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Modak or Kozhukattai is a sweet dumpling made of rice stuffed with a filling of  jaggery and coconut with a bit of cardamom (elaichi) powder added for flavour. It is part of the Prasad in West and South India made for the Vinayak Chathurthi festival. Ingredients 1 cup rice flour        1 tsp oil 1 cup water           Oil for greasing A pinch of salt For filling 1 cup grated fresh coconut 1 cup grated Jaggery  1/2 tsp Cardamom (Elaichi) powder Method   of preparation To prepare the filling, put grated coconut and jiggery in a non-stick pan, and cook over low flame till the jaggery melts and the mixture binds together. Add the cardamom powder and mix properly. Boil water in the non-stick pan. Add 1 teaspoon oil and a pinch of salt and stir. Reduce flame and add the rice flour stirring continuously. Make a smooth paste, cover with a lid and keep aside for about 5 minut...

A traditional dish Puliyogare is straightforward and popular recipe of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh used as Prasad in temples and festivals like Vinayaka Chathurthi. Each home has its own variation of the popular Puliyogare mix which is a combination of spices that include Coriander seeds, Channa Dal, Fenugreek seeds and Red Chillies that are roasted and ground to a fine powder. It is this magic mix along with a concoction of spices, tamarind paste, jaggery and roasted peanuts that gives this dish its distinct taste. Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 45 minutes Serving : 6 Ingredients Raw rice – 2 cups (cook such that each grain is separate, spread to cool) Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp Tamarind – large lemon size ball (soak in ½ cup hot water and extract juice.) Jaggery Powder – ½ tbsp Roasted Peanuts – approx 1/3 cup Salt to taste For tempering Mustard seeds – ½ tsp Channa Dal – 1 tbsp (split Bengal Gram) Urad dal – 1 tbsp (split black gram) Asafoetida...