Kozhukattai/Modak.

Ganesh Chaturthi brings Kozhukattais. Here is how i made them this year.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup raw rice, soaked in water for about 30 mts.
1/2 cup jaggery grated and soaked in about 1/4 cup of water.
1 tsp cardamom powder.
1/2 cup fresh grated coconut.
1/4 cup chana dal cooked and drained of all water.
A pinch of salt.
1/2tsp ghee.

Method.
Wash the rice thoroughly, and grind to a fine paste. Add a quarter cup of water, the salt and mix well. Heat half the ghee in kadai, and mixing the rice paste well, add to the ghee. Reduce flame and keep stirring the rice batter till it starts coagulating. The white color of the batter now becoming dough would turn transluscent. When all the water is absorbed, remove from fire, and applying a little oil to your palms, knead the dough well taking care to remove any lumps that may have formed. This should be done when the dough is still hot. You could use the back of a laddle to do this. Cover and keep the kneaded dough aside.
For the filling:
Grind the cooked chana dal and keep aside.
Heat the remaining ghee in another kadai and add the grated coconut to it and fry for a few minutes. Then add the chana dal paste and mix well. Add the cardamom and mix well. Now pour the jaggery water in it slowly so that any dirt that may be in the jaggery is left behind. Reduce flame and keep stirring the mixture well till it starts thickening. Remove and cool.
Oil your palms again. Place a ball the size of a big nellikai/amla of the rice dough in your left palm, and flatten out to the size of your palm with your right fingers. Now place a spoonful of the filling in the middle of the flattened dough, fold by bringing the edges together and seal by pressing gently. Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling.
Heat water in a steamer. Place the kozhakattais on a greased plate in the steamer and steam for about 10 minutes. They are cooked/done when the kozhakkatais turn transluscent.
Serve hot with ghee.