Ulundu kozhukattai – a steamed savory dumpling stuffed with spicy urad dal filling or the urad dal pooranam. Here is my recipe for the uppu kozhukattai or the savory kozhukattai with store-bought rice flour.
We make assorted kozhukattai recipes for Vinayaka Chaturthi. Earlier I had shared two sweet ones – coconut jaggery or the thengai poorana kozhukattai and sesame seed kozhukattai or the ellu poorana kozhukattai.
Now it’s time for the savory one. Even though it’s not Vinayaka Chaturthi now, I decided to share this recipe. :-)
The outer cover is the same for all the kozhukattai varieties. I just prepare the outer cover once and make assorted fillings and make the kozhukattai.
I have mentioned this before, but let me repeat it. There are four main steps involved in the kozhukattai-
- We first prepare the filling.
- Then we prepare the dough or the outer layer.
- Next is the shaping and filling process.
- And finally, we steam the stuffed kozhukattai.
The Ural Dal Filling-
Among the different savory fillings, this urad dal one is quite common and traditional as well. Compared to the sweet ones, the urad dal filling preparation is slightly time-consuming. There is some soaking time involved.
You can soak the lentils overnight, and you can quickly grind them on the festive day morning. So we soak the lentils and grind it. We then steam the ground lentils and then crumble it and cook it again with coconut. It’s more like the paruppu usili process.
VVK Tip – That said, you can use your paruppu usili filling to make this savory kozhukattai also. Also, the paruppu vadai batter or the thavala vadai batter can be used as well. Make sure you grind the vada batter thick without adding any water and set aside for the filling. :-) But today, let me share the urad dal filling.
Yield & Recipe Measure-
The yield varies depending upon the mold size and how thick your outer covering is. With this measure, you can make 5 to 6 bigger modak and 8 to 10 small ones. The nutrition information is for 10 servings.
You can double or triple the measurement as per your need.
What to do with extra filling and dough-
Don’t worry if you have the extra filling or the outer layer dough. With extra outer dough- you can always make ammini kozhukattai. You can shape the extra urad dal filling into small balls. And use it in mor kuzhambu, vathal kuzhambu or even is rasam and make paruppu urundai kuzhambu.
Without any further ado, let’s get straight into the ulundu kozhukattai. Please carefully follow the instructions and also check the recipe notes for the perfect modak/kozhukattai.
Preparing the filling-
- Wash the urad dal and chana dal and soak it along with red chilies for one to one and a half hours.
- Drain the water and grind it into a coarse paste by adding salt, ground turmeric, and asafoetida.
- Add 1.5 cups of water in the idli cooker and grease the idli plates with gingelly oil. Place the ground mix in each mold evenly and steam it for 10 minutes. Wait for 5 minutes and open the idli cooker. Remove the urad dal cakes from the mold and crumble it.
- Heat a pan and add 2 tsps of oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and add the crumbled lentil mix. Add the coconut and mix well. Cook for 2 minutes and let it cool. That’s it; the filling is ready.
Prepare the outer covering-
- Bring 1 cup + 2 tbsps of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the oil or ghee and also the salt.
- When the water starts boiling, reduce the heat to low. Add the rice flour slowly.
- Using the back of the spoon/ladle, mix the flour well. It will be crumbly, and that’s fine.
- After mixing, turn off the heat and cover the pan and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Consistency check – take a small amount of the dough and see if you can shape it into a ball. It should not fall apart. If it’s very crumbly, sprinkle 2 to 3 tbsps of water and cover and cook over low heat for two minutes and turn it off.
- While the dough is warm-enough and easy to handle, wet your palms in cold water and shake off the excess water. Knead it gently and form a crack-free dough.
- Cover it with a damp cloth or tissue. Do not let the dough dry out.
Shaping and filling the ulundu kozhukattai-
- I always use my mold for this kozhukattai. For the traditional boat-shaped kozhukattai, please check my thengai poorana kozhukattai post. Grease the inside of the mold with gingelly oil. Now close the mold.
- Depending upon the size of the mold, pinch the required amount of dough.
- Place the dough inside the mold and gently spread it along the mold’s sides/wall to get the shape of the mold. Ensure you are spreading it evenly, and there is sufficient space in the center for the filling. Remove the excess dough from the sides.
- Now gently add 1 to 2 tsps of the urad dal filling into the mold. Take a small piece of the dough, press it into a small circle, and seal the mold’s bottom. Now carefully open the mold and remove the modak from the mold and set it aside. Make sure to cover it till you steam.
- Repeat the same process with the remaining dough and the filling.
Steaming the kozhukattai-
- I use my idli cooker and idli plates to steam the modak.
- Grease the idli plates with gingelly oil and place the shaped kozhukattai in the idli plate.
- Depending upon the size of the kozhukattai, you can keep one or two. Do not overcrowd the idli plates with kozhukattais—steam in batches.
- Now steam the kozhukattai over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Then turn off the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then open the idli cooker and remove the kozhukattai.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Recipe Notes-
- Adjust the salt and spice for the urad dal filling as per your taste.
- Don’t grind the lentils smoothly. Grind it coarse for a good texture.
- I did not roast my store-bought rice flour. But if you keep your flour in the freezer or fridge, bring it to room temperature. Dry roast it for a couple of minutes and sieve it so that there aren’t any lumps.
- For this particular brand, I had to use 1 cup and an extra 2 tbsps of water. You can also use 1 cup of water for 1 cup of flour. And while kneading, if the flour is dry, add lukewarm water on the needed basis and knead the dough. The water amount varies depending upon the brand.
- I have tried making kozhukattai with both store-bought rice flour and idiyappam flour. Both have come out well.
- Knead the dough while it is warm enough to handle. Don’t let the dough get cold.
- Always cover the outer dough with a damp cloth or tissue. Do not let the dough dry out.
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📖 Recipe
Ulundu Kozhukattai | Uppu Kozhukattai | Urad Dal Poornam Kozhukattai
Equipment
- Saucepan or kadai
- steamer like idli cooker
- Modak mold
Ingredients
For the Filling-
- ¼ cup urad dal whole ones dehusked
- 1 tsp chana dal
- 2 dried red chilies
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp turmeric powder
- ⅛ tsp asafoetida
- 2 tsp oil
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- 2 tbsp coconut grated
For the cover:
- 1 cup rice flour I used store-bought rice flour. You can use idiyappam flour also
- 1.25 cup water divided refer notes.1
- 1 tsp gingelly oil
- ¼ tsp salt
Other ingredients-
- 3 tbsp gingelly oil for greasing the mold and steaming plates
- 1.5 cups water for the idli cooker
Instructions
Preparing the filling-
- Wash the urad dal and chana dal and soak it along with red chilies for one to one and a half hours.
- Drain the water and grind it into a coarse paste by adding salt, ground turmeric, and asafoetida.
- Add 1.5 cups of water in the idli cooker and grease the idli plates with gingelly oil. Place the ground mix in each mold evenly and steam it for 10 minutes. Wait for 5 minutes and open the idli cooker. Remove the urad dal cakes from the mold and crumble it.
- Heat a pan and add 2 tsps of oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and add the crumbled lentil mix. Add the coconut and mix well. Cook for 2 minutes and let it cool. That’s it; the filling is ready.
Prepare the outer covering-
- Bring 1 cup + 2 tbsps of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the oil or ghee and also the salt.
- When the water starts boiling, reduce the heat to low. Add the rice flour slowly.
- Using the back of the spoon/ladle, mix the flour well. It will be crumbly, and that’s fine.
- After mixing, turn off the heat and cover the pan and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Consistency check – take a small amount of the dough and see if you can shape it into a ball. It should not fall apart. If it’s very crumbly, sprinkle 2 to 3 tbsps of water and cover and cook over low heat for two minutes and turn it off.
- While the dough is warm-enough and easy to handle, wet your palms in cold water and shake off the excess water. Knead it gently and form a crack-free dough.
- Cover it with a damp cloth or tissue. Do not let the dough dry out.
Shaping and filling the kozhukattai-
- I always use my mold for this kozhukattai. For the traditional boat-shaped kozhukattai, please check my thengai poorana kozhukattai post. Grease the inside of the mold with gingelly oil. Now close the mold.
- Depending upon the size of the mold, pinch the required amount of dough.
- Place the dough inside the mold and gently spread it along the mold’s sides/wall to get the shape of the mold. Ensure you are spreading it evenly, and there is sufficient space in the center for the filling. Remove the excess dough from the sides.
- Now gently add 1 to 2 tsps of the urad dal filling into the mold. Take a small piece of the dough, press it into a small circle, and seal the mold’s bottom. Now carefully open the mold and remove the modak from the mold and set it aside. Make sure to cover it till you steam.
- Repeat the same process with the remaining dough and the filling.
Steaming the kozhukattai-
- I use my idli cooker and idli plates to steam the modak.
- Grease the idli plates with gingelly oil and placed the shaped kozhukattai in the idli plate.
- Depending upon the size of the kozhukattai, you can keep one or two. Do not overcrowd the idli plates with kozhukattais—steam in batches.
- Now steam the kozhukattai over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Then turn off the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then open the idli cooker and remove the kozhukattai.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
- Adjust the salt and spice for the urad dal filling as per your taste.
- Don’t grind the lentils smoothly. Grind it coarse for a good texture.
- I did not roast my store-bought rice flour. But if you keep your flour in the freezer or fridge, bring it to room temperature. Dry roast it for a couple of minutes and sieve it so that there aren’t any lumps.
- For this particular brand, I had to use 1 cup and an extra 2 tbsps of water. You can also use 1 cup of water for 1 cup of flour.
- And while kneading, if the flour is dry, add lukewarm water on the needed basis and knead the dough.
- The water amount varies depending upon the brand. I have tried making kozhukattai with both store-bought rice flour and idiyappam flour. Both have come out well. Knead the dough while it is warm enough to handle. Don’t let the dough get cold.
- Always cover the outer dough with a damp cloth or tissue. Do not let the dough dry out.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
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Urad dal kozhukattai looks so delicious and outer layer looks so soft. Lovely pictures
Thanks Narmadha.
I do not like the sweet rice modak much, hardly made it once or twice. But this one looks delicious with the savoury filling. Bookmarking this to try some day.
Thanks Renu. I hope you give it a try.
Modaks is one thing I have never tried , what I mean is the authentic ones . The savory ones sound quite delicious but definitely require lot of time and effort .
Making this rice dough is similar to making Gujju Kheechiyu , I am sure some of the labour would cut down with store bought flour .
Very interesting recipe !
Thank you Vaishali. :-)
Interesting poornam with urad dal. I have never made it and I am also loving the mould you used. Now I know why and how it is easier to make these :)
Molds make shaping the kozhukattai easy Harini. I shape them by hand but it takes a lot of time.
I love this kozhukattai..and that mold surely looks so cute..we had the smaller one too..it got misplaced and we bought a bigger one..so ours is now a big kozhukattai..:)..
Oh nice. I need to get a big one too.