Kuzhalappam

Kuzhalappam happens to be a savory snack from the state of Kerala. These delectable munchies were a part of Indian cooking challenge and I had missed them due to my India trip. And I thought this marathon was a nice opportunity to try them. These rice flour based, deep fried tubes are a great tea time snack and they are kid-friendly since there is no heat quotient. Coconut and onion add nice flavor to the dish. My husband was commenting that they are like mild nippattu and why I went through the pain of shaping them into tubes instead of just shaping them into discs. I would have to call them nipattu instead of kuzhalappam, I had to remind him. The world kuzhal means tubular. (Or is it a flute which also happens to be tubular?) I have to admit however that after a while, shaping them around my finger seemed tedious. When I got a hang of it, I just placed them on my left palm , brought the edges together and just pinched them.

Recipe Source: Here

Ingredients: (Yield 3 dozen)

1 & 1/4 cup rice flour

1/2 cup shredded fresh coconut

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

3 - 4 shallots or a big onion

1 tsp black sesame seeds

Salt to taste

Oil to fry kuzhalappam (I went with canola oil and traditionally coconut oil is used.)

Method:

* Boil a cup of water in a small pan, adding salt.

* Grind coconut, shallots / onion and 1/4 tsp cumin seeds to a smooth paste, adding little water.

* In the meanwhile, dry roast the rice flour in a pan on low flame for about 5 - 6 minutes.

* Add this ground paste, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds and sesame seeds to the rice flour and continue to roast for 2 - 3 minutes more. 

* Transfer the roasted rice mixture to a wide bowl and add the boiled water to it. When the mixture is warm, knead it into a stiff dough.

* Divide the dough into small lime sized balls. Grease a plastic sheet or a banana leaf. Place a dough ball over it. Cover it with another plastic sheet and roll it using a rolling pin. Using a cookie cutter or a small cup, cut into 2 inch round. Put back the scraps into the dough bowl.

* Wrap the cut disc around the left index finger and pinch the ends, covering about 1/4 inch. Remove it and keep it aside on a tray.

* Repeat the steps with the remaining dough. Remember to grease the plastic sheet every time you use it to prevent the dough from sticking. Rice flour dough is not that cohesive like all purpose flour based one and so don't panic if the dough cracks while rolling. 

* In the mean time, heat oil in a kadai / small deep frying pan on medium flame. Gently slide the shaped kuzhalappams into the hot oil. Fry as many as the kadai can fit without overcrowding. 

* Flip them in between and fry them until they turn light golden brown through out. Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent towels. 

* Cool and store them in an airtight container.

Check here to know what other marathoners are cooking.

Comments