Payaru Kozhukattai

Pillayar Chaturthi is around the corner. And the blog world is flooded with recipes varieties of Kozhukattais and other neivedhyams. So here is one from my side too. I have already posted a few varieties of kozhukattais. The one I am posting today has a delicious protein rich filling. I came to know about this from my SIL's mother, who never fails to make this one on Chathurthi. 

So if you are looking for a different filling for your kozhakattai then you should try this one.

Makes about 14 to 15 Kozhukattais

For the outer dough

1. Rice Flour/ Idiyappam flour – 1 cup
2. Water – 1 cup + ¼ cup (use only if required)
3. Salt – a pinch
4. Coconut Oil – 2 tsp

For the filling

1. Pachha Payaru/Whole Green Mung Beans – ½ cup
2. Powdered Jaggery – ½ cup + 2 tbsp
3. Scraped Fresh Coconut – ¼ cup
4. Cardamom – 2 or 3, crushed
5. Ghee – 1 tbsp

Method

To make the Rice Flour

1. Wash and soak 1 cup of rice in water for 2 hours.
2. Drain and spread on a cloth and allow to dry in shade for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Grind the rice to a fine powder in mixer or send to the flour mill and get it milled.
4. Sieve the powder.
5. Roast this powder on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Sieve the roasted flour. Cool and store in airtight container.

To make the dough for the outer covering

1. Bring 1 cup of water to boil with salt and coconut oil. Heat another ¼ to ½ cup of water and keep ready. Use only if required.
2. To the one cup of boiling water, add the rice flour slowly stirring continuously so that no lumps are formed.
3. The whole thing should come together as a mass.
4. Remove from flame. Add a few spoons of water if required.
5. While the dough is still warm to touch, knead into a smooth dough, just like a chappathi dough.
6. Set aside. Keep covered to avoid drying.

To make the filling

1. Dry roast the mung beans until a nice aroma starts coming.
2. Remove from heat, wash and soak for half an hour.
3. Pressure cook for 3 whistles or until soft.
4. Once the cooker cool, open and mash the mung beans coarsely with the back of a ladle.
5. Heat a Kadai, with jaggery and 2 to 3 tbsp of water to dissolve the jaggery.
6. Once the jaggery is dissolved, filter the syrup of impurities and pour it back into the kadai.
7. Let it come to boil, take care not to burn.
8. Now add the scraped coconut and the mashed dal.
9. Mix well. Add the ghee and stir for 3 to 5 mins until most of the moisture is absorbed or and the whole thing comes together as mass.
10. Add the crushed cardamoms, mix well.
11. Remove from heat and cool.
12. Form balls out of this filling.

To make the kozhukattais

1. Grease your palms and pinch out small lemon sized balls out of the dough. Flatten the dough in your palms and place a ball of filling in the center. Gather the edges and seal the filling forming a peak at the top. (just like you would do for the stuffed paratha). Prepare more kozhukattais using the remaining dough and filling.
2. Heat a steamer, you can also use the idli stand. Place the kozhukattais one by one without touching each other and steam for 10 minutes or until the outer layer is shiny.

Note:

1. Always keep a little extra hot water and use only if required. The amount of water required depends on the quality of rice used.
2. Keep the rice flour dough covered so that it doesn’t dry up.