Palapazham Kozhukattai / Chakka Kozhukattai, a delicious stuffed kozhukattai made with the jackfruit & coconut filling. 

I'm a big fan of jackfruit and whenever i see a jackfruit at the grocery store(which is very rare here in Canada), without a second thought, i would pick it up.  I like to eat jackfruit as it is, so making dishes with jackfruit is very rare in my  kitchen. 

One day, the jackfruit that i got was very less sweet so it was sitting in the refrigerator for a few days without anyone touching it, hence i had thought of making this kozhukattai which i knew from a friend. To my surprise, it was so good and i simply love the jackfruit flavor in the kozhukattai. 

From then onwards, this kozhukattai became a regular in my kitchen. If you too like jackfruit flavor, then definitely give a try on this delicious kozhukattai.

Before moving on to the recipe, let's see some FAQs about the mothagam in general.

Why can't I shape the modak / mothagam ?

Dough consistency is the key to making modak shapes easily. There are a couple of things to be taken care of for making the dough. Those are 

• Rice flour should be fine enough such that adding hot water into the flour makes it almost cooked. 
• Almost cooked rice flour is pliable and easy to make shapes. Otherwise you can't make shapes and the dough would be easily breakable. 
• Water should be boiled for making the dough.
• Grease your hands well to avoid the dough sticking to your hands while shaping.
• If you're a beginner, buy a modak/mothagam mold, it will do your job a lot easier. 

Why do my modak/mothagam get cracked after steaming?

Steaming for a longer time would make the modak crack on the outer layer. Since the dough is almost cooked already, there is no need to cook for a longer time. Just 5-7 mins of steaming is enough. 

Palapazham Kozhukattai | Jackfruit Kozhukattai

Preparation Time : 15 mins | Cooking Time : 15 mins | Serves : 3 
Recipe Category: Sweet | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Palapazham Kozhukattai, chakka kozhukkatai, jackfruit kozhukattai,Jackfruit recipes, Kozhukattai recipe Palapazham Kozhukattai / Chakka Kozhukattai, a delicious stuffed kozhukattai made with the jackfruit and coconut filling.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

For outer layer

Rice flour - 1/2 cup
Sesame oil - 1/2 tsp
Salt - a pinch
Boiling water - little less of 1/2 cup

For Stuffing/Pooranam

Jackfruit - 7

Jaggery - 1/3 cup

Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup

Procedure

First let's make the stuffing/pooranam. Take the jackfruit and remove the seeds and place it on the steamer basket and steam it for 3-4 mins until they are soft.

Let them cool a bit and grind into smooth puree. In a sauce pan, add the jackfruit puree, coocnut and jaggery. Give a quick mix.

Turn on the heat and cook the mixture till it leaves the sides of the pan. Let it cool down completely.

Now, for the outer layer, take the flour in a bowl, add sesame oil and salt. Give a good mix. 

Pour the hot water into the flour and make a soft dough. Keep it aside for 5 mins.

Take a small portion of dough and make a smooth ball. Grease your hand with oil and then gently press the dough with your finger and form a small disc. Fill the disc with the pooranam/jackfruit stuffing. 

Next close the edge and then pinch on the edges to form a nice rim. Place it on the steamer basket and steam it for 4-5 mins. 

Delicious Jackfruit Kozhukattai / Palapazham Kozhukattai is ready.

Related : How to make Jackfruit Payasam / Chakka pradaman

Notes:

• Depends on the sweetness of the jackfruit, you may need more or less of jaggery.
• Sesame oil gives great flavor to the outer dough.

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Thengai Payasam, a delicious sweet recipe prepared with coconut and a little bit of rice. It's one of the payasam that i have learned recently and love it very much. 

When i came across this recipe online, i instantly knew that i would love this payasam because i'm such a huge fan of coconut based dishes. As expected, i love this payasam. Though the recipe has very basic ingredients but somehow they all work together and make such a spoon licking delicious payasam.

If you love coconut  flavor as like me or simply you want a different payasam recipe to satisfy your sweet cravings, then i would highly recommend to give a try on this amazing Thengai Payasam.

 

Coconut

For this payasam, i have used the fresh coconut. But you can use the frozen grated coconut that are available in the market. Whatever you are using, make sure that the coconut is fresh because that's key for the taste and the flavor in this payasam. 

Rice 

Adding rice gives the thicker texture to the payasam. Basmati rice flavor really elevates the flavor and taste of the payasam.  But i tried this payasam with regular cooking rice too in the past and it tastes equally good. 

Jaggery 

The color of the payasam solely depends on the jaggery color. Use paagu vellam or yellow colored jaggery for the vibrant color payasam. I have used brown colored jaggery so the color is a bit dull.

Like many payasam, this one too tends to thicken when it's cooled down, so switch off the flame when it's a bit runny than the required consistency.

Ok, now let's check out on how to make this delicious payasam.

Thengai Payasam | Arisi Thengai Payasam

Preparation Time : 5 mins | Cooking Time : 20 mins | Serves : 2 
Recipe Category: Sweet | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Thengai Payasam, Coconut Payasam, Arisi Thengai Payasam Thengai Payasam, a delicious sweet recipe prepared with coconut and a little bit of rice.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

Grated Coconut - 1/4 cup

Basmati Rice - 1 tbsp

Jaggery - 1/4 cup

Milk - 1/4 cup

Water - 1 cup

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Ghee - 1 tspCashew - 5 

Procedure

Heat the pan, add the coconut and rice, roast till they are aromatic. Let it cool a bit.

Add it in the mixie jar and grind into coarse mixture. Next in a sauce pan, bring the water into boil and then add the coarse coconut-rice mixture. Let it cook till the rice is soft.

In the mean time, in an another sauce pan, add the jaggery and a couple of tbsp of water, heat it until the jaggery melts completely. Strain the jaggery syrup and keep it ready.

Once the rice is well cooked, add the jaggery syrup and boil it for a couple of minutes.

 Next add the milk and give a quick stir. In an another pan, fry the cashew in ghee .

Finally add the cardamom powder, fried cashew, give a gentle mix and switch off the flame.

Delicious Thengai Payasam is ready.

Related:How to make Paruppu Payasam

Notes:

• I have used Basmati rice in this payasam, but any cooking rice works fo this recipe.
• Instead of dairy milk, coconut milk can also be used.

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Mango Coconut Ladoo, a delicious ladoo made with desiccated coconut and mango pulp. It's one of the easiest ladoo recipes to make within 10 mins. 

If you have followed me for a while, you might already know about my love for mangoes . It's really hard for me to reserve some mangoes to try any recipes because i simply love eating them as it is ! 

But i have been wanting to make this ladoo for a while, so this summer, i bought some extra mangoes on every grocery shopping with a hope of making these ladoos before mangoes are gone for this season. As a result, so far i have made these ladoos three times ! Yep, it's that much good and addictive ! 

Condensed Milk 

For this ladoo, i have used condensed milk for sweetness. It gives such a rich taste to the ladoo.

Also depending on the sweetness of the mango, you may need more or less condensed milk.

So start off with 1/3 of condensed milk.  First mix coconut, mango pulp and condensed milk, give a quick taste and then add more condensed milk if needed.

Fresh Mango Vs Mango Pulp

I have used fresh mango for this ladoo. But store bought mango pulp can also be used for this recipe. If you're using canned mango pulp, make sure to add less condensed milk because most of the canned mango pulp already has sugar in it. 

Now let's check out on how to make these delicious mango ladoo.

Mango Ladoo | Mango Coconut Ladoo

Preparation Time : 5 mins | Cooking Time : 10 mins | Serves : 10 
Recipe Category: Sweet | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Mango Ladoo, Mango Coconut Ladoo, Ladoo Recipes Mango Coconut Ladoo, a delicious ladoo made with desiccated coconut and mango pulp.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

Mango pulp - 1/2 cup

Desiccated Coconut - 1 cup

Condensed milk - 1/3 -1/2 cup*

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Ghee - 1 tbsp

* Depends on the mango sweetness, you can add more or less of condensed milk.

Procedure

Take a one medium size well-ripen mango, scoop out all the flesh in a blender and grind into smooth puree. Take 1/2 cup of mango pulp from it.  

Next add the desiccated coconut, mango pulp and condensed milk in a pan and then switch on the heat. Milk it all well together.

Cook it in a medium flame and within a few mins, it all comes together like a single mass. At this stage add the ghee and the cardamom powder.

Cook it for a few more mins. When you're able to roll the mixture into smooth ball, switch off the flame. The ladoo mixture is ready. 

Let it cool down until the heat of the mixture is hand bearable. Then take a small amount of mixture and roll into smooth ball. 

That's it, Delicious Mango Ladoo is ready.

Notes:

• Within 8-10 mins the ladoo would be ready for the given quantity, so don't cook for a longer time otherwise the ladoo would be chewy.
• My mango is very sweet ,so i have added only 1/3 cup of condensed milk
• It stays well in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
• Use a fine variety of desiccated coconut.
• Use mango that has less fibre and in bright color for smooth and vibrant looking ladoos
• Store bought mango pulp can also be used for this recipe.

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Eggless Coconut Cookies | Thengai Biscuits

Coconut Cookies/ Thengai Biscuits, delicious, crispy and melt in your mouth cookies. These cookies are mildly sweetened and full of flavor. Tastes great as a snack or as a tea biscuits. 

Right now, it's one of my kid's favorite cookies , so i bake them often at home. I simply love when the kid enjoys the baking goods that i make ! While i was growing up, baking was not a part of our cooking at home, so it always gives immense pleasure to enjoy the homemade baking goods. 

Whenever i bake cookies for my kid, i try to minimize or completely avoid the leavening agents, so often i stick with shortbread types of cookies. 

Initially when i try these cookies, i didn't add any leavening agents and the cookies turned out really good. But today, in this recipe, i have added a little amount of baking powder and the cookies are super lighter than before other than that everything else are the same

So it's really up to you to add baking powder in this recipe.  If you're worried that the cookies would be dense, then add the baking powder for safety :-)

Coconut

Make sure to use a fine variety of desiccated unsweetened coconut because it easily blends with the flour. Don't use shredded types of coconut in the recipe. I got my dried coconut from the Bulk Barn store here in Canada. 

Rolling the cookie dough in the coconut is optional. So you can skip this step and bake the cookies and still it tastes awesome. 

Sugar 

For all my cookies with a few exceptions, i like to use the store bought powdered sugar because it gives such a smooth melt in your mouth cookies. 

Vanilla Essence

Coconut and vanilla flavor goes together really well. But you can skip the vanilla essence and make it with coconut flavor alone or you can use a bit of cardamom flavor/ powder too.

Now let's check out on how to make this delicious Coconut Cookies / Thengai Biscuits 

Coconut Cookies | Thengai Biscuits

Preparation Time : 5 mins | Cooking Time : 15 mins | Serves : 12 
Recipe Category: Curry | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Coconut Cookies, Thengai Biscuits, Coconut Cookies/ Thengai Biscuits, a delicious and crispy melt in your mouth cookies. These cookies are mildly sweetened and full of flavor.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

Butter - 1/4 cup

Powdered Sugar - 1/4 cup

Desiccated Un-sweetened coconut - 1/2 cup 

All purpose flour - 1/2 cup

Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp

Baking powder - 1/4 tsp(optional)

Procedure

Preheat the oven @ 350 F 

In a bowl, add the butter and whisk it smooth, then add the sugar and salt.

Mix it all together well with a whisk. Next add the vanilla essence.

Mix it well and then add the coconut, flour and baking powder. Now use your hand and mix it all together until it forms a smooth dough.

Then pinch a small amount of cookie dough and roll it into a smooth ball. 

Take 1/4 cup of desiccated coconut in a bowl and roll the cookie dough on it until the cookie coats with coconut on all sides. This step is totally optional so you can skip it too. Then flatten the cookie a little bit and place it on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake it in the pre-heated oven for 15-18 mins until the top turns slightly golden brown in color.

Cool it completely and store it in airtight container. Delicious Coconut Cookies/Thengai Biscuits are ready to munch.

Related : How to make Shortbread Cookies / Butter Cookies

Notes: 

• These cookies stay well for up to 15 days at room temperature.
• These cookies are mildly sweetened sweetened. 

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Methi Paratha/ Methi Roti, a delicious Indian flatbread made from wheat flour and fresh fenugreek leaves. With simple curry and/or raita, it makes a healthy balanced meal.

As summer has started here, i have started to grow fenugreek leaves and often make this paratha at home for our lunch. It's one of our favorites and making them using home grown fenugreek leaves is even special. 

Adding fenugreek leaves gives a great flavor to the paratha. To avoid the bitterness from the fenugreek leaves, always use fresh and young leaves which have very mild bitterness.

Tips for beginners 

• Make sure to wash the methi leaves well and dry it on a paper towel for a few mins before adding it into the flour.
• Roughly chop the fenugreek leaves for even distribution of leaves on the paratha.
• I have used oil for cooking the paratha, but butter and ghee are also great for cooking the paratha.

Now let's check out on how to make the healthy and delicious methi roti.

Methi Paratha | Methi Roti

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 15 mins | Makes : 10 
Recipe Category: Roti | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Methi Paratha, Methi Roti, Indian Flatbread Methi Paratha/ Methi Roti, a delicious Indian flatbread made from the wheat flour and fresh fenugreek leaves.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

Wheat flour - 2 cups

Fenugreek leaves / Methi leaves - 1 cup

Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Salt - to taste

Water - as needed

Procedure

Take the wheat flour in a bowl and then add the roughly chopped fenugreek leaves, turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt.

Mix it all together well. Next add the water and make a soft dough.

Rest the dough for 10 mins and then pinch a small amount of dough and roll into a smooth balls. 

Roll each dough balls into thin discs by using rolling pin , if needed use flour for dusting. Heat the dosa tava and cook the roti till both sides have brown spots. It hardly takes 1 to 1 & 1/2 mins on each sides.

That's it, Delicious and healthy Methi Paratha / Roti is ready.  Serve it with your favorite curry

Related:How to make Malai Kofta Curry 

Notes:

• Always cook roti on high flame for a few mins to get the soft texture.
• More time on the tava makes the roti harder.
• For more flavor, you can add 1/2 tsp of garam masala too.
• Adjust the red chili powder as per your preference. The given quantity is for very mild spice.

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