Okkarai (also spelled Ukkarai, Oggorai, or Parippu Payasam in some variations) is a traditional South Indian sweet dish that is a part of Tamil Nadu Cuisine. It forms a part of Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari, Thanjavur, Chettinad, and broader Tamil Brahmin/Tamil Nadu traditions, and is essentially a Diwali sweet. It’s often called a Diwali special or Tamil Brahmin sweet. 

 

Chana dal (sometimes mixed with moong dal) is roasted, soaked, steamed, or pressure-cooked until soft, and then crumbled or mashed, mixed with jaggery syrup, ghee-roasted nuts, and cardamom. The result is a soft, crumbly, and moist sweet. As jaggery is used for sweetness, and healthy dal is used as the main ingredient in the preparation, Okkarai can be considered a healthy sweet. Read its recipe here.

 

Okkarai - Tamil Nadu Diwali Sweet Recipe

Ingredients for Okkarai:

  1. Bengal gram – ½ kg
  2. Jaggery – ½ kg
  3. Ghee – As needed
  4. Cardamom powder – 4

How to prepare Okkarai?

  1. Melt jaggery by adding water, and strain it to remove the dust.
  2. Slightly heat Bengal gram and put it in boiling water.
  3. After half an hour, strain the water.
  4. Blend it well in a mixer. Never make a fine paste.
  5. Place it in flame, and add jaggery. Keep stirring.
  6. Add ghee and cardamom, and keep cooking till it turns almost dry.
  7. When its consistency turns small ball-like, turn the flame off.
  8. Serve hot.

Courtesy: Vanitha Magazine May 1-14, 2006

Read the recipe of Puran Poli – Traditional Maharashtrian Sweet Flatbread Recipe, where Chana Dal and Jaggery form the key ingredients. 

Also read a few more dessert recipes. Click on the images in the gallery to read.

 

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