Ulundu Kozhukattai | Uppu Kozhukattai | Urad Dal Poornam Kozhukattai
Ulundu kozhukattai - a steamed savory dumpling stuffed with spicy urad dal filling or the urad dal pooranam. Uppu kozhukattai with store-bought rice flour.
Servings: 10 yields
Calories: 131kcal
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
Calories: 131kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 121mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 86IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg