and secondly, whoever has spent their Ramadans in UAE and knows the feel it gives here would never ever be able to cope with Ramadans elsewhere. Let me take the example of my sister – she has spent her past 8 years in India and in the States but still laments as to how much she misses Ramadans here, even after all these years. That is the spirit of UAE when it comes to this precious month. And Allah has planned it for them, Alhamdulillah, they spent this Ramadan here, InShaAllah…
Last time, I had so much in detail described how Ramadan is here, so I wouldn’t dwell of it for this post. This time, I would dwell on the recipe that I am going to share. 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.
This was one food, as children, we were fed during Iftars (breaking the fast during sunset) or for suhoors (meal before dawn). It used to fill us so much that we wouldn’t want anything more. Even when we had guests for Iftar, umma would make this. All the work for this dish is making the pidi. You have to sit or stand for hours just shaping those tiny dumplings into perfect shape, it shouldn’t be thick or too thin, and they must look identical. Umma was telling me about how much time they would take to make these when we were small. I clearly remember that once we were big enough to handle some kitchen responsibilities, this was one task that was handed over to my sister and me. She would do the pidis perfectly while mine used to be the lazy ones – nice and big!!! J After a big lecture as to how bad they looked, she would anyway proceed with making it. As kids, we never liked to eat it, but since she cooked it, we would eat. After all, umma is a person with the attitude, “eat what I make or else go hungry!!!” And seriously, that attitude has made us people who can survive anywhere, hehe…
But now, being adults, having our own set at home, we crave for that taste of umma. The day we made this, I asked D, “Uppa, you remember when is the last time we had kadala pidi?” He thought for sometime and said, “I guess I have forgotten its taste!” Exactly!!! I estimate that umma must not have made this for at least 18 years, and that’s a rough calculation. It just made me wonder – how time flies, SubhanAllah!!!
I guess I have bragged enough and bored all of you, but couldn’t help being nostalgic! Moving onto this recipe:
Kadala Pidi – Dal and Rice Dumpling Relish
Serves 4-6
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 Jaggery
- 1 tsp. Cardamom powder, divided
- Salt to taste
- 1 Coconut, grated
- 1 cup Water
- 1 tbsp Ghee
- 6 Shallots, sliced thinly
PREPARATION:
- 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! 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!!! 🙂 *
- 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!!!
NOTES:
- You may be aware there are two types of jiggery: the dark brown (chakkara) and the light brown (sharkara). If using the latter, which I used here, just directly add to the water to melt, as it does not have any residues. However, if using chakkara, melt it separately, sieve and then use. The color also will be darker if using chakkara.
- If you don’t like jiggery, then substitute with sufficient amount of sugar. The final product will be whitish.
- After using jiggery, if the sweetness is not enough, you can add sugar to your taste.
- You can make this without the chana dal, but then it would be called as “pidi curry”.
JazakAllah Khairan Lubna for this opportunity. I sincerely hope that you and your readers have liked this post. May Allah accept all our good deeds during Ramadan and otherwise, Aameen…
Last year from Rafeeda – Masala Aleesa.
You can find Rafeeda @ Blog | Facebook.NOTE: You can find updated list of entries @ Joy From Fasting To Feasting – VII.
You can find Rafeeda @ Blog | Facebook.NOTE: You can find updated list of entries @ Joy From Fasting To Feasting – VII.
Meena Kumar says
What an awesome post Rafee!Yummy looking Kadala pidi.Simply had to read top to bottom lol u are so funny.Admire ur patience to make those pidis.Guess these are dishes made to keep women occupied 🙂
Linsy Patel says
Yummy treat for holy days.
Ruxana Gafoor says
The sweet version of Pidis is something new to me..looks delicious…really tempting me to have it after sunset(breaking the fast)…lovely recipe ..Hats off to both of you for sharing such a wonderful recipe…
Veena Theagarajan says
so creamy and tasty dessert.. nice guest post
Razina Javed says
This dish is new to me, luks nice….
Rafeeda AR says
JazakAllah Khairan Lubna… for featuring me as your first guest this year, I am indeed honored!!! So glad that you liked it… 🙂 BarakAllah feek, may He bless you with abundance this Ramadan…