Mrs. Mano's Tamilnadu Delicacies - Part 3

[Mrs.Mano]

This is the most famous sweet in Tamilnadu. In fact, this sweet is very old and traditional one. With just a few ingredients, we can make a very delicious dessert. In old days, raw rice was soaked in water, then it was dried on a wet cloth inside the house after having drained out all the water, then dried rice was pound to a fine powder, then the rice powder was sieved and steamed , again sieved after it had been cooled and stored for months. To prepare pal kozukkattai, a soft and glossy dough was prepared with this rice flour by adding hot water, little oil and enough salt to it. Then ladies in the house would make small balls and turn them like jasmine buds with their fingers. In boiling water, these rice buds were cooked and then jaggery powder, shredded coconut and cardamom powder were added. The result was a frothy golden coloured dessert! Thus pal kozukkattai was prepared in old days.

Even now, some people prepare like this taking all these trouble. Some people will add coconut milk in the end. some people are cooking rice buds in the milk instead of water. Nowadays, with an easy method, the pal kozukkattai is prepared with the same delicious result. I am going to post that easy method here. Hope you all enjoy making this delicious sweet.



பால் கொழுக்கட்டை

The ingredients needed:

raw rice- 1 cup
raw rice flour [ this can be bought in any shop]- a little quantity
jaggery- 2 cups [ this must not be fresh and white in colour. The brown one is suitable]
shredded coconut- half cup
cardamom powder- 1 tsp
saffron- a few stripes

Preparation:

Soak the rice in enough water for a few hours.
Then grind the rice with a little water to a thick paste.
Add enough rice flour and a pinch of salt to make a soft dough.
heat a vessel and pour 8 cups of water.
When the water starts simmering, load the dough in a 'Idiyappam press' with a slightly bigger idiyappa achu or small murukku achu [disc].
Then press and squeeze it in the boiling water so that the dough would fall like small murukku pieces in to the water.
Once they are cooked they would come up and float on the surface of the water.
Then second round must be continued in this same way.
Thus finish all the dough.
Now all the cooked pieces will be floating on the surface.
Check the water consistency and more hot water can be added now if the dessert is too thick.
Now add the jaggery powder along with the shredded coconut, cardamom powder and saffron.
Cook for a few more minutes on medium fire.
The delicious pal kozhukkattai is ready now!!


www.muthusidharal.blogspot.com
www.manoskitchen.blogspot.com