Karthigai Pori Recipe | Nel Pori Recipe

Priya Santhamohan

Karthigai Pori Recipe / Nel Pori Recipe is specially made on the day of Karthigai Deepam Festival and offered as a Neiveidyam to Lord Murugan. Even beginners in the kitchen can try this recipe, and there is no need to roll it into balls, just spread and keep it as such.

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Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 15 mins

Course Festival Recipes, Karthigai Deepam Recipes, Sweet

Cuisine Tamilnadu, South Indian

Servings 3 People

Calories

Equipment

Stovetop

Ingredients

2 Cups Nel Pori / Aval Pori / நெல் பொரி
1 tsp Ghee / நெய் Link for Homemade Ghee
2 tbsp Coconut Pieces / தேங்காய் துண்டுகள்
1 tbsp Fried Gram / பொட்டுக்கடலை
½ Cup Jaggery / வெல்லம்
Water / தண்ணீர் (Immersing level for Jaggery)
Cardamom / ஏலக்காய்
1 Pinch Dry Ginger Powder / Sukku / சுக்கு

Instructions

First, measure and keep all the ingredients ready. Add 1/2 cup of jaggery in a small pan and pour hot water, just for immersing level, so jaggery gets dissolved easily. Chop the coconut into bite-sized pieces. Crush cardamom pods else you can use 1/2 tsp of cardamom powder too.
Heat 1 tsp of ghee in a pan, add the coconut pieces and fry till golden colour.
Heat the jaggery in low flame, till it completely dissolves. Add the cardamom, dry ginger powder and remove from flame. Filter it to remove the impurities.
Heat the filtered jaggery again in low flame, first bubbles appear and the jaggery starts to thicken now.
Keep water in a small bowl readily to check the syrup consistency. Pour 2 drops of jaggery syrup in the water, if it dissolves the syrup is thin. If it stands firmly in the water, then try to roll into a ball. If you are able to make a SOFTBALL, then it’s the right consistency. Switch off the flame immediately.
To a wide bowl, add the fried coconut pieces, nel pori, fried gram and then pour the jaggery syrup.
Mix it well, so that the nel pori and jaggery coats well. First, it may look sticky, when it cools you can separate it.
Try this Nel Pori Recipe for this Karthigai Deepam Festival.

Notes

Tips for Nel Pori Recipe

1. This nel pori is different from the regular pori / puffed rice. Traditionally this nel pori is used for making this Karthigai Pori Recipe.
2. If you are not able to get this nel pori, you can dry roast thick poha/aval in a pan in low flame till it fluffs up. It takes about 15 minutes to fry 2 cups of poha and do it in 2 batches, so it get fried properly.
3. Addition of coconut pieces lends a nice taste and crunchiness to the Nel Pori Recipe.
4. Use Paagu/Urundai/Mandai vellam (jaggery) to get a bright colour. Also, Adjust jaggery as per sweetness required.
5. Jaggery syrup consistency is very important for this recipe. Always make this syrup / paagu in low flame only, as there is a chance to miss the syrup consistency.
6. Use very little water only to make the jaggery syrup (immersing level) otherwise it takes time to get the required consistency.
7. Be alert when the syrup starts to thicken itself and keep a bowl of water nearby. When you drop a pinch of syrup in the water,

1st stage - the syrup dissolves in the water, if you pour this syrup to the pori, it wont stick and the pori turns soggy.
2nd stage - the syrup stands not dissolves, you should be able to make a soft ball. Do not pass this soft ball stage, else the pori turns chewy.

8. Even 1 tsp of black sesame seeds can be added finally, it gives a nice taste too.
9. Addition of dry ginger powder/sukku lends a nice flavour and helps in digestion.
10. Use a wide pan for easy mixing. At first, the pori mixture looks sticky but once it cools down, it separates easily.

Keyword Karthigai Pori Recipe, Nel Pori Recipe