Paal Kozhukattai with Coconut Milk

Ganesha Chathurthi is just around the corner. We have started planning for the festival already. Daughter will be performing in a cultural dance event in our community on the festival day. I am writing down what all to cook for the festival. Every year, without fail, I make kozhukattai and sundal as neivedhiyam(Prasad) for Lord Ganesha. Though every Ganesha Chathurthi I tell myself to make Kozhukattai regularly, but I always end up making only on the festival.

It’s not Ganesha Chathurthi for us if there is no Kozhukattai offered to Lord Ganesha. There are many ways to make kozhukattai and paal kozhukattai with coconut miilk is one of them.  A delicacy from the Chettinad region, this kozhukattai is usually made with the left over rice paste after making kozhukattai. These mini rice balls are cooked in milk and coconut milk mixture and jaggery is used as sweetener. It’s creamy and delicious.

Ingredients

1 cup rice flour

2 cup milk divided

1 cup jaggery

1 cup coconut milk

1 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom powder

2 tablespoon fresh grated coconut

1 teaspoon salt

Water as required

2 tablespoon ghee

Method

1. Add jaggery to a pan. Add little water just enough to cover the jaggery in the pan. Bring it to boil. Take it off from stove and let it cool a little. Filter to remove any impurities in jaggery, keep aside.
2. In a non stick pan add sieved rice flour, 1 cup milk, salt and water (as required) and whisk all together to get a lump free, creamy consistency mix. Now place the pan on stove and cook on low flame with constant stirring until the rice mix turns thick and start leaving the sides of the pan. You can add 1 teaspoon ghee to the pan to gather all the mix to gether.
3. Remove the thick rice paste onto a plate and let it cool for 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Grease your palm with ghee and pinch a tiny portion of the rice paste and roll into ball. Repeat this for all the paste. Keep the rolled kozhukattai covered with damp cloth to prevent it from drying.
5. In another pan, heat 1 cup milk and 1 cup water. Bring it to boil. Add the kozhukattai balls into the boiling milk. Let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Very gently stir to prevent the balls from sticking to the bottom. Once kozhukattai is cooked, it will float on top.
6. Now add filtered jaggery syrup, cardamom powder and give a gentle stir again. Cover and boil for another 3 minutes.
7. Add coconut milk and give it a mix. Wait for a minute and turn off flame. Do not boil the milk once coconut milk is added. If you boil after adding coconut milk, the milk will curdle.
8. That’s it, paal kozhukattai is ready. Garnish with few broken saffron strands (optional) before serving. Serve it chilled or warm.