KOZHUKATTA

Made from the same dough as idiyappam, kozhukattas are smooth balls with meltingly sweet centers. The sweet centers are my favorite. When my mother makes kozhukatta, I cannot stop eating the jaggery coconut sweet filling. 

Usually made as a snack.

It has another reputation of being made on the Saturday before Palm Sunday; the day is known as kozhukatta Saturday. Why is Kozhukatta Saturday celebrated?  My cousin sister had the answer to this. "There are many versions of the history behind it . One version is that the kozhukattas are made to symbolize the stones that were hurled at JESUS on Palm Sunday". 

How do you like your Kozhukatta? Thick outer covering or thin outer covering with the sweet center?

I like the rice dough covered thin, with lots of sweet coconut filling. 

One thing to note before making them : 

• Make sure the jaggery syrup is "syrup" consistency. This saves a lot of cooking time.

RECIPE

For the coconut jaggery mixture

1. 2 cups loosely packed shredded coconut(I have used frozen and thawed) 
2. 125 gms jaggery(appr. 1 cup loosely packed jaggery), boiled to a syrup with 2 Tbsp. Water
3. 1/8 tsp salt

For the dough

1. 1/2 cup fine rice powder(Idiyappam /appam powder)
2. a pinch of salt
3. 1 cup boiling water(you might not need the whole amount, use as needed)

METHOD

 

Making the coconut jaggery mixture

• Put the coconut and jaggery syrup in a pan. I have used a cheena chatti. Bring to a boil on low heat. Stir in between. Turn off when the coconut is no longer wet and the coconut is fluffed up. 
• Even if you accidentally cook it for a long time and it becomes dry, it's ok; it will become soft when the kozhukattas are steamed.
  
  

Making the dough

• Take the flour in a bowl suitable for withstanding hot water. I use store-bought flour. Different packets require different amounts of water.
• Stir in salt into the flour. Use the tip of a spoon or ladle to mix the flour with salt.
  



• Add boiling water to the flour. Don't add all of it at once. As you add the water, keep stirring the flour with the back end of the spoon or ladle. The flour will start to come together into a dough. When the dough is wet, and there's no dry powder at the bottom of the bowl's bottom, you can stop adding the water.
  
  

                                            

• At this point, you can either wait for the dough to cool down a little bit (about 5 minutes) and knead the dough all together  
• Mix the dough with your hands and make it into a fine big ball.
  
• Roll the dough into a tube shape with your hands. Roll out small balls from the tube.
  

Making the kozhukatta 

• Keep a small cup filled with water to dip your fingers in while making the kozhukatta.
• Make an assembly line of water, coconut jaggery mixture, dough, and a plate to keep the prepared kozhukattas.
• Take a ball of dough, and roll it out into a fine perfect round shape.
  

  

• With your thumb, make a dent in the center.
  
  
  

            

• Widen the dent as you run your thumb in the center and three fingers supporting the outer part, making it even and smooth as you go around. (My mother uses her three fingers to even out the inside of the cup and her thumb to even out the outside of the cup, so use it according to your convenience.)
  
  
  
• Dip the fingers in water if it becomes sticky. Continue doing this until you get a tulip-shaped cup , making it as thin as possible.
  
  
  
• Take 1 to 2 tsp of the coconut mixture and fill in the tulip cup.
  
  
  
• Now we have to close the tulip cup.  Don't be in a hurry to close the tulip cup. Dip your fingertips in water and, using your fingertips, bring the tulip cup to a close, smoothening the outer side of the cup, starting from the bottom way up to the top to let out any air gaps within the ball. (If there are any air gaps, then the ball won't hold the round shape after steaming) .

• Gather the top part of the cup slowly and carefully so that you don't tear any part of the cup. As you gather the top part, even out the bottom to the top of the cup, so that there won't be any air gaps inside the cup.
• Bring the gathered part to a close and pinch out the extra dough.

• After pinching out the excess dough, roll the closed ball into a perfectly round shape. Be gentle when you do so. If there are any holes, seal them off by wetting your hands and smoothing them out. (Rice powder and water form an excellent sealant)
  
   
  
  
   
  
  
  
  
• The whole process of making a perfect ball takes time and practice. You will get the hang of it after making 5 to 6 balls.
  
  
  
• Place the balls on a plate that can be put in a steamer pot.
  
  
• Bring an idly cooker to boil with water on high heat. after the steam comes out . place the balls on a plate that can be put in the steamer pot and steam for 8 minutes on medium-high heat. (The outer covering of my kozhukattas are thin. If the outer covering is thicker, steam it for a few more minutes.)
  
  
  

            

•  Take the balls out of the mold after 2-3 minutes. Some of the balls may stick to the mold and not come out easily. So give it some time.

NOTES

• The recipe makes 12-15 kozhukattas. 
• I didn't have a big steamer plate, so I used all the things I could put in the steamer pot, idly plates and 8-inch cake pans can all be made use of!!!!!!!
• I feel steaming in the idly molds is more convenient than in the cake pans.

                                                

• If you are making a large batch, molding the kozhukattas all in one go is not practical. The dough and coconut jaggery mixture can be made ahead and kept in the fridge for up to 2 days, but I prefer not making the dough ahead.