Palkozhukkattai - rice dumplings in coconut milk

The last time I had this dessert was in 1997.  I remember it so well because my mother made it for me.  I was due to give birth and my mother asked me if there was anything I would like to eat before I went into the delivery room. I had been craving these and asked her to make them for me. My baby girl was born a day later - which according to my mother was a good sign; apparently the baby was satisfied with the meal! 

This is a very simple dessert to make - but a bit tedious. Hence the reason why I never made it.  But with all of us being in isolation and me wondering how to utilize my time, I decided to make this and take photos along the way so I could put it in my blog.  

Ingredients:

1 cup rice flour
1 cup water
1/4 cup milk (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tin coconut milk
4-5 tablespoons of sugar 
5 green cardamoms
1 inch piece of dry ginger
1-2 teaspoons ghee

Method:

In a non-stick saucepan, add the rice flour, salt and 1 cup water.  Mix well ensuring there are no lumps.  Cook this on a very low flame stirring constantly until the flour cooks and leaves the sides of the pan in one big lump.

Add 1 teaspoon ghee and mix it well into the dough using your wooden spatula. Transfer to a bowl and keep covered.

While the dough is getting cool, get your mortar and pestle and pound the dry ginger and cardamom to as fine a powder as possible and sieve it and keep aside.

Meanwhile, your dough should be warm and ready to be worked on by now.  Grease your hands with a few drops of ghee, and work on the dough taking one fistful at a time.  Use both hands and make the dough into a string.  Using the palm of your left hand and fingers of your right hand shape the string into mothball sized balls.  This is the longest step in the process. 

Once you have made all the dough into balls, you are ready to move on to the next step.

Empty half the can of coconut milk and 1 cup water into your saucepan and let this mixture boil.  when it comes to a rolling boil, start adding the balls a few at a time, each time making sure the water - coconut milk mixture is boiling before you add the next lot of balls in.  I had to divide the balls into 3 lots and then cook them.  

Once they are cooked, they float on the top of the coconut milk water mixture.  At this stage add the sugar and the powdered spices.  Mix well so that the spices do not form lumps.

Test for sugar - you can add a bit more if you like it sweeter.  Next add the remaining coconut milk and let it boil just once.  Turn off the stove and finish off by adding the milk.

Serve warm or cold.  I like mine warm.  

Note:  If adding milk, do not reheat on stove top, as the milk might curdle. I reheated my dessert the next day in the microwave for 30 seconds and it was fine.