Thirattipaal
I made this (well.. technically under the guidance of my mil) for my mommy’s b’day! Happy b’day amma. Hope you live happy & strong for the next umpteen birthdays! A month or so back, I was simply asking both my mil & my mom as to what sweets they specifically like since both their birthdays fall in July and I realised 31 years of being with my mum & 7 years of being with my MIL has still not made me understand what food they like to eat. I feel very bad when I think about it because these people (and mostly all moms) have probably spent their lives making food that others like. Having said that, I am glad I asked them the question atleast now :). Both of them said they like milk based sweets (after thinking a bit) and they couldn’t exactly pin point one or a few dishes (I don’t think anyone has probably ever asked this question to them :(). Anywho, so for mom’s b’day it’s thirattipaal & I am hoping to make peda or something for my MILs b’day. The recipe is really simple but it requires time & so patience :). You don’t need to be around all the time but just need to keep an eye on it while doing other stuff to ensure you don’t burn the sweet. The sweet in itself was delish and a definite keeper. Of course, it’s probably just easy to buy a packet of thirattipaal if you think about it but these days I am increasingly valuing anything home made & fresh.
This section is more of a documentation for my own self of the absolute cute answers my mom gave on her birthday eve 🙂 (I just decided to throw random life questions at her and she’s always a sport and a cutie and so, answered all those questions happily for me). I asked her what she thinks she has achieved in the last many years of her life and her answer is synonymous to the kind of person she actually is. Though, she has achieved a lot of things in life she still has a thirst to learn more things, do more things & it’s amazing how she has it. She wants to teach more kids, she wants to learn a year of tailoring :). When I asked her what she is most happy about, she pointed out to me, my bro & my dad & I am not surprised at all. She is most happy about the fact that she didn’t have to change a bit after she got married. Sometimes, simple things like this give you a lot of contentment & satisfaction. It’s just about realising those things & recognizing those things. As I write this today, I am also realising how important it is for me to realise & recognise these things in my life. Anywho, the gyaan section of the blog is now officially over & you may proceed to reading the recipe now :). Happy day to you folks!
- 1 litre full cream/ full fat cow's milk
- 3/4 cup jaggery
- 4 pods cardamom
- a pinch edible camphor (optional)
- 15-20 drops lemon juice you can alternate with 2 tsp curd
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In a heavy bottom vessel, pour in the milk & bring it to a boil.
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When it comes to a boil, reduce the flame to the lowest (simmer) and throw in the small cup into the vessel (this helps in the milk not boiling out of the vessel).
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Keep an eye on the milk every 5-10 minutes once and ensure you keep scraping the sides of the vessel (this helps in ensuring you don't have any burnt parts of the milk solids that start to form).
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While the milk is reducing & thickening, powder the cardamom seeds & edible camphor. Set it aside.
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At one stage, the milk will resemble the consistency of condensed milk (reduces to 1/4th it's original quantity). At this stage, add the powdered jaggery.
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Adding the jaggery will make the milk thinner yet again. Keep stirring once again every few minutes and keep a close eye since at this stage, it's easy to burn the thirattipaal. Also, add the ghee at this stage.
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When the mixture thickens (about after 10 mins of adding the jaggery), squeeze the lemon juice. Mix well.
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After adding the lemon juice, you will notice the mixture starts to separate a bit.
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Add the cardamom/ camphor powder now and mix well.
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Keep stirring every few minutes once till the time the mixture starts to leave the sides of the vessel. At this stage, the thirattipaal is ready. Turn off the heat.
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Let the mixture cool down a bit before you dig in. Alternatively, transfer to an air tight container & store at room temperature easily for upto a week.
- My mil dry roasted the cardamom seeds in a small pan. She says it is easier to powder it that way.
- You can substitute 1/2 cup refined sugar instead of jaggery.
- You can substitute 2 tsp of regular yogurt/ curd instead of lemon juice.Â
Stepwise pictures
In a heavy bottom vessel, pour the milk & bring it to a boil.
When the milk starts to boil, put inside a small vessel such as the one in the pic which will help avoid the milk from boiling over & out of the vessel.
Reduce the flame to the lowest possible option & let the milk continue boiling.
Every 5 mins once, just scrap the sides of the vessels to ensure no milk solids gets burnt.
Meanwhile, powder the cardamom seeds along with the edible camphor after removing the cardamom skin. My mil dry roasted the cardamom seeds so that it’s easy to grind.
Continue to check & scrape the sides of the milk vessel.
You will notice that the milk quantity reduces to about 1/4th of it’s original quantity & it will also be quite thick (similar to condensed mik).
At this stage, add the powdered jaggery & continue mixing.
The water from the jaggery will make the milk liquidish once again & keep stirring.
Also, add the ghee at this stage and continue mixing.
Once it thickens (after about 10 mins of adding the jaggery), add the lemon juice drops.
Continue mixing & add the powdered cardamom & edible camphor.
Mix well. Stir every few mins once. When the thirattipaal mixture starts to leave the sides of the vessel as in this pic, we know the final product is ready to be consumed :). Turn off the heat.
Leave it in the vessel for sometime. You will notice it’ll thicken further. Transfer to an air tight container and enjoy. It stays fresh upto a week.
