Paasipayaru Inippu Pooranam for Kozhukattai | Sweet Poornalu | Green-gram stuffing for Modakas
This is** “THE”** Pooranam recipe for Modak/Kozhukattai. Sooo delicious that Lord Ganapathi might gulp in all that was offered during the puja. Better watch him stealthily during the prayers 
. The tummy feels so light since we are replacing kadalai paruppu (split chickpeas) with paasi payaru (green mung beans) for preparing this sweet filling. If you’re not going to believe me about this recipe, then ask Lord Ganesh if he is willing to leave to the sea after the Ganesh Utsav 
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Of all the Indian festivals that I like, Vinayaka Chavithi and Karthigai Deepam are my most favorite. If Lord Vinayakar is one parameter for liking ‘Vinayak Chaturthi’, then Kozhukattai is the other main factor
. I think everybody like this simple sweet delight made of steamed rice dumpling filled in with the magical flavors of coconut, jaggery and cardamom, that is mixed with pachaipayaru (mung beans). We will talk about Karthigai Deepam festival some other day
I know, I know… the regular followers of GoJingalala will be wondering (or might feel relieved 
)) about why I did not write stories about the recipe like I usually do in all the posts of mine. Well, I told you, Vinayaka Chathurti is so special to me that I will need to write pages after pages about the long comprehensive descriptions of the cooking process and the puja preparations.
How to make Sweet Poornam for kozhukattai – With step by step images
[Each image can be enlarged if Clicked] Step 1. Set the ingredients ready. Wash the green gram (pasipayaru), scrap the jaggery (vellam) and the coconut.
Step 2. Cook the greengram in pressue cooker with 1/4 tsp. of salt for 2 whistles. Once the two whistles sound, bring the flame to low and let it cook for 10 more minutes. After 10 minutes switch off flame. Open the cooker when all pressure subsides by itself. Drain the water. Let the cooked greengram stay open for 5 to 10 minutes.
[](/images/pacha-payaru-poornam-kolakattai1.jpg)[](/images/poornam-vella-kolukattai-1.jpg) Step 3. In a blender, grind the pasipayaru (green gram) in ‘pulse’ mode. i.e. grind them just gently for 4 seconds. Let the mixture be coarse. Set this aside. 
Step 4. In a vessel, add the scrapped jaggery (vellam) and add 2-3 tbs. water. Set flame to medium and watch until all the jaggery melts. Do not burn them. This process should take only 5 minutes.
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Step 5.** Now strain the jaggery syrup. Keep aside.
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Step 6.** Heat a wok in medium flame. Add the shredded coconut and saute them well. Don’t add oil while doing this. Saute them until the coconut releases it’s magical smell, turning golden brown. Transfer it to another plate. This step requires 3 minutes. Crush/powder cardamom seeds and add it to the coconut.
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Step 7.** Heat a wok to medium flame. Add the ground green-gram and the jaggery syrup. Stir them well for 2 minutes. They won’t turn gooey. If it turns gooey let it cook until it turns thick.
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Step 8.** Now add the roasted shredded coconut and the cardamom powder. Mix well for a minute. Turn off stove.
Step 9. Cool the poornam/filling for 10 minutes. Then, start to stuff the kolukattai with these healthy and yummy filling. Or, simply enjoy the delight of this dainty, spoonful after spoonful into your mouth.
You can watch the “video on how to stuff and mold kozhukattai” using this link.
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3Ts [ Tips | Tricks | Tactics ] to make Poornam for Kozhukattai / Modhakam
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Like I mentioned in the 3Ts section of Kozhukattai post, this is how my mom-in-law prepares the pooranam for modhakam. In fact she asked to first dry roast the mung beans (green gram) before pressure cooking them. I did not follow that step. Roasting the green gram will add extra flavor to the poornam recipe.
It is optional to roast the coconut. It is optional to prepare the jaggery syrup too. You can mix the jaggery, coconut and powdered cardamom seeds just like that right after the mung beans is ground (neat not cook the ground moong beans in stove). But this method of preparing the filling for modak stays good only for a day.
Children will like the sweet pooranam (be it kadalai paruppu pooranam or pasipayaru pooranam. Whenever moms makes pooranam at home, she makes more than needed for the kozhukattai because, in the name of filling the kolukattais we eat the pooranam just like that
.Don’t miss to add the cardamom powder since it is the cardamom’s smell that attracts you to this dish.
My amma used to say, “add little salt even if you are making a sweet”. That’s why I added salt while cooking the green gram.
Few other tips in this Fake-Momos page
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[](/images/vella-kolakattai12.jpg)
[](/images/pasi-payaru-puranam-kolukattai-11.jpg)
Some ideas might sound implausible, just like this idea of substituting the traditional split bengal gram (kadalai paruppu) with mung beans (pachchai payaru) to make these pooranam/momos stuffing. But you HaaffffF to believe, the kozhukattais and the paasipayaru filling inside it will be sooo delicious that Lord Ganesh will regret to go to the deep sea after the festive buzz, hating to miss these sweet dumplings. Who knows, he may demand you to pack these yummy rice dumplings in a tiffin box for him! 
[](/images/pachai-payaru-pooram-kozhukattai-1.jpg)
### Kozhukattai Pooranam
- PREP TIME: 10 min
- COOK TIME: 40 min
- TOTAL TIME: 50 min
- YIELD: To fill 25 to 30 dumplings
- DIFFICULTY: easy
- RECIPE TYPE: Sweet dumpling/Snacks/Prasad
### Ingredients:
- Paasipayaru/mung bean/green gram – 3/4 cup
- Jaggery (Vellam) – 3/4 cup
- Grated coconut – 1/2 cup
- Water – 1 cup
- Salt – 1/4 to 1/2 tsp.
- Cardamom seeds (powdered) – 1/2 tsp.
Mangala from [Cooking.Jingalala.Org](http://Cooking.Jingalala.Org "Indian sweets with step by step photos") Eat Well!