Upma Kozhukkattai and Kathrikkai Gothsu

My Entry for Vegetable of the week for creativepooja.blogspot.com

This is one of the recipes I made for my golu dinners.

One of the most easiest and tastiest dish.

This is basically Rice upma, but made in a slightly different way.

Kozhukkattai means "modhak" or "dumplings ". There is no stuffing inside this, but since it is in a kind of ball or oval shape, it is called kozhukkattai. I learnt this from my Mother in Law, Mrs Meena Ganesan.

For the Upma Kozhukkattai you will need

A steamer, A kadai.

I used my electric rice cooker, it has a steamer attachment.

1/2 Cup Cream of Rice

2 to 3 tsps oil

1/2 tsp of mustard seeds

2 Green Chillies (slit)

1 Red Chillies

About a handful of coconut, cut in tooth shaped pieces

curry leaves, two strands

1 tsp hing

1 and 1/2 tsp of salt (Depends on your taste)

1/2 tsp of Black pepper (Broken in pieces but not finely ground To acheive this you can do it in a mortar and pestle, incase you dont have one, don't fret, get a nice stone, one which will fit in the palm of you hand. Wrap the peppers in a towel and break them with the stone.)

Method

-> a kadai, add oil

->add mustard seeds once the oil is hot

->When the seeds start to sputter, add the Green Chillies, Red Chillies, Black Pepper, Coconut and Curry leaves annd hing,

-> fry for a little time and then add about 1 cup of water

-> Once the water starts to boil, switch the stove off and add the cream of rice slowly so as not form lumps, and then add salt.

-> mix it thoroughly, and it should be thick

-> Do not worry about cooking it since we are going to steam this.

Let it be in the kadai, and close it.

Prepare to steam the upma.

Take a steamer, I use a cloth inside the steamer so it will not get dry.Shape the upma in balls and neatly stack them in your steamer. You may use you idli steamer but make sure the balls dont get smashed by the idli plate. Steam for 15 minutes.

This dish goes best with Brinjal or eggplant Gothsu.

You will need

2 tsp oil

1 big Italian eggplant or 6 small Indian eggplants

1/2 tsp mustard

2 Green Chillies

1 Red chillies

1 strand curry leaves

1/2 tsp hing

1 small ball sized tamarind soaked in 1 cup of water, (extract the water)

Roast the Brinjals in an open fire on your stove or in your oven.

Please look at Baingan Bharta to roast them in the oven. (Do not add the garlic to it.)

Method

In a Kadai, add oil, and then afdter the oil is hot enough, add the mustard,

once the mustard seeds start to sputter, add the chillies and curry leaves and hing.

Turn the stove off.

Scoop out the insde of the brinjals and mix them (with your hand) with the tamarind juice.

Once the eggplant is fully mashed and mixed, add this to the kadai mixture and turn the stove on just to heat the mixture, but not BOIL. This will be done in two to three minutes if you have a gas stove, add salt and take it out and serve with the upma. ENJOY!