Munthiri Kothu is a traditional South Indian sweet popular in Kanyakumari district (TN) and Kerala. It is a healthy and absolutely delicious snack made with green gram and jaggery. Contrary to what many of us think, Munthiri Kothu is not that difficult to make.
I still remember those days when my grandma never failed to prepare this sweet during festival seasons along with other sweets. After her demise, my mom started buying them from shops. During COVID-19 when we were confined to our home, I decided to try making it myself (thanks to YouTube), and it turned out really well.
As the name indicates, this sweet is made in clusters (kothu). In Malayalam, ‘Munthiri’ means grapes and ‘Kothu’ means a bunch. As it is fried in clusters, this snack tends to stick to each other after frying and resembles a bunch of grapes. Maybe, that is the reason behind the name ‘Munthiri Kothu’. One cluster or one Munthiri Kothu is enough for a person to satisfy his/her hunger.
The principal ingredients used are green gram, coconut, and Palm Jaggery. However, normal Jaggery is also used to prepare Munthiri Kothu.
Here is my Munthiri Kothu recipe for you:
Ingredients:
For stuffing:
1 Cup Paasi Payaru / Green Gram
3/4 cup Jaggery / Palm Sugar
1/2 cup Grated coconut
4 or 5 Cardamom Pods
1/2 tsp Dry Ginger Powder (optional)
3 Tbsp Water
For Outer cover:
1/2 cup Rice Flour
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
Pinch of Salt
Water
-
Dry roast the Green Gram until it becomes slightly brown in color.
- When cool, grind it to a coarse powder along with cardamom pods.
- Roast Coconut until it becomes light brown.
- Melt jaggery with a little water and bring it to a light sticky consistency.
- Combine all the dry ingredients. Add the jaggery syrup little by little and start making small balls immediately. Let the balls dry for at least an hour.
- Make a thick batter by combining rice flour, salt, turmeric, and water.
- Heat the oil. Dip a few balls together in the batter and deep fry them until the outer coating is well-fried.
Enjoy the Munthri Kothu and let us know your experience!
Notes:
- For the batter, you can use ready-made rice flour.
- The traditional method follows using rice flour batter. However, some use all-purpose flour for the outer layer. But the sweet will not last longer when maida is used.
- If you are not able to make the balls or if they tend to crumble, then add a little more hot jaggery syrup and try making the balls.
- Some add roasted sesame seeds to the stuffing to make it richer.
- If you make a large proportion or want to increase the shelf life of the Munthrikothu or want them to stay crispy, after making balls, allow them to dry. Let them dry overnight or for a few days before frying. If you fry them immediately, the balls become soft after a while.