Upma Kozhakattai (Steamed rice and lentil dumplings)

Upma kozhakattai is a standard dish at home and I love it. Served hot with gothsu it is a comfort food of sorts. My husband does not like this dish and so I usually make it when he travels (which is often enough :p). Rice and tuvar dal coarsely ground with spices, shaped into dumplings and steamed, this is a healthy dish which doesn’t use too much oil and is a refreshing alternate to the idli or upma and funnily enough is a combination of the two, preparation wise.

Ingredients:

Raw rice: 1 cup

Tuvar dal/tuvaram parrupu/toor dal : 1/4th cup

Whole black pepper:1-2 tsp

Whole cumin : 1-2 tsp

To temper:

Coconut oil 1 tbsp

Curry leaves 1 sprig

Red chillies pinched to smaller pieces – 3-4

Fenugreek/vendhayam/methi seeds – 1 tsp

Mustard seeds

Salt to taste

2-3 cups water

Method:

• Coarsely grind the rice,parrupu,pepper and cumin and set aside
• In a pan, add the tempering ingredients and once they pop add water and bring it to a rolling boil
• While continuously stirring the water add the ground rice mixture and keep mixing till well combined with no lumps

• Cook this mixture as you would cook upma (until all the water has evaporated and the rice is almost fully cooked)
• Shape into oval shaped dumplings and steam (in an idli steamer) for 15-17 mins

• Serve hot with chutney,gothsu or curd and pickle