Brown Rice Kozhukattai
Ingredients
Brown Rice Rava: One cup
Water: 1.5 cup
Fresh coconut (grated): One cup
Salt: One Tsp
For tempering
Mustard seeds: One Tsp
White Urad Dal (Split): Three Tsp
Red chillies: Three
Curry leaves: Few
Cocounut oil: Two Tbs
Method
Heat the oil in pressure cooker and add brown rice, salt and water. Cook the brown rice for a couple of whistles and turn off the heat.
Once the pressure is released, transfer the cooked brown rice to a large bowl. Stir in the grated coconut and check the salt levels. Heat the oil in a wok or a heavy bottomed pan. Add mustard seeds and split urad dal and allow them to crackle. Add red chillies and curry leaves and stir till the red chillies are well roasted. Mix the cooked rice and coconut well.
Prepare a steamer and line the steamer plates with oil. Make dumpling (about 1 inch in diameter) of the coconut-rice mixture and place it on the steamer plate. Steam for about 10 minutes on high heat and turn off the heat. After five minutes, serve the dish.
This process of double cooking makes the brown rice fluffy and soft.
Vetrilai Thengai Ladoo
Ingredients
Desiccated coconut: One cup
Condensed milk: Half cup
Vetrilai leaves (betel leaves): Four
Nuts and Dates (chopped): Five Tsp
Ghee: One Tsp
Method
Pulse the chopped betel leaves and condensed milk in a food processor and set aside. Heat ghee in a pan on medium heat. Once ghee is hot, add the desiccated coconut and roast it for three minutes on medium-low heat.
Stir the condensed milk-betel leaves and cook the mixture for two minutes on low heat till it thickens. Grease your hands with ghee, take small portion from the coconut mixture, flatten it and add chopped dates and nuts in the centre. Bring the edges together and roll to form a ladoo. Roll the ladoo in desiccated coconut. Refrigerate the betel leaves coconut ladoo and serve it chilled.
Oats Vegetable Kozhukattai
Ingredients
Oats: One cup
Water: 3/4 cup
Chopped onion and grated carrot : Two Tbsp each
Green peas and grated coconut: Two Tbsp
Green chilli: Four
Turmeric powder: Half Tsp
Coriander leaves: One Tbsp
Salt as per taste
For Tempering
Mustard seeds: One Tsp
Urad Dal: Half Tsp
Asafoetida: One pinch
Oil: Three Tsp
Curry leaves: a sprig
Method
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, urad dal. Fry till it gets to golden brown. Add curry leaves, onion, green chillies and saute with a pinch of salt for a minute.
Add grated carrot, peas, turmeric powder, water, salt and cook. Simmer the flame and add oats to it and mix well. Sprinkle little water if needed. After a minute or two, oats become sticky in consistency. Put off the flame. Add grated coconut and coriander to it. Mix well and allow it to cool. Grease hands with oil, and make equal sized ball out of the mixture. Press the dumpling so that it becomes little flat and oblong in shape. Steam the dumpling for 4 to 5 minutes and serve.
Pineapple Payasam
Ingredients
Pineapple (chopped): 200 gms
Jaggery (powder): 100 gms
Water: Half cup
Coconut milk: 250 ml
Cardamom powder: Half Tsp
Cashew nut: 12
Dry grapes (golden raisins): 10
Coconut oil: One Tbsp
Method
Chop pineapple slices and keep aside. Heat coconut oil in a pan and add cashews, dry grapes. Roast till they turn golden in colour and puff up. In the same pan, add the chopped pineapple and saute for two to three minutes on a low to medium flame.
Add powdered jaggery (if you are using regular jaggery block, you will have to melt jaggery in warm water and filter to get rid of impurities). Cook for about five to six minutes after adding water till the pineapple pieces soften. Add cardamom powder, thick coconut milk. Garnish the dish with fried cashews and raisins. Serve the dish warm or chilled.
(Chef Ram Prakash is an independent food researcher and a consultant for many restaurants in Tamil Nadu)