I made these Chandrakantalu as a guest post for Sonal of SimplyVegetarian777. Let me start with a confession. Sonal asked me for a guest post eons ago. I promised that I would do one but never got around to it. However, as they say better late than never, and so here I am.
Before I go ahead, a word or two about Sonal. She is one of the most generous people you will meet. The only words you hear from her are those in praise. I have met so many fellow bloggers through her.And oh, did I mention that she has an amazing collection of recipes at her blog SimplyVegetarian777? Do visit Sonal’s blog. If you don’t, you will never know what you are missing.
Instead of choosing a recipe myself, I gave Sonal some options and she chose Chandrakanta (or Chandrakantalu in plural). I am glad she chose this sweet because it is often made in Andhra homes during festivals. With the Hindu month of Sravan upon us, there is no dearth of poojas and festivals when Chandrakantalu can be made. It is on my list for any one Sravana Shukravaram (any Friday in Sravan); ideally for Varalakshmi Pooja.
The beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity. Why is that important? Anyone who has been involved in making a traditional naivedyam will know how many different dishes are to be made. These days we limit the number of cooked dishes to eleven (it has to be an odd number); essentially because the family no longer has the capacity to eat more.
In my home, the Pooja does not start till the Maha Naivedyam is made, simply because my father insists that the entire family sit together for the pooja. Being a South Indian household, poojas tend to be early in the day. This means all the cooking starts fairly early in the morning. Given that some must-have dishes are elaborate, I need a couple which are simple so that I can make it to the pooja on time and not have Dad pace the kitchen asking “ayyinda?” every 2 mins (Ayyinda = done?). Then there are things like Rahu Kaalam (inauspicious time of the day) to consider.
One of the simpler sweets that one can make is Chandrakantalu. Made by deep frying pieces of cooked moong dal paste (pesara pappu poornam), this traditional dessert gets done in less than 45 mins (soaking time for the pesara pappu or green gram excluded) and that is a boon for me when I am multitasking before a pooja.
The name Chandrakantalu literally means “loved by the moon” (don’t ask me why) and this deep-fried sweet is traditionally in the shape of the crescent of the moon. However, it is also made in the shape of a diamond, and I chose the latter option.
So without further ado, I present the recipe for Chandrakantalu and hope you like it!
How to Make Chandrakantalu
Makes: 12-16
Soaking Time: 1 Hour
Cooking Time: 45 Mins
Ingredients
- Pesara Pappu or Moong Dal – 1 Cup
- Sugar – 1.5 Cups
- Fresh Grated Coconut – 0.5 Cup
- Green Cardamom – 4 to 6
- Ghee – 0.5 tsp
- Oil for Deep Frying
Method
- Soak the moong dal in 2 cups of water for 1 hour.
- Grease an 8″ plate with the ghee. Set aside.
- Peel the green cardamom and crush the seeds to a fine powder.
- Drain water from the moong dal completely.
- Grind the moong dal to a smooth paste with little (ideally no) water. The water in the soaked moong dal should be enough. If required, add about 1-2 tbsp water not more. If you add a lot of water, the Chandrakantalu will either not set or disintegrate on frying.
- Add the cardamom powder, grated coconut and sugar to the moong dal paste.
- Mix well.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed kadai or wok.
- Add the moong dal paste.
- Over medium heat, cook the paste while stirring constantly till it begins to form a thick paste. Initially, the paste will thin a bit and bubble because of the water in the sugar. This paste is called pesara pappu poornam.
- Spread the paste in the greased plate to form a layer that is about 0.5″ to 0.75″ thick.
- Cut into squares or diamond shapes. Ensure you cut well because you will have to remove one piece at a time and fry it.
- Set aside for 10 minutes or till the paste cools and solidifies a bit.
- In a wok or kadai, heat enough oil to deep fry the pieces. The oil should be medium hot. To test the heat of oil, add a pinch of the moong dal paste to it. The piece should sink to the bottom and immediately rise to the top and fry on the top.
- Using a knife, gently remove one piece at a time from the greased plate and deep fry till golden brown.
- Let cool to room temperature.
- Enjoy!
- If you wish to store Chandrakantalu, do so in an air-tight container.
- If you are going to finish the sweet in a day or two, you need not refrigerate it.
- If you plan to savour the sweet over several days, I would recommend you refrigerate it and warm as many as you need just before eating.
Tip
- You can use the Pesara Pappu Poornam to make Pesara Pappu Bobbattlu (Moong Dal Puran Poli).
Who can resist fried sweets? Looks delicious 🙂
As you can see from the post, not me…. 🙂 🙂
Loved your narration Aruna, specially Ayyinda, raghu kalam how nice, I enjoyed it so much :). I know nowadays we restrict the number of dishes…I have never had these chandrakantalu and as you use moong dal should be a protein packed sweet, need to try it soon 🙂
I am sure many a South Indian can relate to the pressures of a religious event.
And of course Raahu Kaalam!
A couple of years ago, I was in-charge of a friend’s bypass surgery. My only job was to ensure that he made it out of the room and into the OT before Rahu Kaalam started. Given that the surgery was on a Monday, that was about 7:30 AM. I was busy hustling the attending and the resident to move my friend out of the room by 7:15 AM. 🙂
Oh my god, that’s an achievement I say 🙂
I thought it was a wonderful guest post and delicious recipe.
looks so very delicious !!!
Aruna…Chandrakantalu…loooks super delicious!
Traditional recipes always rocks.. Having a sweet tooth new sweet tempts me a lot.. Will try soon
Love it, especially the romantic name!
Ive never had this, but the name intrigues me. What an unusual name! Let me see if I can taste it in a restaurant before I make my own.
Hi Namrata! You may find it at a South Indian wedding or in someone’s home. I have never seen it in a restaurant. 🙂
Invite me Aruna.. ;)haha
Welcome! Anytime… 🙂
Reblogged this on MAXIMUSOPTIMUSDOMINUS.
Gorgeous!!
wow……a long waited dish turns out great. Mung dal is very dear to us. I will definitely try this one. 🙂
Amazing….
Never heard of this!! It looks so delicious, got to try this! 🙂
Sweet and fried? Yummy combination, Sonal! Looks like a delicious post to share as a guest blogger. 🙂
I have a cook book with this recipe but never tried it. I was waiting for someone who has knowledge of it to acknowledge it. 🙂 Here we go!
Aruna, this is new and sounds like such a treat! Thanks for sharing 🙂