TranslateKozhukattai is the festival dumpling of Tamil Nadu, most closely tied to Vinayaka Chaturthi when it is offered to Lord Ganesha. A soft rice-flour shell is shaped by hand around a filling of coconut and jaggery, or a savoury mix of lentils and spices, and then steamed. Every household has its own pleat and its own filling.
Type
Vegetarian
Meal occasion
Vinayaka Chaturthi, festival days, breakfast
Region
Statewide
Key ingredients
Rice flour, coconut, jaggery or lentils, cardamom, sesame oil
Fine rice flour is cooked briefly with hot water and a little sesame oil into a pliable dough. Small portions are flattened by hand, filled and sealed into a teardrop or half-moon shape, then steamed for around ten minutes until the shell turns glossy and translucent.
The sweet version tastes of toasted coconut, jaggery and cardamom inside a soft, slightly chewy casing. The savoury version is nutty and mildly spiced with mustard, chilli and curry leaves.
Poornam kozhukattai holds the classic coconut-jaggery filling. Ulundu kozhukattai is stuffed with spiced urad dal. Uppu kozhukattai is a plain salted version steamed without filling, and Ammini kozhukattai consists of tiny balls tossed in a tempering of mustard, curry leaves and grated coconut.
Sweet shops and traditional tiffin rooms across Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore make kozhukattai around Vinayaka Chaturthi in August or September. Temple prasadam counters, particularly at Ganesha temples such as those in Pillaiyarpatti and Chennai, distribute it during the festival.
