Relish this festive delight Sweet Kozhukattai or Modhakam which satiates not only your palates but also your soul with nostalgic memories..
Heat a heavy bottomed pan and tip in a little ghee. Just after a few seconds add two cups of freshly grated coconut and stir in for a few seconds.
Let the flame be in low medium mode and when the aroma starts wafting out from the coconut, just sprinkle in the measured quantity of jaggery and keep stirring for a while until they blend together.
After two or three minutes, add a little cardamom powder with a nice stir.
When the whole mixture reaches the right consistency (thick and sticky) just turn off the stove and keep it aside. Let it cool for a while until the outer cover gets ready.
Take two cups of raw rice and soak for two hours approximately after washing it well.
Approximately after two hours, just drain the water thoroughly well and spread the soaked rice over a white muslin cloth.
After a few minutes (ten to fifteen minutes approximately) drop the rice grains in a blender and make a fine powder out of it. Sieve it once to make it still more fine and now the rice flour is ready.
Now heat a heavy bottomed vessel and pour in two and a half cups of water and let it boil in high flame. Tip in a teaspoon of gingelly oil with one or two pinches of salt.
Just after three to four minutes, lower the flame and gently squirt in the rice flour into the water while stirring continuously.
Keep stirring softly in low flame until the dough becomes a whole lump.
At some point, the dough will become a whole mass and will roll non sticky in the vessel.
At that stage, just turn off the stove and let the dough cool for a minute or two.
Then knead it delicately like a roti dough and keep aside.
Grease your palms with a little oil and take a small portion of rice dough (approximately in the size of a large gooseberry) and roll it into a little ball.
Now flatten the ball and bring it into the shape of a tiny bowl by tapping with your fingers in a circular motion which is called as choppu.
Then take a tablespoon of pooranam and fill it inside the cup shaped choppu and close it with your fingers roughly.
Fold it as if you roll a dough ball in a hand kerchief (with the folds) so that you get some creases around.
Bring the excess dough to the top and make a pointed tip to give it a shape.
Similarly, make even sized puran balls and do the filling correspondingly. You can also use ready made moulds to make the kozhukattai.
Take the Idli cooker and pour in two cups of water and let it boil for a while. In the meantime grease the idli plates and place two or three dough balls in each mould and arrange it in the idli cooker and pop the lid on.
Let the flame be in low medium mode and allow it to boil for five to seven minutes approximately.
Within minutes, the aroma will start wafting out from the cooker and at this stage turn off the flame and after five minutes open the cooker and now the delicious kozhukattai is ready.
Take each kozhukattai using a spatula and arrange it in a serving bowl and serve it with any savory according to your choice. A sip of aromatic filter coffee in between will be fabulous.
Serving Size 4
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.