Traditional Ammini Kozhukattai consists of rice flour shaped into dumplings, steamed and shallow fried in oil. Even though it is very tasty, it is made from white rice flour which has very little fiber and protein compared to oats.
Upgrade this Dumpling
Here are my ideas to upgrade this recipe:
- Substitute oats instead of rice for its superior nutritive properties.
- Add a low-carb vegetable and make it fun, see below…
- Manually sitting and rolling the balls is one mind-numbing chore. I have a trick to make it easier.
Step by Step Photos
Powder rolled oats in a blender. Set aside
Using a melon scooper, scoop out chow-chow (Chayote Squash) in the form of balls. This is a fun way to add this low-carb veggie. But it is extra work, I know!! Entirely optional.
Take the remaining chow chow pieces and grind it with some water to form a puree.
Add mustard seeds, urad dal and red chillies to oil.
Add oats powder, saute and then add the chayote squash puree to bring the oats together into a solid mass.
Switch off the stove. Using a cookie scoop, scoop out dumpling shaped balls and drop them in an idli or dokla plate. Add the chow chow balls in one of the layers.
Steam for 10-12 minutes until the dumplings and vegetabes are well cooked.
In a separate pan, add oil, urad dal, channa dal, red chillies and sesame seeds.
Roast and powder this mixture. I have not shown sesame seeds in the photo, since I already had roasted, powdered sesame seeds in my kitchen.
Add the dumplings, steamed chow chow and the powder. Stir fry and serve.
Using the cookie scoop is such a time saver
You don’t have to wait for the hot flour to cool down!! You can make the balls right away. How awesome is that???
You can do all the scoops using one hand. No need to touch the flour directly, hence NO sticky hands!!
Additional benefit, they will all be of uniform sizes. This is very useful for impatient cooks like me. Trust me, have you seen my chapathis :)?
Recipe
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp Urad dal
- 2 tsp oil
- Few Red Chilies
- 1/2 cup Chayote Squash Puree
- 1 Chayote Squash Peeled and balls scooped out
- 2 tsp Sesame seeds
- 1 tsp Urad dal
- 1 tsp Chana Dal
- 1-2 Red Chilies
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Powder rolled oats in a blender. Set aside
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Using melon scooper, scoop out chayote squash in the form of balls.
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Take the remaining chow chow pieces and grind it with some water to form a puree.
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Add mustard seeds, urad dal and red chillies to oil.
-
Add oats powder, saute and then add the chayote squash puree to bring the oats together into a solid mass. Switch off the stove.
-
Using a cookie scoop, scoop out dumpling shaped balls and drop them in an idli or dokla plate. Add the chow chow balls in one of the layers.
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Steam for 10-12 minutes until the dumplings are well cooked.
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In a small pan, heat oil, urad dal, channa dal, red chillies and sesame seeds. Roast and powder this mixture.
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To a saute pan, add the steamed dumplings, chow chow and the spice powder. Stir fry and serve.
Eat it with a spoon along with Brinjal Kothsu South Indian style…
Or make it a fun meal for the kids and dig in with chopsticks!!
References
You can also check out Kanammacooks for details on the authentic version. Her blog is a treasure trove of great Chettinad recipes.
I hope you like some of the ideas presented here. Do share your thoughts and comments down below.
Are you looking for other healthy breakfast ideas? Check out these links:
Post your comments here....I look forward to reading them!!