Kuzhalappam Vilayichathu~ A traditional deep fried snack of Kerala

Kuzhalappam, another famous Kerala delicacy my aunt made for me when I was in Kerala. It is a traditional snack of Kerala which can be made in bulk and can be stored for a couple of months. Nowadays it’s common to get Kuzhalappam in bakeries and my home town Kottayam is very famous for Mammi Cheduthi’s Kuzhalappam and Churuttu (another Kerala snack). Usually the store bought ones are made of maida / all purpose flour and are whiter in colour and homemade ones are made of rice flour and are of brown in colour. The kuzhalappams can also be coated with a light sugar or jaggery syrup.

In Kerala, Kuzhalappams are usually make in Christian homes during Christmas season, and also an inevitable item along with other traditional snacks in functions like Adukkala Kanal (a custom when the bride's family go to the Groom's house with sweets and savories along with other gifts;) ), Prasavathinu vidal (occasion of sending expectant mother to her mother's house) and also when the girl goes back to her husband’s house with the new born baby, functions like house warming, at death anniversary prayers etc. It is also served at home when family or friends visit and is given as gifts to loved ones who are staying abroad or to kids staying at a hostel etc…. So when my mom’s sister made this for me and my cousin sister when we were returning from our summer vacation I noted down the recipe. She even coated it with jaggery syrup after frying. So here is the Homemade Kuzhalappam recipe with Rice flour and how to coat it with Jaggery syrup (Vilayikkuka)….

Kuzhalappam with Rice Flour Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups Aripodi / fine Roasted Rice Flour
5 Chumannulli / Shallots or I medium onion
2 tsp Jeerakom / Cumin seeds
10 small cloves Veluthulli / Garlic
1 ½ cups grated coconut
Salt to taste
2 tsp black sesame seeds
Oil for deep frying


Method:

• Grind shallots, cumin seeds, garlic, and coconut to a fine paste.
• In a small pan mix this ground mixture with salt and ¾ cup water and bring to a boil.
• In a heavy bottom pan / Uruli, heat rice flour thoroughly. When the rice flour becomes very hot add the above boiled water-coconut mixture and mix very well until steam rises.
• Remove from heat and add sesame seeds and knead well to make smooth dough. ( If needed add boiled water little by little to make a smooth dough).
• Form small balls with the dough and press between a poori presser or press between cling film or waxed paper with a flat heavy pan. (it shouldn’t be too thick or too thin).
• Roll each circle around an oiled thin pipe piece or handle of a wooden spoon or on Kappala thandu (papaya stem) or vazha thandu (banana leaf stem), if available. Press the overlapping edges together and slip off from the pipe. Continue this till the dough is finished.
• Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the rolls in batches in hot oil until crisp and light brown in colour.
• Drain on paper towels. Cool and store in air tight containers.

If you want the sweeter version proceed to the next step….

Jaggery Syrup

• Melt around 250 gm jaggery in 1 ½ cups of water and strain. Boil this syrup to a 3 thread consistency thick syrup and add powdered cardamom and remove from fire. Cool slightly and add fried kuzhalappams and mix to coat the syrup evenly on kuzhalappams. Cool completely and store in an air tight container.
• You can use Sugar instead of jaggery too.                          

Now here are the pictures of the famous Mammi Cheduthi’s Kuzhalappams from Kottayam :)