Ulundu Kozhukattai | Uppu Kozhukattai | Kaara Kozhukattai

Ulundu Kozhukattai | Uppu Kozhukattai | Kaara Kozhukattai

Ulundu kozhukattai, a savory kozhukattai recipe, made for Ganesh Chathurthi. A steamed dumpling, with mildly spiced stuffing made with urad dal. A famous offering made for Vinayaga Chathurthi Celebrations.

Course Appetizer, Festive food, Snacks

Cuisine Indian, South-Indian

Keyword How to make kaara kozhukattai, Savory Kozhukattai, steamed modak, Uppu kozhukattai

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 15

Time for shaping the kozhukattai 30

Total Time 1 30

Servings people

Calories 295kcal

Equipment

Steamer or pressure cooker without whistle

Ingredients

To Make the dough

1.5 cups rice flour | idiyappam flour | modak flour
3 cups water
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon gingely oil

To Make Ulundu Pooranam | Urad Dal Stuffing | Savory Stuffing

1 cup urad dal/black gram dal/Uluntham paruppuu
7-8 red chilies
2 sprigs of curry leaves
Salt to taste

Tempering

2 teaspoon oil
¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
¼ teaspoon hing
½ teaspoon chana dal

Instructions

Let's make the outer cover

In a wide pan, boil the given amount of water. Add salt and a teaspoon of gingely oil. When the water starts boiling, reduce the flame, add the rice flour, little by little and keep stirring.
Another method is to take the boiling water out of the flame, add the rice flour, mix well to form a sticky dough without lumps and return it to the flame again.
Let it sit on the flame for another 8-10 minutes. Add another teaspoon of gingely oil and keep stirring.
The dough might still be sticky. Take it off the flame, Keep it covered with a damp cloth until it becomes warm enough to touch.
When it is warm, knead it well to form a pliable dough, Keep it covered it until use.

Let's make the urad dal stuffing

Soak urad dal in water for 30 minutes. After the given time, drain the excess water. Take it with rest of the ingredients in a mixer and grind it to a coarse paste without adding water.
Transfer the ground mixture to another plate. Divide the ground mixture into 4 balls and steam cook for 10 minutes in a steamer or idly cooker. We used idly cooker and used idly plates for steaming.
Once steamed, take it off the stove, transfer the steam cooked balls into a flat plate and crumble them.
Heat a kadai with oil given under "tempering", splutter mustard seeds, add hing and chana dal. Once the dal turns brown, add the crumbled urad dal mixture to it and mix well. Saute in a simmer flame for 4-5 minutes.
Let it be on the stove until it dries up a bit, take it off the flame. Keep it aside until use.

Making the Kozhukattai

Knead the dough using a teaspoon of gingely oil to make a smooth and soft dough. Divide the dough into 25 equal-sized balls.
Grease your fingers with oil and start making a small bowl shape with the dough. Stuff it with a 1-2 teaspoon of urad dal filling, gather the ends, pinch and close it to make a modak shape.
I tried using the modak mould to shape , made around 15-18 modaks with the mould and rest using the traditional method.
Steam cook in a steamer or in a pressure cooker without whistle for 8 -10 minutes. Take it off the stove, Serve it to Lord Ganesha and enjoy.

Notes

Rice flour is traditionally used for making kozhukattai/modagam/modak outer shell. I have used the regular idiyappam flour.
One has to be careful with the flour & water ratio to get a pliable dough. Some flour varieties need two times the ratio of flour some might need little extra.
So start with 1:2 flour to water ration then proceed to add little extra if needed.
Here in UAE we get modak flour in Al adil specially during Ganesh Chaturthi. You might also find Anil brand kozhukattai flour in all major South-Indian shops

Nutrition