OKKARAI |UKKARAI RECIPE-DIWALI SWEET RECIPE

Okkarai recipe with Video - Updated

Okkarai | Ukkarai is a traditional sweet made in  most of the tamil brahmin houses for diwali. I still remember my mom makes this in a very bulk quantity and except me everybody loves this okkarai very much. When i was talking to my mom yesterday, suddenly i remembered of this and asked her for the recipe. In my in –laws place we don’t make this ,and i made this for my hubby who is very fond of sweets. Here comes the recipe of okkarai. Check out my complete collection of Diwali recipes.

Okkarai recipe

  Preparation Time : 10 mins + 3 hrs soaking | Cooking Time : 40 Mins |Serves: 3-4

     Channa dal  1/2 cup
     Moong dal  2 tblsp
     Jaggery  1/2 cup + 2tblsp *
     Cashew nuts  few
     Ghee 2 tblsp
*Add 2 tblsp extra only if you are adding moong dal
                                        Video of okkarai recipe

                
      
     
     

Method:

• Dry roast the channa dal and moong dal in a pan for 2 mins(be careful not to burn this)
• Soak it in water for 3 hours.

• Drain the water and grind this into a smooth paste .Just add 1 tblsp of water while grinding.

• Grease idli plates with ghee and transfer the ground dal to this and steam this for 12 mins.

• After steaming, break it into pieces and once it is cool, pulse it in a mixer to get a make it into fine pieces.

• In a pan put the jaggery and add 2 tblsp of water to this.
• Dissolve the jaggery.

• Filter the impurities if any. Keep the flame low.
• Let the jaggery melt and comes to 1 string consistency.
• You can check this by taking the jaggery syrup between the thumb and the index finger.

• When it reaches this stage , add the ground dal to this and mix it nicely.
• Add few tsp of ghee in the middle also while cooking.

• Cook in a medium flame,till it becomes soft and reaches a puttu or usili consistency.
• The consistency should be like a beach sand. At the same time it should be soft.
• It took 15 mins for me to reach this stage.
• Fry cashews in ghee and garnish the okkarai with cashews.
• Mix well.

• Enjoy this as it is.
• Though this may sound weird my mom and grandma will eat this as an accompaniment for CURD RICE.

Note:

1. Some may skip the procedure of steaming the ground dal.
2. But this will take more time to get cooked .
3. Adding moong dal is optional. My mom's recipe is without the addition of moong dal. 
4. Recently in Instagram, when i saw Shanti aunty posted using moong dal, i just tried and it turned out well.