Chalimidi Recipe

Andhra dishes are not just known for its spice levels. It is also known for the delicious, authentic and humble sweet dishes. Most of the south Indian sweet recipes are made of jaggery and chalimidi is one such sweet dish which is specially made during festivals like Ugadi, and other auspicious days. Course : Dessert Ingridients : 1 cup Jaggery 2 cups Rice 1 teaspoon Cardamom Powder (Elaichi) 1/2 cup Ghee 1 tablespoon Cashew nuts 1 tablespoon Sultana Raisins ,                             1 tablespoon Fresh coconut , chopped Instructions To begin making the Chalimidi recipe, rinse raw rice and soak in enough water for 5 hours. Drain soaked rice in cotton cloth and let it dry for 1 hour. Grind rice into fine powder. Pass the flour through the sieve, collect fine rice flour.Heat 1 tablespoon ghee in a heavy bottomed pan, roast cashews, raisins and coconut separately until golden brown. Remove from flame, keep it aside.Melt powdered jaggery with little water. Boil the jaggery syrup until thickens up and when tested by pouring in a small bowl of water it forms a ball.Add all the ghee into the panakam (jaggery syrup) and whisk well.Remove the syrup from heat, add rice flour little at a time and mix vigorously. Do not add too much rice flour and make it thick. This dish will thicken up as it cools. So keep the consistency loose.Add all the roasted cashews, raisins, and coconut into the dish and mix well. Transfer into a serving bowl and serve.Serve Chalimidi as a dessert after your South Indian meal of Tomato Onion Sambar, Cabbage Thoran, Jeera Rasam, Potato Roast with Steamed Rice and Elai Vadam.