Kara kozhukattai. Rice dumplings

Ingredients

• ½ cup  idli rice
• ½ cup water
• 2 tablespoon fresh coconut
• 2 dried red chillies
• 1 teaspoon sesame  oil
• ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon split urad dal
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 sprigs coriander leaves, chopped

METHOD

1. Soak Idli rice  for 3 hours. If you are planning for breakfast, then soak the rice over night. It works well. Drain the water from the soaked rice. Now, grind the rice with some water. 
2. Add the coconuts and dried red chillies along with the rice and grind. Grind to a really smooth fine paste. Set aside.
3. Heat sesame oil (gingelly oil) in a pan and add in the mustard seeds and split urad dal. Wait for the dal to brown.
4. Add in the onions and Salt. Fry till the onions are slightly brown. We like to add a lot of onions in this recipe. It tastes really good.
5. Add in the ground rice mixture and stir with a spatula. The rice mixture will immediately thicken up into a mass of dough.
6. Switch off the heat and add in the coriander leaves. Mix well to combine. Set aside to cool a bit.
7. Let the dough become warm. When the dough is still warm, dip your hands in cold water and take a small lime size ball of dough. Press the dough a little to form small balls. Set aside.
8. Place the dumplings on an idli plate or any flat plate and steam it for 10-12 minutes on a medium flame. Bigger balls might require more time to cook. The dumplings would become slightly glossy after steaming. Remove from heat.
9. Serve the dumplings hot.