Pacha Maavu Podi Upma aka Heaven on a Plate

Pacha Maavu means raw flour. This is made with raw rice flour.  This is one of mine and my sister's comfort foods. Morkoozh and Pulima are different versions of this. Will post recipes of those also.

Shown with a Roasted Mor Milagai

You Need
Rice Flour - 1 Cup
Buttermilk - 3 cups
Salt - 1 and 1/2 Tea Spoons
Oil - 1/4 cup
Curry Leaves - a few
Mustard - 1/2 Tea Spoon
Red Chili - 3 or 4 broken
Mor Milagai - optional
Hing - 1/2 Tea Spoon

Method
---> Mix the buttermilk and rice flour well so there are no lumps
---> In a heavy bottomed pan, add the oil, and when it gets hot, add the mustard, Red Chilies, Curry Leaves, Hing, Mor Milagai and roast all of them on the medium flame.
--> Add the rice mixture to this and mix well.
---> keep stirring this and it will keep forming lumps, and patiently stir it so that everything gets cooked evenly.
---> it will eventually become powdery and soft.
---> once it is fully cooked, remove from flame and eat.
if it is fully cooked, it should not stick to your fingers and also the raw smell will not be there.

Adai / The Burnt Part

The above picture is the crust which is formed in the pan and it is very tasty..

A great pairing for this is Oma Vathakuzhambu, Narthalai Podi, and Mor Milagai

Rava Kesari / ரவா கேசரி

Rava Kesari / Sojji 

                                               
Rava Kesari is a traditional Tamil Sweet. This is also called Sojji by Tamilians.
Rava is called Sooji in Hindi, it is nothing but coarse wheat.
Traditionally this is made with Bajji, when the groom comes over to the Bride's house to 'officially' see the girl in an arranged marriage.
The measurements I have given will give at least 10 servings. You might think that is a lot of ghee but, it is a sweet after all and you need that much ghee to make it melt in your mouth :)
It doesn't take long to make...

You will need: (for about 10 servings)
Rava- 1/2 Cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup (little more if you have a sweet tooth)
Ghee - 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup (Yes, I am sure about this :) ) the more ghee you add the more it will melt in your mouth...
Cashew Nuts - a few (optional)
Raisins -  a few (optional)
Orange Color - (Optional) but lot of south Indians won't accept it is Kesari, unless it is in Orange Color and Kesari means Orange (Saffron Flower) in Sanskrit
Saffron - a few strands
Cardamom - 1/4 TeaSpoon
Water - 3 times that of Rava , in this case 1 and 1/2 cups

Method
---> This dish should be cooked in a medium flame only.
---> In a pan, add 1 tablespoon of ghee and after it becomes hot add the cashews and roast them.
---> Keep that aside and in the same pan, add 1 Tablespoon of Ghee and Roast the Raisins
---> Keep that aside and add half of the remaining ghee and roast the rava. The rava should be roasted to a soft golden color. Once it is a nice golden color all over, switch the stove off, and then add the water.
---> Mix the rava with the water so no lumps are there. Once that is done, now switch the stove back on, on a medium flame and slowly  keep stirring the pot.
---> In a few minutes, the rava will start absorbing the water and start becoming thick, once it has absorbed all the water, add the remaining ghee, sugar, Cardamom powder, roasted nuts, Roasted Raisins and the orange color and keep stirring the pot.
---> The sugar will melt and the ghee will bind everything together, and it will come together like halwa. At this point you can pour it on to a plate and wait for it to cool..


Scaling this recipe for a party -

50 to 60 Servings -  standard half tray measurement

Rava- 3 cups
Sugar - 4.5 cups  to 5 cups(little more if you have a sweet tooth)
Ghee - 2 cups  to little less than 2.5 cups
Cashew Nuts - 1/2 cup (optional)
Raisins -  1/2 cup (optional)
Orange Color - (Optional) b
Saffron - a few strands
Cardamom - 1.5 Tsps
Water - 9 cups

100 to 120  Servings - Full tray measurements

Rava- 6 cups
Sugar - 9 cups to 9.5 cups(little more if you have a sweet tooth)
Ghee - 4 cups to 4.5 cups to little less than 8 cups
Cashew Nuts - 1 cup (optional)
Raisins -  1  cup (optional)
Orange Color - (Optional) b
Saffron - a few strands
Cardamom - 3 Tsps
Water - 18 cups