Ganpati Bapa Moriya!

I love Lord Ganesha! Who doesn't? His power is beyond words and he fulfills all your wishes. For Ganesh Chathurthi, I made three Kozhakattais(you could call them dumplings of some sort). I am a bit late in posting the recipes but better late than never! Besides, these recipes can be enjoyed at any time of the year!

To make the dough, you will need:

3 cups of good rice flour

2 cups of water

A pinch of salt

One spoon of til oil

Method:

Boil the water in a Kadai. Add salt, oil and stir till it comes to a boil. Then, add the rice flour little by little till you get a consistent dough without lumps. Keep it aside to cool. 

I made two kinds of dumplings, sweet and spicy. 

To make the Poornam(sweet stuffing), you will need:

2 cups of grated coconut

1 cup of jaggery

1 cup water

A pinch of elaichi powder

1 tbsp of ghee

Method:

In a Kadai, put water and add the jaggery. Stir till the jaggery turns into a golden colored liquid. Add elaichi powder. When it comes to a boil, mix in the coconut and keep mixing till it achieves a thick consistency. Finally, add the ghee. Cook till it comes to the point where the mixture "leaves" the sides of the vessel.

To make the spicy stuffing, you will need:

1 cup urad dal 

2 to 3 green chillies(roughly chopped)

1 tbsp Mustard seeds

2 tbsp Oil 

Salt to taste

Method:

Soak the dal for half an hour. Strain the dal and grind it with green chillies and salt till it acheives a coarse consistency. Steam the ground paste(I used an Idli vessel for this) for 10 to 15 mins and keep aside. Put oil in a kadai and add the mustard seeds. Add the steamed paste and cook till the stuffing is dry. Keep it aside.

Assembling the kozhakattais:

Make a ball(approx. a little more than an inch in diameter) with the rice flour dough and flatten it till you get a rough circle. Make small spheres of the sweet filling and place it in between the rice flour disc. Slowly, seal the rice flour disc to cover the filling. Repeat the same procedure with the spicy kozhakattais as well. Steam them in an Idli vessel. Once you take them out, let them cool for a few minutes. They're ready to serve!

Amni kozhakattais:

This is a great way to use up the remaining rice flour dough. What's more, it'a a big hit with everyone!

To make Amni kozhakattais, you will need:

Remaining rice flour dough

Red Chilli Powder(adjusted to your taste)

Salt to taste

Oil to shallow fry

1 tbsp Mustard seeds

Grated coconut(a handful)

Method: 

Mix all the above ingredients with the rice flour dough. Then make small spheres. Steam them in an Idli vessel. In a frying pan, add oil and mustard seeds. When they start to crackle, add the kozhakattais and fry them. Finally, garnish with grated coconut and serve.