Usli Kozhakattai

Here is a dish I absolutely love and grew up eating. Amma made it for every festival and I would totally binge on it for the rest of my day. I can almost see her chuckle as she reads this sayin "I knew this recipe was coming next". Anyways, when you have a day where you are absolutely bored or wanting to train your husband and have him help you with cooking, Try this !!

Preparation time: hmmm.....30-45 min (psst.. if you can roll the rice flour fast enough, may be lesser)
Serves : 2
Kozhakattai:
Rice flour - 1 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsp




1. Add 1/2 cup water and salt (to taste) to one cup rice flour in a pan and mix it evenly. Use a "Kadai' if possible, really hard to mix in a non-stick pan. There must not be any lumps in this mixture.
2. Heat the pan in medium heat all the while stirring the mixture.
3. Keep it covered for a minute and it should be cooked by now. This rice flour mixture cooks really fast.
4. Transfer this to a plate and add 1 tst of oil and blend it into a smooth mixture by kneading it.
5. Use the other tsp of oil to grease your palms and start making really small balls 1/2 cm in diameter.
6. Place the rice balls in the idli plate and steam it for 10 minutes in high heat without the whistle.

Usli:
1 cup - Urad Dal
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Green chillies - 2 to 3
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp (for tadka)
Curry leaves - a sprig
Oil - 3 tbsp

1. Soak 1 cup urad dal for 30 min and grind into a coarse batter alongwith salt, asafoetida and green chillies.
2. Add this batter to idli plate and steam it for 15 minutes in high heat without the whistle
3. Let the urad idlis cool down and then crumble it into a fine mixture.
4. Heat oil in a pan (again kadai is preferable). Add mustard seeds and urad dal to this.
5. Once the mustard seeds splutters, add curry leaves (My favourite ingredient - tear it for more flavor!!)
6. Add the crumbled idli mixture and cook it in medium heat for about 5 min.
7. Add the cooked Kozhakkattais to this and just carefully blend it in (don't overdo it - we don't want the kozhakattai to break and turn into a paste).



Bon Appetit!!

There you have it - yummy Usli Kozhakattais !!!!!!