Munthiri kothu is a traditional sweet with roasted whole green gram, jaggery balls coated in a crisp rice flour batter and fried in clusters. This mild sweet, is flavourful and healthy deep-fried snack, from South Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
You can make Munthiri kothu during festivals like Deepavali, Karthigai deepam, Christmas and sometimes for Onam snacks too.
Check our my Suzhiyan recipe and Nei urundai recipe in this website.
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About Munthiri kothu
The word 'Munthiri' means Grapes in Malayalam. From my understanding, since the dish prepared in Tamil Nadu - Kerala border regions, especially around Kanyakumari, Nagercoil, where the food culture beautifully overlaps.
I can't help relating munthiri kothu with suzhiyan we make (from Thanjavur region) where it is also a same concept where a jaggery based filling is coated in batter and deep fried.
Munthiri kothu Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients required to make Munthiri kothu.
- Green gram - I used whole green gram, You can also use split, but use with skin (green)
- Coconut - Adds taste, texture and balances sweetness.
- Jaggery - Powdered jaggery for perfect measurements and easily dissolves.
- Cardamom - For flavour
- Dry ginger powder - Sukku podi - For digestion and flavour.
- Rice flour - For crispy outer layer
- Maida - All-purpose flour, for binding and softness.
- Turmeric powder - Gives a lovely hue to the batter.
- Salt - for balancing the taste.
Optional - Sesame seeds - You can use roasted white sesame seeds in the stuffing. I did not add.
Please see the recipe card below for quantities.
Step by step pictures
Let's see how to make munthiri kothu with step by step pictures.
- Roast green gram firstly in a heavy bottomed pan. Keep the flame in medium to ensure even roasting.
- Keep stirring and roast until it is aromatic. Keep flame low once it starts to change colour to golden.
Hint: Using iron pan or kadai for best results
- Once it gets roasted evenly, remove in a pan for cooling. Until then keep stirring to avoid burning. Set aside and let it cool completely.
- Then, in the same pan, add grated coconut. Stir continuously for even roasting.
- Once golden in colour, remove in a plate.
- After that, once green gram is cooled, place it in a mixer.
- Add cardamom to it and powder coarsely like a fine rava. Do not keep too coarse too as it will be hard to bite.
Take the powdered moong in a bowl and add roasted coconut, sukku podi (dry ginger powder) and mix well.
- Now heat jaggery powder with ¼ cup water.
- Once jaggery dissolves and the syrup bubbles, switch off the stove.
- Filter it over the powdered moong flour + coconut mixture.
- Mix well using a spatula.
- Grease your hands and immediately roll into small Indian gooseberry sized balls. Each time grease your hands. You can also use sesame oil for greasing.
- Finish all and keep aside for cooling down.
Prepare batter
- To prepare batter, take rice flour, maida, turmeric and salt, mix well.
- Add water and make a batter, not too thick but just enough to coat.
- Then take 3 balls in your hand together like a clover.
- After that, dip as such like this. and
- Then add to hot oil carefully. Keep the flame in low. Flip and cook after 30 seconds.
- Deep fry both side until golden and crisp. Do not let the colour change too dark. Repeat to finish. Finally drain over paper towel.
Crispy Munthiri kothu is ready to enjoy. Best when had hot. But it stays good for a week in room temperature itself.
Substitutions & Variations
Jaggery - Instead of jaggery , you can also use karuppatti. (palm sugar)
You need not take 3 at a time and fry. You can also fry individually or even let them naturally stick to each other.
For gluten free version, avoid maida and use corn flour.
Avoid ghee and use oil for vegan version.
Storage
Munthiri kothu stays good at room temperature for 5-6 days. Make sure to roast whole green gram and coconut well. Also deep well until crisp.
Top Tip
Roast the moong dal patiently until it gets a wonderful aroma as well as golden in colour. This is the step that defines the dish, so make sure you take the time and do it as needed. If it is not roasted properly, the flavour, texture will not be right while eating.
Do not powder to a fine flour. The coarse texture matches the crisp outer layer.
FAQ
As the fried balls sticking together resembles a grape cluster, it is called so. Munthiri means Grapes in Malayalam and the dish is popular among Kerala Tamil Nadu border.
Suzhiyan is made with chana dal Jaggery coconut pooranam deep fried in maida batter while Munthiri kothu is made with roasted and powdered whole green gram, jaggery and coconut mixture and majorly rice flour batter.
If the batter is too thick, then the outer cover is rubbery. Make it thinner and adding more water carefully, little by little.
Yes you can deep fry munthiri kothu individually too.
Recipe card
Munthiri Kothu Recipe | Traditional sweet
Ingredients
- 1 cup Whole Green gram
- ¾ cup Jaggery
- ½ cup Grated coconut
- 3 Cardamom
- ½ teaspoon Dry ginger powder
For outer layer
- ¼ cup Rice flour
- 1 tablespoon Maida All-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ⅛ teaspoon Turmeric powder
Instructions
- Roast green gram in a heavy bottomed pan. Keep the flame in medium to ensure even roasting.
- Keep stirring and roast until it is aromatic. Keep flame low once it starts to change colour to golden.
- Hint: Using iron pan or kadai for best results
- Once it gets roasted evenly, remove in a pan for cooling. Until then keep stirring to avoid burning.
- Set aside and let it cool completely.
- In the same pan, add grated coconut. Stir continuously for even roasting.
- Once golden in colour, remove in a plate.
- Once green gram is cooled, place it in a mixer. Add cardamom to it and powder coarsely like a fine rava. Do not keep too coarse too as it will be hard to bite.
- Take the powdered moong in a bowl and add roasted coconut, sukku podi (dry ginger powder) and mix well.
- Now heat jaggery powder with ¼ cup water.
- Once jaggery dissolves and the syrup bubbles, switch off the stove.
- Filter it over the powdered moong flour + coconut mixture.
- Mix well using a spatula.
- Grease your hands and immediately roll into small Indian gooseberry sized balls. Each time grease your hands. You can also use sesame oil for greasing.
- Finish all and keep aside for cooling down.
- To prepare batter, take rice flour, maida, turmeric and salt, mix well.
- Add water and make a batter, not too thick but just enough to coat.
- Take 3 balls in your hand together like a clover. Dip as such and add to hot oil carefully. Keep the flame in low.
- Flip and cook after 30 seconds. Deep fry both side until golden and crisp. Do not let the colour change too dark. Repeat to finish.
- Crispy Munthiri kothu is ready to enjoy.
Video
Notes
- You can also add roasted white sesame seeds to the stuffing mixture.
- Roast the moong dal patiently until it gets a wonderful aroma as well as golden in colour. This is the step that defines the dish, so make sure you take the time and do it as needed. If it is not roasted properly, the flavour, texture will not be right while eating.
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