Sweet Kozhukatta

Sweet Kozhukatta is a soft, steamed dumpling made with rice flour dough, filled with a sweet mix of grated coconut, jaggery, and a touch of cardamom powder. It’s a traditional sweet made in many South Indian homes, especially during festivals. This version is not fried, but gently steamed, making it light and healthy. It is especially known as a sacred offering to Lord Ganesha, and during Ganesh Chaturthi, it’s lovingly prepared as modakam or modak, the Lord’s favourite.

Making kozhukatta is simple but needs care. The outer dough is made using rice flour and hot water, kneaded until smooth. The filling is prepared by melting jaggery and mixing it with fresh grated coconut and cardamom. Once the filling cools, small portions of dough are flattened by hand, filled with the sweet mix, and shaped into round ball. Sometimes modaks is made with a pointed tip These are then steamed until the outer cover becomes soft and slightly glossy.

In many homes, kozhukatta is made not just for festivals, but also as a tea-time snack or a gentle sweet treat for children. Since it’s steamed and doesn’t use refined sugar or oil, it’s considered a healthy and light option. The soft rice shell and the warm jaggery-coconut filling make every bite simple yet comforting.More than just a sweet, kozhukatta is tied to tradition, prayers, and family memories. During pujas, it’s made with devotion and offered first to Lord Ganesha before being shared with everyone at home. Whether prepared as an offering or as a snack, sweet kozhukatta carries the touch of love, devotion, and home in every soft, warm bite.

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Sweet Kozhukatta

Author: Ushadevi Cooking Method: Steaming Cuisine: Kerala Courses: Breakast, Snacks, Starters, Sweets & Desserts, Vegan, Vegetarian

Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 10 mins Cook Time 15 mins Total Time 25 mins

Cooking Temp: 100  C Servings: 6

Best Season: Suitable throughout the year, Rain

Ingredients

Scale

1/2x 1x 2x 3x

• 2 cup Rice powder (Appam powder)
• 2 cup Grated Coconut
• 1 ¹⁄₂ cup Jaggery
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon Cardamom powder
• 1 teaspoon Ghee
• ¹⁄₄ cup Flattened Rice (Poha / Aval)
• Hot Water and Salt as required

Instructions

1. Melt jaggery with 1 tablespoon of water. Once it is fully melted, strain to remove impurities.
2. Add grated coconut and flattened rice (aval) to the jaggery and mix well. Keep this filling aside. The mixture should be dry.
3. In a bowl, add rice flour, cardamom powder, a pinch of salt, and hot water.
4. Mix everything to make a soft dough.
5. Take a medium-sized portion of dough, roll it into a ball, and flatten it with your hand.
6. Place a spoonful of the filling in the center and fold the edges inward to seal it, forming a ball with filling inside.
7. Steam the kozhukattas for 10–15 minutes.
8. Kozhukattas are ready!