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Ellu Sadam recipe with video. Ellu sadam (sesame rice) is made with sesame seeds (til in Hindi). It is mostly made for neivedhyam (prasad) on Saturdays on the auspicious Tamil month of “Purattasi”.
It is also distributed on the Saturdays in temple by people who make parigaram for “Sani Bhagavaan”. Ellu is celebrated to be one of the “Navadhaniyam”.
Ellu also happens to be one of the ingredients that helps you to gain weight. So if you happen to be on the leaner side and trying to put on weight, add more sesame seeds in your diet.
Ellu sadam happens to be one of the kalandha sadam that is not only aromatic but also healthy and quick to make in a jiffy if you had planned and made the (ellu podi) powder in advance.
This recipe is as shared and made by my classmate Chitra Subramaniam’s Grandma. Chitra’s father happened to be head of the temple committee in our colony.
He also conducted sloka chanting classes every Saturday evening in the temple and many of my classmates including me attended it.
As we only had half a day school on Saturdays, I would go home, finish lunch, then head over to Chitra’s home where we will finish off our homework and then will head together to the sloka class.
And every Saturday, without fail Chitra’s grandma will make this ellu sadam, pack it in a thooku along with dhonnais to take with us.
It is our job to distribute it as Prasad after the class gets over to all the students and the general public who were present in the temple.
At that time I did not realise it as I thought of it as a chore or duty to distribute Prasad but now I realise that there is as much joy in giving as it is in receiving.
I have scaled down her recipe and giving the version of making at home and for distribution as Prasad in temples.
Instead of using plain white rice like I have done here, you can use millets, brown rice or quinoa as well.
General tips while making Sesame Rice:
Black urad dal with skin is used for making the powder.
If it is not available use the skinned white urad dal.
Always use raw rice (pacharisi sadam) instead of using boiled rice.
You can add coriander seeds also while making the powder.
Asafoetida is not to be added in this recipe at all anywhere.
As the rice is made with ellu (sesame), it is highly recommended to use sesame oil instead of using any other vegetable oil.
If you have an ammi kal (silbatta) at home or a Ural, powder it manually in either of them for authentic taste and for the perfect textured ellu podi.
When grinding in a mixie jar, the heat of the machine will make the sesame to give out oil quickly.
So pulse at regular intervals otherwise the powder will look like a thick paste and won’t mix with oil well when tempering.
Ellu sadam tends to get dry quickly. So always keep it tightly packed and closed at all times. Otherwise it will be difficult to swallow while eating.
You can double or triple up the powder recipe and store the remaining powder in the refrigerator upto a fortnight without losing its freshness and aroma.
If storing at room temperature use within a week.
When making for prasad distribution in temples:
Replace white sesame seeds with black sesame seeds. Meaning only black sesame is used for neivedhyam.
Traditionally for tempering, only mustards seeds are used.
The ellu podi is then added and mixed with rice and salt. No other ingredients are added in tempering.
How else you can use the Ellu Podi:
You can use it to make ellu sevai by replacing rice with sevai or idiyappam.
Use it as a filling to stuff kozhukattai to make savoury ellu kozhukattai instead of sweet ones.
Use it as a spice powder while making ammini kozhukattai.
Sprinkle generously on top of savoury overnight oats, Pazhaya sadam, Bagala bath etc.,
Other Kalandha sadam varieties from the blog,
Coconut rice
Coconut quinoa
Maa inji sadam
Millet Tamarind rice
Karuveppilai sadam
Ellu Sadam Video Tutorial:
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Ellu Sadam recipe card with video below:
Recipe
Ellu Sadam - Sesame Rice
Easy and healthy Ellu Sadam made using both black and white sesame seeds. Make the spiced ellu podi ahead and store for a week or so to pack in lunch box easily by mixing it with cooked rice. It is also vegan and gluten free.
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Prep Time : 5 minutes mins
Cook Time : 15 minutes mins
Servings : 3
Course : Main
Cuisine : South Indian
Author : Radhika
Ingredients
- Cooked raw rice - 2 cups
For ellu powder:
- Chana Dal - 1 tbsp
- Black Urad dal with skin - 1 tbsp
- Black Sesame Seeds - 1 tbsp
- White Sesame Seeds - 1 tbsp
- Whole Dry Red Chillies - 3
- Black Pepper Corns - ½ tsp
- Curry leaf - 1 sprig
For tempering:
- Mustard seeds - ½ tsp
- Urad dal - 1 tsp
- Chana dal - 1 tsp
- Dry red chillies - 2
- Curry leaf - 1 sprig
- Salt - to taste
- Sesame Oil - 2 tablespoon + 2 tsp
Instructions
To make Ellu Podi for rice:
Heat a pan over medium flame and once it gets hot, add chana dal & dry roast till changes to golden brown colour and gets toasted well. Transfer to a bowl.
Add black urad dal and saute till it gets roasted & aromatic. Transfer to the same bowl.
Add black pepper corns, dry red chillies, curry leaves and saute
By now the pan will be hot enough. Simmer the flame completely and add both the sesame seeds and keep tossing frequently till they start to pop. Transfer to the same bowl and let it cool completely.
Transfer to a mixer jar or coffee grinder and pulse at regular intervals instead of grinding at one go.
The powder should be coarse in texture and the dals should have broken into grits. Transfer to a bowl and let it cool. This can be stored as such in an air tight container to be used within a week when stored at room temperature. If refrigerated, use within a fortnight to ensure the aroma remains the same.
To make ellu sadam:
Heat the same pan with 2 tablespoon sesame oil. When it is hot, add mustard seeds and let it splutter.
Add urad dal, chana dal, broken red chillies, curry leaf and saute till the dal gets roasted to golden brown in colour.
Add required quantity of the ground ellu podi and mix it well with the oil. The oil will almost get absorbed by the powder added.
Now add the cooked rice, salt to taste and mix well so that the powder gets combined well with rice. Make sure that there are no white patches of rice.
Switch off the stove. Drizzle remaining 2 teaspoon sesame oil all over the rice and cover the pan with a lid and let it rest for 4 to 5 mins undisturbed.
If serving immediately, mix once and serve with any side dish of your choice or with chips or vadams.
If serving later, transfer to a serving bowl. Press and pack the rice tightly into the bowl. This is to prevent the rice from drying out. Close the bowl with a tight fitting lid.
Video
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