Photo: Gannu03 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Tamilnadu · Breakfast

Seeyam (சீயம்)

Traditional 30. Seeyam recipe

🧺 Ingredients

• ½ cup moong dal (split yellow moong)
• ½ cup grated fresh coconut
• ¾ cup jaggery powder (tightly packed — about 120 g)
• ½ tsp cardamom powder (4–5 pods, ground)
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 1 cup raw rice flour (store-bought or freshly ground)
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour (maida) — for binding
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¾ cup water (approximately — adjust for consistency)
• 2 cups oil (for deep frying)
• Frying temperature must be lower than regular frying (160°C not 175°C) because the rice batter needs time to cook through

👩‍🍳 How to make Seeyam

1. Rinse moong dal.
2. Dry-roast in a kadai on medium heat for 2 minutes until light golden and nutty-smelling.
3. Pressure cook roasted moong dal with 1 cup water for 2 whistles — it should be very soft but not watery.
4. Drain any excess water (spread on a wide plate to dry out for 5 minutes if too wet).
5. In a pan over medium heat, add 1 tbsp ghee.
6. Add cooked moong dal.
7. Mash it coarsely.
8. Add grated coconut.
9. Stir and mix for 1 minute.
10. Add jaggery powder.
11. Mix continuously — jaggery will melt and the mixture will become sticky and start coming together as a mass.
12. Cook on medium-low heat for 5–7 minutes, stirring constantly, until the filling is thick enough to hold shape when rolled into a ball (it pulls away from pan sides).
13. Add cardamom powder and mix.
14. Remove from heat.
15. Cool completely (20 minutes).
16. Combine rice flour, maida, and ¼ tsp salt in a bowl.
17. Add water gradually, mixing to form a smooth, thin batter — the consistency of dosa batter (thin and pourable).
18. The batter should coat a spoon lightly.
19. Rest for 10 minutes.
20. Once filling is cool enough to handle, divide into 16 equal portions.
21. Roll each portion between palms to form a smooth ball about 2.5 cm (1 inch) diameter.
22. The filling should be firm enough to hold this shape.
23. Pour oil 3 inches deep in a kadai.
24. Heat over medium heat until oil reaches 160°C (325°F) — seeyam must fry at a lower temperature than regular vadas to allow the rice batter to cook fully without the outside burning.
25. Dip one filling ball into the rice-flour batter — the ball should be completely coated with a thin, even layer of batter.
26. Gently drop into hot oil.
27. Repeat with 4–5 more balls per batch.
28. Fry on medium heat for 4–5 minutes, turning gently with a slotted spoon every 2 minutes, until evenly golden-yellow (NOT deep brown — seeyam should be pale golden).
29. Remove with slotted spoon.
30. Drain on paper towels.
31. The batter shell will be thin and slightly crispy outside.
32. The inside should be soft, sweet, and aromatic.
33. Serve at room temperature — seeyam is best eaten within 2 hours of frying.

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