Varagu Arisi Paal Kozhukattai

By: Sharada Sriram
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8-10 servings (100-120 Kozhukattai balls)
Paal Kozhukattai is a dessert traditionally prepared in southern India, especially during the auspicious occasions of Ganesh Chaturthi and Krishna Jayanthi. Made by steaming rice flour balls and cooking them in milk and jaggery, it brings together the creaminess of coconut milk and the sweetness of cardamom, lending it a unique depth of flavours. Here, Sharada Sriram replaces the rice flour with kodo millet flour, resulting in an equally tasty version of this treat.

Water 2 ¾ cups | 650 ml + 7 tablespoons
Salt ¼ teaspoon
Jaggery, powdered 1 ½ cups | 340 grams, divided
Varagu (kodo) millet flour 2 cups | 250 grams
Ghee 1 tablespoon + extra for greasing
Milk, full cream 1 litre
Cardamom powder/Split cardamom ½ teaspoon/2 pods
Coconut milk ¾ cup | 170 ml

What You Will Need

A wide, heavy-bottom saucepan or kadhai, a damp cheesecloth, measuring spoons and cups, a dish,  a bowl, a steamer with a lid, a ladle or cooking spoon, a tea strainer, a small pot.

Instructions

1

Heat the 2 ¾ cups of water in a wide, heavy-bottom saucepan. Once the water begins to boil, add ¼  teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons of powdered jaggery. Stir well until the jaggery melts completely.

2

Now add the kodo millet flour to the hot jaggery-water and mix well. Keep stirring and mixing until all the water is absorbed and the dough comes together. Add 1 tablespoon of ghee to the dough. Mix well, then remove the mixture from the heat. Cover it with a lid and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

3

Grease your hands with some  ghee and make marble-sized balls with the dough. Keep the prepared balls and the remaining dough aside, covered with a damp cheesecloth so that they don’t dry out. For 2 cups or 250 grams of flour, you should get anywhere between 100-120 Kozhukattai balls.

4

Grease the steamer with the remaining ghee and place the Kozhukattai balls into the steamer gently. Steam them for 5 to 6 minutes.

5

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat about 7 tablespoons of water. Add the remaining powdered jaggery to it, and stir on a low heat until the jaggery dissolves.  Let the mixture boil for a minute, then remove from the heat and filter through a tea strainer. Let this mixture cool down, until it reaches room temperature.

6

In a wide, heavy-bottom saucepan, heat the milk. Add the cardamom powder or split cardamom pods. Bring the milk to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and continue to stir occasionally as the milk reduces to about 3/4 of the original quantity.

7

Now add the coconut milk, the melted jaggery, and the Kozhukattai balls and let the mixture boil until the balls begin to float to the top.

8

Serve the dessert warm, or at room temperature, since refrigerating the Paal Kozhakattai may cause the balls to harden.

Tips:

  1. While steaming the dough balls, ensure that the vessel is covered during the entire duration of the steaming process.
  2. Extract coconut milk from freshly grated coconut for a fresher taste.  
  3. Do not add hot jaggery syrup to the milk while boiling as it might cause the milk to curdle. Always let the jaggery syrup cool down to room temperature and add at the final stage of cooking.
  4. Although adding jaggery to the kodo millet flour while making the Kozhukattai is optional, it is highly recommended.

Variations:

Switch the cardamom for freshly grated nutmeg and a few strands of saffron for a different flavour.

 Sharada Sriram’s culinary passion lies in reviving traditional recipes using a contemporary twist. She delights in incorporating seasonal, local  produce in imaginative ways and shares her cooking experiments on Instagram @adupangarai_aroma.

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