Vella in Tamil means Jaggery and Seedai is small Crunchy, crispy balls. So Jaggery balls made with rice flour and coconut are the naivedyam for gokulashtami in Tamil houses. These are deep fried. They are hard on the outside and soft and crumbly inside. They are quite tricky to make. My husband is very fond of them. For the contest, I wanted to make something traditional but with a modern twist. So I decided to bring those flavours in cookie form. By the way it was his idea. These cookies are Crunchy on the outside and soft and crumbly inside. They have a beautiful aroma of coconut all through. Traditionally, rice is washed, dried and then pounded into flour, but I have used store bought flour. I have also replaced Urad dal flour with chiroti rava.
Ingredients Rice flour 1 cup Chiroti Rava 2 tbsp Fresh coconut 1 cup grated Jaggery pd 75 gms Coconut oil 75 gms Coconut milk 3-4 tbsp Baking pd 1/2 tsp Coconut chips a few (dry coconut) Black Sesame seeds 1 tbsp White Sesame seeds 1 tbsp Method
Keep coconut oil in the fridge so that it hardens.
Sift Jaggery powder to remove grits.
Dry roast rice flour on low heat for a few minutes. Care should be taken that it doesn't change color.
Remove it into a bowl.
In the same pan dry roast Chiroti Rava.
Once it cools down, crush it in a Mortar and pestle.
Add it to rice flour.
Dry roast coconut on very low heat so that it looses its moisture and becomes crispy.
Once it cools down, grind it to a coarse powder.
Keep it aside.
Once rice flour, Chiroti Rava mixture cools down, add baking powder and mix it well.
Beat coconut oil and Jaggery powder till light and fluffy. It will take 3 to 4 minutes.
Add in coconut powder that we have prepared.
Beat again.
Now add flour in batches and mix lightly.
Add coconut milk, spoon by spoon till you get soft dough.
Don't knead the dough, just bring it together.
Let it rest for an hour.
Make small balls of approximately 25 gms.
Press them lightly.
Decorate with coconut chips and black and white Sesame seeds. Press again to that the seeds and coconut chips stick to the cookie.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Place the cookies on it, 2 "apart.
Keep them in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Bake in a preheated oven at 160 degrees celsius for 15 to 20 minutes.
The cookies will change colour to a nice golden.
Leave them in the oven for a couple of minutes.
Let them cool in the cookie sheet for 10 minutes.
Then remove them on the wire rack to cool completely.
Note : each oven behaves differently, so after 15 minutes keep an eye on the cookies.
Once they cool down, they will be Crunchy on top but soft and crumbly inside, just like Vella Seedai.
If you want crunchier cookies, pop them in the hot oven for a few more minutes.