CHENNAI: Kozhukattai holds a special place as one of Lord Ganesha’s favourite sweets and is traditionally offered as prasad during the Vinayaga Chaturthi pooja.
CARROT MOONG DAL KOZHUKATTAI:
INGREDIENTS:
FOR OUTER DOUGH:
1/2 cup homemade rice flour, idiyappam flour, Salt to taste ,Water as needed
FOR INNER STUFFING:
1/4 cup moong dal, 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons cane sugar ,1/4 cup water ,1/4 cup carrot
A pinch of cardamom powder
INSTRUCTIONS:
PREPARING THE INNER STUFFING:
Dry roast the moong dal until it turns golden in colour.
Pressure cook the roasted moong dal with 1 cup of water for 3-4 whistles or until it becomes mushy.
Mash the cooked moong dal well and set it aside.
Heat ghee in a kadai, add grated carrot, and sauté until it shrinks.
Add the mashed moong dal along with cane sugar. The mixture will become gooey. Continue cooking over low-medium flame.
Add cardamom powder and keep cooking until the mixture thickens.
Once it comes together as a mass, switch off the heat and let it cool down.
Once the mixture has cooled down, shape it into small balls and oval-shaped ones too.
PREPARING THE OUTER DOUGH:
Grease the modak mould with oil or ghee.
Take a lemon-sized ball of the outer dough and place it inside the mould.
Make a hole in the centre of the dough and add the prepared stuffing. Oval-shaped stuffing works well for moulds.
Seal the bottom part of the modak with more dough as shown in the instructions. For hand-shaped modaks, use round balls of dough.
Gently open and demould the modaks and arrange them on a plate.
Grease the steamer plate and arrange the modaks on it.
Steam cook the modaks for 8-10 minutes or until they turn shiny.
Serve the Carrot Moong Dal Kozhukattai hot.
SAGO KOZHUKATTAI
INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE KOZHUKATTAI: 1/2 cup sago ,Salt to taste ,Water as needed
FOR INNER STUFFING: 1/2 cup coconut, 2 tablespoons sugar ,1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
PREPARING THE INNER STUFFING:
For the inner stuffing, take a bowl and add coconut, cardamom powder, and sugar. Mix well and set aside.
Add the drained sago to a mixer jar.
Pulse it a few times, then transfer it to a bowl, add salt, and mix it well to gather it together.
Make small balls from the sago mixture and set them aside.
Take a ball, flatten it to make a small cup, and then add the prepared coconut filling.
Seal the edges to make a ball with the filling enclosed. Repeat this process for the remaining mixture.
Grease a steamer plate with oil and place it inside an idli steamer.
Steam the kozhukattai for 15 minutes over low-medium flame.
Once they turn shiny and appear cooked, remove them from the steamer.
Serve the Sago Kozhukattai hot.