Paal Kozhukattai / Thengai Paal Kozhukattai for Two Years of Blogging | Indian Sweet Recipes

Happy New Year everyone! For me 2013 is not the only reason to celebrate. This is Kavin's first new year and also my humble blog just turned 2 in December. Nothing is more special when it comes to celebrating with a sweet which is close to your heart. I celebrated our new year with this delicious Paal Kozhukattai. This is my favorite sweet and grandma makes it every time we visit her. True, it is quite an elaborate process but the end result makes all the effort feel lighter.

Ingredients:

Idly rice/Parboiled rice - 1 cup (wash and soak for 2 hours)
Sugar - 1/2 cup (or more if desired)
First Coconut Milk - 1 cup
Second and Third Coconut milk - 1-1/2 cups
Water - 2 cups
Oil - 1 tbsp + more for greasing
Cardamom powder - a pinch

Method:

Make coconut milk with one large coconut. Gently scrape the white flesh of the coconut and grind in a blender with little more than 1 cup of water. Extract the milk and set aside. This is the "first" milk. Return the coconut to the blender and add another cup of water and repeat. This is the "second" milk. Repeat for "third" milk.
After 2 hours of soaking, grind the rice to a smooth watery batter with a pinch a salt. A blender works fine for 1 cup of rice. Go for a wet grinder if using more rice. In a non-stick pan add oil and the ground rice batter. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon in medium heat until most of the water is evaporated and it comes to a big mass. Now divide this dough into four parts and work in batches. Keep the dough covered at all times to avoid drying. Grease oil in your palms and fingers and pinch the dough (about the size of blueberry/ small gooseberry) and make small oblong kolkattais. Keep the rolled kolkattais covered until all the dough is finished.
Boil water in a heavy bottomed pan with a pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to medium and add the kozhukattais in batches in two minutes interval. After about 4-5 minutes when all the balls are added gently stir from the corner. Stirring from the center may break the balls. At this stage the balls may stick to each other, that is perfectly normal. Dissolve the sugar in the combination of second and third milk and add to the boiling water. Allow the kolkattais to cook in medium high heat stirring once in a while until it is cooked (the kozhukattais will be shiny and soft but wont break) and the mixture thickened. At this stage the balls will no longer be sticking to each other. Finally add the first milk and cardamom powder and allow it to boil for 3-4 mins and remove from heat. Allow to cool a bit and serve warm.
Notes:
1. If you are pressed for time use canned coconut milk.
2. To make first milk, mix canned coconut milk and water in 1:1 ratio.
3. To make second and third (combination) milk use coconut milk and water in 1:2 ratio.

Linking these up to Walk Through Memory Lane event by Gayathri.