Vinayaga (Pullaiyar) Chathurthi is celebrated on the ‘chathurthi’ day of Aug-Sep all over India. The ‘Palakkad’ Iyers prepare ‘kozhakattai’ ('modakam) – three varieties – ‘vella kozhakattai’, ‘ulundu kozhakattai’ and ‘ammini kozhakattai’. The last mentioned is a simple variety which makes use of the left-over rice flour dough and is simply delicious too.
I still remember, we used to gorge on the different varieties of ‘kozhakkattai’s - sweet and savoury - alternately and would have bellies resembling ‘Ganesha’s’ at the end of the day!
'Kozhakattai' (modakam) is supposed to be the favorite of Lord Ganesha and is prepared as offering to him in South Indian households on Ganesh Chathurthi. It is also prepared whenever Ganapati homam is conducted. The recipes for Vella Kozhakattai and Ulundu Kozhakattai are given separately. But the same rice flour is an ingredient for both - so powder desired quantity of rice and use for both recipes. Use the leftover dough to prepare 'ammini kozhakattai.
VELLA KOZHAKATTAI
Makes 25-30 kozhakattais.
Ingredients –
For outer covering -
For outer covering -
Freshly powdered rice flour – 2 cups
Water – 21/2 - 2 3/4 cups
Filling -
Filling -
Coconut – 1 – finely grated – 2 ½ -3 cups
Jaggery – 2 cups
Ghee – 1 tsp
Cardamom powder – ½ tsp
Method –
To make fresh rice flour -
Wash 2 1/2 cups of raw rice and soak it in water for an hour.
Drain in a colander and spread on a paper and leave it for 10-15 minutes.
Powder in a mixer and sieve well. Spread it and leave it for at least a couple of hours. This will give 5 cups of rice flour.
Use 2 cups for 'vella kozhakattai' and 2 cups for 'ulundu kozhakattai' and 1 cup for 'ammini kozhakattai'.
Vella Kozhakattai -
Outer covering -
In a big kadhai, heat 2 glasses of water.
Add 2 tsp of oil and a pinch of salt and stir well.
Add 1/2 - 3/4 cup of water to the rice flour and mix well.
When the water starts boiling, lower the heat.
Add the rice flour batter to the boiling water and keep stirring well till the water is absorbed and rice flour gets cooked. There should be no lumps.
Turn off the flame and keep covered for 5-10 minutes.
Turn off the flame and keep covered for 5-10 minutes.
When it cools, knead it into soft dough with oiled palm and set aside.
Filling –
Heat ½ cup of water in a kadhai.
Add 2 cups of jaggery and keep stirring on a low flame till it dissolves completely.
After it cools a bit, strain it to get rid of tiny particles of dirt if any.
Heat it again and add the grated coconut and keep on high flame till excess water gets evaporated. Add a tsp of ghee and stir well.
Turn off the heat.
After 10 minutes add ½ tsp of cardamom powder and mix well.
To make kozhakattai –
Take 2 tsps of oil in a small bowl to dip your fingers into. Oil your palms and fingers.
Take a small lemon-size ball of dough and roll it into a ball.
With your oiled fingers, flatten the edges first and then the centre part till it has the shape of a little bowl.
Put a teaspoonful of the coconut filling into the dough-bowl and bring together the edges and keep a little elongated upper portion – to look like a coconut.
Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling.
Oil a flat colander and place the kozhakattais gently on it without touching one another and steam for 5-7 minutes.
Open after 5 minutes. The kozhakatais should have a glazed look. They should also not stick to your fingers. If they are sticky, steam for a couple of minutes more.
Gently remove one by one when they have cooled a bit.
Tips –
The rice flour can be stored (after drying it for 20-24 hours in the shade) in an airtight bottle in the fridge for later use (for up to 10 days).
The dough and filling can be prepared a day in advance and kept in the fridge to reduce the elaborate work on a single day.
ULUNDU KOZHAKATTAI
Makes 20 ulundu kozhakattai
Ingredients –
For covering
Fresh rice flour – 2 cups
Water - a little more than 2 cups
Salt to taste
For filling
Urad dal – 1 cup
Tuvar dal – 2 tbsp
Whole red chilli – 1-2
Whole red chilli – 1-2
Grated coconut – 4-5 tbsp
Oil – 3-4 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Urad dal – 1 tsp
Whole red chilli – 3 pieces
Asafetida – ¼ tsp
Curry leaves – 10
Salt to taste
Method
To prepare the outer covering -
In a big kadhai, heat 2 glasses of water.
Add 2 tsp of oil and salt to taste and stir well.
Add ½ - 2 3/4 cup of water to the rice flour and mix well.
When the water starts boiling, lower the heat.
Add the rice flour batter to the boiling water and keep stirring well till the water is absorbed and rice flour gets cooked. There should be no lumps.
When it cools, knead it into soft dough with oiled palm and set aside.
Filling –
Wash urad dal and tuvar dal and soak in water for 40 minutes.
Drain off the water and grind coarsely along with whole red chillies in a mixer.
Add salt to taste and mix well.
Steam like idlis for 10-15 minutes.
When cooled, crumble it well.
Heat 2-3 tsps oil and add mustard seeds, urad dal, red chilli pieces and asafetida.
Add curry leaves and add the crumbled dal and mix well.
Add grated coconut and mix well.
When cooled, make oval shaped balls for the filling.
To make kozhakattai –
Take 2 tsps of oil in a small bowl to dip your fingers into. Oil your palms and fingers.
Take a big lemon-sized ball of dough and roll it into an oval ball between your palms.
With your oiled fingers, flatten the edges first and then the centrerpart till it has the shape of an oval bowl.
Put one dal ball into the dough-bowl and bring together the edges and keep a little elongated upper portion all along – like the shape of a semi-circular karanji.
Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling.
Oil a flat colander and place the kozhakattais gently on it without touching one another and steam for 5-7 minutes.
Open after 5 minutes. The kozhakatais should have a glazed look. They should also not stick to your fingers. If they are sticky, steam for a couple of minutes more.
Gently remove one by one when they have cooled a bit.
AMMINI KOZHAKATTAI
Ingredients
Kozhakattai dough - 1cup
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Asafetida - a pinch
Whole red chilli pieces - 2
Curry leaves - 5
Coconut pieces - 1 tbsp
Whole red chilli pieces - 2
Curry leaves - 5
Coconut pieces - 1 tbsp
Oil - 2-3 tsps
Method
Use the remaining rice flour dough (of the covering) to make this.
Add required salt and red chilli powder and mix well into the dough with your hand.
Make marble sized balls.
Place them in an oiled flat colander without touching one another and steam for 5-7 minutes.
Remove them after 5 minutes.
Heat 2-3 tsp oil in a kadhai and add mustard seeds, urad dal, red chilli pieces and a pinch of asafetida, followed by curry leaves.
When they splutter, add the small kozhakattais and coconut pieces and gently stir. It's ready to eat!
Tips - Some add whole red chilli pieces to the 'tadka' instead of mixing red chilli powder to the dough - so the 'ammini' is white instead of orange.
It is better to prepare the rice flour covering the previous day and store in the fridge as kozhakattais will be easier to make. It will also not overburden you on the day of the festival.
© Copyright 2011. Brinda Balasubramonian.When they splutter, add the small kozhakattais and coconut pieces and gently stir. It's ready to eat!
Tips - Some add whole red chilli pieces to the 'tadka' instead of mixing red chilli powder to the dough - so the 'ammini' is white instead of orange.
It is better to prepare the rice flour covering the previous day and store in the fridge as kozhakattais will be easier to make. It will also not overburden you on the day of the festival.
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