VISHU KATTA FOR CHITTIRAI VISHU
A traditional dish cooked authentically using a traditional vessel has its own speciality. Roasting appalams on live charcoal, preparing vattal kuzhambu in a kalchatti or making rasam in an eeya chombu are all only nostalgic memories now. I have been using my beautiful Kerala urli to float flowers since the time I brought it from Thrissur a few years ago. I decided to use the urli for the first time to cook this traditional Vishu dish and experience the old world charm in my kitchen. Using the urli over the gas stove was really exciting. To save time and fuel I pressure cooked the rice and then transferred it to the urli to complete the dish.
INGREDIENTS
Raw rice - 2 cups
Coconut - 1 big
Salt - 1/4 tsp
METHOD
1. Wash and soak the rice for one hour.
2. In the mean while grate the coconut and blend with two cups of water.
3. Pass it through a sieve and collect the thick coconut milk and keep it aside.
4. Blend the squeezed out coconut gratings with three more cups of water and extract the second thin milk.
5. Drain the soaked rice and pressure cook with the three cups of second milk, crushed cumin seeds and salt until three whistles.
6. When the pressure subsides scoop out the mushy rice into the urli and add the first thick coconut milk.
7. Cook on medium flame stirring now and then.
8. When the rice starts to thicken keep stirring continuously to avoid burning.
10. When the rice comes together as a whole mass remove it on to a greased plate.
12. Cut into Kattas.
Enjoy the traditional Vishu Katta with Mangai Pachadi on the happy occasion of Chittirai Vishu.
Enjoy the traditional Vishu Katta with Mangai Pachadi on the happy occasion of Chittirai Vishu.
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