The recipe of the rice dumpling that we are going to share with you in this post, comes from India, whre it’s enjoyed during special festive occasions. Depending on the region, it’s called modal or pitha.
The dough for this dumplings is extremely easy to make and it’s exactly like in the 2 ingredient rice flatbread (chawal ka roti), that we have shared earlier. You literally only need two ingredients (rice flour and water), and it becomes a delicious and soft dough.
These dumplings might not look or tatse as the traditional Chinese dumplings as you know them. The dough is very thick and soft. It is, however, no less delicious, and creates a wonderful dish on its own. It’s also a great gluten-free meal, and a tasty gluten-free warm dessert.
You can get as creative with the fillings as you can be. The base of the dough is the same, but what you put inside, can be sweet or savoury, spicy or salty. If you experiement with the fillings of your own, please don’t forget to share it with us in the comments.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup rice flour
- 2 cups water
- Sesame filling: 1 cup sesame seeds, 1 cup jaggery (or to taste)
- Coconut filling: 1 cup fresh or dry grated coconut, 1 cup jaggery (or to taste)
Method:
Step 1. First, prepare the sesame filling. Roast sesame seeds on medium heat, then add jaggery, and combine everything thoroughly. Take it off the heat and cool down. When the mixture is cool, crush it with fingers, so that there are no big lumps formed.
Step 2. Now, prepare the coconut fillings, the same way. Roast coconut on medium heat, then add jaggery, and combine everything thoroughly. Take it off the heat and cool down. When the mixture is cool, crush it with fingers, so that there are no big lumps formed.
Step 3. Now, let’s prepare the dough. First of all, boil two cups of water.
Step 4. Start adding rice flour to boiling water (on a low-medium flame), one spoon at a time, and keep stirring the mixture. Slowly it should resemble a dough, but make sure that there are no lumps formed in the process.
Step 5. When all the water is absorbed, take as much as you can handle with one hand and start kneading it. You’ll need to keep kneading it for about 5 minutes, until it becomes very smooth.
Step 6. Make a roll out of the dough. Divide it into equal balls, that then will be turned into dumplings.
Step 7. Take each boll and shape it into a cup. Add the filling inside and give it the desired shape.
Step 8. Steam the duplings in a steamer or a steaming basket for about 10 minutes.
The same easy rice dumpling can also be made with a savoury filling. Potato with spices is one of the best traditional options.
