There are at least three ways to prepare the outer shell or the choppu for the kozhakkatai.

1. one of them is to soak rice, grind to a fine paste and then cook it to a smooth no n sticky shiny ball of dough .soak rice in water for 3 hours, grind to a smooth paste , dilute and cook the paste in a pan till it comes together to a smooth non sticky dough .This method is also very suitable for preparing kozhakkatai for neivediyam .

2. The second one is to use home processed flour or store bought kozhakkatai flour , and prepare a dough by the steaming method .

   To prepare rice flour at home , soak required qty of rice after washing well , draining it in a colander , spread on a cotton cloth and allow to air dry , but not completely, then blend this in home mixer, till it is fine , sieve it well once or twice to remove grits , use this super fine smooth rice powder to prepare kozhakkatai .

3. The third one is to use only store bought flour .

here i have shown in a video how to use the rice soaked and ground batter is cooked to a smooth ball of dough to prepare the kozhakkatai .

Ingredients

1 cup raw rice washed and soaked for 2-3 hours

2 cups water to be added for rice batter including grinding water .

1 tsp ghee or oil

Method

After soaking rice, drain and grind to a smooth shiny batter , it must feel like velvet with no coarse grains , this will give you softest smooth outer cover for the kozhakkatai.

Take this batter to a pan , add less than 2 cups water, as you would have added some for grinding also ( total water is 2 cups including grinding water . )

add a pinch of salt, 1 tsp ghee, and cook this on a low flame in a round xcurved kadai or deeppan so that it is easy to stir .

keep stirring the mixture , itb will have lumps here and there but not to worry ,all this will come together as you continue to cook , soon it will leave the sides and start coming to a ball of dough , touch the dough , it ,must not stick , that is the correct consistency .

now switch off the flame, and with one tsp ghee, start kneading dough while it is still warm or hot to geta smooth pliant dough that wontb stick to your hand and will be shaped into any thing .

now pinch off required amount of dough balls, keep them covered while you proceed to shape them .

If you are using fingers to shape , take a dough ball , with your thumb, make a dent in the middle , with both thumbs inside , shape into a deep cup . watch my video forways of shaping the dough .

Ingredients:

For preparing the sweet jaggeryu coconut filling

1/ 2 cup jaggery powdered

3/4 cup coconut flakes, either dry or fresh coconut

pinch of cardamom, pinch of nutmeg powder ( optional )

small pinch of salt

Water as needed to make the dough.

1 tsp oil

Method:

Instead of making jaggery syrup it is much easier to prepare a good jaggery pooranam by adding palm jaggery or native jaggery powder directly to grated coconut and stir with cardamom powder . it makes it faster and less messy .

If you want to prepare pooranam with regular jaggery then , First prepare the jagggery coconut filling ready by preparing the melted jaggery syrup, in a pan . Let the jaggery melt competely with little water and when it starts bubbling add the coconut and cardamom powder and quickly stir, or else it will start crystallising. You can add litltle water if you think the filling is getting to be too brittle and sticky.

Let the filling cool and make small balls of it ready to be used a s filling. Just roll the filling ingredients into small soft balls. shape each ball of dough into circles or use a mould , place the ball of filling inside, and shape into a modak , steam cook till done .

Shaping tips

Use greased ladles in different sizes to shape the kozhalkkatai cups, easily without breaking or tearing ,

those who are new to cooking , can try this easy way .

place the ball of dough in the ladle cup, press it gently around the ladle and get the shape of a deep cup, you can further make it thinner by pressiing around the edges carefully . you can ask kids in the house to take part in this process and finish the making quickly .

check these links for more

Vinayak Chaturthi -Vella kozhakkatai

Mawa Modak

Somas / Karchikai /Karanji

Uppu Kozhakkatai /Ulundh Kozhakkatai

How to shape kozhakkatai outer cover