NONBU KOZHAKATAI

This is a holy, tasty and healthy kozhakatai prepared for  “Karadayan Nonbu”, a fasting festival celebrated by married women for the welfare of their husbands.  I don’t go in depth to explain the customs involved in it but I just want to share the recipe today, being an Auspicious day, Tamil New Year.

SWEET KOZHAKATAI

ITEMS REQUIRED:

Rice flour                             1 cup

Black eyed peas                3 tbsp

Jaggery                                 1 ¼ cup

Coconut                               one big piece

Elachi powder                   ½ spoon

Butter                                   fairly big piece

METHOD:

• You can use store bought rice flour or make yourself at home.(refer ammini kozhakatai recipe of my blog to make home made rice flour).

• Dry fry the rice flour to light golden.

• Dry fry the black eyed peas, soak for 5 hours and cook till soft.

• Boil jaggery,  filter impurities and keep ready.

• Chop the coconut into fine pieces.

• In a kadai, transfer the filtered jaggery  water, boil well again.

• Add cooked black eyed peas, cut coconut pieces and elachi powder.

• Now, add the rice flour little by little, stirring continuously till a fine dough is formed.

• Once it is warm, make shapes (some make flat like vada and press at center), my mother always makes into the shape shown in pic.

• Keep in idly pan and steam just like idlis.

• Tasty sweet kozhakatai is ready.

• Few kozhakatais are kept in banana leaf along with a small piece of butter.

• Butter is to be accompanied with every serving.

KARA KOZHAKATAI

ITEMS REQUIRED:

Rice flour                            1 cup

Black eyed peas                4 tbsp

Coconut                               1 big piece

Butter                                   fairly big piece

Salt                                        as required

Lemon                                  1

For tempering:

Cooking oil                          5 tbsp

Mustard                               ½  spoon

Urad dal(split)                   1 spoon

Chana dal                            ½ spoon(optional)

Green chilly                        2 to 3

Ginger                                  small piece

Curry leaf                            1 strip(optional)

Hing                                       liberal pinch

METHOD:

• You can use store bought rice flour or make yourself at home.(refer ammini kozhakatai recipe of my blog to make home made rice flour).

• Dry fry the rice flour to light golden.

• Dry fry the black eyed peas, soak for 5 hours and cook till soft.

• Chop the coconut into fine pieces.

• Chop green chillies, ginger and curry leaves.

• Cut and sqeeze the lemon.

• Heat oil, do tempering.

• Add water.

• Add salt, cooked black eyed peas and chopped coconut.

• When comes to boil, add rice flour little by little stirring continuously till it turns into a fine dough.

• Switch off flame, add lemon juice, mix very well.

• Once it is warm, make shapes (some make flat like vada and press at center), my mother always makes into the shape shown in pic.

• Keep in idly pan and steam just like idlis.

• Tasty kara  kozhakatai is ready.

• Few kozhakatais are kept in banana leaf along with a small piece of butter.

• Butter is to be accompanied with every serving.