Puranam Kozhukattai

I am back after a long break. Soon, I will be checking all the ongoing events and your place too.
Last Saturday, we celebrated Ganesha Chadurthi. I made my Ganesha idol with Model Magic of Crayola this year. It was fun molding the idol with my son, guaranteed no mess around the house with this product. I had a tremendous satisfaction, because we buy only freshly made clay idol back home. The 3rd day, we immerse either in water well or in sea. Here, I dumped my Ganesha in bucket of water, my idol refused to loose shape. So I reshaped it. No more environment clogging, guys!
In terms of food, kozhukattai or modak is well known to please Ganesha on Chadurthi day! My mom does Semolina kozhukattai, quiet easy and quick than traditional one, I realized only when I started preparing it! Now, I understood why she sticks always with the semolina one.

Picture taken last year in my parents house, when I was in India for the festival. 

      Handmade Idol using crayola clay

Print

Outer layer
Ingredients:

Idiyappam flour*/rice flour: 1 cup
Water: 1 ¼ cup
Salt: ¼ tsp
Oil: 1 tsp

Method

* I tried with Idiyappam flour this time
Add salt and oil in water and bring it to boil in a pot. Simmer and add the flour, stir the flour without lumps. The dough will come together quickly. Stop the stove and cover for 10 minutes. When you are able to touch, grease your hands and knead well. Divide the flour into 10 equal size balls.



Inside stuffing
Ingredients:
 
Coconut Stuffing/puranam
Coconut: 2 cups- Grated
Jaggery/gur: ¾ to 1 cup (increase if you like more sweet)
Elaichi: 4 to 5 pods crushed into powder

Method:
Pulse the grated coconut in mixer to get little finer. Now mix the grated coconut and jaggery . Keep it in medium heat, the mixture should come together after few minutes, sprinkle the cardamom and switch off the stove. If you leave longer in same pan, it might turn hard the mixture! Let it cool in plate. Make a small size balls.

How to make Kozhukattai/modak?
   Grease your hands with cooking oil Take the rice flour balls, form a disc about 2 to 3 inch diameter. Keep in the middle the coconut mixture stuffing now cover the mixture to form a ball. You can even try to pinch the edge to form a peak.

Using the mold: Form the disc with rice mixture, stuff the coconut mixture through the hole and cover with rice flour later.

 Steam it
Grease a idli plate, place all the kozhukkatai and steam for 7 to 10 minutes or until the dumpling looks clear and glossy! 

 
Hope you have celebrated too!