SUZHIYAN/ SEEYAM - DIWALI SPECIAL

             The festival of lights is near! It reminds me of the damp ambience with smells of smoky fireworks.
            And, of course, not to forget the row of diyas, family get-together at one's own village, mouth watering sweets n snacks, steaming hot vadais, diwali legiyam, rangolis, new dresses, special television shows, mutton curry n idlis, pedas, lakshmi pooja and yes the ever busy kitchen!
             Suzhiyan/ Seeyam is a sweet dumpling made with cooked chana dal, coconut, jaggery and cardamom mixture that are coated with white flour paste and deep fried in oil. This remains an important sweet in south indian diwali.
       
INGREDIENTS

FOR POORANAM (STUFFING)
Chana Dal/ Kalla paruppu - 1/2 cup
Jaggery - 3/4 cup
Coconut (scrapped) - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Ghee - 1 teaspoon
Salt - a pinch

FOR OUTER COVERING
Maida/ all purpose flour - 1/2 cup
Salt - as required
Water - as required
Oil - for deep frying

METHOD
1.Soak chana dal for about half an hour. Drain excess water and pressure cook for about 2 to 3 whistles. Mash it with a food processor or a hand blender (mathu) and keep it aside.
2. Melt jaggery with about 1/4 cup of water in a heavy bottomed pan and strain it for impurities.
3. Bring the jaggery syrup to a rolling boil. Meanwhile, heat a teaspoon of ghee in a heavy bottomed pan. Add cardamom powder, mashed chana dal and saute for a minute. Now, add the boiling jaggery syrup to it.
4. To it add scrapped coconut and a pinch of salt. Saute them till the stuffing thickens.
5. Make sure the stuffing doesn't gets stuck at the bottom of the pan.
6. Roll small sized balls out of the stuffing and keep them ready.
7. Make a watery paste out of maida, salt and water. It should be of dosa-batter consistency.
8. Heat enough oil in a wok for deep frying.
9. Dip the jaggery balls in the maida paste and drop them in hot oil. Fry for about a minute or till crisp. Strain the excess oil in a cheese cloth and serve hot.

TIPS
1. Soak chana dal for about half an hour and reduce cooking time of the dal.
2. This pooranam can be used to make modaks/ kozhukattai too.
3. Pooranam can be kept in air tight container in refrigerator for 8 to 10 days.