Reposts for Purva's Janmashtami & Ganesh Chathurthi Event...

I am reposting the recipes of Vella Kozhakattai, Uppu Kozhakattai and Ulundhu Kozhakattai for Purva's Janmashtami & Ganesh Chathurthi Event.



Vella Kozhakattai:-

For Poornam (stuffing)

1. Grated coconut - 1 cup
2. Jaggery - 3/4 cup
3. Cardamom powder - a pinch
4. ghee - 2 tsp

For Dough:-

1. Raw rice - 1 cup
2. Salt - a pinch
3. Sesame Oil - 1 tsp

Most of us use rice flour for making the dough. But the traditional way of making this dough is to use rice. Soak rice for an hour. Grind it into a fine paste and add water to bring it to watery consistency (like dosa batter). Add salt and sesame oil. Take a pan, pour this batter and stir it continuously to make sure no lumps are formed. When the water is fully absorbed, it will come like a shiny ball. Turn off the stove, take it out of the heat and cover it with a lid. This is the flour coating we use for making kozhakattai cups. In the mean time, mix the jaggery, cardamom powder to coconut and put it in a hot pan, add ghee and stir it continutously so that all the water in coconut and jaggery is fully absorbed. This should again form like a ball without sticking in the pan. Remove it from the hot stove and let it cool. This is poornam.

When you are ready to make kozhakattai, check the rice dough, if it is slightly dry, then sprinkle a hand full of hot water and knead it so that it becomes softer. Smear a drop of coconut oil, on your hands, so that it becomes easier to make small cups. Make small balls out of the jaggery mixture, keep it inside the flour cups and cover it. Steam cook the kozhakattais for 15 mts. until its fully cooked.

Uppu Kozhakattai:-
Ingredients:-

1. Toor dhall - 1/4 cup
2. Urad dhall - less than 1/4 cup
3. Channa dhall - 1/4 cup
4. Moong dhall - 1 tbsp (optional)
5. Red chillies - 2 (acc to taste)
6. Salt to taste
   
7. curry leaves - few
8. asafoetida powder - a pinch

For seasoning:-

1. Oil - 1 tsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
3. Urad dhall - 1/2 tsp

• Soak the above said dhall for an hour to two adding red chillies to it.
  
• Grind it coarsely adding required amount of salt, red chillies.
• Add 1/4 cup of water, a drop of sesame oil and turmeric powder and mix it well.
• Put it in a microwave safe vessel and microwave it for 6 mts.(stir it in between) till the lentils are cooked.
• Take a pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters add urad dhall, curry leaves and asafoetida powder and fry it till golden brown.
  
• Add the cooked lentils and mix everything well. Let it cool and make small balls out of it.

For dough, we use the same method just like jaggery kozhakattai (see here). Make small cups out of the dough, place the lentil balls in it and cover it in the shape of a triangle. Stem cook it for 15 mts. This can eaten with Jaggery kozhakattai

Ulundhu Kozhakattai:-
Ingredients:-

1. Urad dhall - 1 cup
2. Green Chillies - 3 (acc to taste)
3. Oil - 1 tsp
4. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
5. Urad dhall - 1/2 tsp
6. Red chillies - 1
7. Curry leaves - few
8. Asafoetida powder - a pinch
9. Salt to taste

For Dough:-

1. Rice - 1 cup
2. Sesame Oil - 1 tsp
3. Salt to taste
   

Most of us use rice flour for making the dough. But the traditional way of making this dough is to use rice. Soak rice for an hour. Grind it into a fine paste and add water to bring it to watery consistency (like dosa batter). Add salt and sesame oil. Take a pan, pour this batter and stir it continuously to make sure no lumps are formed. When the water is fully absorbed, it will come like a shiny ball. Turn off the stove, take it out of the heat and cover it with a lid. This is the flour coating we use for making kozhakattai cups.