Preparation:

• For making this kozhukattai, any good fresh rice flour you can use. I used fresh store bought rice flour today.
• Rice flour for kozhukattai can be made in home also.

To make rice flour(kozhukattai flour):

• If you are making in home, prepare this the previous day itself. Wash and soak raw rice for two hours.
• After two hours, drain the rice and dry it in a plain white cotton cloth under fan. When it is completely dry then grind it into fine flour in machine or mixer. Cool it down, sieve and store tightly in a container for future use.
• Chop onion.

Recipe to make kara kozhukattai:

Prepare seasoning:

• Heat a pan with oil, add mustard seeds.
• Add chana dal/gram dal, roast in oil.
• Now add split urad dal and roast everything to nice brown color.
• Add chopped onion, green chillies and curry leaves.
• Add salt and mix everything.
• Fry onions until transparent stage.
• Seasoning mix is ready. Keep aside.

Prepare kozhukattai dough:

• In a non-stick kadai, pour 11/4 cups of water. For one cup of rice flour usually, 1.25 cups of water is enough. Some rice flour may take 11/2 cups of water. So the better strategy I recommend here is to heat water and add flour little by little. Some do the other way of adding hot water gradually into flour, which may also be followed.
• Add salt and 1 tsp gingelly oil. Let the water boil.
• When water starts roll-boiling, keep the flame to very low temperature. Add rice flour gradually and mix with hot water quickly.
• The whole process of mixing flour into hot water takes just five minutes. Mix continuously, rice flour will be half-cooked by this time and gets a shiny texture without lumps as a whole mass.
• If you are adding hot water into flour, then add water gradually carefully and mix until you get a whole mass.
• Switch off and take off the dough.

How to make kara kozhukattai:

• Add the prepared seasoning into the kozhukattai dough and mix everything.
• Close with a lid for few minutes until it is warm enough to touch and handle.
• When the dough is still warm, apply oil in hands, knead the dough slightly.
• Then start making shapes by pressing the dough as shown.
• For mani kozhukattai, just make small sized balls. Keep the dough covered during this whole process.

How to steam:

• Boil water in idli steamer. Grease the idly plates with some oil.
• Stack the kozhukattais in the plates and steam for 6 -8 minutes according to the size of your kozhukattais. But no need to boil more than eight minutes else the kozhukattais will become hard.
• Let them cool down a bit in the idly moulds and remove them using spoon carefully. Since they are too soft handle them carefully.