Poornam Kudumulu (Sihi Kadubu)
Updated: May 8, 2024, By Swasthi
Poornam Kudumulu are traditional rice flour dumplings with a sweet stuffing. These are festive delights made to offer the Hindu deities Vinayaka/Ganesha and goddess Lakshmi and Durga. These are also known as sihi Kadubu in Kannada and prepared during Ganesh Chaturthi. In this post I show how to make them with a jaggery lentil stuffing but you can also make with jaggery and coconut if you want.
Kudumu or Kadubu is a traditional steamed dumpling with or without a stuffing. It is a traditional food popular in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, made during Vinayaka Chavithi, Varalakshmi Vratham and Dasara navratri. There are numerous variations to make these dumplings and every family or a community has their version.
They can be sweet or savory and they can be stuffed or non-stuffed. The terminology also varies from region to region. The most basic version is not stuffed and is of 2 kinds – uppu Kudumulu (savory) and Bellam Kudumulu (sweet). These are also known as Undrallu.
Stuffed dumplings are again sweet and savory, most importantly they come in 2 shapes – round balls and the other is kajikaya shape. We are making the sweet stuffed here and these go by the name Poornam Kudumulu. I make mine without a mould. If you want you may use a Modak mold as well.
Ingredients
- The covering is made with super fine rice flour and the stuffing is made with chana dal, jaggery, cardamom powder and raw coconut (optional). Some people use toor dal in place of chana dal. If you want you may do the same but start with lesser water.
- Traditionally rice flour is made at home where rice is rinsed, dried, ground and sieved before using. I would do all that in the past but since the times have changed I use good quality organic fine rice flour from a South Indian brand. Why Indian brand? Because there are other kinds of rice flour which may not work.
Photo Guide
Step by step Photo Instructions
Make the filling
1. On a low flame, melt jaggery with 1½ to 2 tbsp water until completely liquidy. Place a strainer over a bowl and filter it. Keep this aside. I omitted this step since my jaggery was clean, free from debris and stones.
2. Wash and cook chana dal with water until fully cooked but not mushy. I cook half cup dal with 1 cup water and evaporate the excess at the end.
3. When pressed in between your fingers, the lentils should get mashed easily.
4. Cool the dal and add to a grinder. Alternately you may mash it with a masher.
5. You should have a coarse mixture as seen in the picture.
5. Add the dal, jaggery and coconut to the same pot.
6. Begin to cook the poornam till it looks dry and becomes a mass. During this step, jaggery will melt and makes the mixture gooey but as you cook it will thicken. When thick, turn off and add the cardamom powder. Keep it aside to cool.
7. Take small portions of the poornam and roll to balls if you want to make round balls. The balls have be non-sticky and hold good round shape. If not it means the purnam is not cooked yet.
Make dough for outer covering
8. Add ghee and salt to hot water.
9. Bring it to a rolling boil. Switch off the stove.
10. Add flour to the water.
11. Mix it well. It will be crumbly.
12. Cover and set aside to cool for a while.
13. Knead well to get a smooth dough. If required sprinkle some water and knead.
14. Divide to 11 equal sized balls.
Method 1 – Poornam Kudumulu
15. Grease your fingers and make a thin puri out of the dough. Place little poornam in one half of the puri leaving the edges.
16. Join the edges to seal the poornam. If required dip your fingers in water and press the edges. You can also make a design with your fingers or use a greased fork to press lightly on the edges.
Method 2
17. You can also make balls, by rolling the dough around the poornam.
18. Bring a pressure pan or cooker or steamer to a boil with enough water. Grease a steam basket and place the prepared kadubu in the basket. When the water begins to boil rapidly, place the basket in the steamer. Steam for 8 to 10 minutes depending on the size of your steamer.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Poornam Kudumulu (Sihi Kadubu)
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
Outer Covering
- ¾ cup rice flour (very fine flour)
- ¾ cup water (little more or less, depends on the quality of rice flour)
- 1 teaspoon ghee
Poornam
- ½ cup channa dal
- 1 cup water (more if required)
- ¾ cup jaggery grated
- 1 to 2 tablespoons raw coconut grated (optional)
Instructions
Make poornam
- Add jaggery to a pan with 1½ to 2 tbsp water. Heat it on a low flame until completely dissolved. Strain this to a bowl and keep aside. This step can be omitted if your jaggery is clean.
- Cook chana dal with water until fully cooked and not mushy. To test mash a few lentils in between your fingers, they should get mashed easily. Cool down and grind to a coarse mixture or simply mash it.
- Add back the dal, jaggery and coconut to the same pot and cook until thick and becomes a mass. Stir in the cardamom and cool down. Divide to 6 to 7 portions and roll to balls. They should be dry and not sticky.
Make outer covering
- Pour water to a pot and add ghee and salt. When the water comes to a rolling boil, turn off and add the flour. Mix well with a spatula and cover it. It is dry and crumbly at this stage.
- Let cool down a bit and grease your fingers. Knead to a smooth dough. Divide to 6 to 7 portions and shape to balls.
Shape poornam kudumulu
- Make a dent in the center of the ball. Dip your fingers in water and spread the dough to make a flat puri. Flatten them to as much as the size of your palm.
- Place a poornam ball and bring the edges together gently. Shape them off to a round ball. Do not squeeze or apply pressure on the ball, they may break.
- Pour water to a steamer or pressure cooker, bring it to a boil.
- When the water begins to boil, place these balls in a wide greased basket and keep it in the steamer or cooker. Close the lid and steam on high for 8 minutes if steaming in a smaller cooker and for 10 minutes if steaming in a larger cooker. Steaming them for longer can make the outer covering harder.
- Cool poornam kudumulu and offer to Ganesha.
Notes
If you want to give them a kadubu shape, use a tsp of all-purpose flour. This helps the dough from cracking too fast and they can be rolled to puris on plastic sheets. Place the poornam in the center and seal the edges, if required you can smear a few drops of water to the edges.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
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About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
I love all u tasty recipes thx u for sharing it is not allowing me torate
Thanks Swathi! Since 3 years I have been trying many of your recipes and been successful.. Keep it going
Thank you so much Cecelia!
Hello ma’am…. can I use store bought rice flour….I have made last year with Store bought flour….but when we were eating sticking to mouth..that too I have boiled almost 45 mins still it was very soft
Hi Srivani,
Yes you can use store bought flour. The outer covering becomes that way (sticks to the mouth) if more water is used while making the dough. Overcooking the kudumulu can also make them more chewy and sticky. Hope this helps
I made these for vratham. Came out very nice. Thank you
Welcome Rani
Happy to know they came out good
Very easy methods and explained very detailed.thank you soooooooo much
looks great swasthi
One of my fav kolukattai
Hi Swasthi,
I have tried this recipe for Ganesh chavithi as naivedyam to Lord Ganesha.
All of our family loved the receipe.Thank you for your detailed explanation of every dish. Tried some of your other receipes too…. really yummy …thank you..
Welcome Krishnaveni
So happy to know the recipes were useful. Thanks a lot for the comment.
🙂