Kozhukattai recipes for Ganesh Chaturthi

1. Dry fruits Kozhukattai

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped dates

2 teaspoons ghee, plus extra for greasing

15 almonds

10 pistachios

10 cashews

For the outer dough:

1/2 cup homemade rice flour or idiyappam flour

Salt to taste

Water as needed

Instructions:

Dry roast the nuts until golden, then cool and transfer to a mixer jar. Grind into a slightly coarse mixture. Set aside.

Add the chopped dates to the mixer jar with a little water. Blend to form a paste consistency.

Combine the date paste and nut mixture in a mixing bowl. Mix well, add ghee, and stir. The mixture should not be too sticky.

Add salt to the rice flour and mix. Boil water until it bubbles, then add it to the rice flour. Mix with a ladle. Once it starts to come together, set it aside for a few minutes until it is warm enough to handle with your hands. Bring everything together to form a smooth dough without any cracks.

Grease the mould well with ghee. Pinch a lemon-sized piece of dough and roll it into a ball. Close the mould, shape the dough into a ball, and stuff it from the bottom. Press it along the sides in the inner part, leaving a centre hole for the stuffing.

Roll the dry fruit mixture into a small cylinder and stuff it inside the dough. Seal it with a little dough as shown.

Open the mould and carefully remove the modak. Shape all the modaks with stuffing in the same way.

Steam cook for 10 minutes or until the modak looks shiny on the outside and does not stick.

Switch off the heat, remove the modaks, and transfer them to a plate or serving bowl. Alternatively, you can press the mixture into modak moulds and serve.

2. Carrot moong dal Kozhukattai

Ingredients

For the outer dough:

1/2 cup homemade rice flour or idiyappam flour

Salt to taste

Water as needed

For the inner stuffing:

1/4 cup moong dal

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons cane sugar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup grated carrot

A pinch of cardamom powder

Instructions

Dry roast the moong dal until golden.

Pressure cook with 1 cup water for 3-4 whistles or until mushy. Mash it well and set it aside.

Heat ghee in a kadai. Add the grated carrot and sauté until it shrinks.

Add the mashed dal along with cane sugar. The mixture will become gooey. Keep cooking over low to medium heat.

Add the cardamom powder and continue cooking until the mixture thickens. Once it comes together as a mass, switch off the heat and let it cool.

Once cooled, form the mixture into small balls and oval shapes. Grease the mould with oil or ghee. Stuff a lemon-sized ball of dough into the mould.

Make a hole in the centre and add the stuffing. For easier stuffing, use the oval-shaped stuffing. Seal the bottom part with dough as shown. For hand-shaped modaks, use round balls of dough.

Gently open the mould and demould the modaks. Arrange them on a plate.

Grease the steamer plate and arrange the modaks on it. Steam cook for 8-10 minutes or until the modaks turn shiny.

Serve the Carrot Moong Dal modaks hot.

3. Pidi Kozhukattai

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rice flour

1 cup water

3 tablespoons coconut

Oil for greasing

Salt to taste

To temper:

2 teaspoons oil

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon urad dal

1 red chilli, finely chopped

A few curry leaves

Instructions:

Heat oil in a nonstick pan. Add the items listed under 'to temper' and let them splutter.

Add water and salt to the pan. Bring the water to a vigorous boil. Once it bubbles, reduce the heat to low and add the rice flour. Mix well.

The mixture will come together quickly. Keep mixing continuously to avoid lumps. Stir until the mixture forms a mass.

Once it starts coming together, add the coconut and stir well. Switch off the heat and let it cool down.

When the mixture is still warm, shape it into kozhukattai. Grease your hands with oil, take a small portion, and form cylindrical shapes. Press with your fingers to create impressions. You can also make small balls if preferred.

Arrange the shaped kozhukattai on a steamer plate and steam for 7-10 minutes.

Serve the Pidi Kozhukattai hot or warm.