Kozhukattai

Kozhukattai, also known as ‘Modak’, is one of the most popular recipes of Kerala. It is generally prepared on ‘Ganesh-chaturdashi’ as it is considered to be the favorite dish of Lord Ganesha. Sweet and scrumptious to taste, this dish takes a little time to be prepared, yet the taste is worth the wait. Made of rice batter stuffed with coconut and jaggery, it is a relishing item for those who are born with a sweet tooth. If you are also the one, trying the Kozhukattai once would not be a bad idea. So, if you want to know how to make Kozhukattai, the recipe has been given below.

Kozhukattai/ Modak Recipe

Ingredients

• 200 ml Rice
• 1 Coconut
• Seasame Oil
• 200gms. Jaggery

Method

• Wash and soak raw rice for an hour. Drain the water completely and spread the rice on a cloth and allow it to dry. The rice can be allowed to dry in the shade itself. Grind the raw rice to smooth flour. For 1 measure of rice flour take 2 measures of water.
• Boil this water in a kadai (a shallow thick bottom vessel). Add a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of seasame oil.
• Allow the water to boil. When the water starts boiling add the rice flour to this, stirring continuously without allowing any lumps to form.
• When the mixture has formed into a smooth thick batter, remove from the fire. The batter must be thick enough like chappathi batter.
• Grate fresh coconut.
• Add a teaspoon of milk to the grated coconut and grind it in a mixer grinder lightly.
• Add a little water to the powdered jaggery and keep on low fire and stir for some time.
• When the jaggery has dissolved completely in water add grated coconut to this and keep stirring for some time.
• Then remove from fire and add powdered cardamoms to this.
• Smear your hands with a little seasame oil.
• Smoothen the prepared rice flour batter with your hands.
• Make small balls (the size of a lemon).
• Fill these cups with the prepared coconut-jaggery filling.
• Put these filled up cups on an idli-plate and pressure cook them.