Dry fruits Modak/Sweet Poorana Kozhukattai

Modak is a traditional sweet made to offer Lord Ganesha and the stuffing options for these modak/ modhakams are endless. There are sweet and savoury options. I made 2 sweet pooranams as this is the only day we have these poorana kozhukattai (M doesn’t eat them on normal days). I always had this idea in my mind and tried this year and it turned out really good.

Ingredients:

For the stuffing/ Pooranam:

Mixed dry fruits-1/2 cup ( i used walnuts, peanuts, almonds, cashews & pistachios )

Raisins-2 tbsp

Powdered Jaggery-1/2 cup

Ghee-1 tbsp

For the outer layer:

Idiyappam flour/ rice Flour-1 cup

Salt-as needed

Hot water- as needed

Oil-1 tsp

How it Happened:

Stuffing preparation:

1. Heat ghee in a pan, add all the dry fruits and roast them until they turn a little golden brown. Similarly roast the raisins and set aside.

2. Add the roasted dry fruits to a blender jar along with the powdered jaggery and blitz them. This will result in a sticky mixture. Add the roasted raisins and mix well

3. Divide the mixture into equal portioned balls.

Outer Layer:

1. Mix salt and flour well. Add oil and hot water and mix well with a help of a wooden ladle to form a pliable mass.

2. When the mixture is cooled, apply oil in hands; knead the dough for a couple of minutes and divide them into equal sized balls.

3. Now take a ball, with the help of your hand make it into a shell, place one dry fruit ball inside the flour shell and pull the flour shell on all sides to enclose the dry mixture. Seal the dumpling well.

4. You can make different shapes using the modak mold or half moon shaped mold.

5. Arrange the modaks on a steamer plate and steam them for 10 minutes or until the flour layer is cooked.

6. Transfer to plate and serve.

Notes:

*You can add/ omit any nuts of your choice. Nuts like pine nuts, macadamia, hazelnuts can be used. Sultanas, dates, dried figs can also be added.

*Desiccated coconut/grated coconut can also be added.

*Palm jaggery can also be substituted for normal jaggery.

*Adjust the jaggery amount as per your taste.Also if you add dates adjust the jaggery accordingly.

*If you prepare the flour dough ahead, do not allow the surface to get dried so keep it covered. Else it may result in cracking of the surface after steaming the kozhukattai.

* Once when the flour layer/modak is cooked they turn shiny.

*Make the flour shell thin. Use oil to spread the flour thin using your hands. Else the shell may turn too hard after steaming.