Kozhukattai Dough recipe | Kozhukattai maavu

Kozhukattai dough two ways. You can prepare this with homemade rice flour or store bought. Tips and tricks to get a crack free kozhukattai skin.

With Vinayagar Chathurthi round the corner, I am sure this post will help you, especially you are new in kitchen. Or, if you are not, then to remember something already you know if you to perfect it.

Do check out my complete guide on Vinayaka chaturthi festival with shopping list, how I celebrate, what I cook. Also this Ganesh Chaturthi festival recipes collection post will help you plan and decide on your menu!

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• How it works?
• Video
• Substitutions
• Variations
• My notes
• Storage
• Top tip
• Recipe card
• Stepwise photos
• Kozhukattai dough method 2
• Basmati rice dough
• Kozhukattai recipes

Ingredients

For best results, use good quality rice flour. Processed rice flour gives best results. So I use Idiyappam flour.

• Idiyappam flour
• Sesame oil for softness
• Salt
• Water

See recipe card for quantities.

How it works?

So how to get soft kozhukattai skin? How does this work?

The key while preparing the dough, it should get cooked 90% This way when you shape it, won't crack.

While steaming, it is getting double cooked for softest results.

So what are we looking here? To cook the dough while preparing it!

In my case, the idiyappam flour or homemade flour is already a processed one, so it gets cooked so easily.

Video

Is video more your thing? Watch video in my Youtube channel.

When is Vinayagar chathurthi 2022?

Ganesh Chaturthi 2022 falls on 31st August, Wednesday.

Substitutions

For more than 12 years now, I have been using idiyappam flour for making kozhukattai dough and it works like a charm.

I stick to the same brand, so my results are consistent. Suggest the same too, find a good quality rice flour. Preferably from a renowned brand so that it is available always and you can stick to a recipe/ ratio.

This way you will get consistent results too and perfect the recipe as you make.

I use Baba's Idiyappam flour always (Malaysian brand) available always in Singapore.

Here are some other options to use in the dough, how to use it.

• Store bought regular rice flour - Choose finest flour which looks white (good quality). The water quantity may vary in this case according to the nature of rice flour.
  Some flour absorbs more water and needs more time to get cooked.
• Kozhukattai/ puttu podi - These two are slightly coarse, especially the putti podi. If it is sold as all in one (idiyappam, appam & puttu flour) then you can go ahead and use.
• Homemade rice flour - You can make your own rice flour at home, couple of days ahead (roast the flour or dry in shade). You can wash rice, dry in shade and grind in mill too if you are accessible to one.

So my mom say generally it is 1:2 ratio (Flour: water)

Variations

So there are two ways I prepare kozhukattai dough.

1st way - Add required amount of boiling hot water to the flour to make the dough.

2nd method - Boil a pre-measured water and add flour to it and cook it to get dough.

3rd method - Wet grind soaked rice and cook in double boiler method to make modak dough.

See this ammini kozhukattai recipe on my website, where I used the second method. It is the same.

All other kozhukattai recipes are made with 1st method and always follow it each time as it is more easy for me.

My notes

The first method of adding boiling hot water to flour as needed works best only with process flour (like idiyappam flour) or homemade rice flour.

But make sure the water is rolling boiling in order to cook the flour (almost).

If you are using regular store bought rice flour, then go for the second method.

Storage

Keep the dough always covered with a layer of oil smeared on top to prevent drying.

Drying leads to cracks in skin of the kozhukattai.

Suggest to use up all the dough freshly. If you got leftovers and refrigerate the dough, then make ammini kozhukattai.

Top tip

• Using sesame oil in dough is the secret to moist, soft and crack free kozhukattai skin.
• My idiyappam flour has salt in it, so I add less. Adjust salt according to your preference.
• Work each time on the dough, knead it before shaping kozhukattai, to make it smooth.

Recipe card

Stepwise photos

Method 1

1. Boil water firstly, until it comes to rolling boil.

2. Meanwhile, take rice flour in a mixing bowl. Add required salt, sesame oil to flour.

3. Then, little by little add the boiling hot water to rice flour and mix as you add.

4. Use a spatula or a ladle's back for mixing. I love using my silicon spatula for this as it works best.

5. Once it forms a dough, keep covered for 2 minutes. Knead again with greased hands (sesame oil) to smoothen it. Keep the prepared dough always covered. Kozhukattai maavu ready.

Kozhukattai dough method 2

1. In heavy bottom vessel, bring 1 cup water to boil. Add required salt, sesame oil to the boiling water.

2. Lower the flame and add ½ cup rice flour to it mixing briskly.

3. It will get cooked and for a dough quickly. So keep mixing so that all the flour is incorporated.

4. Switch off flame. Mix in mashing way to make sure there is no flour left.

5. In case it is not cooked well and you see lot of raw flour, have little hot water ready and add to the dough, keep cooking until it's 90% done.

6. Drizzle some sesame oil on top finally and keep covered.

7. Once warm enough to handle, knead again to smooth it completely.

Keep the dough covered always. Each time, knead the dough ball so that it is smooth.

Basmati rice dough

Way 3

Thank you Shital Kanitkar for sharing this technique.

This kozhukattai dough gives softest results, no cracks!

Kozhukattai recipes

Check out the kozhukattai recipes in my website to make one!