Kozhukattai
Delicate steamed rice flour dumplings filled with sweet coconut and jaggery, shaped into pleated pouches and offered during Ganesh Chaturthi across Tamil Nadu.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 60 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Calories
- 180 kcal
Equipment
- •Steamer
- •Small bowl for shaping
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 180 kcal
- fat
- 5 g
- carbs
- 32 g
- fibre
- 2 g
- protein
- 2 g
- calories
- 180 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Melt the jaggery with a splash of water in a pan. Strain out any grit, then pour it back into the pan.
- 2
Stir grated coconut into the jaggery syrup until thick. Mix in cardamom powder and leave the filling to cool.
- 3
Bring the water, salt and oil to a boil in a pot.
- 4
Tip in all the rice flour and stir quickly. Cover the pot and turn off the heat for 5 minutes.
- 5
Rub oil on your hands. Knead the warm dough until it feels smooth and soft.
- 6
Divide the dough into small balls. Flatten each ball into a shallow cup with your fingers or a small bowl.
- 7
Put a spoonful of filling into each cup. Fold and pinch the edges together at the top to seal.
- 8
Place the shaped kozhukattai (stuffed dumplings) on an oiled steamer plate. Steam for 10-12 minutes until glossy and firm.
- 9
Let them cool slightly before serving as prasadam (sacred food offering).
Chef's tips
Shape the rice dough while it is still warm, as it turns stiff once cold. Keep the shaped kozhukattai under a damp cloth so they do not dry out.
Ingredient substitutions
- jaggery → palm sugar
Storage
Best eaten fresh the same day; refrigerate leftovers for a day.
Reheating
Reheat by steaming for 3-4 minutes.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Letting the dough cool completely before shaping, which makes it crack
- •Adding too much filling, which causes the dumplings to burst open while steaming
Serving suggestions
Cooked Kozhukattai?
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