Coconut Stuffed Dumplings

Kozhukattai is a popular South Indian dumpling made from rice flour, with a filling of grated coconut, jaggery, etc. Sometimes, the stuffing can be a savory filling. Modak is a similar dish made in other parts of India such as Maharashtra and Gujarat.

In Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, the dish is traditionally associated with the Lord Ganesha and is prepared as an offering (naivedhya/prasad) on the occasion of Vinayaka Chathurthi.

Basic ingredient for making stuffed dumplings is rice flour. For the filling, jaggery, grated coconut, cardamom is used. Other ingredients such as black or dehusked sesame seeds (til), raisins, cashew nuts, etc. are used to enhance the taste.

The dish is prepared by mixing grated coconut with jaggery syrup, placing it inside dumplings of rice flour, and steaming the dumplings. Ghee, cardamom, finely ground roasted rice flour etc. may be added to enhance the taste and flavour of the filling. In Kerala, a variant of kozhukatta made with atta flour (instead of rice flour) and grated coconut is a staple breakfast among some groups.

A variation of the stuffed dumpling is to deep fry it in oil, for which wheat flour dough is used as the covering instead of rice flour.

Following ingredients are required for making Coconut Stuffed Dumplings :

• Grated Coconut – 420 gms (12 palam)
• Jaggery – 420 gms (12 palam)
• Cardamom powder – 8.75 gms (¼ palam)
• Water – 562.5 gms ( padi)
• Rice flour – 750 gms (½ padi)
• Rice flour – 93.75 gms (1/16 padi)

• Grate the jaggery and mix it with coconut in a vessel. Fry this mixture for 5 minutes without getting burnt. Then add cardamom powder to the jaggery mixture. This is called stuffing.
• Clean the rice and dry it under shadow. Then grind it to flour.
• Boil the water and then add the rice flour and mix it well. When the flour gets boiled once remove it from the fire and spread it on a plate.
• Then apply gingelly oil in your hands and knead the rice flour firmly.
• From that rice flour, make small round balls (gooseberry size).
• Take each ball and dust it in the rice flour and make a bowl shape. Then keep the required stuffing and close the outer layer. Repeat the process for the rest.
• Cook each dumpling in the same way as we cooked idli in an idli plate. Since these are very small dumplings, in one idli plate, u can arrange many at a time and cook. Take care they should not touch each other.
• P.S : For the stuffing we can also use sesame seed, coconut, variety of dal, cream of wheat. We can mix any one or two or three with sugar or jaggery and cardamom powder and prepare the sweet version. For savoury version we can use a variety of dal, salt, green chilly, coriander leaves and cumin seed.

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