Undrallu Payasam | Paal Kozhukattai | Paala Undrallu

I made this undrallu payasam recently during Ganesh Chaturthi,but one can make this on any festival.The process of making those tiny rice balls is bit tedious but it is worth the effort,ideally we make them with the left over dough of modak on Ganesh Chaturthi.
We do make a similar kind of payasa with long thin cylinders pressed in sev maker using the same dough like thick rice noodles which is called Palathalikalu,it tastes the same just that the shapes are different in both the sweet varieties.In general,many add rice flour to thicken the payasam base,but we make it with ground coconut, cashew nuts and khus khus paste which not only makes it thick,but rich,creamy and tastier.I have used my earlier pictorial of preparing the tiny rice balls for easy illustration.If you like a savory version do check out the Avarekaalu Kadubu post for a yummy savory version of ammini Kozhukattai.
Check out other important recipes for Vinayaka Chavithi:

• Steamed Kudumulu - with 3 fillings
• Karida Bele Kadubu | Fried Modak
• Bellam Kudumulu | Vella Ammini Kozhukattai
• Paal Kozhukattai | Undralla Payasam
• Puran Poli
• Dry fruit Modak | Kharjur Modak
• Pappulo Undrallu
• Palathalikalu
• Undraalu with Biyyam rava - Andhra recipe
• Avarekaalu Kadubu/Spiced Steamed Rice flour Dumplings
• Chintapandu pulihora - Andhra style

For a complete list of various options for Ganesh Chaturthi menu, check out here.

Undrallu Payasam | Paala Undrallu | Paal Kozhukattai Recipe:

(makes 4-5 servings)

Ingredients:

for undrallu/ammini kozhukattai:

1 cup Rice flour *(use freshly home made)

2-3 tbsp grated Jaggery(optional)

2 cups Water

a pinch of Salt

1 tsp Oil

for coconut-poppy seed kheer:

1 cup grated fresh Coconut

1 tbsp Poppy seeds
6-8 Cashew nuts

1 1/2 cup Milk

1/2 cup Water

1 1/4 cup grated Jaggery

1/4 tsp Cardamom powder

Method:

Making of tiny rice flour Balls:

• In a vessel, add water, salt and oil and let it come to a boil.
• After it boils, reduce the heat and add jaggery and rice flour. At this point don't touch the rice flour, leave it as it is for exactly 15 mins over medium heat.

• Switch off the flame and using a ladle mix it well until you get it into a smooth consistent dough (as shown in the picture). Once it cools a bit,you can use your hand at the end to knead into a smooth dough as shown in picture.
• Take an empty vessel and apply oil on its base and edges.

• Take some dough in your hand, and using your fingers make small balls as shown in picture (the smaller the balls, the better the taste.it all depends on your patience).If the dough keeps sticking to you hand, smear little oil to your fingers to continue making the balls.This is the most time consuming process but the end product makes you forget all the pain you have taken while making it.
• After you finish making all the balls, place the vessel in a pressure cooker without any lid on the vessel. Do sprinkle one or two tea spoons of oil on the top of the balls and steam it for 10-15 min without using a weight (like you would make idly).
• Once the pressure drops open the cooker and place the vessel aside. You should be seeing shiny balls as shown in the picture.

 for payasam:

• Grind cashewnuts,poppy seeds,grated coconut and cardamom into a fine paste.
• Mean while boil milk and water and add jaggery and the ground coconut mixture.Cook it on low flame until the jaggery is melted.
• Add steamed rice balls and simmer for 6-8 mins until they absorb all the flavors and starts floating up.Taste it at this point of time and adjust the thickness of payasam at this stage by adding more milk or jaggery to suit your taste buds.Do not boil for long as the mixture might curdle up sometimes.
• Let it sit for few minutes before serving which will help it to absorb the flavors and sweetness.

Serve it warm or at room temperature.

*Rice flour Preparation at home: Wash the rice nicely and spread on a cloth and let it dry in shade completely.Grind it to a fine powder in a mill or at your house in a mixie and sieve the floor.You can use it immediately,if you want to store then spread the floor on the cloth for a day in shade and store it in air tight container.This stays fresh for 2-3 months and can be used for many varieties.For modak/kudumulu especially this kind of rice flour is used. 

Notes:

1. Jaggery can be replaced with sugar in the recipe.
2. The addition of jaggery while making the rice balls makes them mildly sweet and makes it delicious when cooked in the coconut-poppy seed kheer.How ever it is optional to add jaggery while making those rice balls,but I suggest you to add.
3. If you do not have time to make those tiny rice balls(kozhukattai), you can use a sev maker(slightly big holes) to press them into long cylinders.You do not need to steam them,you can press them directly into the milk-water mixture and boil it until they float and then add ground coconut mixture and jaggery and boil for some time.