Pidi kozhukkattai - salt and sweet

Ingredients:


Raw rice             : 2 cups
Tur dal                : 1/2 cup
pepper corns      : a few

Jeera                  : 1 spoon
In a dry pan, fry the above till you get a nice aroma and grind it to rawa consistency.

Oil                      : 3 tsp
Mustard seeds   : 1 tsp
Red chillies        : 3 (broken to pieces)
Urad dal             : 1 tsp
Coconut             : 1/2 (grated)
Curry leaves      : a few
Asafoetida         : a pinch


Method:

Heat oil in a pan. Splutter Mustard seeds. Then add urad dal, broken red chillies, asafoetida and curry leaves.
Add 4 cups water and salt.
When it boild add coconut and the powdered rice mix.
Mix well ensuring there are no lumps. You can keep it in a pressure cooker now.
After 2 whistles turn off heat.
If not using a pressure cooker,  keep turning it every now and then until the rice is cooked well and  gets upma consistency before  turning off heat.
Cool it  a bit. Make balls from the dough.
Steam in idli cooker or steamer for 8 to 10 minutes.

Pidi kozhukkattai - Sweet

Rice flour                     1 cup
Cardamom                   2 ( remove pod and powder)
Jaggery                       1/2 cup
Coconut                       two tblsp cut into thin bits.

Method:

In a dry pan fry the rice flour for a few minutes. This is to get rid of any moisture. it should not turn colour.
Take 2 cups water in a vessel and add the jaggery.
When the jaggery is completely dissolved, add the flour and coconut pieces and keep stirring till it comes out as a nice lumpless mass. The flour should be cooked well.
Remove from heat. Add cardomom powder.
Cool it  a bit.
Make lemon size balls out of the dough.
Steam for 8 to 10 minutes.