Rice or wet rice flour forms the base for various delicacies cooked during the Sankranti festival. As paddy is the major crop grown in the coastal belt and other areas of Andhra Pradesh, rice-based delicacies hold a prominent place in the festivities.
On the first day of the festival, several delicacies can be made from rice and rice flour. The three-day festival is celebrated by cooking any or all of these special items on any day.
Pala Munjalu: Rice flour is cooked in milk and then rolled out into thick sheet, later stuffed with channa dal, jaggery mixture and then fried in oil to make a sweetmeat.
Venna Appalu: Jaggery is finely grounded and then mixed with equal amount of butter, which is then blended with wet rice flour. The entire mixture is then made into small balls and made into pancakes which should be fried in oil.
Pala Talikalu: These are also made from rice flour. The small finger-like flour cylinders are soaked in sweetened milk to make a simple, yet delicious snack, which are also be offered to God on any festival or auspicious day.
Bobbatlu: Cooked channa dal is mixed with jiggery syrup and made into equal sized balls which are then covered fine sheet made of all-purpose flour. Then the balls should be rolled out into dosa-like pancake and then roast it on the tawa to get the mouth-watering sweet.
Pulihora: Tempered rice mixed with a dash of turmeric, fried curry leaves and tamarind juice gives an all-time universal savory relished by people of all ages.
Ariselu/Paakundalu: Based on the shape of the snack, they are known by different names but the basic recipe is similar for both. Made from wet rice flour ground after soaking rice for more than 5-6 hours, the preparation of this snack is a laborious process. After soaking the rice, it has to be air-dried on cloth and then ground to make the flour, which should continue to remain wet while mixing with the jaggery, and it should be ensured that there are no lumps. Afterwards, the dough is pressed into pancakes, fried in hot oil and pressed between ladles to drain out the excess oil. They are then allowed to cool and the ariselu are ready to relish.
Gaarelu: Blackgram is soaked in water to make batter which is then made into doughnuts and fried in the oil. The taste is heavenly so much so that “Thinte gaarele tinaali.. vinte bhaagavatame vinaali” (if you have to eat you should eat gaarelu.. if you have to listen to something, you have to listen bhagavat).
Perugu Gaarelu: The gaarelu are soaked in tempered curd which take the taste to the next level.
Paakam Gaarelu: The doughnuts made from black gram batter taste is compared to the epic Mahabharata, which would help gauge the importance given to this delicacy. Pakam gaarelu are doughnuts fried in oil and then soaked in jaggery syrup to enhance the taste.
Chakkalu: These are also made from rice flour. The flour is mixed with water and the addition of curry leaves, jeera and Bengal gram improves the taste. The dough is then made into small-sized balls and pressed to make palm-sized patties which are evenly thick. They are then fried in oil to make a delicious snack.
Chakkara Pongali: Cooked rice is blended with sugar syrup and the tiny pieces of copra (dried coconut) in between make this sweet the ultimate choice of any sweet lover.
Boorelu/ Kobbari boorelu/Poli Poornam boorelu: Channa dal and jaggery mixture balls are coated with dosa batter and fried in oil and another variation is mixing some grated coconut to the channa dal-jaggery mixture.
If the channa dal is replaced with split moong dal and then the sweet is made, they are called Poli Poornam boorelu.
On Kanuma, while non-vegetarians enjoy eating chicken and mutton, vegetarians compulsorily eat gaarelu, as it is mandatory to eat something made out of blackgram batter.
The list itself would make one feel satiated, without even consuming them.
Wish You All A Happy Sankranti!!
