Omapodi

Ingredients

Omam - 15 gms
Gram flour - 2 cups
Rice flour - 2 cups
Table salt - to taste
Oil - for frying

Method:

Fry the omam well, powder it and sieve it fine.
Similarly sieve the rice and gram flours too.
Mix the omam powder, rice flour, gram flour, salt and butter and mix well.
Add water to get a thick paste-like consistency.
Heat oil in a kadai. Test how hot it is by dropping a pinch of dough into it - if it sinks, the oil hasn't become hot enough. If the dough springs to the top with bubbles all around it, then the oil is just ready.
Pass the dough through the special omapodi strainer and fry golden brown. Keep flipping the sides till the omapodi is done.
Store in an air tight container.

Spicy Sev

Ingredients
2 cups gram flour (besan)
1/2 tsp. ajwain (omam) seeds
1 1/2 tsp. red chilli powder
1 tbsp. oil
salt to taste
2-3 pinches asafoetida
water to make dough
oil to deep fry

Method
1.Mix the chilli, oil, salt and seeds into the flour.
2.Add enough water to make a dough which is quite gooey.
3.It should not be pliable but sticky.
4.Grease the inside of a Sev-press, fill with the dough.
5.Press into hot oil, and fry lightly on both sides.
6.Drain well and cool before storing.

Variation:
You may adjust the chillies as per taste.

You may omit chillies to make bland sev.
You may add finely crushed dried herbs (eg. mint) for add flavour.

Deepavali Legiyam

Ingredients:
Peppercorn - 2 tsps
Cumin seeds Jeera - 2 1/2 tsps
Coriander seeds - 2 1/2 tsps
Bishop weed seeds/Ajwain - 25 grms/3tbsps
Dry or fresh ginger - 30 gm
Cardamom - 1gm/2 to 3
Nutmeg or jaadhikkai - ½ piece
Ghee or clarified butter - 100gms
KandaThipli (Desavaram Pipala mool) - 10 to 12 sticks
Crumbled Jaggery (equal to the amount of ground paste) - 50 grms

Method:
1. Smash all the dry and medicinal ingredients in a mortar and pestle.
2. Pour some water and soak them for about 10 - 15 minutes
3. Grind into a soft paste in a blender.
4. Add 1/2 cup water and thoroughly mix up the paste and place in a heavy bottomed wok or vessel
5. Cook it on a slow flame, stirring it all the time with a flat ladle so that no lumps are formed.
6. When the water is nearly evaporated add the crumbled jaggery and stir it in.
7. Add spoonfuls of ghee and keep stirring.
8. When the lehiyam comes together in a ball and the ghee is separated from it, turn off the heat.
9. Stir in the honey and store in an airtight container.
10. Take one spoon of lehiyam on Deepavali after taking bath and before you eat anything else.

PS: This lehiyam can also be made using readymade powders that are available in many local medicine shops. Mix the powder with two times the water and cook in a heavy bottom vessel. Add jaggery and ghee until the lehiyam comes together and the ghee is separated.