01
Sweet Kozhakattai
Rare
Sweet Kozhakattai - steamed rice flour dumplings filled with sweet coconut and jaggery, made for Ganesha.
Soft rice flour cups filled with coconut, jaggery and elaichi, then sealed and steamed.
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AMMAMMA'S NOTES.
Coconut
1 cup
Jaggery
3/4 cup
Ghee
3 spoons
Cardamom powder
1/4 tsp
Raw rice
1 cup
Oil
4 tsp
Salt
a pinch
Milk
2 spoons
01
Make the filling: boil a little water, add ghee and jaggery and let it boil briefly, then add the coconut and stir until thick; finish with cardamom powder and remove from heat.
02
Wash and soak the rice for 2 hours, then grind to a fine paste with a little water.
03
In a pan, boil 2 cups of water with a little salt, milk and 1 spoon of oil, then add the rice paste and stir until it thickens like chapati dough batter; remove from heat and let cool.
04
Grease hands with oil, shape the dough into small cup shapes, fill with the coconut filling, and close.
05
Steam cook in a cooker without weight for 10 minutes.
Salt Kozhakattai
Rice flour kozhakattai stuffed with a steamed urad-channa dal filling, seasoned with mustard, coconut and curry leaves.
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Sakara Pongal
Sakkarai Pongal - a Tamil sweet rice and jaggery pudding.
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Making kozhakattai during Ganpati with Ammamma — I was so bad at shaping them and rolling out the little rice flour sheets that we devised a new method: she'd make the sheets, I'd stuff and shape them. If by chance I got one right, she'd be shocked, surprised, and so happy. My favourite part was Thatha coming by to congratulate us on our progress.
YAMINI VENKATESAN
WHAT'S FOR LUNCH, 2026