Paagu kozhukattai with jaggery, a traditional sweet made rice and jaggery as main ingredients. This recipe is without coconut milk.
Paa kozhukattai as we call is an amazing dish I learnt after marriage. This can be a filling evening snack (tiffin) or even dinner.
Do check out my other beautiful coconut milk version in my website which I posted earlier.
About
To be precise, we call it 'Paa kozhukattai' if I remember correctly. For long time I was thinking it is paal kozhukattai and then why no milk or coconut milk in it!
I though my paati wasn't able to pronounce 'L' that's why she calls it paa kozhukattai in her slang😂.
Only very recently someone in my Instagram suggested me that, it could be 'paagu kozhukattai'.
It made so much sense and realized yes it is paagu kozhukattai and later it got the pronunciation as paa kozhukattai.
So it is a kozhukattai in jaggery (paagu), since the name. I have added jaggery as such, but making paagu and adding it to this will give a spoonable dish.
Probably this was made into thick pieces for easy serving by folks at home.
This dish is my family's favorite. Especially Vj's as my periyamma says he loves when she prepares this dish.
Recently too she had made this when we visited her, especially for him.
We had a wonderful time this new year, with the whole family. I planned to ask my MIL to make this paagu kozhukattai long before.
Short cut
I requested her and kept, that we will make it for this new year sweet. So it was a perfect treat for the New year to all.
This is a short cut method for the traditional recipe. Now a days, we may not be able to spend much time sitting and rolling tiny rice balls as they do traditionally in earlier days.
Those days everybody used to sit and chit chat and roll the balls and make this.
But this one is an easier way, but taste wise its no lesser than the traditional way.
Do not underestimate the taste by its looks. Its really delicious!
Variations
I have made thick and sliced it as how I learnt from the elders at home. But you can also make this like a thick porridge.
Instead of adding powdered jaggery, you can make jaggery syrup as in traditional way and add it to the cooked kozhukattai.
And you can also roll small kozhukattai in oblong shape or short string and make this.
I have seen some even make like how they make kara sev by using a ladle. That is rub the dough through a perforated ladle and cook this paagu kozhukattai with jaggery.
Recipe card
Paagu Kozhukattai with jaggery
Equipments (Amazon Affiliate links)
Ingredients
- 2 cups Idli rice parboiled rice
- 2.5 cups Jaggery
- 5.5 cups Water
- 2 Cardamom powdered
- 10 Cashews optional
- ½ cup Coconut Grated
- 2 tablespoon Ghee
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Wash and soak rice firstly, for at least 3 hours.
- After that, grind it to a thick batter with salt in wet grinder.
- Keep refrigerated for 2 hours, this will make the batter more thick, enough to squeeze through murukku press.
- Keep other ingredients required ready.
- Boil the water in ha heavy bottomed pan. I used my pot shaped cooker.
- Once the water is rolling boiling, start squeezing the batter. Just do two rounds (cirlces) and stop.
- Wait for 30 sec, the squeezed dough will get cooked and raise. Break it roughly with a ladle into pieces.
- Repeat the process until you finish the batter.
- Each time, make sure the water boils while you squeeze the batter and do it in small batches, otherwise the dough will get dissolved in the water.
- Once all the dough is done, by this time, the whole thing will get bit thick and look milky.
- Let it get cooked properly. Break the long strips if any into smaller pieces to it resemble like a mini kozhukattai.
- Add jaggery and let it come to boil.
- Make sure you stir properly, otherwise there are chances of getting burnt at the bottom.
- Add scrapped coconut. Mix well.
- Let it become thick, so keep stirring for 5-6 minutes in medium flame.
- Keep two plates ready greased.
- Fry cashew nuts broken into pieces in ghee and mix in.
- Pour into the greased plates and let it cool down.
- Do not cover completely with lid, just close it half to let the steam escape
- Once cooled down completely use a greased sharp spatula or knife to cut into squares. This makes serving easy.
Notes
- Idli rice works best for this method.
- Adding coconut ensure the paagu kozhukattai become thick faster.
- Make sure to break the strips to pieces every time.
- At no point you should squeeze the batter into water that's not boiling. Give time for each batch to ensure even cooking.
- Color of the Kozhukattai varies as I took pictures in different light settings.
Stepwise photos
1. Soak rice for at least 3 hours and grind it to a thick batter with salt.
2. Keep refrigerated for 2 hours, this will make the batter more thick, enough to squeeze through murukku press.
Keep other ingredients required ready - powder jaggery, cardamom and keep cashew nuts ready, grate coconut etc..
Boil the water in ha heavy bottomed pan. I used my pot shaped cooker.
3. Once the water is rolling boiling, squeeze the batter. Just do two rounds (circles) and stop.
Wait for 30 sec, the squeezed dough will get cooked and raise. Break it roughly with a ladle into pieces.
Repeat the process until you finish the batter.
Every time, make sure the water boils while you squeeze the batter and do it in small batches, otherwise the dough will get dissolved in the water.
4. Once all the dough is done, by this time, the whole thing will get bit thick and look milky.
Let it get cooked properly. Break the long strips if any into smaller pieces.
Making paagu kozhukattai
5. Add jaggery and let it come to boil. Make sure you stir properly, otherwise there are chances of getting burnt at the bottom.
Add scrapped coconut. Mix well.
6. Let it become thick, so keep stirring for 5-6 minutes in medium flame. Keep two plates ready greased.
Fry cashew nuts broken into pieces in ghee and mix in.
- Pour into the greased plates and let it cool down. DO not cover completely with lid, just close it half to let the steam escape.Once cooled down completely use a greased sharp spatula or knife to cut into squares. This makes serving easy.
You can keep this paal kozhukattai with jaggery refrigerated and serve for 2 days. Best way to make it for more people and a real treat as well.
Archana Chari says
I have never heard/seen this! So new 🙂 I love all jaggery based sweets and this sounds yum. Does it taste like adhirasam maavu?
Chitra Ganapathy says
Aunty made this once,Me too planning to post the authentic method.Sen loves this a lot.Wish u all a happy new year 🙂
Kaveri Venkatesh says
This is very new to me...looks yummy..Happy New Year Raji
Vijayalakshmi Dharmaraj says
Wow its very nice... Looks tempting and lovely... Happy New Year...:)
Vaishnavi says
Hi Raji,
Interesting recipe. This is new to me. Sure will try as I'm a big fan of Jaggery based sweets.
Have a few questions though.
1. You said that we should squeeze the batter through murukku press and wait it for it to get cooked (Raise to top). While repeating for the rest of the batter, should we remove the first/previous batch from the water or should we keep adding to the previously cooked ones? If we keep adding to the previous ones, won't some of them get overcooked? Hope you understood my question.
2. Should we fry the elachi along with jaggery in ghee? I couldn't find the part where we should ass elachi
3. Why is this called Paal kozhukattai when we don't add Paal(Milk) at all? Silly question 🙂
Rafeeda AR says
i love traditional recipes and this looks really interesting... bookmarked...
Nimi says
Hi Raji, wish you too a very Happy New Year! Very interesting sweet recipe this is!
Veena Theagarajan says
looks yummy and so traditional
Lubs says
Luks awsome n easy too ! Shall try for sure !
Thava says
Happy New Year to you Raji.. This is my hubby's favourite sweet and am yet to try this. Do you have the round ball method as it looks more appealing.. If so please do post it..or instead of using murukku press can we make rounds?
Sathya Priya says
I too have the same quick method really posting soon raji .This is really a virtual treat ...You made it like halwa ,but we eat as it is (make it little watery )..Happy new year to u n your family.
Jayasri Ravi says
Lovely sweet, Wishing you and your family a very Happy New year Raji..
Sangeetha M says
wow..this sounds so delicious, Happy New Wishes to You raks 🙂
Shama Nagarajan says
drooling kozhukattai...
Sandhya says
looks yummy. I always loved this when my periyamma makes it. She adds sugarcane juice to it which makes it tastier.:)
Nafisah Ponni says
Looks delicious. When you put batter into boiling water, and when its cooked, do you remove it from the boiling water for the next batch to cook?
Raks anand says
No over it only we have to squeeze
sms says
You said that we should squeeze the batter and wait it for it to get cooked while repeating for the rest of the batter, should we remove the first batch from the water or should we keep adding to the previously cooked ones? If we keep adding to the previous ones, some of them get overcooked?
Raks anand says
No it wont get over cooked, just keep squeezing over and over after each batch gets cooked.
partha randhir says
Could you use wheat pasta instead, would that work instead of the rice....
Raks anand says
No it will be like kozhukattai only with more texture difference 🙂
Raks anand says
1. No, over the previous one itself you should squeeze.
2. Along with coconut or towards end. Sorry will update.
3. I guess this is also called pall (teeth) kozhukattai haha. but may be they initially used to add coconut milk instead coconut.