Krishna Jayanthi

Lord Krishna's birthday is celebrated with a lot of pomp and glory at my house. We make lots of sweets and snacks along with butter as prasad. The kids of the house are dressed up as Krishna / Radha. We draw small footprints with rice flour batter all around the house that represents Lord Krishna's footprints. Here are the links to the recipes and some pictures of the Krishna Jayanthi celebrations at my house.

Now for the recipes for Krishna Jayanthi. Click on the links to go to the recipe....

Cashew Burfi	Vella Cheedai
Uppu Cheedai	Kai Murukku
Thattai	Thenguzhal
Chakkarai Appam	Pal Payasam

Cashew Burfi

This is a very easy recipe from my mom that lets you make yummy cashew burfi in only a few minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Cashew Powder (Powder the raw Cashew nuts in a mixer)
• 1/3 cup Ghee
• 1/3 cup Milk Powder
• 1 cup Sugar (Adjust to Taste)

Vella Cheedai

This is another of Lord Krishna's favorite that is made on Krishna Jayanthi. This is an easy and a no fail  recipe from my mom. Many people complain that the cheedai dissolves in oil or bursts in oil but me or my mom have never experienced that with this recipe. So enjoy it with Krishna!

Ingredients

• 2 cups Rice Flour (I use Nirapara brand)
• 1/4 cup Urad dal Flour (Store bought)
• 2 tsp Ghee
• 1 tsp Sesame seeds
• A pinch of Cardamom powder
• 1 1/2 cups Jaggery
• 2 cups of water
• Oil to deep fry

Method

1. Sieve and dry roast the Rice flour and Urad dal flour. (Frying gives less chance of the cheedai bursting in oil.)
2. Heat water and melt the jaggery in it and filter it. Allow the filtered jaggery mixture to boil and add the roasted rice and dal flour, ghee, sesame seeds and cardamom powder. Mix well to form a dough.
3. Once it cools down a bit, mix the dough with your hands and if it feels too dry add hot water little by little till you are able to get a smooth pliable dough.
4. Make small smooth balls of the dough and deep fry them on medium heat.
5. Once cooled, store them in an air tight container.

Suggestions / Notes

1. If the jaggery is too much, the Cheedai will dissolve in water. But this recipe will not fail you.
2. The ingredients used and the place made should be very clean as even little impurities in the dough will cause it to burst.

Chakkarai Appam

This Appam is my favourite and for every function or festival at home my mom makes this and this is a must in my house for Krishna Jayanthi. This is my grandmother's recipe that will never fail you.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Rava
• 1 cup Maida (All Purpose Flour)
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 cup Milk
• Pinch of Cardamom
• Oil to deep fry

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients except oil, in a bowl and keep aside for 3-4 hours.
2. Heat Oil in a kadai. Add a small drop of the batter in the oil and if it sizzles up immediately then it means the oil is ready. 
3. Using a tablespoon, pour the batter in the oil to make the appams. Cook the Appams on medium flame only, otherwise they wouldn't get cooked.
4. Flip them when they turn brown and remove them using a slotted spoon once they are completely browned on all sides.
5. Drain the excess oil on a paper towel and store them in an air tight container once they cool down completely.