Check out Ganesh Chaturthi Recipes here

Check out Sundal Recipes here

Peanut Kozhukattai Recipe

Preparation Time:15 mins | Cooking Time : 30 mins | Makes:10 modaks
Recipe Category: Sweet | Recipe Cuisine: Indian

For the outer dough:

Rice Flour(Idiyappam Flour) – 1 cup heaped
Water – as needed
Oil – to grease
Salt – to taste

Food Advertising by

For the peanut filling:

Raw Peanuts – 1/2 cup
Crushed Jaggery – 1/2 cup
Grated Coconut – 1/4 cup
Water – 1/4 cup(for making jaggery syrup)
Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Soak jaggery in warm water(till immersing level) , crush it well. Then heat it up until it is slightly thick (no string consistency needs to be checked).Strain and keep aside.

   

2. Dry roast peanuts until nicely browned as shown, the skin will start to splutter at this stage switch off.Cool down then remove the skin and set aside.
   
3. Transfer to a mixer jar and powder it coarsely.Now take jaggery syrup in a pan.
   
4. Cook until  it is thick like honey, now add peanut powder and cook.
   
5. Cook for 2mins by then it will start to thicken,add coconut.Keep cooking.
   
6. At one stage it will start to leave the sides of the pan, add cardamom powder, mix well.When it is thick as in the 2nd pic switch off.The 3rd tile pic is few mins after cooking, it will get thick as it cools down.
   
7. Now prepare the outer dough.Measure and take rice flour in a mixing bowl,add salt.
   
8. Mix it once.Boil water until it bubbles up,switch off then add it to rice flour.
   
9. Mix with a laddle,once it starts to come together,Set aside for few mins until it is warm enough to handle with hand.Now bring everything together to form a smooth dough without any cracks.
   
10. Now the stuffing and the outer dough is ready.Take your cookie cutter dip in rice flour /oil and keep it ready.Pinch 2 lemon sized balls, take one and flatten it slightly thin now keep the stuffing.I have kept the cookie cutter just to show there should be enough gap between the filling and cutter, just for size refernce.Once you add the filling, keep the cookie cutter aside.
    
11. Now take another ball,flatten it up as shown.Slightly spread the filling and seal with the dough.Now press it along the sides to seal it completely.
    
12. Now using your cookie cutter cut it.Make sure you trim leaving some area which is sealed while you cut so that it doesn’t open up while steaming.Also while cutting make sure not to trim the stuffing area(this is why I used the cutter to measure the size in step 9)Now remove the extras and gently pull out.
    
13. Likewise shape all the kozhukatais with stuffing.Arrange it in the steamer plate and steam it for 10mins or until the kozhukattais look shiny.
    

Serve hot / warm!

My Notes:

• While cutting using the cutter make sure you don’t cut the area where there is stuffing then it will open out while removing.Make sure you trim leaving some area which is sealed while you cut so that it doesn’t open up.You will get the hang of it once you start making it.
• You can use any cookie cutter of your choice but make sure not to use any complicated designs which has many nook and corners .
• If you don’t have a cutter make just balls or modak shapes.You can even make semi circle shape like here.
• Try a make a thin outer cover else it will take time to get cooked.
• If you prepare the dough before hand, make sure to keep covered with a wet cloth to avoid drying up.
• You can use either homemade rice flour / storebought.I used store bought rice flour, brand name is Nirapara.