Sweet Thenkuzhal

  Thenkuzhal to people in most parts of tamilnadu would be those crispy entwined ball like snack, otherwise in simple words Murukku (of course one other form of it). But for the people of southern TN its that ladder shaped sweet which is more like honey comb that oozes out sweet syrup when you bite into it. Most festive seasons are incomplete without this sweet from street side vendors making it fresh and hot. I still remember my granddad bringing it from town in palm leaf baskets which adds that extra flavor to the sweet.
  I remember my grand mom and mom making this at home as a kid but mostly we can get it so fresh from the markets so why bother yourself with all those labor. Few months back out of the blue the kids had been talking too much about this sweet so I had been searching for the recipe. Luckily I found it and gave it a try. The end result was almost the same except the shape. You can figure out the difference from the pictures.

Here's how the store-bought thenkuzhal looks.  

INGREDIENTS :

Raw Rice  : 11/4 Cup
Urad Dal   : 1/4 Cup
Salt            : Pinch
Sugar         : 11/2 Cup
Water         : 1/2 Cup
Oil             : For frying

And here's my homemade version.

METHOD :

              Soak the rice and urad dal for about four hours and grind them to a smooth thick batter. Add a pinch of salt and mix well and leave it for about 8 to 12 hours.
            When ready to fry the thenkuzhal, make the sugar syrup. Dissolve the sugar in water and heat on medium flame. The syrup is ready when it gets to one string consistency. (When the syrup starts to thicken just rub a drop of the syrup between two fingers and pull them apart, you will see a string between the two fingers) .
            Heat oil in a pan at medium high temperature. The oil should be hot to squeeze the batter. Either fill the batter, (which is a bit thicker than pancake batter) in a funnel cake mold or if you feel more comfortable, do it using a ziplock or icing bag and squeeze in to the shape of a ladder or any shape you may be more comfortable with. Let it cook for 2 mins on both sides or until light golden and crisp.
  Once done remove from oil, dip it into sugar syrup for about 2 mins and remove to a serving plate. Thenkuzhal mittai is ready. For those out there with a sweet tooth this one would delight you.