Tirunelveli Manoharam

One of the most – loved traditional sweets of Tamil Nadu is manoharam. Also known as manovalam or paruppu thengai, this sweet which is essentially murukku dipped in jaggery syrup makes an appearance as part of the seer bakshanam in almost every religious ceremony in Tamil Nadu.

There are two popular versions of the manoharam made across the state namely the Thanjavur manoharam that is also known as thenkuzhal manoharam made from rice flour, urad dal flour, jaggery, ghee, the famous Uthukuli butter, dry ginger powder and cardamom powder and the Tirunelveli manoharam made from besan, rice flour, ghee, jaggery, dry ginger powder and cardamom powder.

First, besan is sieved thoroughly after which rice flour is added and sieved. Salt, ghee and hot oil are added to this mixture with a little water. The dough is kneaded well till soft. It is important that the dough is a little sticky for it to be pressed easily into the murukku press.

Oil is heated in a large kadai on medium flame. A portion of the dough is put into the press and squeezed slowly into the oil and fried till it is evenly coloured. It is taken out and allowed to cool. It is best to fry the murukku in batches.

In the meantime, powdered jaggery, sugar and a little water are heated in a pan till it reaches the right consistency. It is taken off the flame and allowed to cool. Dry ginger powder, cardamom powder and a spoonful of ghee are added to it and mixed well. The jaggery syrup must be non – sticky for proper coating.

The murukku is broken into pieces and spread on a wide plate. The jaggery syrup is poured over it and mixed with a ladle to ensure even coating. The murukku will begin to cool rapidly and separate. You can either make balls or serve them as individual pieces.

Written by Lakshmi Subramanian