Kozhukattai | Vella Kozhukattai | Modaks
Hy friends, Krishna Jayanthi was just over with lots of joy and hope everyone is gearing up for Pillayar Chaturthi, which is observed on Monday, the 9 th of September. It is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Bhaadrapada. Vinayak Chaturthi also known as Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated as the Birth Anniversary of Lord Ganesh, the God of Wisdom and Prosperity, all over India and many other parts of the world. Devotees prepare delicious sweet Kozhukattais along with other goodies and offer this for Lord Ganesh on every Ganesh / Vinayaga Chaturthi. The yummy Kozhukattais made with Kadalaiparuppu / chana dal is not only Lord Ganesh’s favourite but for many of us. The preparation is very simple, the grated coconut is mixed with jaggery and cooked, mashed chana dal, elaichi and placed inside dumplings of rice flour and steam cooked. Here’s how we prepare this traditional kozhukattai at home..:) ( Scroll below to see how to prepare homemade rice flour for kozhukattai and basic tips to prepare soft & tasty Kozhukattais )
Ingredients
For Poornam / stuffing:
Chana dal / Kadalai Paruppu - ½ cup
Jaggery powdered - ¾ cup
Grated coconut - ¼ cup
Cardamom / elaichi pwd - ¼ tsp
Ghee - 1 tsp
To prepare Outer covering for Kozhukattai:
Rice flour - 1 cup
Water - 1 ¼ cup
Salt - a pinch
Cooking oil or sesame oil - 1 tsp
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Instructions
1.
To prepare Poornam / stuffing:
2.
Wash and soak chana dal for ½ an hour.
3.
Boil it in pressure cooker till soft.
4.
Drain water completely and allow to cool.
5.
Meanwhile grate coconut to fine shreds.
6.
Keep jaggery and elaichi pwd ready.
7.
In a mixer, add the cooked chana dal, jaggery, coconut shreds,elaichi pwd and grind to paste.
8.
Heat ghee in a frypan.
9.
Add the above dal jaggery paste.
10.
Using a spatula saute it thoroughly until you get a solid mass.
11.
Remove from flame and allow to cool until it is luke warm.
12.
To make outer cover:
13.
In a bowl, sieve the rice flour and keep it ready.
14.
Heat 1 ¼ cup of water with a pinch of salt and 1tsp of oil.
15.
Allow to boil.
16.
Pour this boiling water to the rice flour slowly and mix it well with a ladle.
17.
The dough should be soft and greasy.
18.
Keep it covered for 5 minutes with a damp cloth.
19.
When it is warm, grease your hands with oil and knead it to smooth dough.
20.
Divide it to lemon sized balls.
21.
Oil your palms and press the dough softly to small disc shape.
22.
Place half a spoon of the poornam filling and carefully close the disc to make a ball.
23.
Take care the filling not seep out of the ball.
24.
Press one edge of the ball to modak shape.
25.
Grease the idly plate and arrange the modaks gently.
26.
Steam cook for 5 to 7 mins.
27.
Delicious Vella kozhukattai with kadalaiparuppu poornam is ready for Neivedyam.
28.
How to make Homemade Rice flour for Kozhukattai & Idiayappam:
29.
Wash and soak 1 cup of rice for 2 hours.
30.
Drain the water completely and keep aside for 5 minutes.
31.
Now spread it on a clean cotton cloth and let it dry on shade for 10 to 15 mins.
32.
When the rice is still damp, add it to the mixer and grind to smooth pwd.
33.
Sieve the flour and remove the lumps.
34.
Grind the lumps again in the mixer .
35.
Sieve the rice flour twice to get nice smooth flour.
36.
Spread the rice flour in a clean sheet and let it air dry.
37.
Or you can also dry roast the flour in a frypan in low medium flame to remove the moisture content.
38.
Turn off flame and allow to cool.
39.
Store it in an airtight container for long shelf life.
40.
Now the home made rice flour can be used to prepare kozhukattai, idiayappam, puttu, murukku and other crispy savories too.
41.
Tips to make perfect Kozhukattais:
42.
The dough prepared for the outer covering shouldn’t get dry. Keep it covered with damp cloth. This helps to bind well and the kozhukattai will not open up while cooking.
43.
The texture of the dough is very important. It shouldn’t be slushy or too stiff. It should be soft and slightly sticky.
44.
Adding boiling water little by little to the rice flour with continous mixing with a ladle helps to get the perfect texture of the dough.
45.
If you feel the dough is wet and does not roll properly, add a little rice flour, knead and try again.
46.
If the dough is dry & stiff, it won’t get flatten easily without cracks, so you need to sprinkle few more drops of hot water and mix well.