Sweet Pidi Kozhukattai/Rice Dumplings with Jaggery for Amman/Ganesha Chathurthi

Hello Friends,

“Aadi” is a very special and auspicious month in Tamil calendar, when special poojas are done for Amman. Special neivedhanams are done for Amman like sweet pongal and beautiful decorations done and special poojas conducted throughout the month. During the month of Aadi, the tradition of making Kezhvaragu Koozh  for Amman and distributing to everybody is very famous in Tamil Nadu. Since my parents are from Thanjavore, the tradition goes by making rice kanji, paanagam, neer mor, maavilakku, drumstick leaves poriyal and offering special prayers  to Amman and then distributing them to everybody.

But in my MIL's house the tradition goes by making Kezhvaragu Koozh, pidi kozhukattai, mochai kottai kara kuzhambu with karuvadu, drumstick leaves poriyal, thullu maavu and offered to Amman as neivedhyam. We do special prayers and then distribute to everybody. Usually the Kezhvaragu Koozh and rice kanji are all prepared in large scale and distribute to atleast 30 to 50 people or even more.

As this is the month of “Aadi”  and tomorrow being Friday I thought  I will share this pidi kozhukattai with all of you and also this is special request from one of my readers Deepa. Not just for neivedhyam you can make this healthy and delicious pidi kozhukattai for your kids as evening snacks. So what are guys waiting for, enjoy…

Here’s how to make Sweet Pidi Kozhukattai with step by step photos….

Ingredients

Raw rice	1 cup [200 gms]
Jaggery/Vellam	¾ cup
Cardamom/Elachi powder	¼ tsp or  from 4 cardamoms
Grated coconut	2 tbsp
Salt	One pinch
Water	1 ½ cups

Method

Wash and soak the rice for about ½ hour.

Drain the water from the rice. Dry the rice under fan by spreading the rice on a clean piece of cloth. The rice should be slightly damp and not very dry.

Now grind it in the mixer to powder neither very coarse nor very fine. One cup of rice with  yield almost  1 ¾ cup of rice flour.

Dry roast the rice flour in the kadai for few min and keep it aside.

Mix jaggery in water in a kadai and let it boil. Switch off the stove and  filter out the impurities with strainer.

Now again boil the jaggery water, when it comes to rolling boil slowly add the rice flour with one hand and keep stirring with the other hand.

While you are stirring add the salt, grated coconut and elachi powder. Keep stirring until they come together as shown in the photo, and make sure there are no lumps formed.

Switch off the stove and let it cool. Grease your hand with oil and make small balls with the dough, then make small impression with your fingers by pressing them.

Now oil the idli plates with oil, arrange all the kozhukattais or dumplings and cook them for 7-10 min in idli cooker.

Suggestions:

• I always make this kozhukattai from the scratch but if you are running out of time then you can you the rice flour.
• I have used grated coconut, you can replace it with fine pieces of coconut instead.
• When boiling the jaggery do not bring it to string consistency, just rolling boil is more than enough.
• During the pooja days my MIL makes a small lamp with the dough and then steams it. Later uses them as lamps.

Delicious sweet pidi kozhukattai is ready for neivedhyam…

Thank you for visiting my blog, please come back again for traditional and authentic sweets of South India.

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