Rice Karuvadam - Tamil nadu style

Before I go into the recipe, please don't lose your heart if you don't get it successfully in one or two attempts. I have tried quite a few times before I could get consistency. If you are in TN you should complete Karuvadam before April 15 or so. If you are outside India, just make sure that there is sunshine, at the same time, the temperature should not cross 35. If it becomes too hot, the Karuvaram will not dry evenly. This is what I heard from others. I know generally Karuvadam is done in Feb-March itself. Ideally if you have someone to assist esp. while pressing, it would make it easier and faster.

Flour: I bought Rice(ask for Rice for Arisi maavu) from local grocery store. Grind the rice in machine. Alternatively, you can soak the rice in water for an hour and then dry it on cloth then grind it in mixie. Then you have sieve to get nice flour. Keep this ready. I am describing the procedure for 6 Azakku ( will call it as CUP from now on)of Rice flour(About 1 kg)

Other ingredients: Perungayam - 3 small pieces; Green chilli: 10 nos. Lemon: 4 nos; Salt: 3 tablespoon. Javvarisi - about 200 grams.; water 15 cups [Please note quantity of water required may vary from rice to rice. Please be careful while adding water as mentioned later in the procedure.]

Procedure:

• Soak Javvarisi overnight.


• Soak Perungayam also overnight.


• Chop the chillies and grind it in mixie. filter the juice and keep. Repeat the process 3/4 times and throwaway the hard stuff.


• Add 3 table spoons of common salt to this chilli juice and mix it.


• Now grind javvarasi in Mixie.


• Now take 12 cups of water. Heat the remaining 2 cups and keep it separate.


• Now pour mashed Javvarisi into water and mix it well. 
• Now start heating the mix. This needs to be continued until Javvarisi water mix becomes glossy in color and the Javvarisi looks transparent and water is boiling.  This takes above 15 to 20 minutes.
• Now add Chilli extract and soaked perungayam and salt and mix it well.


• Lower the flame.
• Start adding rice flour now in small quantities while stirring the mix continuously.


• You need to keep mixing right through. After you poured all rice flour keep mixing for 10 mts until the rice flour is fully mixed andis not visible in the mix. If the mix is too hard, you can add hot water you kept separately. Don't add more water than what you have kept separately. Remember mixing at this stage will be tough. Now switch off the flame.
• Take it off the stove and allow it to cool for 30 mts. During this period, keep mixing once in a while.


• Now crush lemons and filter the seeds out and add it to the above mix.
• Now comes the important step: Taste the flour for Urappu, uppu and Pulippu. If anything is less, you may add now and mix it well.


• Keep 8 feet X 3 feet plastic sheet ready for drying vadam.


• You also have to keep the Karuvadam press with proper Villai washed and ready.


• Now you are ready to start pressing the flour into vadam.


• I used many presses, the one in brass we bought from Kumbakonam(Meenakshi brand) gave the best results. The key is the Villai should fit properly without any gap in the sides, so that when you press the dough does not escape through the gap.


• Usually if you use the press I used, you should get 4 Vadams for each serve.


• You can use other villais of your liking like Nada or others.


• While refilling, clean the inside and outside surface of the press. Dip your finger in little bit of water and then fill the press with flour. While filling make sure that there are no uncooked rice flour and no air gap.


• Leave it under the sun for entire day. While bringing the sheet back into the house, make sure that you don't disturb the Vadams.


• Put the Vadam sheet under the sun for second day as well. At this stage you can peel off the vadam and invert it so that the other side will get dried during the second day.


• Dry for 3rd day also. By this time, if it is not fully dried, you may have to keep it under sun for one more day. 
• Once Vadam is fully dried, remove it from sun and keep it open in shade for 2 days inside the house.

• After that it can be stored in a plastic cover and stored.