Chemba Kozhukattai

Kozhukattai or Upma Kozhukattai is one of our favourite and healthy snack recipes. Everybody will like to have this spicy, tasty, flavourful snack accompanied with a tea even though they are not upma lovers. This may also be a good alternative for our usual idli, dosa, pongal etc.

As we use a small teaspoon of oil for seasoning and we cook it in steam, it is a healthy tiffin for all ages.  If we have ready Chemba Puttu Podi then it takes hardly 15 minutes to prepare this Kozhukattai.

Health Benefits of Chemba Rice

Chemba rice or Matta rice or Kerala Matta rice which is the rice commonly consumed by Keralites.  In early centuries, this rice was mostly preferred by royal families of south because of its unique flavor and health benefits.

Matta rice/ Kerala Matta rice is loaded with vitamins, minerals and also fiber.  It helps to improve digestion and to manage blood sugar.  As it is also a good source of Calcium, we could include this rice in out diet in one or the other way.

About Chemba Kozhukattai

Kozhukattai or Upma Kozhukattai is one of our favourite and healthy snack recipes. Everybody will like to have this spicy, tasty, flavourful snack accompanied with a tea even though they are not upma lovers. This may also be a good alternative for our usual idli, dosa, pongal etc.

As we use a small teaspoon of oil for seasoning and we cook it in steam, it is a healthy tiffin for all ages.  Lets look into the recipe...

Ingredients

1. Chemba Puttu Podi (coarse) - 1 cup
2. Toor Dal - 3 teaspoons
3. Coconut - ¼ cup (grated)
4. Coconut oil - 2 teaspoons
5. Water - 2 cups
6. Mustard Seeds - ¼ teaspoon
7. Urad Dal - 1 teaspoon
8. Red chilies - 2 to 3 nos. (broken)
9. Asafetida - 2 pinches
10. Curry leaves

How to Cook Chemba Kozhukattai?

Soak toor dal for 5 minutes if you are adding it.  Skip this step if you are not adding toor dal.

Now heat oil in a pan. Once it becomes hot, add mustard seeds and broken red chilies. 

After it splutters, add urad dal.  When dal starts changing its color, add grated coconut, currey leaves and asafetida.  Saute them for 1 minute. 

Now add 2 cups of water into it and bring it to boil. 

Now add chemba upma rava and toor dal(optional) and mix them well.

Cover the pan with lid and cook for 5 minutes.  Turn off the stove and let it cool for 10 minutes.

Boil water in an idli pot.  Grease oil in idli plates.  Make small rolls/ kozhukattais (make tight) from the upma mix we just made. Finally, steam it in the idli pot or in idli cooker for 7 to 10 minutes.

Take the idli plate from steam and let it cool for 5 minutes.  Now transfer the rolls/ kozhukattais to the serving plate.

You may serve it with any chutney or only the kozhukattai/ roll.

Stepwise Pictures

Add mustard seeds,urad dal, red chilies, grated coconut and curry leaves in hot coconut oil. Then add hot water. Let the water boils well.

When the water starts boiling, add salt and chemba upma rava. Mix well and cover with lid. Let it cook for 5 minutes. Remove from flame and let it cool.

Grease oil in an idli plate. Make kozhukattai from the upma mix and spread over the idli plate. Steam for 7 to 10 minutes.

Enjoy a healthy and tasty chemba upma kozhukattai. You may serve it with coconut chutney or simply with jaggery.

Tips

• Adding coconut oil will give a nice flavor so don't skip it.
• Adding toor dal and grated coconut will enhance the taste of the kozhukattai/ roll.
• Don't add too much oil otherwise you couldn't make kozhukattai/ roll; it will break.
• Take curry leaves and red chili pieces from upma before making kozhukattai/ roll; Otherwise it may break while steaming.  But don't skip adding curry leaves and red chilies while making upma because the mouth watering flavor of the kozhukattai/ roll will be given by these ingredients.
• Transfer kozhukattai/ roll from idli plate 2 minutes after it had been taken out from steam.

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