Peanut Kozhukattai Verkadalai Poorana Modhagam

Our Pillaiyar is still enjoying Kozhukattai and so thought of sharing this Peanut Kozhukattai aka Verkadalai Poorana Modhagam Recipe which I planned to post on time for the past two years

in blog. I have so many such recipes in draft wish i get some time to post one by one soon. It is better late than never right ? and I hope this post well deserves it. Do watch the video recorded two years back, provided YouTube link at the end of the post which clearly explains how to make thin outer layer and more filling/stuffing without using modak mold. It such a beginner recipe and you can use mold if you wish to use (explained in the video at 9:00 minutes).

This recipe involves soaking the raw rice and grinding to smooth paste. But if you are looking for Instant Rice Flour or Homemade Rice Flour. Do follow the techniques I have shown recently in Thengaai Poorana Kozhukattai Video Recipe (Coconut Jaggery Modaks). I did a batch of these peanut filling using homemade rice flour and it that’s why some picture has rice flour in the back drop.

I have used the same filling with Finger Millet outer dough, do refer picture below.

Tips and Tricks to make Perfect Peanut Kozhukattai

From my several years of kozhukattai making experience if you are a beginner i would suggest you to go with the soaking and grinding method. In this method flour cooks completely and it is very flexible to make kozhukattai/modak.

• While kneading the dough and while making modaks do apply oil to your hands so that the you get the outer layer thin as much as you can.
• Too much water in the batter takes more time to cook and its a hand breaking work so i cut shot it and do check the video at minutes 2:45 minutes that’s the right consistency batter.
• Don’t mix the peanut powder with jaggery when the jaggery syrup is hot, let it comes to warm temperature and then mix it. This way prevents gooey or very hard verkadalai pooranam/peanut filling.
• I always like to add a pinch of cardamom powder (without sugar) in the outer layer to get nice aroma.
• Don’t powder the peanuts when its warm and don’t powder for a long time, both makes it oily.
• The filling/stuffing is also a key for the perfect kozhukattai/modak , do make it as shown in 5:24 minutes of Video.
• If the filling is powdery then while steaming it the outer layer breaks/cracks.
• Also if the outer layer is not cooked properly or if its too dry then it breaks/cracks.

Ingredients

Sweet Filling

Peanut Powder / Verkadalai Podi – 3/4 Cup (roast and remove skin if using raw peanuts)
Jaggery or Nattu Sarkarai – 1/2 Cup
Cardamom Powder – 1tsp
Shredded Coconut – 2 Tbsp
Sesame Seeds – 1 Tbsp
Ghee – 1/2 Tbsp

Outer Dough (Mel Maavu)

Raw Rice -1/3 Cup
Salt – A Pinch
Sesame Oil – 1-2 Tbsp

Peanut Kozhukattai Preparation

• Soak the raw rice for 15 minutes, rinse thrice and soak for 2 hours (Pic 1 in Kozhukattai Outer Layer Preparation.
• Meanwhile prepare the filling for the modhagam/modak.
• Dry roast the peanut, remove skin ahead of preparation and keep aside to cool completely.
• In a pan add jaggery and water(Pic 1), when jaggery dissolved(Pic 2&3) , strain the impurities and keep aside.

• Clean the pan and add ghee to it.
• When melted add sesame seeds (Pic 4)and shredded coconut(Pic 5), roast them until nice aroma attains.
• Now add filtered jaggery syrup(Pic 6) and wait for the syrup to get thick(Pic 7).
• Now switch off the heat, add cardamom powder (Pic 8).
• Meanwhile powder the peanut as shown in video at 1:57 minutes.
• Once the syrup comes to warm temperature do add the peanut powder(Pic 9), don’t add when it is too hot.

• Mix the powder until syrup coats well and let it cool completely.
• Make balls from the prepared peanut filling mixture(Pic 10).
• Now prepare the outer layer.

Peanut Kozhukattai Outer Layer Preparation

• Once rice is soaked(Pic 2), remove excess water from it(Pic 3).
• Using mixie/processor grind the soaked rice to smooth batter(Pic 4).

• And make the batter to right dropping consistency (not so thick and not so watery) as shown in Pic 5/video at 2:45 mins .
• Heat a pan, apply sesame oil all over the pan to ease the work (Pic 1).
• Add the ground batter, salt and cardamom powder to it (Pic 2).

• Mix them (Pic 3) and keep stirring in low to medium flame (Pic 4).
• In less than 4 minutes it gets thick (Pic 5) and roll into dough.
• When the dough is warm apply sesame oil to your hands and knead well.
• The outer layer is ready (Pic 6).
• Let it cool to room temperature before making modhagam/modak.

How to Shape Peanut Kozhukattai

• Grease hands with sesame oil.
• Pinch a portion of outer layer dough, make round and do thin (Pic 1) it as shown in the pic 2 video at 6:53 minutes.
• Keep the round peanut filling inside(Pic 2), wrap / seal the outer layer properly (Pic 3).
• Do repeat the process for remaining dough (Pic 4).
• Alternatively you can use modak mold.

• For that first press the outer layer dough over greased modak mold.
• Then add the peanut filling and cover them with outer layer as needed.
• Once done with shaping , arrange the prepared modak/modhagam on oil greased steamer plate.
• Steam it for 3-5 minutes in boiling water.
• Take it out after few minutes of steaming.

Video Tutorial

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