Vinayaka Chaturthi special Pachai Payaru Kara Kozhukattai – Spicy Protein Modak recipe with step-wise pictures. Steamed Modak/Kozhukattai stuffed with spicy moong sprouts filling.
In today’s Vinayaka Chaturthi recipe series, I am sharing a simple spicy stuffed kozhukattai using moong sprouts/molakattiya pachai payaru. For a long time, I have been contemplating trying a spicy stuffed modak and the opportunity presented itself when I was given an opportunity to share a modak recipe with different/innovating stuffing for a popular English daily. By no means am I claiming this spicy moong sprouts stuffing innovative, but it is different from everything I have tried before. Today, in one of my proudest moments - the recipe got published in New Indian Express and it is my first newspaper feature! I am re-sharing the same recipe of Spicy Protein Modak here, with more details.
Obviously, I have been over the moon 🙂 For someone who started with a couple of followers (my family mostly) on this blog, this is big. I am ever so thankful to my family, friends and the larger community of “you” for supporting me & motivating me to do better. In all these years if I have learnt one thing, it is this - do whatever gives you happiness and do it with your heart – good things will follow 🙂 Don’t get hung up on numbers or engagement or social media followership – end of the day, nothing matters but you.
Ok, back to the recipe. This recipe of Spicy Protein Modak or Kara Kozhukattai is very similar to the Ulundu Kozhukattai. We had a neighbor who treated us to the best of inippu kozhukattai & kara kozhukattais for both Varalakshmi Vratham and Vinayaka Chaturthi and they used to be literally melt-in-mouth. I take mami aunty as inspiration every time I make my kozhukattais 🙂 She made the most delicious Ulundu Kozhukattai and for this recipe, since I used Moong Sprouts I just pressure cooked them and didn’t have to steam cook the filling again. It was simple to make and the pachai payaru kara kozhukattai turned out delicious.
To spice my Kara Kozhukattai, I prepared a simple spice powder using urad dal, chana dal, black peppercorns, cumin seeds and dried red chillies. Rice flour dough that is usually prepared as the outer covering for any kozhukattai or modak goes really well with jaggery and anything sweet. But to make the pachai payaru kara kozhukattai flavorful, it is essential to have the stuffing made spicy – that’s where this special spice powder helps. I also used asafoetida generously and further flavored the moong sprouts with grated coconut. The preparation of kozhukattai is like any other recipe – you could use a kozhukattai mould to easily shape the modak or choose to make the shapes by hand. At the end, taste is all it matters and this one guaranteed turns out really good! We had it as tea-time snack and it was perfect.
How to make Pachai Payaru Kara Kozhukattai | Spicy Protein Modak –
📖 Recipe
Pachai Payaru Kara Kozhukattai | Spicy Protein Modak
Equipment
- Blender
- Idli Steamer
- Fry Pan
MEASUREMENT
1 cup = 250ml, 1 tablespoon = 15ml, 1 teaspoon = 5ml
Ingredients
For Spice Powder –
- 1 teaspoon Urad Dal
- 1 teaspoon Chana Dal
- 2 Dried Red Chillies
- ½ teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Black Peppercorns
For Modak Filling –
- ½ cup Moong Sprouts
- ¼ cup Grated Coconut
- 1 teaspoon Oil
- ¼ teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- ½ teaspoon Urad Dal
- ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida/Hing
- 1 Sprig Fresh Curry Leaves
- Salt as needed
- Water as needed
For Modak Outer Covering –
- ½ cup Rice Flour
- ¾ Water adjust as needed
- 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil/Gingelly Oil
- Salt as needed
Instructions
- Dry roast all the ingredients under “spice powder” until golden brown on low flame.
- Once cooled down, grind into a smooth powder.
- Pressure cook Moong Sprouts with enough water for two whistles.
- In a pan, heat oil and temper mustard seeds & urad dal. Once urad dal turns golden brown, add fresh curry leaves and asafoetida/hing.
- Next add pressure cooked moong sprouts and salt as needed.
- Cook for a minute and add 2-3 teaspoon of prepared spice powder.
- Cook for a couple of minutes and add grated fresh coconut. Remove from heat and let it cool down completely.
- Bring ¾ cup of water to boil along with ½ teaspoon of sesame/gingelly oil and salt as needed.
- Once the water boils rigorously, switch off the flame. Add rice flour and quickly stir it.
- Make sure there are no lumps. Add ½ teaspoon of sesame/gingelly oil on top and leave it covered for 3-4 mins.
- When it is warm enough to handle, knead it into soft pliable dough.
- Apply sesame/gingelly oil all over the modak mould.
- Take a small ball of dough and press along the edges of the mould such that there is a gap in the center.
- Fill it with spicy sprouts filling. Cover the modak on top with some more dough.
- Gently open the mould and remove the modak.
- Repeat the same with rest of the dough. Keep applying oil on the mould for every modak.
- To steam cook the modaks, grease a steamer plate with few drops of sesame/gingelly oil. Place the prepared modaks on the steamer plate and steam cook for 7-8 mins.
- Switch off the heat and let them cool down for a couple of minutes before removing them.
- Serve warm with tea/coffee!
Nutrition
Detailed step-wise picture recipe of making Pachai Payaru Kara Kozhukattai | Spicy Protein Modak –
Dry roast all the ingredients under “spice powder” until golden brown on low flame.
Once cooled down, grind into a smooth powder.
Pressure cook Moong Sprouts with enough water for two whistles.
In a pan, heat oil and temper mustard seeds & urad dal. Once urad dal turns golden brown, add fresh curry leaves and asafoetida/hing.
Next add pressure cooked moong sprouts and salt as needed.
Cook for a minute and add 2-3 teaspoon of prepared spice powder.
Cook for a couple of minutes and add grated fresh coconut. Remove from heat and let it cool down completely.
Bring ¾ cup of water to boil along with ½ teaspoon of sesame/gingelly oil and salt as needed.
Once the water boils rigorously, switch off the flame. Add rice flour and quickly stir it.
Make sure there are no lumps. Add ½ teaspoon of sesame/gingelly oil on top and leave it covered for 3-4 mins.
When it is warm enough to handle, knead it into soft pliable dough.
Apply sesame/gingelly oil all over the modak mould.
Take a small ball of dough and press along the edges of the mould such that there is a gap in the center.
Fill it with spicy sprouts filling. Cover the modak on top with some more dough.
Gently open the mould and remove the modak.
Repeat the same with rest of the dough. Keep applying oil on the mould for every modak.
To steam cook the modaks, grease a steamer plate with few drops of sesame/gingelly oil. Place the prepared modaks on the steamer plate and steam cook for 7-8 mins.
Switch off the heat and let them cool down for a couple of minutes before removing them.
Serve warm with tea/coffee!
Note –
- Adjust spices as per preference.
- If you don’t have moong sprouts, just soak whole green moong in hot water for an hour and pressure cook for 2 whistles.
You can use store-bought rice flour/idiyappam flour/kozhukattai flour in this recipe. Adjust water as needed.
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Sri
Congratulations!! I am regular follower of your blog and awesome work with your recipes. I like your simple yet tasty recipes. I tried your recipes and they all came out good. Thank you!! Best Wishes, Sri