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Ingredients

  • Raw rice / Sona masoori rice - 1/2 cup
  • Water - 3/4 cup to soak
  • Country sugar or powdered jaggery - 3/4 cup adjust according to the flour- refers notes
  • Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
  • Ghee - to knead the lamp 3 teaspoon approx

Instructions

  • Rinse the raw rice well (few times)
  • Soak the rice for at least one hour
  • After an hour drain the water and discard (using a colander if needed)
  • Spread the rice with hands and slightly tilt and keep colander to discard the excess water
  • Spread the rice on a towel and let it dry for 12 - 15 minutes. Excess water will be dried but  If you take the rice in your hand, slight moisture (dampness can be felt in hands)
  • Grind it immediately in a mixie for a smooth rice flour
  • Place a parchment paper or a wide plate and sieve the rice for a smooth rice flour
  • If you get lumps crush it with hands  and grind the lumps and sieve again
  • Transfer the smooth rice flour into a maavilakku plate
  • Add country sugar and mix well
  • Mix well the moisture in the country sugar helps for kneading
  • Add cardamom powder and mix well
  • After the  mass of flour holds shape add little ghee and mix well
  • If you want the maa vilakku to hold shape after storing use unmelted ghee but if you prefer powdered maavu use melted ghee
  • I added around 3 teaspoon of melted ghee and kneaded
  • Split into two equal portion and roll into a ball or lamp shape
  • Make a small dent at the top for lighting the lamp
  • Add ghee in the dent and keep panju thiri
  • We make a garland by combing panju thiri and keep kumkum in between and place it around the maavilakku
  • Maavilakku is ready for deepam / pooja

Video

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Notes

  1. Always make two maavilakku as vilakku is prepared in pair
  2. Sona masoori rice requires slightly more jaggery compared to raw rice. Always add jaggery according to the flour
  3. Adjust country sugar/jaggery powder according to the rice flour. Typically we require equal amount or slightly more
  4. Mix rice flour and country sugar well. The key to finding if you have added the right amount of country sugar is when you try to hold the mixture you should able to hold together
  5. Try to make maavilakku immediately after grinding rice flour. Rice flour dried for a longer time might turn lumpy
  6. Rice flour - jaggery can be pulsed once for easy mixing but avoid grinding
  7. If you are using store-bought rice flour don’t miss pulsing it once /twice with jaggery flour as it will be extremely dry
  8. Amount of ghee depends on the flour and your desired maavilakku texture
  9. I have heard from friends that honey can be used for making maa vilakku but as we never did it at home I am not sure about it
  10. Traditionally maa vilakku offering is  done with rice flour I am not sure about millet, quinoa or any other flour usage
  11. We prefer melted ghee for maavu. With unmelted ghee, we get a texture like a Urundai which is not done in our home
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