Rice Pidi Kozhukkatais has been an absolute favourite saturday night dinner, all through my childhood.  Those were days when we would never go out all weekend. It would be spent at home with my sisters, catching up on the week`s lessons, cleaning, getting ready for the next week and of course chatting up with each other. We could never ever get enough of talking to one another. There was always something that we had forgotten to share, about an event at school, or that nasty girl who spoke behind our back, or a shocking gossip about a teacher, or the topic we all three always always loved – Music! We could talk about it for hours on end and it would figure all kinds of music forms – Pop, Rock, Carnatic, Classical, Movie Songs, Indipop….there was just so much music all the time around the three of us. I always miss those days of my growing up together with my sisters!!!

These days rice pidi kozhukattais have been a little rare and I have been using other fibre rich or protein rich ingredients as substitutions for rice. I had made a version completely with cracked wheat  and I have another version with Quinoa. Today`s version is with Brown Rice, as its high in fibre ,and minerals like manganese and phosphorus, and low in saturated fat and has a moderate glycemic index.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Brown Rice.

Handful of Cracked Wheat.

A handful Toor dhal.

1 Tsp Urad Dhal.

2 Green Chillies.

2 1/2 Cups of Water.

Seasoning:

Oil.

Mustard

Curry leaves.

2 Red Chillies as per taste.

A few broken cashews.

PREPARATION:

• Grind the brown rice and the cracked wheat to a coarse gritty texture.
• Soak the urad dhal, toor dhal and the green chillies in water for about 2-3 hours. The Urad Dhal is mostly a binding agent for bringing the kozhukattais together.
• Grind the urad dhal, toor dhal and the green chillies using little water, to a smooth paste. I also added a few sprigs of cilantro and some curry leaves.Set aside. Measure out the fluid (apprx 1/2 cup).

• To this ground paste add enough water to bring it to 2 1/2 cups measurement. Set aside.
• Take your favorite kadai and add about 1 Tbsp of coconut oil. When hot, add the ingredients mentioned under “Seasoning” and mix away until they are lightly roasted.
• Now bring down the flame to a medium low and add the measured water + ground paste which is totally 2 1/2 cups. Mix them all in.
• Now add sufficient salt and wait until the water just starts to boil.
• Bring down the heat and slowly add the pulsed brown rice + cracked wheat mixture.
• Bring down the heat to medium low and with a whisk bring it together until its almost resembling a thick upma.
• Switch off the flame and allow to cool for a few minutes.
• When its a little more easy to handle, make little balls by holding them inside your palm and closing your fingers over them so as to fashion them so.
• Grease idli plates with coconut oil and place the pidi kozhukattais in the depression.

• Steam like you would for Idlis –  In the pressure cooker with NO weight until you get a steady steam. Then simmer the gas for 6-8 minutes.
• Switch off the serve the Brown Rice Pidi Kozhukattias hot with a side of Idli Molagaipodi , Hotel Style Tomato Sambar or Fingerlicking Tart Tomato Chutney.