Duddhali, a jellyish like pudding is a popular sweet in the amchi cuisine. It is prepared from either "Kunve peet/powder", " Ragi powder" or "Arrowroot powder" . During one of our discussion on a food group about kunve peet, some said its called as kachara hittu and available in mangalore stores. The powder is known to be prepared from tubers that mainly grows in forest. Few of them came up saying kunve peet is nothing but arrowroot powder itself as that's also prepared from tubers. Now what's the English name, we all enquired and none of us knew about it. Since getting the powder is very difficult atleast in the place where I live, I prepare this sweet from arrowroot powder itself. These duddhalis are known to have cooling effect on body and aids in digestion. I decided to prepare the regular flavoured duddhali and was eager to prepare some flavoured as well as coloured ones too. So decided to do with dry hibiscus flowers that were in stock with me - my first try with them. 




Ingredients
1 cup arrowroot powder
1 cup milk
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
Cardamom powder
Few kesar strands soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk
Few dry hibiscus flowers soaked in warm water [for hibiscus flavored]

Method:

Grease a plate with 1/2 tsp of ghee and keep it aside. Soak arrowroot powder in enough water and keep it aside for 1/2 an hour. Soaking is important as this will help the powder to dissolve in water very well and thereby settle down at bottom of the vessel. The clear water that is seen at the top should be discarded away gently. Add milk, water and sugar to this paste in the vessel. 

Heat a non-stick pan on medium flame. Pour the mixture into this pan and gently stir the mixture continuously on low flame so that there are no lumps formed. The mixture would soon start boiling. Continue stirring it until it leaves the sides of the pan. Add cardamom powder and saffron soaked milk. Once it becomes jellyish and transparent switch off the flame. Pour the mixture into greased plate and spread the mass evenly with spatula or back of a spoon. I poured some mixture into rose shaped silicon moulds. Allow to cool and later cut into desired shapes. Tastes best when served chilled.

Note: I used the same proportion as mentioned under ingredients to prepare hibiscus flavored duddhalis and substituted dry hibiscus soaked water in place of saffron. In similar way you can make fruit flavoured duddhalis by using fruit juices or puree of fresh fruits. You can also use jaggery in place of sugar.