Akki tari kadubu | Idli Rava Unde | Steamed cream of rice dumplings | Dideer pundi gatti

Pundi gatti or unde is a very common breakfast dish of South Canara. My mom-in-law & I make them quite often & have posted the recipe here. This akki tari kadubu is similar to the pundi gatti (unde) recipe. Though the latter is much more time consuming.

Akki tari kadubu makes a great brunch option on a weekend. It keeps you full for a long time. The extra effort that this dish takes will surely be well paid off. This is also known as pidi kozhukattai or upma kozhukattai.

Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 45-60 mins
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
Idli rawa | Cream of rice : 2 cups, refer notes
Water: About 4 cups
Oil: 2 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Gram dal/Channa dal: 1 tbsp
Frozen peas: 1 cup
Grated coconut: 2 tbsp, fresh or frozen
Salt: As needed

Method:
Heat oil in a broad pan. When oil is hot, throw in the mustard & cumin seeds. When seeds splatter, add the gram dal & saute till the dal turn golden brown.
Add the water, salt, frozen peas, grated coconut & mix. Allow the water to boil on a medium heat.

When water starts boiling, slide in the idli rawa & mix thoroughly. Ensure no lumps are formed while mixing.
Cook the rawa on a low-medium heat for about 5-7 mins. Keep mixing in between. When the rawa gets cooked, it leaves the edges of the pan. Remove the cooked mixture from the heat.

Keep a bowl of chilled water ready.
While the rawa mixture is still hot, take about 2 tbsp of mixture at a time & prepare dumplings out of it. Keep dipping your hand in the cold water while making the dumplings. You could press the mixture like a fist too.
Prepare the steamer. Place these dumplings on the steamer plate & steam the rice balls for 25-30 mins on a medium-high heat.
Allow the steam to escape & let the kadubu/dumplings cool for a while.

Serve these dumplings with a dip/sauce of your choice.

Notes:

• Generally raw rice rawa is used to make this kadubu. However I like to make it with idli rawa (parboiled rice rawa) because they turn out softer than the raw rice ones.
• Idli rawa is available at most of the Indian Stores.
• Tempering could be your choice. You could add pepper corns or curry leaves or any other flavor of your choice.