Are you excited about the upcoming festival of Lord Ganesha?! Shall we try out the famous recipe of Tamil Nadu – The Chettinad Paal Kozhukattai with Coconut Milk to celebrate Ganapathy Ji’s birthday on September 7, 2024?! Here is a step by step guide for beginners to make the yummy delight and enjoy the festival with your friends and family. This article guides the reader on step-by-step procedure to make paal kozhukattai recipe.
“Good desserts are like good friends – sweet, memorable, and cherished.” One such awesome mouth watering dessert is the Paal Kozhukattai. Kozhukattai is a South Indian dumpling made from rice flour, with a filling of grated coconut, jaggery, or fruits. It is generally sweet, but sometimes is stuffed with a savoury filling too. Many innovations and varieties emerged in this sweet. One such variety is the Chettinad Paal Kozhukattai.
Before we dive into the recipe of Paal Kozhukattai, let us get to know the significance and stories behind the festival.
Story of Ganesh Chathurthi:
Ganesh Chaturthi, which is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi, is the celebration of the birthday of Lord Ganesha. Lord Ganesha is the elephant-headed god of wisdom, prosperity, and good fortune.
Goddess Parvati created Ganesha from turmeric and sandalwood paste to guard her while she bathed. Lord Shiva didn’t recognize Ganesha and cut off his head in anger. Shiva promised Goddess Parvati to bring Ganesha back to life, and the Devas found an elephant’s head and attached it to Ganesha’s body. Lord Ganesha is respected as the remover of obstacles and the lord of new beginnings. During Ganesh Chaturthi, idols of Ganesha are worshipped in pandals and then immersed in the Bay of Bengal. You may also like Two most popular temples of lord Shiva in Madhya Pradesh
Sweets and other dishes offered on the festival day:
Special sweets offered on Ganesh Chaturthi are Modak, Laddus, Puran Poli, Karanji (Gujiya), Kheer, Sheera (Sooji Halwa), Patholi, Sesame Balls (Ellu Urundai), Puffed Rice Balls (Pori Urundai) and Pedas. Sundals, coconut rice, and other popular savoury preparations are also offered to the lord in different regions of India. Among all these delicious treats, ‘Modak’ was named to be the most favourite sweet of Lord Ganesha by his mother Parvathi in a story.
Story of Modak:
Modak is the most important and famous sweet offered to lord Ganesha. The myth behind the story of modak preparation is the incident that happened in Sage Anasuya’s home. Anasuya prepared a divine feast, to offer the gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. The gods decided the feast should first be given to Ganesha but even after eating all the dishes prepared, he was not fulfilled. Devi Anasuya prepared a divine sweet Modak and offered it to Ganesha. Ganesha released a loud burp after swallowing the sweet.
The loud burp was a sign of satisfaction. Simultaneously, Lord Shiva also burped 21 times. Out of curiosity, Goddess Parvati asked Devi Anusuya for the recipe for the seemingly magical sweet. Thereafter, Goddess Parvati requested that all her son’s devotees offer exactly twenty-one Modaks to Lord Ganesha. Ganesha appreciated its flavour, symbolising the connection between modaks and spiritual knowledge.
Difference between Paal Kozhukattai recipe in Tamil Nadu and other states:
Paal Kozhukattai is boiled or steamed rice flour balls cooked in coconut milk. Jaggery powder is used as a sweetener. Ragi paal kozhukattai is an alternate recipe for traditional rice flour kozhukattai.
Kozhukattai is a steamed rice flour dumpling stuffed with sweet or savoury that is often offered as prasad to Lord Ganesha during Ganesh Chaturthi.
Modak can be steamed or fried. The name modak comes from the Sanskrit word “moda”, which means bliss.
There are various names given to modak in different regions of India which is tabulated below:
Modak originated in Western India, especially Maharashtra, while kozhukattai originated in Tanjore, Tamil Nadu. Modak is usually made with a flour dough and a sweet filling of coconut, sugar, and jaggery. Kozhukattai is usually made with a rice flour covering and a filling of sweet.
Modak’s filling can be coconut jaggery, dry fruits, khoya or chocolate whereas Kozhukattai can be sweet or savoury, It can be stuffed with coconut, jaggery, cardamom, sesame seeds, black gram, green chilies, mustard seeds, vegetables and lemon.
The famous Chettinad Paal Kozhukattai with Coconut Milk:
Paal Kozhukattai Recipe is a traditional Chettinad dish prepared on special occasions. It is a yummy dessert made by simmering steamed rice balls with coconut milk & jaggery syrup and flavoured with cardamom powder. Coconut milk is also swapped with boiled cow’s milk, almond milk, or ragi milk.
Boiled channa dal paste or rice flour slurry is also added to the boiled milk for thickening the mixture and to enhance the taste. People with a lot of innovations and eagerness of trying different combinations, combined various fruit purees with the milk.
Eager to start the preparation of the sweet!!? No more waiting, let us begin with the ingredients list.
Note: Paal Kozhukattai image referenced from Paal Kozhukattai Recipe by Archana’s Kitchen
Ingredients required for Chettinad Paal Kozhukattai:
Kindly gather and place the below ingredients nearby in order to start making the sweet.
- Soaked Raw Rice: 100 grams (the raw rice should be soaked well for about 4 to 6 hours in water)
- Water: 1 litre
- Thick Coconut milk: ½ litre (use only the first extract; kindly avoid using second or third extracts)
- Jaggery Powder: 150 to 200 grams (as per your preferred sweetness taste)
- Cardamom powder: 1 teaspoon
- Ghee: 3 tablespoon
- Salt: a pinch
Step by step procedure to prepare Chettinad Paal Kozhukattai:
- Filter the excess water from soaked raw rice.
- In a mixie jar, add the soaked raw rice and very little water and grind it for a few seconds to make a fine, smooth paste.
- Now add a little more water and grind again alternating the speeds 2 and 3. Please note that the consistency of the paste should be similar to paint form.
- Now switch on the stove and place a heavy bottom kadai pan. Make sure to keep your ground paste, water, a whisk and a spatula (preferably wooden) nearby.
- Pour ¼ cup water in the heated pan and bring to boil.
- To the boiling water, add the rice flour paste from the mixie.
- Set the stove to medium or a low flame and keep whisking the liquid so that no lumps are formed.
- Make sure you keep pushing the thick rice layers stuck on the pan to back to the boiling liquid.
- After a few minutes, you will notice that the liquid consistency thickens to soft dough. Immediately switch off the stove and push the sticky dough from the bottom and sides of the pan to the dough using spatula.
- Glaze a clean glass or metallic bowl with ghee and transfer the hot freshly prepared dough into it using a spatula.
- Now pour 50 ml water into the whisk and mixie to get a rice flour slurry. Let’s keep this aside to use later as a thickener.
- Apply a little ghee on both your palms. Now take very small portions of dough and roll it between your palms to form small balls. Shape of the balls can be either round or oval.
- Once you have finished rolling the balls, take an idli cooker, switch on the stove and pour water to boil.
- Glaze the mini idli plate with ghee. Normal size idli plates also can be used. Mini idli plates are preferred to boil faster and better.
- Now place the balls on the plate and cover with the lid. Leave for 10 mins to boil. Once the rice balls are boiled, it will be in soft, jelly glazed balls form.
- Take a Bronze Uruli vessel and place it on the stove. A Uruli is a heavy bottom Kerala cookware with a wide mouth which is generally made of clay, bronze or copper. This is not mandatory and if you don’t have an Uruli, no worries, you can use a heavy bottom kadai pan.
- Add ½ cup water to the Uruli and bring to boil. Add 150 to 200 grams of pure jaggery powder and a pinch of salt to make the sweet syrup. Note: In order to attain white colour of the sweet, few recipes use white sugar, but as per traditional Chettinad Paal Kozhukattai recipe, jaggery must be used.
- Keep stirring the jaggery mixture for 30 seconds to 1 minute in order to boil properly.
- Add one full tablespoon of ghee to the boiling syrup and stir well. Add the rolled rice balls and the slurry and mix well on a medium or low flame.
- Within a few seconds, the mixture will get thicker because of the rice flour slurry.
- Now add 500 ml of thick coconut milk to the mixture and stir well. You will be able to feel the beautiful aroma as you keep stirring.
- Add cardamom powder and mix well.
- Allow the dish to come to one boil and then switch off the stove. Please do not allow the dish to overcook because it will spoil the taste.
- Now the delicious delight – Chettinad Paal Kozhukattai Recipe is ready to serve. Serve the balls along with the aromatic sweet mixture liquid in a bowl.
- Topping it with ghee fried nuts and saffron strands is optional.
Celebrating Ganesh Chathurthi 2024:
I hope this Chettinad Paal Kozhukattai Recipe was helpful to you. Serve the awesome, super yummy and unique Paal Kozhukattai in many bowls and share it with all your friends, family members and neighbours.
On this Ganesh Chathurthi 2024, do not refrain or set boundaries for sharing. Share the smiles, sweets and happiness to all the kith and kin who work hard daily for our hospitality and security. Each one who showers love on us, takes care of our health, protects us and guards us from obstacles all of them depicts qualities of Lord Ganesha.
Conclusion:
Thank you for your patience to go through our blog on the Chettinad Paal Kozhukattai Recipe. I would like to conclude the article with the quote of the great American actress and comedian Phyllis Diller, “A smile is a curve that sets everything straight”. Sharing lots of love and putting up smiles along with sweets and sweet little gestures of kindness will turn the day into a blissful memory. Live, love, and enjoy. Happy Ganesh Chathurthi to all!! See you all with another interesting content in the next article.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
1. What does the paal kozhukattai recipe mainly consist of?
Paal Kozhukattai is a traditional South Indian dish, often enjoyed as a dessert or snack. It consists of soft rice flour dumplings cooked in milk and sweetened with jaggery.
2. What is the difference between the Chettinad Paal Kozhukattai recipe and regular Paal Kozhukattai recipe?
Chettinad Paal Kozhukattai often includes coconut milk in addition to regular milk, giving it a richer and more aromatic flavour. The dumplings in the Chettinad version might also be smaller and softer, with some variations incorporating a slightly different preparation method for the dough.
3. Can the above paal kozhukattai recipe be followed to give for babies too?
Yes, you can follow this recipe for feeding the babies above 1 year. This recipe is nutritious and offers the benefits of milk and jaggery, providing energy, calcium, and iron, which are important for a growing baby, but kindly note the below points.
For babies, you can make a version of this dish that is both nutritious and easier to digest. Make sure to knead the rice flour dough well such that there are no lumps. Make very small balls so that it will be easy for the baby to chew.
Please Introduce Cautiously: If it’s the baby’s first time trying jaggery or milk in this form, introduce it in small amounts to check for any allergies or sensitivities.
Age Consideration: This dish is best introduced to babies older than 12 months, and once they have been introduced to each ingredient separately.
Avoiding Choking Hazards: Make sure the kozhukattai are small and soft to avoid choking hazards. Always supervise while the baby is eating.
4. Why did my jaggery curdle the milk?
Jaggery can sometimes cause milk to curdle due to its acidity or impurities. To prevent this:
– Always melt the jaggery separately with a little water and strain it to remove impurities.
– Add the jaggery syrup to the milk once it has cooled slightly or cook it briefly with a small amount of water before adding it to the milk mixture.
5. Suggest reference videos of the paal kozhukattai recipe.
Sure!! Kindly refer to the below links for beginner friendly step-by-step video from the cook books of the great chef Venkatesh Bhat – Venkatesh Bhat makes CHETTINAD PAAL KOZHUKATTAI
People also ask:
1. Is Kozhukattai good for health?
Yes, rice flour is gluten free and the jaggery filling is rich in iron content. Hence, it helps to maintain normal levels of red blood cells and it boosts immunity.
2. What is the average cost price of Paal Kozhukattai in Tamil Nadu?
The average cost price of Paal Kozhukattai in Tamil Nadu is around 60 to 90.
For more information, check out the video for Chettinad Paal Kozhukattai Recipe for Ganesh Chathurthi.