Kozhukkatta- the humble rice dumplings with coconut
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Kozhukatta or the soft round dumpling is one easy-to-make unsophisticated savoury. It’s every man's delicacy that goes easy on the tummy. The ingredients too are simple; with rice flour and coconut being the taste-makers.
It’s a nutritious bite and can be had any time of the day. Whether you steam it or boil it in water, the kozhukatta never ceases to amaze. Humble in looks, yet rich in taste.
They can be stuffed or dressed plain. There’s this oft told story of how a westerner was left amazed by the stuffed one. There was no way he could figure out how the cooks had got that bit of coconut scarping and jaggery inside a ball which had no opening or outlet for the filling to be put in!
The innumerable varieties of kozhukatta have on its list a hoary dish called the 'Kothu Kozhukatta'.
Here’s how to make rice kozhukatta (ari kozhukatta) and kothu kozhukkatta:
Click here to read this recipe in Malayalam
Ingredients
For kozhukkatta
1 cup rice (raw, boiled or par boiled)
½ cup scraped coconut
1 tbsp coconut oil/gingelly oil
1 tsp cumin
Salt as required
1 small piece dry ginger (optional)
For kothu kozhukkatta
1. For Kothu kozhukkatta, the ingredients are the same as that of rice kozhukkattas. The only difference is in the size of the balls. They are much smaller, just about the size of a gooseberry
2. Extract milk from one full coconut. Keep aside the first and second extracts
3. Sugar (optional)
Preparation
For kozhukkatta
Soak rice for at least three hours
Grind rice without water
Add crushed cumin, coarsely ground coconut and dry ginger
Pour in either coconut oil or gingelly oil
Add a pinch of salt and mix well
Make llemon-sized balls with the dough
Steam the balls or alternatively, boil them in a pan of water.
For kothu kozhukkatta
Kothu Kozhukatta is not to be directly steamed
Boil second extract of the coconut milk
When its about to boil, add the first extract
Drop the small balls into this mixture
Add a spoon of sugar and allow it to boil
Once the balls are cooked, they can be served along with the coconut gravy.
Wheat powder is seldom used to make kozhukatta.