TranslateSuzhiyam, also called suyyam or seeyam, is a festival sweet found on wedding menus and temple offering plates across Tamil Nadu. A filling of chana dal, coconut and jaggery is rolled into a ball, dipped in a smooth urad dal or maida batter and deep-fried until the shell is golden and softly crisp.
Type
Vegetarian sweet
Meal occasion
Weddings, temple festivals, Karthigai and Diwali
Region
Statewide; common in the delta and southern districts
Key ingredients
Chana dal, jaggery, coconut, cardamom, urad dal or maida, oil
Chana dal is cooked soft and ground with melted jaggery, grated coconut and cardamom into a firm poornam, which is rolled into balls. These are coated in a batter of ground urad dal and rice, or a simple maida and rice-flour batter, and slipped into hot oil.
The exterior is thin and lightly crisp, the inside dense, warm and fragrant with jaggery, coconut and cardamom. It is best eaten within a couple of hours of frying.
Suzhiyam is closely tied to celebration. It is prepared for weddings, ear-piercing and other family ceremonies, offered at temples during Karthigai Deepam and Navaratri, and made at home during Diwali. In many households, the same poornam filling is used for both suzhiyam and sweet kozhukattai.
Traditional sweet shops in Thanjavur, Kumbakonam, Madurai and Chennai make it during festival seasons. Wedding catering menus almost always include it, and temple prasadam counters distribute it during major temple festivals.
