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Showing posts with label attakali. Show all posts
Showing posts with label attakali. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Black Rice Truffles with Coconut Custard ( The Vegan Attakali )

IMP - This is an original recipe created by the blogger and has been published for the first time on Oriyarasoi. 


At times, when I look at food, my thoughts begin to wander far and wide. How would a dish look like if it were to be prepared in a different realm or even in a different era ? That inspires me to take a very mundane everyday dish and give it a makeover. For me a makeover is all about preserving the very soul of a recipe while mutating it into something very different. And that is exactly what I have done with the 'attakali', a traditional Odia dessert. Of course, this recipe is a late Teacher's day tribute to Masterchef Vikas Khanna for it is his show 'Twist of Taste' that really inspires me to take on such mammoth challenges.

For the uninitiated, 'attakali' consists of rice balls immersed in a rice custard (more like a phirni). It is quite low in calories as compared to other desserts and is usually prepared on certain festive days. In my recipe, I have used two varieties of rice. The black or purple rice from Manipur is used to create the rice balls and the sweet smelling Gobindo bhog from Bengal is cooked in coconut milk to create a vegan custard. The nuttiness of the black rice complements the sweetness of the Gobindo bhog to build a unique flavor. This is a vegan version of the 'attakali'.

Read on for the recipe -




















Preparation Time - 40 mins

Ingredients -

For the rice balls -


  • 1/2 cup Black (Manipur) rice 
  • 3-4 tsp jaggery
  • 2 tsp almond paste (optional)
  • a pinch of cardamom
  • toasted sesame seeds for garnishing



For the coconut custard


  • 3 tsp Gobindo bhog rice ( one can use Jeera rice instead ) 
  • 2 cups coconut milk
  • 2-3 tsp sugar 
  • 2 pinch white pepper powder
  • toasted charoli seeds

Preparation - Wash and soak the two rice varieties separately . 

Grind the purple rice into a fine paste without using too much water. Add the jaggery and grind it again. Keep aside

Grind the Gobindo bhog rice separately.

Cooking - 

For making the rice balls -

Boil about 1/4 cup water in a wok. 

Add the purple rice and jaggery paste. Cook on low to medium flame as it thickens. 

Once it starts to solidify, add the almond paste and the cardamom powder. Remove from the flame and keep aside it is bearable to touch the dough.

Rub a few drops of oil on the fingers and knead it again. Divide the dough into small portions and shape into balls by rolling between the palms. 

Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on a plate. Roll these balls gently on the seeds.

For the coconut custard -

Bring the coconut milk and sugar to a gentle boil. Add the Gobindo bhog rice paste and keep stirring it till it thickens to a thin custard like consistency. 

Add the powdered white pepper and toasted charoli at this stage. Mix it in. Remove from the flame. Let it cool down before popping it into the fridge for 15 mins.

Serve the rice balls (at room temperature) with a dollop of the chilled coconut-rice custard. 


















Note - Want to look up the original 'Attakali' recipe ? Check out HERE.

Monday, November 18, 2013

Attakali ( Gaintha pitha )

Gaintha pitha or Attakali is a special pitha that is usually prepared during the oriya month of 'Margasira'. The thursdays that fall in this month are celebrated as 'Manabasa Gurubar', the worship of a vessel filled with rice grains that symbolizes Goddess Lakshmi. The married women keep a fast, eat only arwa or raw rice, prepare a variety of pithas from rice/rice flour and read a text called the 'Manabasa' Bahi. In some parts of Orissa the 'Lakshmi Hathi', brass figurines that symbolize Goddess Lakshmi are also worshiped on this day. These figurines are usually a family heirloom and are passed down by the lady of the house to her daughter in law. Check the snaps below:


































In the left hand side corner of the above picture one can see the 'Dhana Benti', long stands of harvested paddy which also form an important part of this Puja. This year the first Gurubar of Margasira Masa falls on 21st November. But since Prathamasthami falls after this date (26th November), it will be celebrated in some parts of Odisha on 28th November.















The Kalasa ( on the left corner ) and the Manaa ( on the right corner behind the Deepam ) being worshipped in the above picture. The manaa is filled with paddy/rice and covered with a new cloth.

















The special stone vessels known as 'Pathuri', used to offer the prasadam to Goddess Lakshmi.

Read on for the recipe for Gaintha pitha:






Preparation Time - 30-40 minutes

Ingredients - 2/3 cup arwa rice ( Sita bhog, Gobindo Bhog or even Sona masuri raw rice will do ), 1/2 tsp coarsely ground pepper, 2-3 green cardamon, 2-3 tsp ghee, (1/2 cup + 2-3 tsp) sugar, 3 cups milk, 1/5 tsp salt.

Preparation - wash and soak the rice for 2-3 hours. Drain all water and spread on a plate to dry (preferably in the balcony or under a fan) for 1-2 hours.

Take the rice in a grinder jar and grind into a smooth powder.

Cooking - Heat 2 cups of water in a wide base non-stick vessel. Add salt, pepper powder and 1-2 crushed cardamon to the boiling water. Add 2-3 tsp sugar.

Use a sieve to gently sift the rice flour into the boiling water. Keep stirring all the time to prevent formation of lumps.

Cook the rice flour till it turns into a stiff dough and leaves the sides of the vessel.

Allow to cool down for 10-15 minutes till it is bearable to touch.

















Add the ghee to the dough and knead for 3-4 minutes to smooth/even it out. Take small lumps out of the dough and roll into small balls (smaller than a lemon).
















Bring the milk to boil in a deep vessel. Add the sugar and remaining cardamon. (One can also add a little condensed milk at this stage).

Add the balls. Initially the balls will sink to the bottom. Boil for 5-7 minutes or till the ball begin to rise to the surface. This is now done. (Do not boil any longer or the balls will melt/break)


















This recipe can also be prepared with suji (semolina).

Note - I recently came to know that they make a very similar recipe down south called Pala Undrallu.

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