Upma kozhakatai also known as Pidi kozhakatai is a very traditional Tamil Brahmin dish. It’s generally made for breakfast or evening snack.
Upma kozhakatai is a actually rice dumplings. Rice is ground to a coarse powder along with little tuvar dal and pepper, made into upma, which in turn is rolled into balls and steamed. It’s easy to make and easy on the stomach too:)

Ingredients

Raw rice – 11/2 cups

Tuvar dal( pigeon peas)- 1/4th cup

Black pepper- 1 tsp

Salt to taste 

Grated coconut – 2 tbsps

For tempering

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Oil – 2 tbsps

Mustard – 1 tsp

Split urad dal – 11/2 tsps

Chana dal- 2 tsps

Red chillies – 4-5

Asafoetida- 1/4th tsp

Curry leaves – few

Method

Wash and soak the rice for 15-20 mins.

Drain it and dry the rice.

Heat a pan. Add the rice, tuvar dal and pepper and dry roast it till it becomes crisp. It will take only few mins.

Cool and grind to a coarse powder.

Heat oil on a pan. Add mustard. When it starts spluttering, add urad dal, chana dal, curry leaves, red chillies and hing.

Sauté till the dals turn golden and the add 21/2 cups of water. Add the grated coconut and salt to taste and mix well.

When the water starts boiling, reduce the flame add the ground rice while continuously stirring to avoid lump formation.

Once it’s cooked ( take a small portion and check. When you touch, it should not be sticky and you should be able roll it into a ball.

Take it off the flame. Stir it well and cool slightly. While it’s still warm, take small portions and roll into a ball.

 

Steam the balls (kozhakatai) for 10-12 mins. Have in mind that over cooking will make the kozhakatai hard.

Serve the kozhakatai warm with chutney / sambar/ gothsu 🙂