It's time to relish mouthful Kozhukattais!

It's time for the humble steamed 'kozhukattais' to reappear on a banana leaf to be offered to Lord Ganesh as 'naivedyam'.

Everything about Ganesh Chaturthi exudes happiness, abundance, joy and cheer. And 'kozhukattais', 'kudumulu' or 'undrallu', sum up to the celebrations.

With the festival just a few days away, it is time to treat the family members and friends to these mouthful dumplings that come in myriad versions.

Apparently, certain dexterity of art goes into the making of 'kozhukattais' as they need deft hands. Like the milky-white dough should be blended lump-free and leave the sides of the cooking pan effortlessly.

And meticulous steps are followed thereafter. Palms get greasing with a few drops of cow ghee or edible oil. First, a little portion of the dough is taken out and rolled into a ball. Two, a cup shape is formed spreading the dough evenly. Three, the cup thus made is filled with 'poornam' or lentil mix and the edges of the rice dough are pressed on both the sides encasing the stuffing. During earlier days, mother's the best trainer to show children how to make 'kozhukattais' and bring out the perfect shape.

Except experienced moms who get into the kitchens with a sole mission of dishing out the favourite delicacies of the elephant-headed God, there were no YouTube channels and cookery shows to come to the rescue of the beginners and teach them the art of making 'kozhukattais' years before.

Still, there was so much fun to watch, learn and try them out. However, the wait for the 'naivedyam' used to be long then. With so much to devour and the festival platter offering a variety of dishes such as steaming hot 'idlis', 'sambar', 'thayir pachadi', 'kesari', 'vadai', 'puliyodarai', 'payasam', and of course, the irresistible set of assorted 'kozhukattais' in different shapes and stuffing that include hot and sweet, it was difficult to wait until 'arati' was given and the banana leaf was set to serve all the delicacies one after the other at the right corners as a part of the meal.

Unlike earlier wherein elaborate steps were followed to make the outer layer of the 'kozhukattais' by soaking rice for a few hours, drying them over a clean towel and pounding them, food bloggers come up with simplified versions of the dumplings that save a plenty of time and labour. "The outer shell of the 'kozhukattais' can be made with store-bought rice flour or hand-pounded one as well. But the trick lies in mixing the right amount of water for the dough. The measurement is one cup (rice flour) : one cup (water) if it is hand-pounded rice and it is one cup (rice flour) : one-and-a-half cups (water) if the flour is readymade," explains Lakshmi Jayaraman, YouTuber and food blogger whose YouTube channel is 'Lakshmi's Kitchen Corner'.

For the beginners, a host of YouTube channels offer tips on how to make simple yet easy 'kozhukattais' with stuffing such as coconut and jaggery, 'urad dal' and green chillies, lentil-based tempering that get into 'ammini kozhukattais'.

After all the tedious exercise of making the perfect dumplings, the joy of savouring and sharing them makes the Ganesh festival all the more special.