My Grandma’s speciality dish, one dish that I crave often and enjoy to the core…
I had already posted the recipe for making chicken chakkoli, in which chicken is added along with the rice dumplings and then cooked with the coconut gravy. However, this dish tastes better and is traditionally made with shrimp. One of the dishes my grandma makes whenever I visit her and is the best when made by her. I don’t make this that often, I make this when I get the irresistible craving for it and that’s when it tastes even more better.
There are different ways of making this dish and has different names too. This dish is made in Kerala and in some parts of Tamil Nadu. Some of the names of this dish are chakkoli, thakkidi, kunji pathal etc. In my family, this dish is known as chakkoli and is made either with shrimp or chicken. Most dishes taste delicious when served warm, but this dish tastes better when it sits for long time, the next day it gets better.
The rice dumplings in this dish resembles to gnocchi which is made of potato dough. The only tiring part is making the rice dumplings, well it’s not that tiring; make this when you have your friends and family around, making this is more fun when you have more people around 🙂 Absolutely delicious dish, and one of my most favorite dishes.
Cooking Video
Preparation Pictures
Kneaded Rice dough
Rice dumplings
Cooking shrimp
Cooking rice dumplings
Cooked rice dumplings
Shrimp and rice dumplings
Adding coconut gravy
Cooked chakkoli
- Rice flour- 1¾ cups
- Fennel powder- 1½ tsp
- Coriander powder- 1 tsp
- Garam masala- ½ tsp
- Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
- Chili powder- ¾ tsp
- Water- 1½ cups
- Salt- ½ tsp
- Small dough rounds already prepared
- Water- 3 to 4 cups
- Vegetable Oil- 2 tbsp
- Shrimp, deveined, shelled- 20
- Garam Masala- ½ tsp
- Chili powder- 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
- Fennel powder- 1 tsp
- Coriander powder- 1 tsp
- Curry leaves- 1 sprig
- Salt- ½ tsp
- Coconut, grated- 1 cup
- Fennel powder- 1½ tsp
- Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
- Cinnamon stick- 1 inch slice
- Water- ¾ cup (to make a smooth paste)
- Small onions, chopped- 2
- Curry leaves- 1 Sprig
- Ghee- 2 tbsp
- Boil water in a wide cooking pot, add all the above mentioned spices.
- As soon as the water boils, add the rice flour and combine it with a wooden spoon, remove the pan from the stove.
- Let cool down a bit, but don’t wait to cool completely.
- Using your hands, knead the dough well.
- If the dough is hard, sprinkle little water and knead the dough till soft.
- Grease your hands with some oil.
- Make small rope shapes out of the dough.
- Cut an inch long of the dough, make into a round shape by rolling it between your palms.
- Make an indent on the centre of the dough with your finger.
- Repeat this process until you have the entire dough made into small rounds, keep aside.
- Place a wide pot over medium heat, add 3 to 4 cups of water.
- When water comes to a rolling boil, add the already prepared rice dumplings.
- Let cook for 15 to 20 minutes till they float on top of the water.
- After 20 minutes of cooking, the water will thicken and the dumplings will float on the water.
- Remove the pot from the stove, drian the water and keep the rice dumplings aside.
- Add chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, fennel powder, coriander powder and curry leaves to the shrimp and combine well. Let marinate for a few minutes.
- Cook the marinated shrimp in a large pan till cooked well.
- In a blender, grind the grated coconut along with fennel powder, turmeric powder, cinnamon stick and water into a smooth paste. Keep aside.
- Add the cooked shrimp and rice dumplings into a wok or wide pot.
- Combine everything gently.
- Now, add the coconut gravy, combine well and cook covered for a few minutes.
- If the gravy is watery turn the heat to high and let the gravy thicken.
- Don't stir too frequently as the rice dumplings will break apart.
- This is an optional step. If added makes the chakkoli taste even more delicious.
- Heat a frying pan, add ghee, fry small onions and curry leaves till golden brown in color.
- Add this over the cooked chakkoli and gently combine everything well.
- Close the chakkoli in the pan with its lid so that the aroma of the fried onions will get into the dish.
- Let cool down and serve the chakkoli on a plate.
- This is a complete meal and you don’t need anything to go with this.
- This dish tastes better as it sits, the next day it will taste even more delicious. Enjoy.