Palathalikalu/ Bellam Palathalikalu is a delicious sweet dish prepared by cooking steamed rice flour noodles to boiling milk coconut mixture. Palathalikalu is usually prepared during festivals/ special occasions like Sankranti, Ganesh Chathurthi and Polala Amavasya.
Palathalikalu has unique flavors and taste as it involves freshly ground paste consisting of coconut and cashews. This sweet is prepared with bellam/ jaggery which is very healthy, if you don’t like jaggery taste or flavors you could try adding edible brown sugar for same color appearance or try make this sweet with regular sugar too. Since I have used powder jaggery I dint not filter it, if using regular jaggery/bellam melt 1/2 cup jaggery in 1/2 cup water, filter the impurities through strainer then add it to the sweet.
Also I steamed the rice flour noodles before adding it to the milk as there are high chances of it dissolving in milk, so if you are a beginner first steam the rice noodles then add it to the milk mixture.
Though this recipe involves lot of steps in its making it is very delicious and more appetizing than the regular payasam. This recipe is my family’s traditional recipe and wanted to share in the blog so that everyone could try making it and experience the flavors and taste. So lets’ get to the making of Bellam palathalikalu recipe!
Some more interesting recipes:
Green gram sundal
Green gram sweet sundal
Samai pidi Kozhukattai
Fried modak
HOW TO MAKE PALATHALIKALU WITH STEP BY STEP IMAGES
- Take water in a pan and add a pinch of salt to it. When the water starts boiling reduce the flame and add rice flour in it and mix well without forming any lumps and put off the flame. It will form an improper dough leaving the sides of the pan.
- When the rice flour mixture is warm knead it with your fingers to form a perfect dough.
- Now take the murruku presser and fit the above shown disc template in it.
- Grease the steaming plate with oil then pinch a portion of dough and place it in the murukku presser. Now rotate the handle and make layers in circular motion.
- Now heat water in a steamer and place the steaming plate in it. Steam it for 15 mins. When done remove from steamer and keep it aside.
- Meanwhile, take a blender add coconut and cashew. Grind it into smooth paste adding little water.
- In a pan add milk and water when it boils add jaggery in it and mix well. Then add coconut paste and cardamom powder in it and mix well. Allow it to boil. Make steamed noodles into pieces and add it in the milk mixture and put off the flame after one boil.
- Now heat ghee in a small pan and fry cashews until golden brown and add it to the palathalikalu and serve it hot or cold!