Kara Pidi Kozhukattai | Spicy Rice Kozhukattai | Upma Kozhukattai

Kara Pidi Kozhukattai is prepared by steaming rice flour with spices. They serve as a perfect evening snack. I was looking for an easy yet different one from my usual evening snack. It’s when I came across this Kara Pidi Kozhukattai. Ever since then, I wanted to prepare this spicy kozhukattai and this weekend being the festive season, I tried and you will not believe that I swallowed few while arranging them.

This can be prepared with either rice flour or by grinding raw rice flour. I have homemade rice flour prepared by amma, so I prepared this kozhukattai using rice flour. If you are preparing using raw rice, the kozhukattai may look little grainy.

Ingredients:

1 cup Rice Flour/Raw rice
2 Cups Water
4 tablespoon Grated Coconut
½ teaspoon Salt
For tempering
- 1 tablespoon Cooking Oil
- 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 1 ½ teaspoon Channa Dhal
- ½ teaspoon Urad Dhal
- Handful Curry Leaves
- 3-4 Red Chilies
- Hing, a small pinch

Method.

If using raw rice, wash the rice with water completely and allow them to dry. Once dried, grind the raw rice in a mixer coarsely.
If using rice flour, sift the rice flour to avoid any lumps.
In a kadai, add oil and heat over medium flame. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds.
Allow the seeds to sizzle. Then, add chana dhal, urad dhal, curry leaves and red chilies. Cook until the dhal turns light brown.
Add grated coconut and fry them for a minute.
Add water. Allow the water to boil. Once the water starts boiling, add salt and hing.
Add rice flour gently while stirring them continuously to avoid the formation of lumps.
Cook until the rice flour is cooked and water is completely absorbed. Remove them from the flame and make kozhukattais while it is hot with hand. Do not leave the kozhukattai flour for a long time. This will result in hard kozhukattais.
Grease your hands with oil. Take a lemon sized ball of rice flour. Place the ball in your palm and gently press them with your hand to form cylindrical shape.
Repeat the same for the remaining flour. Steam the dumpling in idli molds for about 10-12 minutes.
Serve the kozhukattai warmly with a spicy chutney of your choice.
The same Kozhukattai can be prepared with rava instead of rice flour.