Panai Olai Kozhukattai is a special delicious kozhukattai made with rice flour, green gram dal & palm jaggery as main ingredients. Panai Olai Kozhukattai is unique in preparation and very artistic for people who wish to experiment with varieties. This recipe is mostly made during special days and village functions. The flavor is very unique because of the palm leaf smell.
This Kozhukattai tastes mildly sweet with nice earthy flavor from karupatti. The texture is soft with slight bite from moong dal and coconut. It also looks artistic when opened from the leaf. Though it looks little difficult, once you start making it becomes easy.
Jump to:
About Panai Olai Kozhukattai
Panai olai kozhukattai is steamed sweet dumpling commonly made in South Tamil Nadu areas. It is cooked inside palm leaves which gives special flavor to the kozhukattai. The mix of rice flour and palm jaggery makes it naturally sweet and filling. It is mostly made during village festivals.
The texture of this recipe is soft and slightly chewy when hot. The filling is mixed into the dough itself so every bite has taste. Palm jaggery gives deep sweetness which is not sharp. Cardamom adds mild aroma and balances the flavor nicely. It reminds me of village style cooking.
This kozhukattai recipe can be made without palm leaf also, but the taste will change. Palm leaf gives light smoky smell when steamed. You can adjust sweetness or coconut based on your liking. Still palm leaf version tastes best. The smell while steaming itself feels very traditional.
I usually make this when fresh palm leaves are available. It takes some time but the final taste is really worth it. I usually make this when I feel like trying something traditional at home.
I saw this Panai olai kozhukattai recipe in an old magazine last year but it was only after Karthigai Deepam but made a quick note of it. I tried this kozhukattai this year and the kozhukattais were just too good to resist.
Last month I was casually mentioning about this Kozhukatai to hubby and asked if he can buy me the panai olai and then forgot about it. One fine day he brought me few palm leaves, yayyy I tried these kozhukattais the very next day itself as I always have palm jaggery in stock. These kozhukattais tasted so good with the flavour of palm leaf and palm jaggery that I loved it so much.
Panai Olai Kozhukattai Ingredients
- Rice flour - Added this as the base for this kozhukattai. It gives softness and helps to hold the shape well. Use fresh good quality flour for better taste.
- Palm jaggery - I added this for sweetness and deep flavor. It gives that earthy taste. Try not to replace it with sugar.
- Green moong dal - I have dry roasted and ground this coarsely. It gives slight bite and nice texture.
- Grated coconut - I have added coconut for moisture and taste. It balances the jaggery well. Fresh coconut gives better flavor.
- Cardamom powder - I have used this for aroma. It reduces strong jaggery smell. Add according to your taste.
Why This Recipe Works
- It is made using simple traditional ingredients only.
- Palm leaf steaming gives very unique aroma.
- This recipe does not need separate stuffing step.
- It is steamed so feels light on stomach.
- You can make it special without much effort.
Similar Recipes
How to make Panai Olai Kozhukattai Step by Step
1.First crush palm jaggery, I used my hand mortar and pestle. Measure and transfer crushed palm jaggery to a pan.
2.Add water till immersing level. Crush it well using a potato masher.
3.Heat it up and cook for few minutes until the jaggery melts completely. Strain to remove impurities. Cool down for later use.
4.Wash the palm leaves, cut the center portion about 4 to 5 inches long and set aside. Dry roast green gram dal till slightly browned. Cool down for few minutes.
5.Transfer to a mixer and grind to a coarse mixture.Now in a bowl add rice flour,green gram mixture,grated coconut and cardamom powder.
6.Mix it well, I transferrred it to a wider bowl. Then add palm jaggery syrup little by little
7.Keep mixing and the syrup fully, mix well.If it is still dry, sprinkle little water to form a dough like this, not too dry and not too goey.
8.Gather it together to form a dough. Open the palm leaf, grease it with oil, now stuff it with the dough lengthwise.
9.Tie it with a thread, I used palm leaf threads itself. Finish all the dough like this.Now arrange it in a steamer pot, I used my idli steamer.
10.As a final step steam it for atleast 15-20 minutes. Open and carefully remove the kozhukattais from the palm leaf.
Serve hot !
Expert Tips
- Palm jaggery syrup - I always strain the syrup after melting. Do not skip this or small dirt may be there.
- Dough consistency - I keep the dough soft and slightly moist. If it feels dry, sprinkle little water and mix.
- Palm leaf handling - I wash the leaves well and wipe it clean. Greasing helps while opening later.
- Filling amount - I just do not overfill the leaf. Too much dough will make tying difficult.
- Steaming - I steam till cooked well and nice smell comes. Under steaming will make inside raw.
Serving and Storage
Serve them hot directly after steaming, it tastes best that way. This goes well as snack or festive sweet. Eat it fresh for good flavor. If storing, keep in fridge and reheat by steaming again. Do not store for long time as palm leaf smell fades.
FAQS
1.Can I make this without palm leaf?
Yes you can make normal kozhukattai, but flavor will be different.
2.Is palm jaggery compulsory?
Yes it gives the main taste. Do not skip karupatti here.
3.Why my kozhukattai became hard?
Mostly dough was dry or over steamed.
4.Can I use store bought rice flour?
Yes you can, but homemade gives better texture.
5.Is this good for kids?
Yes you can give to your kids, you can also some nuts to it.
If you have any more questions about this Panai Olai Kozhukattai Recipe do mail me at sharmispassions@gmail.com. In addition, follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Youtube and Twitter .
Tried this Panai Olai Kozhukattai Recipe? Do let me know how you liked it. Also tag us on Instagram @sharmispassions and hash tag it on #sharmispassions.
📖 Recipe Card
Panai Olai Kozhukattai Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups rice flour
- ¾ cup palm jaggery tightly packed
- 2 tablespoon green moong dal
- 2 tablespoon grated coconut
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
Instructions
- First crush palm jaggery, I used my hand mortar and pestle. Measure and transfer crushed palm jaggery to a pan.
- Add water till immersing level. Crush it well using a potato masher.
- Heat it up and cook for few minutes until the jaggery melts completely. Strain to remove impurities. Cool down for later use.
- Wash the palm leaves, cut the center portion about 4 to 5 inches long and set aside.Dry roast green gram dal till slightly browned. Cool down for few minutes.
- Transfer to a mixer and grind to a coarse mixture.Now in a bowl add rice flour,green gram mixture,grated coconut and cardamom powder.
- Mix it well, I transferrred it to a wider bowl.Then add palm jaggery syrup little by little.
- Keep mixing and the syrup fully, mix well.If it is still dry, sprinkle little water to form a dough like this, not too dry and not too goey.
- Gather it together to form a dough.Open the palm leaf,grease it with oil,now stuff it with the dough lengthwise.
- Tie it with a thread, I used palm leaf threads itself.Finish all the dough like this.Now arrange it in a steamer pot, I used my idli steamer.
- As a final step steam it for at least 15-20 minutes .Open and carefully remove the kozhukattais from the palm leaf.
- Serve Pani Olai Kozhukattai hot!
Notes
- Palm jaggery syrup - I always strain the syrup after melting. Do not skip this or small dirt may be there.
- Dough consistency - I keep the dough soft and slightly moist. If it feels dry, sprinkle little water and mix.
- Palm leaf handling - I wash the leaves well and wipe it clean. Greasing helps while opening later.
- Filling amount - I just do not overfill the leaf. Too much dough will make tying difficult.
- Steaming - I steam till cooked well and nice smell comes. Under steaming will make inside raw.
Myhealthykiddo Shyamala
Authentic one!! I could feel the divine smell.. Much aromatic and so delicious.. Virtually gobbled ur kozhukkattais 😉 Btw, Vilakku super..
Archana Sampath
Ammmazing!!! Will have to research for the availability of palm leaves in Mumbai atleast once will make
Manju
I wonder ur passion ...traditional recipe Thanks for bringing back......
Sathya
Its a usual one in tuticorin during karthigai deepam festival. You can skip coconut. and also add sukku(dry ginger) and sesame seeds. We usually do like this.