Kozhukkatai Payasam/Steamed rice dumpling Kheer to sweeten any day!

Hi Foodies..how have u all been?Its been long since I have been planning to put up this post.For every auspicious day after a wholesome meal  payasam is a total must.Payasam /Kheer is a traditional dish in the Indian subcontinent and the list of variations simply go on.Kozhukattai means steamed rice dumplings.Here's an easy peasy Payasam for all..

Kozhukattai Payasam


For making Kozhukattais
2 cups rice flour
3 cups of water
1 tsp of coconut oil
1/2 tsp salt

Boil water in heavy bottomed vessel and add in the coconut oil and salt.Keeping it on medium flame stir in the rice flour to make a dough consistency  with a wooden spoon.Turn off the flame and let it cool.When the mix is medium hot..softly knead it in to a dough and then roll out lemon sized balls out of it.Steam these balls in  a steamer for abot 10-15 minutes.
NB: Please seperate 4 lemon sized balls without steaming.You will need these for the payasam

For making the payasam
Steamed kozhukattais
3 cups of water
3 cups of boiled milk(make sure to seperate the thin film of cream that comes when the milk cools)
1and 1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp ghee
1/8 cup of small coconut pieces roasted in ghee
1/8 cup of nuts and raisins roasted in ghee

In a  deep bottomed vessel boil  3 cups of water and then pour in the 3 cups of milk.Keep stirring while you add in the sugar.When this starts simmering keep it on medium flame.Mix the earlier sepearted 4 unsteamed rice balls with  1/2 cup of water in a small bowl with your fingers(make sure you have no rice lumps).Pour this rice syrup in to the milk and pop in the steamed kozhukattais.When it starts thickening a lit bit pour in the ghee and add the roasted coconut pieces,nuts and raisins and turn off the flame.Kozhukattai payasam is ready to be devoured ;)

MUTTON KUSHKA

This recipe was shared to me by one of my friends.If you are fond of Biriyani, I bet you'll really love to taste this one. 

1/2kg Mutton pieces 

2 cups Basmati rice

4 large onions sliced
3 green chillies
1 tomato sliced
1 piece Ginger
7-8 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp aniseed
3 cardamoms
3 cloves
a piece of cinnamon
Curry leaves
1/4 cup pudina leaves chopped
3/4 cup coriander leaves chopped
1 coconut scraped
Ghee
Oil
Salt to taste

• Wash and strain the basmati rice.
• Pressure cook the mutton pieces with 1/2 tsp turmeric powder ,1 tbsp kashmiri chilli powder ,salt and water.
• Strain out the mutton pieces and keep aside the stock water.
• In a heavy bottomed vessel  on flame ,pour 2 tbsp ghee .Fry and seperate  the strained rice.
• In a mixer grind the ginger and garlic to paste form.
• Extract coconut milk from the scraped coconut and mix it with the mutton stock water.
• In the same vessel pour 1 tbsp ghee with 2 tbsp oil  fry the spices.Saute the onions,ginger garlic paste,green chillies(the green chillies are to be put without slitting.).Add tomatoes,curry leaves,pudina,coriander leaves and stir till an aroma comes.
• Add 1/2 tsp turmeric powder,2 tsp chilli powder and 2 tsp Meat masala powder.Stir in the mutton pieces and rice.
• Add 4 cups of the coconut milk stock  to the rice.
• Add salt on boiling,cover the vessel with a lid and let it cook on medium flame.On cooking the water would have evaporated .

THENGA CHORU/ COCONUT RICE

This is one of my favourite rice varities.This is rice cooked in coconut milk

2 cups of basmati rice/long grain rice
4 cups of coconut milk
1 cup of carrots diced(medium sized)
1/2 lemons juice
1/2 tsp aniseed
3 cloves
2 cardamoms
a small piece of cinnamon
4-5 green chillies slit
1 cup of sliced large onion
3 tbsp ghee
1/2 cup of coriander leaves(finely cut)
2 tbsp nuts,2 tbsp raisins and 1/2 cup of sliced onions roasted and kept aside

• Wash and strain the rice in a colander
• Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel,add aniseeds,cinnamon,cloves,cardamom ,green chillies,cloves and stir well till an aroma comes.
• Add the sliced onions and saute' them well.
• When the onions are translucent add the carrots and lightly stir it.
• Add the strained rice and stir well for  a few minutes taking care that it doesn't get stuck to the bottom of the vessel.
• Add the coconut milk to the rice and on boiling add the required amount of salt with the lemon juice.
• Keep it on low  flame with the vessel covered.
• When the rice is cooked the coconut milk would have completely evaporated.You can see small holes in the rice. 
• Turn off the flame and garnish the rice with coriander leaves,nuts,raisins and onions fried in ghee
• You can serve this with curries .
• My combination with rice was fish curry..

CHICKEN BIRIYANI

It seems that the name "Biriyani" was derived from the Persian language.The smell of spices really ignites our taste buds.The recipe that I 'm typing out was shared to me by one of my aunts.

1kg Chicken pieces  

1tbsp red chilli powder

1tbsp Coriander powder

1tsp garam masala

1/4 cup curd

2tbsp oil

3 cups of Basmati rice

2 pieces of cinnamon

4 cloves

3 cardamoms

1/2 part of a lemons juice

1 piece of Ginger crushed

6-7 cloves of garlic crushed

4-5 green chillies (Julian cut)

1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves

1 tomato sliced

6 cups of water

Salt to taste

• Marinate the chicken pieces with chilli powder,garam masala,coriander powder,curd and salt.Keep it for 1/2 an hour.
• In a heavy bottomed vessel pour oil fry  and seperate the cardamoms,cloves,cinnamon and rice by adding the lemon juice.
• In the remaining oil add the crushed ginger and garlic,coriander leaves,green chillies and stir them well.Add the tomato pieces and stir it well.
• Now add in the chicken pieces and mix well pouringabout 1/2 cup of water.Cover the vessel with a lid and let it cook till it gets half tenderized.
• When the chicken is half cooked ,mix in the rice and spices ,pour the 6 cups of water and let it cook on low flame covered with a lid.
• When the rice is cooked the water  would have evaporated completely.
• For garnishing you can fry sliced large onions,nuts and raisins in ghee and mix with rice.