Vegan sweet four-ingredient Kerala recipe for Sukhiyan is made using the goodness of green gram
Popular during tea time, this snack takes less than an hour to make
Native to the Southern state of Kerala in India, Sukhiyan or modakam is a traditional Kerala sweet snack made using green gram, jaggery and coconut. These bite-sized balls are dipped in a flour and rice batter and are then deep fried to perfection using coconut oil.
So, the next time you're in the mood for a snack with your steaming cup of tea, try out this food guide to making Sukhiyan at home...
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time : 20 minutes
Serves: 10 pieces
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 250 gms green gram
- 200 gms jaggery, powdered
- 100 gms coconut, grated
- 8 cardamom pods (for powdering)
For the batter:
- 100 gms all-purpose flour (maida)
- 50 gms rice powder
- Salt to taste
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp sugar
- 125 ml water
- Coconut oil (for deep frying)
Step 1: Soak the green gram for 3 hours. Next, using a pressure cooker, add the soaked green gram and water (1 cup). Drain the excess water out after cooking and then set it aside to cool.
Note: Make sure you do not overcook the green gram, so 2 to 3 whistles should be just fine.
Step 2: In a pan, melt the jaggery powder in 100 ml of water. Once melted completely, strain the liquid to remove the impurities. Set it aside.
Step 3: Using another thick-bottomed pan, heat the grated coconut and stir continuously for a minute to dehydrate it.
Step 4: Add the melted jaggery to the grated coconut and mix it well. Allow it to boil on a low flame and continue stirring it for another 3 minutes.
Step 5: Once the mix starts to thicken (just before the one thread consistency), add the cooked green gram, a pinch of salt and ground cardamom. Mix it well, again.
Step 6: Continue stirring till the mix thickens well. Then turn off the flame and allow it to cool.
Step 7: Roll the mix into medium-sized balls and keep it aside. Make sure you have lightly greased palms before rolling.
Step 8: For the batter, combine the all-purpose flour, rice powder, salt, turmeric powder, sugar and water. Mix it well till you get a thick and smooth batter without any lumps.
Step 9: Heat coconut oil in a pan for deep frying.
Step 10: Dip each ball in the batter and deep fry them in oil on a low-medium flame. Fry both the sides till the Sukhiyan gets a golden-brown colour. It takes approximately 2 to 3 minutes to fry.
Step 11: Remove the Sukhiyan from the oil and place it on a tissue paper to rid it off excess oil. Serve hot with a cup of tea.
Note: You can also substitue coconut oil with refined oil for deep frying.