Mothagam (Modak) / Pooranam Kozhukattai for Vinayagar Chathurthi

First comes the news : We are shifting to a new place this weekend!! :) I'm stuck with kind of mixed feelings.....It has been around 6 yrs here in Chennai and its always sad to leave the known territory. On the other side yes I am totally happy to shift back to the place I've loved and adored so much! You can check the savoury version with ulunthu filling recipe with stepwise here

Guess you can understand the work & tight schedule for the next few weeks in arranging up things at our new home. Am not sure when I will be accessing net after this. It all depends on the time delay for the net connection to be given....hopefully sooner. Till then dont forget my litte space, Keep visiting :) I'll be back soon!

Now coming to Vinayagar Chathurthi which falls on 11th Sept this year...since all things are almost packed even my props......I somehow managed to do a quick post for this festival so here is mine in advance :) I remember my MIL and SIL both are great devotess of Lord Ganesh. And my SIL is so so attached to him that we used to call and wish her "Happy Bday" on that day :)

Mothagam Recipe:

Pooranam Ingredients:

• Coconut - 1/2 cup
• Powdered Jaggery - 1/4 cup
• Cardomom powder - a pinch

Method for making the pooranam:

Dry roast coconut in a tawa till the moisture is absorbed fully, it need not change its color to light brown.Take powdered jaggerry, add water till immersing level and mix well in a small bowl. Filter it in a strainer to remove the impurities and add it to the roasted coconut.

Further heat it up till jaggery gets coated well with the coconut. Add cardamom powder.After 3-4 mins the mixture will start getting thick to be rolled into a ball.At this stage switch off and let it cool and make small balls and keep aside.

Mothagam Recipe:

Outer Dough Ingredients:

• Rice flour / Idiyappam flour - 1 cup
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Water - as required to form a dough

Method for the outer covering:

First sieve the rice flour 2-3 times, keep aside. Boil water, Take rice flour in a wide bowl.

Add the boiling water little by little and mix it with the help of a wooden laddle. Mix it till it gathers to a smooth dough. Allow it to cool for 2-3 mins then knead once with your hands to make a smooth dough but it will be slightly sticky.Keep aside.

Always make the poornam ready first then make the outer dough so that the outer dough doesnt get dried up. Once the pooranams are ready you can relax, watch ur favourite tv program and do the kozhukattai.

Method to make it as kozhukattai/mothagam:

Grease ur hands with oil.Make lemon sized small balls with the prepared dough and flatten them as thin as possible like a small cup.Now keep the coconut pooranum stuffed ball and keep in middle of the cup as shown below.

Pull around the edges and bring it to center over the top of the filling. Bring it together to form the modak shape.Now follow the procedure for the remaining then arrange it in a idly plate and steam it for 10-15mins.After 10-12 mins check if the kozhukottais are done, the outer layer will be a bit shiny.Now carefully transfer them in a bowl and ur kozhukattais are ready!

This mothagam or pooranam kozhukattai(as we call it) is my fav......Have updated the stepswise pics and my notes section.

My Notes :

• Make thin outer layers of the outer dough so that the mothagams are soft and gets cooked easily.



• The coconut pooranam should be thick in consistency else you will have a tough time wrapping them into kozhukattais.

• Make sure to sieve even the readymade flours atleast 2 times.