Usili Kozhukattai / Ammani Kozhukattai / Steamed rice balls in dal masala

This is one of my very favorite snack item which my mom prepares. I haven't heard or tasted this anywhere else. This is healthy too as there is no need for oil except for seasoning and the entire item is steamed. Though the process is little lengthy, the finished product is too good and different from the usual deep fried snacks varieties.Here goes the recipe:

Items required:

For Rice balls:

Rice flour - 2 cups
Salt
Water

For masala dal:

Channa dal - 1 cup
Red chilly - 4
Hing - a pinch
Salt
Water

For seasoning:

Oil - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves - a bunch

Method:

1. Mix rice flour, required salt and water to make it like dosa batter and keep it aside.

2. Soak channa dal in water for an hour. Then grind the soaked channa dal, red chilly, hing, salt with little amount of water. Do not add too much water. The paste should be in such a consistency that we can make balls from it.

3. Add a teaspoon of oil and half a tumbler of water in a kadai and keep it in gas flame. Once the water is heated, add the rice flour batter slowly to the kadai and keep on mixing it slowly in low flame. The batter should become a soft dough.

4. Now make small balls from the rice flour dough and place them in idly steamer.

5. Make balls of the ground dal paste and keep it in the idly steamer as well.

6. After 7 mins remove the balls from the steamer and keep it open to get cool. Put the steamed dal balls in a mixer jar and make it into smooth powder.

7. Heat oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds. Once they start to splutter, add the curry leaves to it. Now add the steamed rice balls to it. Saute them slowly and now add the ground dal to it and mix them nicely so that the dal gets mixed with the rice balls.

8. Remove it from flame and serve hot.

Try this let me know your valuable comments :)