Vendhaya Kali is a healthy food that cools your body, especially during the summer season. It is a traditional dish from South India, particularly in Tamil Nadu. Usually prepared by soaking rice and fenugreek seeds for 6 to 8 hours, then grinding them into a paste. The mixture is cooked over medium heat with salt, jaggery syrup, ghee or sesame oil and cardamom powder until it reaches a paste or halwa consistency. It is typically served as breakfast in our household. Cooking it from scratch can be tedious, but having an instant kali mix powder at home makes it easy. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients: Yields approximately 1 KG | Kali mix Powder

• 4 cups - Idli rice 
• 1/2 cup - Fenugreek seeds / Methi seeds/ Vendhayam

1. Wash and soak idli rice and fenugreek seeds together for 6 to 8 hours. Drain the water completely using a strainer and allow them to dry on a cotton cloth or tissue paper in sunlight.
2. Sun dry until no moisture remains. The mixture should be completely dry and return to its original form.
3. Next, grind them into a fine powder. You can either use a flour mill for a perfect texture or a mixer grinder until it becomes a fine powder.
4. Thoroughly sieve the powder and let it cool down completely before storing it in an airtight container. If all the steps are followed correctly, it will stay good for months or longer.

Ingredients: Vendhaya Kali

• 1 cup - Vendhaya kali mix powder
• 1 cup - Jaggery (or add as needed)
• 1 to 2 tbsp - Ghee | Sesame oil
• A pinch of cardamom powder
• Salt to taste
• Water as needed - to mix the batter and to melt the jaggery

Preparation:

1. Take a pan and melt jaggery with enough water to cover the jaggery completely. Ensure it melts thoroughly, then filter and set aside.
2. In a bowl, mix 1 cup of Vendhaya Kali mix powder, salt to taste, and enough water to make a loose batter. Sieve the batter through a strainer to keep it free of lumps. Set aside.
3. In a wide and large pan, heat at least 4 to 5 cups of water until it boils. Reserve 2 ladles of water for later use. Gradually add the prepared batter while stirring continuously to prevent sticking at the bottom.
4. As you stir, the batter will thicken into a paste-like consistency. By this time, the rice and fenugreek mixture will have cooked perfectly.
5. Slowly pour in the jaggery syrup into the batter while stirring continuously to avoid lumps. Add a pinch of cardamom powder and ghee or sesame oil at regular intervals. Continue to cook over medium heat until it reaches a halwa-like consistency.
6. Switch off the stove, and your Vendhaya Kali is ready. Once it cools down, it will thicken further. Instead of shaping it into balls, scoop a ladleful of kali into your bowl and enjoy it as it is. Alternatively, like us, you can enhance the flavor by adding a little ghee and sprinkling jaggery powder on top of the kali.

Notes: