Pillaiyarpatti Mothagam

Pillayarpatti mothagam is a traditional South Indian sweet dumpling associated with the Pillayarpatti temple in Karaikudi. It is basically made with  roasted raw rice and  green gram dal rava , grated coconut and jaggery.Unlike regular kozhukattai we do not make the outer covering (called choppu) for this, it is a type of kozhukattai (steamed sweet dumpling) known for its unique flavor and texture. The sweet is often served as prasadam at temples, especially during festivals like Vinayaka Chaturthi.

The association between Pillayarpatti mothagam and the temple runs deep, with pilgrims often bringing it as an offering to show devotion to Lord Ganesha. This cultural symbol represents the traditions of the region and has helped preserve local culinary heritage. While there may be variations in the recipe across households or regions, the core ingredients and preparation method remain consistent.

Overall, Pillayarpatti mothagam is not just a sweet treat, but a beloved delicacy with a strong connection to the Pillayarpatti temple. Its popularity and association with the temple have helped elevate its status as a culturally significant dessert in South India.Check out the recipe for this traditional Pillaiyarpatti mothagam below.

Ingredients

Raw rice -1 cup

Green gram dhal-1/2 cup

Jaggery -1 &1/4 cup

Grated coconut -1/2 cup

Cardamom powder -1/4 tsp

Ghee -2-3 Tsps

Salt - 1/2 Tsp 

Recipe Video 

Method

👉Firstly wash the rice and dal separately and add 1 cup water and soak them separately for 1/2 hour, next drain the water completely and spread them on a cloth and dry in shade  for 1/2 hour or until you have very little moisture left.

👉Dry roast raw rice for a minute until light golden brown colour.set aside.

👉Dry roast green gram dal for 2 minutes until you get a nice aroma and colour changes to a light golden brown.set aside.

👉Powder the raw rice and dal together to rava texture.set aside.

👉Add 3-4 cups of water in a kadai to this add salt, a teaspoon of ghee mix well and bring it to rolling boil.

👉Add the powdered rice and dal mixture and stir continuously without any lumps.

👉Cook covered for 7-10 minutes in medium flame stirring occasionally in between.

👉To this add cardamom powder, jaggery powder, grated coconut and mix everything well.

👉The mixture will become gooey and thicken later, keep stirring continuously in medium flame.

👉Once the mixture forms a mass and holds shape switch off the gas and allow it to cool down .

👉While slightly warm make lemon sized ladoos this is called mothagam or use a greased Kozhukattai mould and shape the Kozhukattai.

👉Steam the mothagams for 10-12 minutes.

👉Serve.

Note -

✍️If you are use regular jaggery or mandai vellam always dissolve them in 1/2 cupwater, heat it and strain it and then use, the jaggery I have used is powdered jaggery which is very clean doesn’t have dirt or mud do I have used it directly .

✍️You pre prepare the rice dal rava before day itself it will be easier for making the mothagams the next day as it a lengthy process 

Preparation Time -1 &1/2 hours 

Yield-20-23 mothagams depending on size