12 Oct 2011

Thirattupaal - As Wedding Seer


"Thirattupaal" -  "Sweetened Milk Kova" from Tamil Nadu. This is one of my favourite sweet treats. The name translates to "Thirattu means - to gather" and "Paal means milk", both put together "to gather milk"

During my visit to India in March this year, I purchased the cookbook named "Samaithu Paar" by S.Meenakshi Ammal. Honestly what do we look for when we buy cookbooks - glossy cover and pages, colourful bright pictures that makes us want to make the recipe right away, chic explanation, substitutes for certain ingredients etc.

Now we have the "internet" to know about cookbooks that are in the market, wether it is worth buying or not and so many tools to promote a cookbook like websites, media coverage and interviews with the author.


This book does not fit the above criteria. The first part of the book was published in 1951, the year when my mother was born. Not many publishers were keen to publish a cookbook especially by a female when education for women was just dawning in the society.

Even after 50 years of publishing the book, its sales is still going strong. Only after reading through the books I knew why. The author has given every minute detail with all the traditional recipes right from "Marriage preparations to festivals to seemandham celebrations and everything in between".

It does not have any pics or any fancy font writing, but I immensely enjoyed reading all the three parts. I felt so at home and was utterly transported to the "golden oldie days" when the laborious task of making all the sweets and savories were done at home with the help of extended family, the wedding celebrations and the festivities..:)


There is an interesting chapter about "Wedding Seer Bakshanams" describing the varieties of sweets, savories and the exact number of each variety that should be given to the bride and groom. More to come in the future posts..:)

This humble sweet has a very solid history and takes an important place in "Wedding Seer" especially among families hailing from Madurai. During the early hours of the morning of the wedding, the bride's family will go the groom's place accompanied by the "Nadaswaram music" and offer everything from hair oil to hand mirror. They also offer "Thirattupaal", "Athirasam","Manoharam" etc, collectively known as "Pongal Dosai".... very interesting , isn't it..


This sweet is not complicated and has only 3-4 ingredients. I prefer to give this to my daughter as it does not have any added colours , no frying involved and very little ghee is used.

It is just plain milk sweetened with jaggery, flavoured with aromatic cardamom and pachai karpooram....


Cooking time: 1 hour to 1and half hours.

For the sweet:
Whole milk/ full fat milk: 6 cups [preferably from the previous evening]
Powdered jaggery: 3/4 cup.
Cardamom:4-5 [powdered]
Pachai Karpooram [edible camphor]: small pinch [optional]
Ghee:2 tsp [optional]


1.Heat the milk in a heavy bottomed wide mouthed vessel on low flame.
2.Do not allow the milk to boil over vigorously. Just keep stirring continuously with a wooden spoon in a very gentle simmer.
3.Scrape the milk residue deposited on the sides. See that the residue does not stick to the bottom of the vessel.
4.When the contents becomes semi-solid [mud like consistency], add the jaggery powder and cardamom powder.
5.Mix well until all the jaggery is melted and the contents turn very light brown.
6.Remove from fire and add the ghee and pachai karpooram [if using]. Mix well.

Let it cool and store in a clean vessel tightly closed. It keeps well in the fridge for upto 4 days.


Note: Old milk is preferred as when it cooks and solidifies, it attains a grainy consistency. Very fresh milk gives a smooth paste like consistency. Add a table spoon of curd if using fresh milk.

Even if the contents is semi solid when removing from flame, it thickens quite well when cooled. If good quality milk is used, then at the end stage when the milk attains the mud like consistency, ghee oozes from the milk solids. This in itself is enough to make the thirattupaal non sticky and rich.

The jaggery I used is pale brown in colour, so that is why the sweet is pale brown in colour. You can substitute sugar in place of jaggery.

Sending this to the following events

Diwali Special Sweets and Savories by Radhika


Festival Potluck by Denny and Krithi


Diwali Sweet Recipes : Festival Recipes by Sameena Prathap.


Only-Sweets and Desserts , an event by Pari , guest hosted by Gayathri.


My Diwali My Way by Khushi


Diwali Festival of Lights by Anu.


Enjoy....


Scribbled by Reva

53 comments:

Umm Mymoonah said...

Wow! Yummy! Cute little pots and nice pictures.

alpana said...

Wow......awesome recipe & the clicks are amazing Rewa.....Thanks for sharing.

Sayantani Mahapatra Mudi said...

beautiful photography and the sweet looks great.

Sumee said...

Love love love your presentation.. Dish looks really rich!

Torviewtoronto said...

delicious looking sweet looks wonderful

San said...

Interesting read with the fantastic thiratipaal. Vibrant pot that adds more life to the pics.

MyKitchen Flavors-BonAppetit!. said...

Fantastic Thirattu Paal recipe dear.Home-made Khova is always good and healthy.Well presented dear.Luv it.

Unknown said...

wow, that looks so cute, you presentation and everything and thanks for all the info :)

KrithisKitchen said...

Beautifully presented! thanks for linking to our event...
Krithi's Kitchen
Event: Serve It - Festival Potluck

Unknown said...

Lovely writeup and next thing I look for such book when I visit bookshop nearby. I must say here, your thirattupal with cute mini pot is excellent and appropriate photo for the subject.

Cheers,
Uma
My Kitchen Experiments

Pavithra Elangovan said...

Sweet post and sweet looking pictures.. absolutely making me drool ...

Suja Manoj said...

Awesome clicks,delicious dessert..

Prabha Mani said...

Wow...nice clicks,very cute presentation!!Loved it :)

Sravs said...

very interesting and delicious thirattupaal !!excellent presentation !!

Ongoing event CC-What's For Friday Dinner

Rekha shoban said...

my favourite sweet!lovely presentation n nice click!

Unknown said...

colorful post and theratipaal looks yum!

Kalyani said...

wow yummy and lovely pictures !!!!

Mélange said...

Awesome traditional recipe there Reva.While going through what you wrote about cookbooks,I thought it's most often substance that should be mattered.I mean,when we go for those traditional recipes,it's always wise and advisable to select such a book.It will be far ahead the glossy books which may have the pomp and show,but the substance may be poor.Here I guess you have a wonderful book to add your collection.

Before leaving I should mention about the way you photograph. Amazing work dear.Keep it up !

arthi said...

looks yummy..I love it..

Spice said...

sweet looks great....it's just like khoya we make plus camphoor & I love freshly made...btw I use to have same groom & bride dolls, i think mine r packed in some box...

Mahi said...

Have heard about this sweet,but never get a chance to taste it! I can finish of the full pot..hehe!!! :P :P

Nice recipe Reva!

Vardhini said...

My favorite sweet .. perfectly done and captured Reva.

Vardhini
Event: Halloween Fiesta

Unknown said...

Beautifully presented and yummy looking thiratu paal

Gayathri Kumar said...

Wonderful clicks, Reva! Thirattuppal looks so inviting and thanks for sending..

Indian Khana said...

Looks yum and beautiful clicks ...love the dolls n pot

Ambreen (Simply Sweet n Savory) said...

Very beautifully presented, lovely clicks. Looks really good!

Prema said...

wow wonderful and fab post,lovely clicks...

Saraswathi Iyer said...

Looks delicious and its my fav one. Feel like having now. Nice clicks.

Menaga Sathia said...

wowww lovely presentation..delicious milk sweet!!

Priya Suresh said...

I can die for this beautiful sweet, i remember my grandma was having this samaithu paar cookbook in her book shelf,unfortunately i forget to carry it along with me..

chef and her kitchen said...

nice post n I absoluetly loved those pots..superb sweet

layaa said...

Reva, no words dear,ur clicks speaks morethan ur recipe.I can't takeout of my eyes from the photos,i love the pot soo much ,its amazing.

Unknown said...

wow awesome dear...you rock with your pictorials....

love it!

Thanks much for linking it to my event.

CHECK OUT My DIWALI Event and Recipes
100 Friends/Followers & GIVEAWAY

Radhika said...

Love the dolls and the presentation R. Too beautiful.

Ramya said...

Thatz a treat to eyes!! Brings in all festive spirit!! Awesome!

Rani acharyulu said...

Lovely looking dols and pot filled with yummy sweet....nice and beautiful clicks!

Nalini's Kitchen said...

Looks so yummy and delicious,awesome clicks..

Sangeetha M said...

hi Reva
yesterday i checked out this recipe soon after u posted it(6 min) but becoz of my kids not able to leave my comment in time..sorry for that...
Lovely write up Reva...i am impressed so much and got to know some more interesting information...btw thirattu paal looks so yummy...amazing presentation n loved all your clicks !!!

Neha said...

Wow...Nice and easy recipe...Looks yummy

Vineetha Sush said...

Thanks for dropping by and leaving comment in my space..Happy to find out u r in U.K too, I live in London.
This posts looks sooo colourful ...

divya said...

Wow......awesome recipe & the clicks are amazing Rewa.....Thanks for sharing.

Saji said...

Wonderful recipe and awesome clicks

Shylaja said...

Nice clicks.Thiratti pal looks yummy

Nandinis food said...

I love this sweet! The presentation is beautiful and cute!

dassana | veg recipes of india said...

cute and beautiful pics rewa... first time to your site.

yesterday i could not comment as i could not see any font on the website. don't know why.

so i was like... today i will check your site again to see if the font is visible. it worked and i am able to comment :-)

lovely space you have...

Pari Vasisht said...

Nice clicks dear and a well written post. Thanks for sending it to my event but for winning the giveaway pls leave the link in my page.


FOODELICIOUS

EVENT FOR OCTOBER & GIVEAWAY, ‘ONLY’- SWEETS & DESSERTS

Recipeswap said...

Beautiful pics! perfect for kids too as you rightly mentioned.

Madhu said...

Wonderful recipe! Weddings have a charm of their own isnt it?!

Dolly Sharma said...

Reva, Beautiful Clicks and very colorful and pleasing presentation. Absolutely love it. Thirattuppal looks very inviting. I'm sure if u serve it in these beautiful pots, who can say No..

Hamaree Rasoi said...

Marvelous sweet recipe dear. Th pots and dolls look so cute and eye catching.

Deepa
Hamaree Rasoi

Priya dharshini said...

Luvly pot and the rajasthani couple.This is my fav sweet..Awesome post revathy.

Unknown said...

My Mom made this many years back and it brought back good memories when I saw your Therattipaal. WOnderful photos!! tempting presentation:)

themustardseed said...

Wow you have such a lovely collection of Indian sweets..I was not sure which one I should comment on. I love boondi laddoo and this jaggery sweetened mava looks absolutely delicious! Love the clicks!

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