Friday, July 7, 2023

Jowar- Khajoor Appo (Sorghum- Dates Paniyaram)


|| Vakratunda mahakaya suryakoti samaprabhah
Nirvighnam kuru me deva sarvakaryeshu sarvada ||

“Naivedyam : Jowar- Khajoor Appo (Sorghum- Dates Paniyaram)” … my humble offering at the lotus feet of Sri Ganesha on the auspicious occasion of Sankashti Chaturthi … may Vignaharata remove all obstacles from our life and shower on us his choicest blessings ... Jai Guru Ganesh .....

** Godu Appo/ Sweet Paniyaram is a dish that is mostly prepared as Naivedyam/ Prasadam to Bhagawan Sri Ganesha. It is said that Ganeshji loved Appos and Modaks very much and always demanded with his mother Goddess Gowri (Parvati) for the same. Hence, most Hindus especially we, in GSB Konkani Saraswat Community have followed the tradition of preparing appo's as Naivedyam to Lord Ganesha to date.

** I will not repeat more details about appos and the pan needed in preparing it again here as I am sure you all know about it, also I have shared it end times in the blog along with step by step pictures in some places. You will find them all by browsing through the common link shared at the bottom of this recipe and for those who are new to this dish then I suggest you do invest in buying appo/ paniyaram/ aebleskiver pan.

** These pans are easily available in stores in different sizes and differ in the number of appos that can be prepared. Chose one suitable to your needs and rest is a breeze work which when you try out will find worth it. There are plenty of recipes both sweet/ plain and veg. and non-veg dishes that can be prepared in them. I will be sharing more and until then you can try out those which are already shared.

** For this particular appo recipe I have used jowar/ sorghum atta (flour) along with fine rava, bananas, jaggery, date syrup and it turned out fantastic. I have often prepared dishes giving them twists by adding different ingredients while keeping to the basic method as it is, which have always given me excellent results. I believe there is nothing impossible unless one gives it the wholehearted trials with belief in self.

** Always remember that Naivedyam should be shared amongst all to receive God’s Blessings. In Hinduism, we believe that even a small bite of prasadam received or given will benefit both the giver and the receiver, some even stole, and part took prasadam if they were not offered, as it was not considered a sin in the eyes of God. Do prepare and enjoy this one with your family and friends and stay blessed.

** Here is my simple recipe for “Jowar- Khajoor Appo (Sorghum- Dates Paniyaram)” … My Style, do try it out and offer to God as Naivedyam and then distribute amongst family and friends ….

** Ingredients :
Jowar Atta/ Sorghum Flour : 2 cups
Chiroti Rava/ Fine Rava : 1 cup
Banana/ Kele/ Kala : 2 medium sized
Dates/ Khajoor Syrup : ¼ cup
Jaggery/ Goda : ½ cup grated/ powder.
Rock Salt/ Kala Namak/ Meeta : A Pinch
Cardamom/ Ellaichi/ Yellu Powder : ½ tsp.
Cooking Soda : Just a very small pinch (about 1/8 tsp)
Ghee /+ Oil in 1:1 proportion for frying.

** Peel the outer skin of banana, cut into pieces, add into a mixer grinder along with jaggery, dates syrup, ½ cup of water and grind to a smooth paste.

** Note : I used medium sized Cavendish bananas which are easily available in Mumbai, you may use any that will give about 1 cup of puree. 

** Remove and add the paste into a bowl along with kala namak, ellaichi powder, chiroti rava, jowar atta and mix well and more water as is necessary.

** Keep the batter covered aside for 10-15 minutes for resting as this helps in soaking of the flour and rava well to absorb required amount of water and soften.

** Note : I must mention here that I have used dates/ khajoor syrup easily available in stores. However, you can soak the dry dates/ khajoor in enough water until softened and then grind the same too if syrup is not available. 

** Just before removing the appo add a tsp of water on top of batter and then the cooking soda over it, stir and then mix well with the batter evenly. The batter is ready to prepare appos, it should be of thick dropping consistency.

** Note : Cooking Soda should always be added at the end just before removing of appos and not while grinding or mixing ingredients.

** Note : It is always very important to get the right consistency of batter to prepare spongy appos. It should be thick dropping consistency. If you have added in more rava and the batter has turned out too dry on resting, then add in a little bit of water and mix well and if too thin then add a little bit of flour or rava and mix the same.

** To Remove the Appos/ Paniyarams : Heat appo/ paniyaram/ aebleskiver pan and when it is hot add in some melted ghee+ oil in each of the dents. Now lower the heat and gently pour a large tablespoon of the batter into each mold/ dent of the pan. Do not add more batter, it should remain within the level of the molds. Cover with a dome shaped lid and cook on low heat until evenly browned and crisp on the bottom side.

** Note : I always use ghee (toop) and oil (tel/ tela) in a mixed proportion of 1:1 for preparing of sweet appos, something which I learnt from my amma. It gives excellent results without burning the appos at the base. You may use only oil or ghee as desired or as is your method of preparing dosas/ appos etc. 

** When done gently run a blunt knife through the rim edging of each appo and loosen them gently and flip over each appo and cook uncovered for a few minutes till done. Remove with the help of a spoon/ blunt knife and put it in a bowl.

** Repeat the process with the remaining batter until all the batter or the required number of appos has been prepared. Do remember to add in some melted ghee+ oil in each mold/ dent each time the appos are prepared without fail.

** “Jowar- Khajoor Appo (Sorghum- Dates Paniyaram)” are done and ready to be offered to God as Naivedyam/ Prasadam after which you can distribute the same with your family and friends. Though sweet appos are usually prepared as Naivedyam offering to Bhagawan Sri Ganesha, if desired you can always prepare them any other time too as a snack to be served to children or guests or at parties.

** By God’s blessings my measures always give me about 21/ 27 appos in all and I never save the batter to be prepared later on as the fizz in the cooking soda gets lost and I suggest you prepare them all and not store the batter too. In case for any reason you need to prepare the batter prior to preparing appos and stored in fridge then remember to add the cooking soda just before preparing the appo only.

** Do try out these delicious appos/ paniyarams and relish them with your family and friends, you can also send them in lunch boxes or take them to office as they are quite filling and your friends too are sure to love them. It is always a pleasure to share dishes as the joy is doubled on doing so. As I already mentioned in Hinduism we do believe that sharing is caring and Naivedyam should always be shared for receiving blessings abundantly, so always remember to do so and teach younger generation the same too.

** There are many “Appo/ Paniyaram” dishes posted in my Blog, both sweet as for Naivedyams and normal/ plain or spicy ones for breakfast/ tiffin, Do go through the common link provided below for the same and you will find them all in a row, do go through them for more verities and step by step methods too …

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